Radisson Hotel Group is working on an ‘India booster’ plan to fast-track its expansion and reach its target to opening 500 hotels here by 2030, besides tailoring its services and amenities to suit Indian tastes in markets such as Europe and the Middle East, said Chema Basterrechea, global president and COO, Radisson Hotel Group.

According to a report by ET, India is currently the chain’s second biggest market after China in terms of number of hotels and rooms. The chain currently has 318 operating hotels and 39,000 rooms in China. In India, the chain has 146 hotels with 15, 946 tooms. The chain is planning to cross the 150 operational hotels mark in India by December this year.

“We are keeping India as the centre of our growth strategy, and the reason for that is quite clear. We have been in this country for almost 30 years and between operating plus pipeline hotels, we have close to 250 hotels already,” said Basterrechea.

“So, the intention to get to the 500 mark is just a consequence of our assessment of the growth of this country. We have a very concrete plan that is called India booster plan where we are concentrating the right resources in terms of economics, and the right human resources to get to those numbers,” he added.

Radisson has said it is very often the first branded hotel to operate in some of the new and emerging destinations in the country. Its upcoming launches include new hotels in Ujjain, Tadoba and Namakkal.

Nikhil Sharma, MD and COO (South Asia) at Radisson Hotel Group said the chain reported a 14% like for like growth in revenue per available room in the first quarter this year. He said the year-end quarter is likely to be the strongest for the sector despite inflationary pressures.

Basterrechea said besides adapting the brands to suit Indian tastes in the country, the chain is trying to customise services and amenities specifically for Indian travellers at hotels in markets such as the main airport hubs of Europe and the Middle East. “We have a welcome India project, and we are trying to implement the best practices from India in other markets. Considering the number of Indian outbound travellers, we are making changes in breakfast and other services to suit Indian preferences,” he added.

On chains such as Marriott International also exploring the midscale segment in the country, Basterrechea said considering the high growth rate of this country, ‘there should be space for everybody.’