Existing Indian Hotel Properties Are Undergoing Rebranding to Attract More Customers

Increasing numbers of hotel properties in India are undergoing rebranding because to a rise in demand and a decline in the availability of new inventory.The pandemic, according to hoteliers, functioned as a catalyst for rebranding prospects, as an increasing number of asset owners approached brands to operate their hotels or considered switching to competing brands.

As the market develops, the activity is expected to gather pace, they added.The Glasshouse on the Ganges in Rishikesh has been relaunched as Anand Kashi by the Ganges, Rishikesh, under IHCL SeleQtions. The hotel debuted in April 2022 with its new SeleQtions identity.

With the signing of a management contract for Bhopal's Noor-Us-Sabah Palace in August of this year, Hyatt announced intentions to introduce The Unbound Collection by Hyatt in India. Marriott International announced the inauguration of the St. Regis Goa earlier in November 2022.

The renowned Cavelossim beachfront property in South Goa, between the Sal river and the Arabian Sea, was once known as "The Leela Goa." A spokesperson for IHCL said that a number of the chain's recent contracts involve buildings undergoing rebranding.

According to the firm, recent additions include forthcoming SeleQtions hotels in Dharamshala, Dudhwa, Manali, Raajkutir, a newly built IHCL SeleQtions hotel in Kolkata, and Ginger Ahmedabad, RTO Circle, to mention a few.

As several hotel owners contact them to manage their properties, the business of the major hotel chains grows.

Several of these conversions are marketed under the IHCL SeleQtions name. The brand allows owners of custom residences to preserve their properties' original character name and particular style without the need to transition to a uniform brand, which is a very compelling proposition.

With optimism returning to the Indian hotel industry and a decline in the availability of new inventory, operators are aggressively exploring possibilities to grow their portfolios via rebranding.

Owners are also eager to modernise their assets and reflag them with a brand that they feel to have better placement and distribution, since rates and occupancies in the leisure industry often surpass pre-Covid levels.

Nikhil Sharma, regional director for Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, EMEA, said that in 2020 and 2021, about forty percent of the chain's India signings were converted via the rebranding of an independentor branded hotel.