Best Western plans to operate 100 hotels by 2017

International hospitality chain Best Western plans to operate 100 hotels in India by 2017, up from the existing 18 properties.

“The long-term plan is that in the next seven years, we want to operate 100 hotels in India aggregating about 10,000 rooms,” the Best Western India President and COO, Mr Sudhir Sinha, told PTI.

Of the total 100 hotels planned, 50 per cent will be in the budget segment while the remaining would be a mix of mid and premium segment properties.

The company is also in the process of launching its third brand — Best Western Plus — in India to addition to the two existing brands Best Western and Best Western Premier.

While the Best Western Plus will cater to the mid-segment, Best Western is in the budget segment and Best Western Premier taps the upper end of the spectrum.

Across the three brands, the average room rate varies between Rs 2,500 per room per night to Rs 25,000 per room per night.

Best Western International appointed Cabana Hotels as the master franchise in India in 2007 to operate properties under the Best Western brands.

“We are looking to upgrade a few of the existing hotels that are currently operating under the Best Western label, which is the core brand,” Mr Sinha said.

The company currently operates 18 hotels in India under Best Western. It has already signed up for another 11 hotels which are at different stages of completion.

“The hotels that have been already signed will start opening in the next three months to two years time,” he added.

In India, the company is currently operating 1,000 rooms, with an average room revenue of Rs 3,800 per night. “The average occupancy is around 70-75 per cent,” Mr Sinha added.

Best Western International, founded in 1946 by a California-based hotelier M.K. Guertin, operates over 4,000 hotels in more than 90 countries.

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