Global hospitality major Wyndham Hotel Group today said it will open 35 hotels in India over five years under the Howard Johnson brand for which it has signed a franchise agreement with domestic real estate firm Unique Global group.

The Indian partner will invest up to Rs 2,275 crore for setting up the properties and expects to have a room inventory of around 3,500. The first hotel under the Howard Johnson brand will be opened in Bangalore by mid-2013.

“Our agreement with the Unique Global group is for setting up 35 hotels under the Howard Johnson brand in the next five years,” Wyndham Hotel Group Managing Director (APAC) Frank Trampert told PTI.

The company is looking at locations in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Lucknow, he added.

When asked about the investments, Unique Global Group Chairman and Managing Director Rajkumar Rai said: “On an average, each room will require an investment of Rs 60-65 lakh and each of the hotels are expected to have around 100 rooms.”

The overall investment will be up to Rs 2,275 crore.

Wyndham Hotel group currently operates 475 hotels under the Howard Johnson brand in 13 countries. In India it is looking to target business and cost conscious leisure travellers in the mid-market segment.

“The room tariff can range between $80 and $120 per night,” Trampert said.

Sounding bullish on the Indian market, he said recent announcements by the Government related to foreign direct investments would lead to a spurt in business travel in the country.

It would mean a positive push to the hotel industry in key metros such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, where the group plans to launch Howard Johnson, he added.

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