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Prince Hotels Inc, a hotel chain company headquartered in Tokyo, has tied up with StayWell Holdings, a hotel management group in the Asia-Pacific region, to bring the luxury hospitality brand to India. StayWell operates two hotel and apartment style brands in India — Leisure Inn and Park Regis.
“There is substantial Japanese investment in India but there are no Japanese hotels. It is very hard for you to go and experience a true Japanese hospitality in the country. Thus we believe that this tie-up with Japan’s Prince Hotel offers something unique compared to other hoteliers,” said Simon Wan, President and Director, StayWell.
Prince Hotels has a partnership with Japan Airlines and ANA. These two airlines are already operating direct flights to India.
“Following the tie-up, StayWell too will benefit from the partnership with these airlines and it will help us do a lot of promotion,” added Wan.
StayWell at present has five hotels in India. After the partnership with Prince Hotels Inc, two more would be established this year and some more would come up over the next 18 months.
India, a potential market
On partnership with the StayWell hotels, Victor Osumi, Managing Executive Officer, Prince Hotels Inc, said, “India is one of the potential markets for us. A few years ago, we looked at how we can grow our portfolio outside Japan. To become successful outside the country, one needs to have an operational platform locally.
“We needed a local platform which understood local culture and the hotel business. Collaborating with StayWell, we already have a foundation and operational platform in India which will definitely help us to grow our portfolio here.”
Location is critical for a hotel’s success and so is choosing the right partner who has the same vision, said Rohit Vig, Regional Managing Director (India). StayWell plans to expand its reach in the South and Mumbai. “We have not touched Mumbai yet and we are looking at various deals in the city. Hopefully in some months we will announce something,” Vig said.
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