India Daily: Radisson Expands Portfolio With 11 Hotel Signings

Radisson Hotel Group has signed 11 new hotels in India across brands between January and April this year. The hotels are located across Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ujjain, Raipur, Sonamarg, Manali, Kerala and Visakhapatnam. In April, the group also announced the debut in India of its luxury lifestyle brand, Radisson Collection, with the signing of the first hotel in Hyderabad — the 300-room Radisson Collection Hotel Hyderabad Financial District is set to be operational by the second quarter of 2026. Further strengthening its partnership with Ruptub Solutions — which operates India’s Treebo brand of hotels — the group also signed three new hotels under its Park Inn & Suites by Radisson brand in the south Indian states of Bengaluru and Kerala. Park Inn & Suites by Radisson Thrissur will open in the second quarter of 2024, Park Inn & Suites by Radisson Wayanad Ambalavayal is expected to open in the first quarter of 2024 and Park Inn & Suites by Radisson Yelahanka in Bengaluru will also open doors in the first quarter of 2024. “2023 marks a significant milestone for us at Radisson Hotel Group as we have successfully completed our 25-year journey in the Indian market. To translate our ambitious five-year expansion plan, we have signed 11 new hotels since January and have a strong pipeline ahead for this year,” said Zubin Saxena, managing director and area senior vice president, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group. Last month, the group introduced its ‘Skip to Rewards,’ campaign showcasing the new benefits members can access as part of the recently relaunched Radisson Rewards loyalty program. 

Saudi Arabia’s tourism marketing agency, Saudi Tourism Authority, has partnered with the Indian Premier League — one of the biggest sports events in the world — to tap into the country’s young cricket fanbase to promote Saudi as a year-round destination for Indian travelers. India is expected to become Saudi’s largest tourism source market by 2030 with two million visitors visiting the kingdom this year. The collaboration also seeks to broaden Saudi’s association with cricket, with the Saudi Vision 2030 plan aiming to increase community participation in sports from 13 percent to 40 percent by 2030. Last month, Tata Group-owned Air India and its low-cost carrier subsidiary Air India Express said it would operate flights to Saudi Arabia for Haj pilgrimage trips.  

New Delhi-based boutique lifestyle homes operator Rosakue Hospitality has launched a 15-room Rosa Vaydantaa Mussoorie in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. “This is our fourth property and third Rosa brand in the state of Uttarakhand,” said Deepika Arora, founder of Rosakue Hospitality. Last year in March, the company announced that it had grown its portfolio for the last couple of years with the help of hotel management system Hotelogix. Rosakue’s two brands include the traditional-style Bara Bungalow and the bohemian-style Rosa — each property showcasing destinations, local culture and cuisine through architecture, decoration and food. 

Vistara, a joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, is set to introduce a flight service between Agartala in the northeast Indian state of Tripura and Bengaluru in the south Indian state of Karnataka on August 1. Currently, low-cost carrier IndiGo and India’s newest airline Akasa Air operate three flights on the Agartala-Bengaluru route. “The flight will arrive here directly from Bengaluru, and on its return journey from Agartala, it will go via Guwahati,” Director of Agartala airport K.C. Meena told news agency Press Trust of India. Another low-cost carrier SpiceJet is ready to kickstart its services from Agartala to Bangladesh’s Chittagong once necessary clearances for immigration and customs are approved by mid-June.

The UN special agency for aviation International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) should continue to be guided by “common but differentiated responsibilities” in the efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions for the aviation sector, said Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal. India has set a target of achieving net zero emissions by 2070, based on “realities and infrastructure constraints,” he added. Speaking at an ICAO symposium in Seoul, the secretary said the transition towards a lower carbon and sustainable aviation fuels will be fundamental to achieving the net zero target. “The process of sustainable aviation fuel legislation, regulation, production, and deployment is external to civil aviation and requires multi-agency participation,” he said.

India-based luxury hospitality brand Sayaji Hotels has launched a 36-room Enrise by Sayaji, Harda in Madhya Pradesh, marking its sixth hotel in the central state. The hotel is located in close proximity to the Harda railway station. In April, Sayaji also launched a 63-room Effotel by Sayaji in Bhopal-Hoshangabad Road in the state and a 54-room Effotel Sarola in Pune in the western state of Maharashtra last week. With 23 properties currently operational, the group plans to add 50 hotels to its portfolio in the next two years. 

Indian aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation has simplified the process for the grant of heliport license. From now on, applications for seeking a no objection certificate to five external organizations can be routed through a single tab in the applicant’s eGCA profile, a single-window e-governance platform. Earlier, before submitting the online applications, applicants were required to apply to the Ministry of Home, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Environment and Forest Airport Authority of India and Local Administration. The regulator grants heliport license or operational authorization to the heliports at the surface level as well as at elevated level, in compliance with Aircraft Rules and the Civil Aviation Requirements. 

Tata Group-owned Indian Hotels Company has announced the signing of an 88-room resort in Naukuchiatal in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. The property will be developed in partnership with Leisure Hotels Group and rebranded as a SeleQtions hotel after renovations and expansion. Last week, the company opened a 118-key Taj Gandhinagar Resort & Spa in the western state of Gujarat and recently signed a 125-key SeleQtions-branded hotel in Indore in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. The brand reported its highest-ever full year consolidated revenue and a profit after tax of $122 million — a historic first for the company.