Thailand-based Dusit International that entered into a JV with India-based Bird Group in 2010 to operate luxury hotels in India plans to open over ten properties in the country by 2018. Out of this, five properties will be part of the Dusit Bird Hotels joint venture and remaining of third party management agreements.
The company currently has two properties under construction in Delhi, including the 200 rooms
Dusit D2 in the row-stricken Aerocity at IGI airport and 50 key Dusit Devarna which was earlier slated for opening in 2012. Dusit Bird Hotels Private Limited has three additional properties in the pipeline under the Dusit Devarna brand in Jaipur and Rishikesh and Dusit Thani in Goa.
Dusit is engaging with third party investors/owners to close management agreements for other 5 properties of which two are expected to come in Gurgaon and Goa.
"The development plan is well on track and we will be announcing the openings soon. By 2018, we will have a happy balance of owned and managed properties. We expect to open two-four hotels every year for the next four-five years. These will be Bird Group owned properties or third party managed properties,” said Sunil Mathur, Regional VP, Dusit Interntaional.
On the strategy behind expanding in India, he said, “This is to ensure two-way traffic between our properties in India and overseas. India, so to speak, is not a new place for us. We have been engaging with this market for a very long time. It is a very strong source market for Dusit properties internationally and not just Thailand.”