The iconic Waldorf Astoria is on its way to India. Hilton Worldwide, the world's second largest group of hotels with Waldorf as its ultra luxe brand, is looking at Delhi and Mumbai as the possible destination for it. The group has spoken to two big developers and will zero in on the best possible location for the project.
"We would love to have the Waldorf Astoria in India. It could be in either Delhi or Mumbai as a suitable market is needed to sustain it.
These two cities are in the league of New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai where the brand exists," Hilton Worldwide VP (operations, India) Guy Hutchison told.
Hutchinson moved to India five months back from China where he was closely involved with the launch of the Shanghai Waldorf and was responsible for design of the Beijing Waldorf that will open next year. "Location is critical for finalizing the site of a Waldorf. Hilton has been very selective in wherever it has opened a Waldorf. The one in India will also have to be a continuation of that experience," he said, while declining to give a timeframe by when India will get its first Waldorf.
Hilton will provide the design and construction blueprint to the chosen developer and the latter will be responsible for building the property.
At present, there are only 20 Waldorf globally and 12 are in the pipeline. Of them, only the flagship New York property in midtown Manhattan is owned by Hilton and the rest are all run by the group as management contracts.
Hilton has devised a multi-layer strategy for India. At present, Hilton has 12 hotels under four different upscale and mid-market brands here. The group has 21 more in the pipeline, of which two are in the luxury segment as Conrad in Mumbai and Bangalore.
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