KOLKATA: Sarovar Hotels & Resorts (SHR) is taking its mid-market Portico brand overseas for the first time as part of its expansion plans. It is also entering the serviced apartments space.
SHR is in the final stages of talks with a local Middle East partner to manage two hotels — a three-star greenfield Portico brand in Dubai and a five-star property in Muscat.
Pradeep Kalra, vice-president, sales & marketing, SHR, told DNA Money: “We have not yet frozen plans for the five-star property in Muscat. It could be a Park Plaza brand, which, in that case would be a Carlson label and we would need a clearance from the global hospitality major’s end.”
But if the Muscat hotel gets a premier branding, this label would be travelling overseas for the first time. Both are homegrown SHR labels. Currently, the group manages the East Africa Hotel in Tanzania.
The company, which originally was into managing hotels, entered ownership of properties with its mid-market, limited service Hometel brand some time ago.
It has now frozen plans to set up its largest project under the Hometel brand in north Mumbai. Land has already been leased close to the international airport for the 650-key property; work is likely to begin on it sometime next year. Investment, minus the land price, could amount to about Rs 200 crore, it is learnt. With this property, SHR is making an entry into the serviced apartments category, which has become popular in India, thanks to the entry of overseas officials on long duration project assignments.
“About 150-175 keys of the Mumbai Hometel will be converted to serviced apartment in this property,” Kalra said.
