Choice Hotels India plans for expansion

Budget hotel chain Choice Hotels India plans to open 20 new hotels adding about 1500 rooms across India, with a budget of around Rs 600 crore in the next two years. The hotel chain has signed management contracts with real estate developers for opening 20 hotels across the country, taking the total to 45. These hotels are expected to be operational by the end of 2010. As per the agreement, the company would operate the hotels constructed by their partners. When asked about investments Vilas Pawar, CEO, Choice Hotel India, said, the property development cost would be borne by various real estate partners but the overall project cost could be about Rs 600 crore. Choice Hotel India is also planning to increase its manpower to 4,500 from present 2,500 as the total number of rooms managed by it would also reach up to 4,000 in the next two years. Out of the proposed 20 hotels in the future, the company would operate three in the National Capital Region and five in Punjab. The company currently operates four brands of hotels: Clarions, Quality, Comfort and Sleep in India in the three-star category.