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Radisson Hotel Group plans to expand its India portfolio to 500 hotels by 2030, positioning the country as one of its key global growth markets. The hospitality chain is focusing its next phase of expansion on Tier II, III and IV cities, emerging commercial hubs, leisure destinations, religious tourism centres and hotel conversions. During the first half of 2026, the company signed 18 hotels and opened four properties, taking its operational portfolio to 142 hotels across 86 cities and its development pipeline to 98 hotels. The group expects stronger conversion of pipeline projects into operational assets over the next two years, supported by rising domestic travel, improving infrastructure and sustained investor confidence.
India has become one of Radisson Hotel Group's strategic global growth markets, with the company remaining on track to achieve its target of operating 500 hotels in the country by 2030. The hospitality chain plans to drive its expansion through deeper penetration into Tier II, III and IV cities, hotel conversions, leisure destinations and emerging religious tourism hubs, according to Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, South Asia.
Speaking to PTI, Sharma said the company's India strategy remains focused on execution and expanding beyond traditional metropolitan markets. During the first half of 2026, Radisson signed 18 hotels and opened four new properties, increasing its operational portfolio to 142 hotels across 86 cities, while its development pipeline reached 98 hotels.
He said the company's priorities over the next two years include accelerating the conversion of pipeline projects into operational hotels, strengthening its presence in emerging urban centres and regional towns, and expanding across business destinations, leisure markets and pilgrimage centres.
According to Sharma, Radisson is increasingly targeting commercial centres, industrial clusters and tourism destinations that are benefiting from improved transport infrastructure, stronger regional air connectivity, industrial investment and growing domestic travel demand. He said the company's portfolio now reflects India's evolving travel landscape, with properties located in cities such as Rajkot and Jamshedpur, gateway markets including Siliguri, leisure destinations such as Kasauli and Gopalpur, and religious tourism centres including Nathdwara and Prayagraj.
More than half of Radisson's operational portfolio in India is already located in Tier II and Tier III cities, providing the group with a differentiated growth platform as hospitality demand increasingly extends beyond metropolitan centres such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Sharma said the company would continue to follow an asset-light business model, with management contracts remaining its preferred mode of expansion. He added that hotel conversions are becoming an increasingly important growth avenue as they enable branded hotel inventory to enter the market more quickly while creating value for property owners. Greenfield developments, however, will continue in locations where branded hotel supply remains limited, with investment decisions based on long-term demand prospects, owner capability and network expansion objectives.
Despite geopolitical tensions in West Asia and rising aviation costs, Sharma said the company had not witnessed any significant impact on booking trends across its portfolio. He attributed this resilience to India's strong domestic travel market and described the current operating environment as a healthy normalisation following the exceptionally high occupancy levels and room rates recorded in the immediate post-pandemic period, rather than a slowdown.
He also reiterated the hospitality industry's call for policy reforms, including wider implementation of infrastructure status across states and streamlined single-window approval mechanisms, to accelerate hotel development and improve project viability. Sharma identified Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh as states where improving air connectivity, expanding highway infrastructure and government-led investments are creating new opportunities for hospitality growth. He added that meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), destination weddings and religious tourism currently represent the strongest growth opportunities for the sector.
Source - PTI
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