Development - The world's leading hotels conquer India

With 50 hotels expected by the end of 2012, Starwood Hotels will have almost doubled its presence in the country in the space of two years, with landmark openings in 2011 such as Le Méridien Coimbatore and the Sheraton Bangalore. Carlson is preparing to do even better, crossing the 50-station mark this year, compared with 33 at the end of 2010. Radisson will also be adding 11 new establishments in just twelve months.

The Indian hotel market, which is still under-equipped despite the presence of powerful local players such as Taj and Oberoi, is opening up huge opportunities for upmarket brands, particularly in cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, not to mention the country's two megacities. In Mumbai, the offer continues to expand with the expected arrival of W Hotels in 2013. This will be preceded this year by the inauguration of a Sofitel and a Shangri La. In New Delhi, Hilton Worldwide will shortly be taking over the management of two establishments in the Mayur Vihar business district: the DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton New Delhi Mayur Vihar.

But in a country where the middle class is growing fast and business travellers are looking for economical solutions, hotel groups are seeing new opportunities for their mid-range brands. Accor's Ibis and Carlson's Park Inn and Park Plaza are continuing to expand their networks. And last April saw the announcement, one after the other, of the forthcoming construction of 15 Fairfield hotels by the Marriott group and the partnership concluded by IHG for 19 Holiday Inn Express.