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b.courtin

94 posts

Indian Hotels Company launches a new Boutique brand, The Claridges Collection

🏨 Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), signed a management mandate with Suresh Nanda of Claridges Hotels Pvt for a hotel in New Delhi, launching the 'Claridges Collection'. Suresh Nanda has owned the Claridges Hotel since 2003 and also owns Vivanta Surajkund and the Taj Hotel Dubai. The Claridges Collection, a luxury boutique hotel brand, will add the Taj Connemara in Chennai and the Blue Diamond in Pune. Chhatwal's 'Accelerate 2030' plan aims to create a chain of at least 20 luxury establishments.
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New concentration in the tech sector: Lighthouse acquires The Hotels Network

📦 Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight) acquired The Hotels Network, a Barcelona-based digital marketing firm founded in 2015. With a $370m fundraise from KKR, Lighthouse is expanding its services to AI-driven platforms. The Hotels Network has 20,000 client hotels in 100+ countries and reports a 32% increase in direct bookings for partners. CEO Sean Fitzpatrick aims to transform market intelligence into personalized booking experiences through direct sales channels.
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  • 5 min

India: the new playground for global hotel groups

🏠 India, now the world's most populous nation and 5th largest economy, is expected to see over 6.5% GDP growth in 2024. Accor and InterGlobe plan to operate 300 hotels by 2030 (71 current, 40 in pipeline). In 2005, India had around 68,000 hotel rooms, less than Paris’s 80,000. Taj Hotels leads domestic luxury stays and aims for 700+ hotels by 2030. Marriott International, with over 150 properties in India, and China's Jin Jiang are also expanding, the latter targeting 30 new hotel signings annually for 5 years. Radisson, with over 200 hotels, and Louvre Hotels Group, via Sarovar Hotels, are significant players in this growth.
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  • 5 min

Adrien Lanotte, MKG: The variations were exceptional, but the dynamics remain structural

🏨 Adrien Lanotte, Chief Economist at MKG Consulting with 15 years experience, labels 2024 in hotel activity as "atypical" with unpredictable fluctuations due to cyclical factors. Key events influencing Europe's two main markets included the Paris Olympics in France and the UEFA European Football Championship in Germany. France and the UK saw a leveling off post-COVID recovery, while Spain confirmed structural growth. High-end destinations, particularly Paris and the Côte d’Azur, thrived due to international exposure. Eastern Europe and Spain experienced occupancy rate growth, countering the trend in France. The Airbnb boom in France is linked to constrained hotel supply. Leisure events in Germany, such as concerts, boosted tourism unexpectedly. 2025 forecasts suggest Southern Europe may see occupancy rate declines with rising hotel prices, while France and the UK correct from the rebound. Germany's MICE market share and Central Europe's international demand growth will be affected by geopolitical and economic factors.
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  • 2 min

Sky Mirrors in Luzhou, China, Winner of the MIPIM Hotel Award 2025

🏡 The MIPIM Awards 2025 recognized Sky Mirrors as a winner for its sustainability and vision in real estate, particularly in hotel-related buildings. Built in Luzhou, China, atop a mountain for Sichuan Gulin Langjiu Distillery Co., the project was designed by the French architectural firm Zone of Utopia. Their approach involved harmonizing with nature, creating an invisible building that only reflects the sky and valley, using mirrors to amplify the landscape and maintain the mountain's pristine views.
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  • 2 min

The Indian Hotels Company wins the legal battle around the Taj brand

🏦 On March 19, India's highest court ruled in favor of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) led by Puneet Chhatwal, confirming IHCL's exclusive rights to the Taj brand and related brands under the Trade Marks Act of 1999. The court cited the brand's establishment in 1903 by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, which still operates and whose GM, Ritesh Sharma, won the Hospitality Award for Best Luxury Hotel Director in 2023. This prevents other hotels from using the Taj Hotels brand, particularly in major regional cities of the Indian subcontinent.
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  • 3 min

Dalata Hotel Group Considers Partial or Full Sale

🏨 Dalata Hotel Group, founded in 2007, operates 56 hotels in the UK and Ireland, with expansion into Europe. The company, traded on Euronext Dublin and the London Stock Exchange, with 30 owned properties valued at €1.7 billion, reported €652 million in revenue for 2024 and €234.5 million in adjusted EBITDA. Despite this, its share price of around €5.50 values the group at €1.2 billion, which the board believes is undervalued. Options such as a sale, merger, or private equity investment are being considered, advised by Rothschild & Co. Dalata seeks to reach 21,000 rooms by 2030, an 80% expansion, with 1,600 rooms already in development. In 2024, four new Maldron hotels opened, and Dublin's RevPAR for 2025 is expected to be 2.5% higher than Q1 2024.
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