November 1, 2012: Hyatt Hotels Corporation recently announced that a Hyatt affiliate has signed management agreements with IHHR Hospitality Private Limited (IHHR) for five Ista hotels in India to be re-branded by Hyatt. Under the agreement, the fully operational Ista hotels will be known as Hyatt Bangalore, Hyatt Pune, Hyatt Hyderabad, Hyatt Ahmedabad and Hyatt Amritsar. The re-branding is expected to be completed by March 2013.
Ratnesh Verma, Sr Vice President, Real Estate and Development for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in Asia-Pacific, said, “This opportunity allows Hyatt to further consolidate its distribution in India and offer its guests a choice in new markets such as Bangalore, Amritsar and Ahmedabad. The re-branding will also enhance our representation with a great collection of high quality hotels that are already recognised as market leaders in guest experience and performance.” The association will, in turn, enable the five hotels to enlarge their global reach, become a part of Hyatt’s popular Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program and other marketing initiatives, take advantage of Hyatt’s well-established systems and processes, and participate in Hyatt’s extensive network of hotels in 45 countries. This deal will also allow IHHR to re-focus its efforts on further developments and its other brands.
Ashok Khanna, Managing Director of IHHR, said, “The time is now right to step back to our role as owners and hand these Ista hotels to a superb brand in Hyatt, which can take the business to the next level, through its marketing and brand strength. We are delighted with this relationship.”
The re-branding of the five Ista hotels as Hyatt Hotels, will mark the entry of the fourth brand from the company’s portfolio into India. Currently, India has five Hyatt Regency hotels in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, two Grand Hyatt hotels in Mumbai and Goa, and three Park Hyatt hotels in Goa, Chennai and Hyderabad. There are currently more than 50 Hyatt-branded hotels under development in India. The Hyatt Place brand will be the next to enter India, with Hyatt Place Hampi opening later this year, followed by Hyatt Place Pune, Hinjewadi. The next six months will also mark the opening of three other Hyatt hotels in India – Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, Hyatt Regency Ludhiana and Hyatt Raipur.
