StayWell Hospitality eyes large portfolio hotels for expansion

Australia-headquartered StayWell Hospitality Group, which has signed its 12th property in India in Gujarat, is in talks with large portfolio hospitality companies with an aim to take the total number of hotels in India to 50 in three years.
"We have just signed our 12 property near Ahmedabad and are targeting 25 hotels in three years by opening one hotel in every 2-3 months in the country. However, currently we are negotiating with 2-3 large portfolio hotel groups in India, which may double the number of properties to 50 in three years," StayWell Hospitality Group Managing Director in India Rohit Vig told PTI here.

He said the company is in talks with players in the Northern, Southern and Eastern region.
"We have good presence in the North. East, especially the Northeast, and the south excites," he added.
Currently, five StayWell properties are operational in the country and the rest are under various stages of development, he said.
The hospitality group is looking at expansion of both our brands - Park Regis and Leisure Inn.

"We are looking at growth of both our brands. However, the growth of Leisure Inn, which is a midscale brand, will be faster than Park Regis, our luxury brand," Vig said.

In three years, the company on an average is likely to hire 2,500 workforce to man its 25 properties.
"The hiring will be a mix of both experienced as well as freshers. In India, there are enough talent for the service sector. What is difficult here is retention, for which we provide growth opportunities within the organisation with higher compensation," he added.
Talking about its just signed Ahmedabad property, Vig said, its a 150 room hotel spread across seven acres in the the vicinity of an amusement park, EVERLAND park.
"This property is 12 kilometres away from Ahmedabad city and will be operational by the end of 2018," he added.

StayWell Hospitality Group has a portfolio of 35 properties in Indonesia, the UAE, India, Singapore and multiple properties in Australia, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Launceston.