Chatwal plans mega hotel projects in Punjab

Sant Singh Chatwal, the Indian-American hotelier and a friend of the Clinton family, plans to convert the historic Gobindgarh fort at Amritsar into a seven-star hotel.

"There is a huge rush of non-resident Indians as well as foreigners to Amritsar because of the Golden Temple. Sadly, there is hardly any hotel of world standards," Chatwal told Business Standard, adding: "So, I wish to convert the Gobindgarh fort into a 7-star hotel which will also have a museum."

Chatwal said that he had already broached the subject with Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and claimed that he showed interest in the project. "A formal decision is yet to come," he said. Apart from the Gobindgarh fort, Chatwal's Hampshire Hotels & Resorts is looking at other projects too in the state, for which it has set aside Rs 1,500-2,000 crore. This includes a business hotel in Ludhiana, Punjab's leading industrial township, and another seven-star hotel in Mohali, close to Chandigarh.

"Many airlines are expected to start operations after the completion of the new domestic and international terminals in Mohali. I believe there will be a huge demand for hotel rooms," he added. However, Chatwal sounded a note of caution: "We are very time bound and will invest in Punjab only if the state government responds quickly."

All told, Chatwal is planning to invest Rs 5,000 crore in India. At present, his company is coming up with eight hotels in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The first of these properties, in Hyderabad, will be launched on January 10.

Chatwal's Hampshire Hotels & Resorts currently owns and manages 10 hotels in New York, two in Montreal, one each in London and Bangkok. After working with many leading 3 and 4-star hotel brands, Hampshire Hotels opened its first independent hotel in New York. The hotel offers 3,000 rooms in the US. The Thailand venture is his first foray into Asia, apart from India.