Empee Hotels ropes in Hilton International

Empee Hotels, part of the Empee group, today signed an agreement with hospitality major Hilton International to manage and operate its planned five-star hotel in Chennai which would require an investment of Rs 184 crore.

Addressing a press conference, Nisha Purushothaman, managing director, Empee Hotels, said, "With this tie-up we will work with a global hotel chain and with the development of the new property, the Hilton brand will have a strong presence in Chennai."

Nisha said that the new project will entirely be funded and owned by Empee Hotels while the property will be managed and operated by Hilton International. However, the maintenance and operating fee charged by Hilton was not disclosed.

"We will start construction in the next two months and expect to complete it in 24 months' time. It will be ready by the end of 2007 in Ekkatuthangal," she added. This is the first five-star hotel the Empee group is promoting. It already has two hotels in Chennai.

Nisha also was positive that banks were willing to fund the new five-star hotel project.

Last year in June, Hilton International signed a strategic alliance with EIH Ltd giving the Hilton brand a presence in eight locations across India "" seven under the Trident Hilton name and one under the Hilton Towers in Mumbai.

The Empee group has diversified interest like hotels, liquor, sugar, power, packaging, construction and exports.