US-based hotel and hospitality company Carlson Hospitality Worldwide has entered into a $3 million 51:49 joint venture with Delhi based Talent Marketing, to form a new entity, Carlson Hospitality Marketing India Pvt Ltd.
This new entity will provide sales, marketing and reservation support to the Carlson Hotel brands -- namely, Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts and Country Inns & Suites by Carlson.
"The Carlson group is investing $3 million over three years in building the company for brand promotion of the Carlson group ventures," Brian Stage, chairman, Carlson Hospitality Marketing India Pvt Ltd, said here today while announcing the joint venture company.
"With Carlson Hospitality and Marketing India in place, we are chalking out separate growth strategies for each of the Carlson group companies," Stage said.
The company is finalising a co-branding promotion strategy with a foreign credit card company and an airlines company, he added. The company will have its headquarters in Delhi and regional offices in all key metros: Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore.
Carlson Hospitality Marketing India Pvt Ltd will be shortly launching the Radisson Seven Seas Cruise business in India and their loyalty programme 'Gold Point Rewards'. One of the luxury ships 'Song of Flower', is expected to dock in at Mumbai on November 17 on way to Phuket. The high end ship has a capacity of 180 rooms and the tariff per night per couple of $ 1200.
"We will be showcasing our ship to travel agents when the ship reaches Mumbai," Pankaj Kodesia, managing director of the new company, said. Carlson group has embarked upon an expansion drive to develop 17 units throughout the country to augment the room capacity to 3000 by 2005.
The group is developing more hotels of the Radisson chain in Bangalore, Varanasi, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kochi and Mumbai. It is developing Country Inns & Suites at Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Katra near Jammu (to be operational by April 2001) and Calcutta (to be completed in 2001).
The Indian operations of the Carlson group are expecting a turnover of Rs 200 crore in the current fiscal, according to K B Kachru, senior vice-president of Carlson Hospitality-India Inc.
