US hospitality and entertainment firm Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos will soon open its first five-star property in India. Gurgaon-based Spectra Hospitality Services(SHS), which is the development representative for Hard Rock in India, is hoping to sign the first Hard Rock Hotel by the end of March 2014. 

"We are currently looking at Goa, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and are reviewing hotels in each of these locations," said Navneet Nagpal, principal consultant at Spectra Hospitality Services. "We have progressed quite extensively in Goa and Bangalore and hope to sign the first hotel by the end of first quarter of 2014," he added. 

Hard Rock Hotels plans to establish its presence in India through brownfield, converting already existing hotels into their brand, rather than greenfield ventures. "These are primarily conversions as we are not looking at adding to the inventory, looking at what the industry is going through in demand and business perspective," says Nagpal. 

SHS not only plans to develop, but also manage Hard Rock Hotels in India. "In the property we are reviewing in the Calangute region, Spectra has already commenced internal management of that asset," he said. 

With the aim to open five properties by 2018, Hard Rock plans to expand its presence in the country through management contracts and franchising. SHS is currently reviewing three tie-ups which are close to culmination, one of them being the North 16 Hotel in Goa - the erstwhile Swissotel Hotel says an ET report.

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