Sample this: mid-market and budget hotels with doormen, large banquets and meeting space, multiple F&B outlets, 24-hour in-room service, laundry and valet service, to pamper guests, among other services.

While Hilton Garden Inns in India have a concierge service, which is not a must in their US hotels, a Country Inn & Suites property offers room service in India unlike the brand's properties in the West. "Indians always want to be pampered, unlike travellers in the West," says KB Kachru, executive vicepresident, South Asia, at the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. The company is expanding its budget hotel presence in Tier-II and Tier-III cities with the aim to attract greater business and higher margins as per an ET report.

"We have retained the core DNA or characteristics of each brand while adapting it to fulfill the needs and priorities of travellers in India," says Daniel Welk, vice-president, operations — India, Hilton Worldwide. The hotel chain has invested in back-of-thehouse planning in its mid market brands — Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn — which incorporates an onsite laundry and a comprehensive kitchen, including a bakery.

 UK-based budget hotel brand Premier Inn has cut down its room sizes in India from 21.4 square meter to 18.5 square meter, which helped it build over 7-8 more rooms in the same space or convert the additional space into a banquet hall. "Since India is big on banqueting, in our Bangalore property for instance, we broke down 8-9 rooms to make a larger banquet hall," says Shwetank Singh, regional vice-president — South Asia, at Premier Inn.

According to hoteliers, Indian guests are particular about having a dining option even in a budget hotel, which is unlike travellers across the globe. "Hotels in the West don't have a culture of building F&B outlets and since India lacks a culture of independent restaurants, a lot of F&B outlets in hotels have been developed," says Dilip Puri, managing director — India, at Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts, which runs brands such as Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Le Meridien.