Swiss hospitality chain Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts is entering India. Its first hotel will come up in Bangalore by October. The company plans to operate 15 hotels in the country in the next five years. It has identified 12 locations, including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and leisure destinations like Goa, to expand its presence.

After Bangalore, the group will set up a five-star-hotel-cum-ayurveda spa in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The company wants to tap into the growing travel market in Asia, particularly India and China.

“India has great potential to grow our brand. Outbound travel is huge here and there is a lot of demand that needs to be met,” said Andreas Mattmüller, Chief Operating Officer (West Asia and Asia). In India, Mövenpick will work through management contracts with the developers. “We own some properties in Europe. Other than that we prefer to have a management agreement model,” Mattmüller said.

With many other international hotel chains also entering India, Mövenpick aims to distinguish itself through its specialties in food and beverage (F&B). The company, which graduated its business from restaurants to hotels, has pegged F&B as its core competency, besides customising its hotels to the specific country. Mattmuller said, “We have a ‘cherish programme’ where the culture of India is reflected in our identity, service, uniform, etc.”

The company operates only one brand of hotel and does not want to have a bouquet of brands like its competitors. “We want to grow the Mövenpick brand. We run both city and resort hotels under the same brand providing a luxury experience,” Mattmüller added.

Business Standard