Zurich-based upscale hotel chain Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has forayed into India by setting up its first property in Bangalore and also plans to open 12 additional properties over the next 5 years.

Speaking about the company’s plans going forward, Andreas Mattmuller, COO of Asia of Mövenpick Hotels said that at present the hotel chain has 72 operational properties globally, while 29 properties are under construction.

“In India, we plan to open 12 properties by 2016. While hotels construction of the Dharmshala hotel is to begin by December this year, we are in talks to set up properties in cities including Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan and is also looking at options in Noida, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Gurgaon and Agra,” he added. Once these properties are operational, Mövenpick Hotels will have a capacity of 2500 rooms.

The plush hotel which sits on a 2 acre land is owned by MSR Hotel (Bangalore), while Mövenpick will only manage this property, like all the other properties it manages globally.

It expects to breakeven in three years according to Kodandaram Ramaiah, MD of MSR Hotel. “In the first year , we expect the Bangalore property to have an occupancy rate of 60-65 per cent, quite in line with that of any hotel operators in India,” he said.