Blackstone-Backed Ventive Aggressively Looking At Acquisition Opportunities, Says CEO

Recently-listed Ventive Hospitality Ltd. has over Rs 500 crore free cash flow to deploy every year for acquisitions, and is aggressively looking to acquire any opportunities that come by. "We are looking at chunky assets with good Ebitda contribution," Chief Executive Officer Ranjit Batra told NDTV Profit.

The Blackstone-Panchshil JV is sure that it can acquire, build or rebrand any asset in India, he said. The hospitality brand can double its inventory in the next five years, Batra added.

"There will be an addition of three assets — a brownfield project in Varanasi, additional rooms and rebranding of the Bengaluru Whitefield Aloft, and an addition of 160 keys in Sri Lanka, 80 of which will be in a new, very solid, brand," Batra added.

The company currently commands over 2,000 hotel keys across the luxury, upper upscale and upscale segments. Other properties include Marriott Suites, Double Trees by Hilton and Marriott Aloft ORR in Bengaluru.

Though Ventive is at the "top of the pyramid" in terms of average room rate — which is at around Rs 20,000 on a blended basis — it continues to focus on revenue per available room as a metric, Batra said.

"There is a great shift in the way leisure is consumed in India, including in outbound travel," Batra said, while explaining his confidence in the Indian hospitality sector.

According to a JLL India report, there is continued investor confidence and expansion in the Indian hospitality market. "In terms of transactions, the total value for 2024 was estimated at approximately Rs 2,900 crore, highlighting significant investment in the sector," the report read.