Radisson Hotel Group expects to create an estimated 65,000-80,000 job opportunities in India with its targeted 500 properties by 2030, Radisson Hotel Group executive vice president and global chief development officer Elie Younes said.
"India is one of our top three most important markets globally and we aim to have 500 hotels in the country by the end of 2030, either operational or under construction. This expansion could create roughly 60,000 to 80,000 jobs in the country. Therefore, we define it as a skill opportunity," Younes told PTI.
For this, the Belgium-headquartered hospitality group is already working on skilling through its online Radisson Academy and partnerships with JobPlus, the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council, local universities, and governments, focusing on recruiting locally and building careers rather than just jobs, he stated.
Currently, Radisson Hotel Group has over 200 properties in India.
He said, growth will be led mainly by the Radisson brand in the upscale segment, with a mix of properties across tier I, II, III and IV cities, along with resorts and spiritual destinations.
Only a small share of these hotels will be five-star, as upscale hotels offer a more viable return on investment in smaller cities, he said.
"When you have 500 hotels, you need a core anchor to achieve that number because when you go to Tier II, III and IV cities, you need a product that justifies the investment. You need to build hotels that fit that business circumstance or economy. It doesn't mean you won't do five-star hotels. Out of the 500 hotels, 15 per cent will be five-star hotels, and 45-50 per cent will be upscale, three-star or four-star hotels," Younes said.
He further said that 55 per cent of the upcoming projects are expected in the tier I cities, 25 per cent in tier II and III, 10 per cent in resorts, and 10 per cent in spiritual destinations.
Talking about the impact of the ongoing West Asia conflict on the hospitality business in India, Younes said, it remains "business as usual" in India for now, and he is cautiously optimistic, provided the current global conflict does not worsen before summer.
"For now, we assume business as usual. We are still optimistic, cautiously or conditionally optimistic. The condition is that there is no further escalation of the conflict in the foreseeable future before the summer. Based on that condition, we remain optimistic," he stated.
Radisson Hotel Group does not currently expect any slowdown in its India development pipeline and believes this could be its strongest year yet in the country, added Younes.
At the same time, he acknowledged that markets directly affected by the war, such as parts of the Gulf, including Dubai and Saudi Arabia, are seeing lower hotel occupancy rates.
"Hotels have very low occupancies in these markets for us. But these markets are resilient, it will come back as soon as this conflict is over," he added.
Further, Younes said that while scouting for expansion opportunities, the company prefers brownfield projects, though they are often more complex because existing buildings usually require structural modifications.
"We prefer brownfield projects, though they are often more complex because existing buildings usually require structural modifications. However, greenfield projects are cleaner and more straightforward in design, but brownfield developments allow faster market entry since the basic infrastructure is already in place. Ideally, brownfield works better for speed, while greenfield offers greater flexibility and purity of development," he added.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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