Dusit plans five India hotels

       Dusit International, a local hotel management company, says it will manage five hotels and resorts in India by 2013.
       The five properties, requiring a total investment of US$410 million, are: the 78-room Dusit Devarana New Delhi, to open in May 2010; the 200-room Dusit D2 New Delhi, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011; the 137-room Dusit Devarana Jaipur; the Dusit Devarana Rishikesh; and another hotel in Goa for which details have yet to be finalised.
       Octavio Gamarra, senior vicepresident of Dusit, said India's hospitality sector had great potential for growth because the country's economy has been growing strongly along with its huge population.
       To enter India, Dusit set up Dusit Bird Hotels as a joint venture with Bird Hospitality Services (BHS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bird Group, one of India's largest conglomerates. Dusit International and BHS will each hold 50% of Dusit Bird Hotels.
       "India has always been a key market for Dusit International. But expanding business in India is not easy. We need someone who is local to run the plan.We have found Harsh Varma, an Indianborn hotelier, to be in charge of Indian market," said Mr Gamarra.
       "We believe that India is a potential market because it is growing continuously despite the present global economic atmosphere. Its domestic market is very good because there are so many highincome and middle-class people. Its economic growth attracts foreign investments as well," said Mr Varma.
       Dusit will conduct marketing campaigns through local media such as magazines that suit its target groups. It may invite celebrities to stay at its hotels because they will convince other people to visit as well. The selection of celebrities will match the hotel image.
       Dusit Bird Hotels is looking to bring the best of Asian hospitality to India before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. It expects a shortage of hotel rooms in India before the world's second-largest sporting event.
       Dusit expects to manage at least 10 hotels in the next 10 years in India, said Mr Gamarra.