Luxury hotel chains bet big on India's wellness boom

New Delhi: Indian luxury hotel chains are doubling down on the wellness segment with a fresh wave of investments across the country and overseas as Indian travellers increasingly spend more on the category.

EIH, the flagship company of The Oberoi Group, on Wednesday announced a partnership with Bhartiya Hospitality to launch 20 'uber luxury' lifestyle resorts across India and some international destinations. Tata Group-backed Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), which picked up a 51% stake in Sparsh Infratech that owns luxury retreat Atmantan in Mulshi near Pune last year, plans to expand the brand through new wellness centres in India and abroad while Ajmera Realty is expanding into Tirupati with an integrated development project in partnership with Ayyapaneni Constructions, combining luxury villas, a hospitality offering and a wellness facility.

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Industry insiders said wellness tourists tend to have longer stays compared to typical leisure travellers, resulting in higher gross operating profit margins, increased expenditures on accommodations and other ancillary revenues.

Taking a cue, developers and hotel operators are increasingly integrating wellness centres into luxury hospitality projects.

Deepak Jain, founder of Mayfair Consultants, said his company has signed mandates in South Goa, Dehradun, Kerala and Tirupati, where each development includes a wellness centre with approximately 80-100 rooms. "For these projects, we are in discussions with domestic and international wellness brands from the UK and Austria," he added.

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Noesis Hotel Advisors is also advising on wellness feasibility studies across destinations including Igatpuri, Khopoli, Alibag, Coorg and Karjat, where stable year-round climates make them particularly well suited for such developments, managing director and CEO Nandivardhan Jain said.

Suma Venkatesh, executive vice president for real estate and development at IHCL, said the addition of Atmantan marks a 'milestone' in the wellness journey of the chain that already offers curated experiences across its portfolio of over 75 spas through J Wellness Circle.

"Looking ahead, J Wellness Circle will continue to expand its footprint and offerings across our hotels, while Atmantan will serve as a centre of excellence for integrated wellness experiences," she said.

IHCL recently announced a 100-room Atmantan luxury integrated wellness destination in Hyderabad spread over 50-acres.

Vikram Oberoi, CEO of The Oberoi Group, said the partnership with Bhartiya Hospitality allows the chain to extend its philosophy of personalised service into a "wellness-enhanced hospitality offering."