Temple towns turn Gods for hotels

NEW DELHI: Abodes of God are turning out to be money-spinners for hotel companies. Religious tourism has caught the fancy of many domestic and international hospitality chains, which are bringing places such as Tirupati, Katra, Dharamsala, Shirdi, Varanasi into their global network. International chains such as Accor, Carlson, Choice, and domestic brands such as Tata group’s Ginger and ITC’s Fortune have chalked out plans to introduce economy and mid-segment brands in religious hotspots across the country.

After establishing a presence in Katra, on the way to Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu, Puri and Haridwar, Country Inns and Suites, Carlson’s mid-segment brand, is now targeting cities such as Amritsar, Dharamsala and Varanasi in the North, Shirdi in the West and Tirupati in the South. For the next three years, Carlson has chalked out plans to more than double its room inventory across religious circuits, adding another 250 rooms in the process. “After our experience at Katra, we are bullish on the religious circuits,” said Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific executive veep (south asia) KB Kachru. Set up in 2002, the Katra property clocks average occupancy of over 75% throughout the year.

US-based hospitality chain Choice International is set to introduce its budget brands, Sleep Inn at Tirupati, and Comfort at Amritsar, while Accor plans to position several of its upcoming budget and economy brand properties under the Formula 1 and Ibis brands, in some of the tourist hotspots.

Indian hospitality major ITC has recently introduced its mid-segment hotel brand Fortune in Shirdi with two new properties, while launching its Fortune Inn brand at Jammu, apart from presence in Tirupati, Madurai and Amritsar. Tata group’s budget brand Ginger already has a presence in Haridwar and has plans to tap many more religious hotspots. Most of the mid-market properties typically have an average 50-odd rooms, with the average rate card starting off from around Rs 2,000 and going up to Rs 4,000 per day during busy tourist season and over weekends, say hotelliers.

Hotel developers find projects in such Tier III cities more cost-effective as the cost of land as part of total project cost generally do not exceed 20-25%, as compared to 40% for similar sized projects in metros. “Religious tourist places are ready for taking in the mid-segment hotel brands. There are steady footfalls throughout the year and families give priority to clean and safe accommodation,” points out HVS India senior associate Saurav Gupta.