Aussie group looking at franchise opportunities in India
Australia’s hospitality group, Country Comfort Hotels, has begun initial franchise discussions with a Mumbai-based group as it looks for business opportunities in India.
“We have just embarked on initial discussions with a group in Mumbai about the possibility of a Country Comfort franchise,” said Sean Flynn, executive vice-president for brands at the Singapore-based SilverNeedle Hospitality that owns Country Comfort brand. “We aim to sign 14 Area Development Agreements in the country, which commit to the development of 100 properties. We are targeting to have over 20 of these open in five years,” Mr Flynn said.
“Both the domestic business and the domestic leisure traveller have continued to show resilience and maintain their share of the pie and overall length of stay, when compared to the nationwide average from last year’s survey,” he said.
Mr Flynn said estimates show that Indian cities recorded a growth of 11 per cent in hotel room supply with demand increasing by 9.2 per cent in 2012-13.
