Hilton-DFL JV Announces 7 New Hotels In India

DLF Group and Hilton Hotels Corp. have announced that they have signed a management agreement involving seven new hotel developments in India. This marks the second stage in the joint venture’s overall strategic development plans to build and develop 75 hotels, totaling 25,000 rooms, in India over the next five to seven years.The new projects will bring the total number of new hotels under the joint venture to 16, comprising of 3,500 rooms. All of the projects are in various stages of development and construction. The seven new hotels include: the 300-room Hilton Dwarka New Delhi; the 400-room Hilton Garden Inn New Delhi/Dwarka; the 100-room Homewood Suites by Hilton New Delhi/Dwarka; the 100-room Hilton Residences Kolkata; the 250-room Hilton Garden Inn Chennai/OMR; the 100-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Chennai; and the 200-room Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum.All of the new hotels will be managed by an affiliate of Hilton Hotels Corp., and will cover different market segments until Hilton flags: Hilton, an upscale full service brand; Hilton Garden Inn, a focused service mid-scale brand; and Homewood Suites by Hilton, an upscale extended stay hotel brand. According to the company, the developments reflect the growing demand for quality accommodations in South India, where the IT and tourism industries are rapidly growing, as well as the burgeoning need for extended stay products.The three hotels in Dwarka will be located near the International Convention Centre complex in Dwarka/New Delhi, which will comprise nearly 2 million square feet of development, including international convention and exhibition center facilities, as well as commercial development. The Kolkata hotel, located near the city’s CBD, will complement the Hilton Kolkata, which was announced in May 2007. The Chennai hotels will be located along Old Mahabalipuram Road, India’s “IT Highway,” while the Trivandrum hotel will be located near the city’s Technopark to cater business travelers and tourists.Hilton Hotels has more than 3,000 hotels and 500,000 rooms in 76 countries and territories. DFL is a leading real estate developer in India, with over 224 million square feet of existing development and 748 million square feet of planned projects.