Boosting Tourism

The Karnataka government announced a slew of initiatives to boost tourism in the state during the inaugural session of the annual FHRAI conference.

Karnataka: The next tourism hotspot?

Challenges remain

The Union Minister of Tourism &amp; Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat calls for greater investment for the Indian tourism sector. &nbsp;

Pulling for Infrastructure Status

India as a priority

The Asian Paradigm

Q&A with Federico J. González

Under the leadership of Federico J. González, CEO of Radisson Hotel Group and Board Director of Louvre Hotels Group, the groups are showing an impressive growth.

Leading with Empathy and Vision

From its founding philosophy to its growth milestones and expansion blueprint, Solene—the private members’ club by the Isprava Group—is shaping a new chapter in luxury living. Founders Nibhrant Shah, Managing Director &amp; Co-CEO, and Dhimaan Shah, Executive Director &amp; Co-CEO, share the strategies fuelling its success in India’s evolving private club market.

Micro-Hospitality Is the Future & We Intend To Be At The Centre Of It

Zubin Saxena, Senior Vice President and Regional Head, South Asia, Hilton

Ajay K. Bakaya, Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Director, Louvre Hotels India

Tejus Jose, Director of Operations at ibis & ibis Styles India

Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip

Dr Sanjay Sethi, MD & CEO, Chalet Hotels Limited

Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & MD, Cygnett Hotels and Resorts

Sumit Mitruka, CEO and founder, Summit Hotels & Resorts

Amit Damani, Co-Founder, StayVista

India’s recent GST cut on hotel rooms up to ₹7,500 per night is set to reshape the hospitality landscape, with industry experts weighing in on how the reform will boost domestic travel, and the sector’s growth trajectory.

GST Cut to Fuel India’s Hospitality Growth

In conversation with Sanjiv Hulugalle, the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Sri Lanka, on the spirit, culture, uniqueness and diverse experiences at the country's largest integrated resort.

Sanjiv Hulugalle: The Man At The Helm Of Sri Lanka’s $1.2 Billion Dreamscape

Q&A with Amit Damani, Co-Founder, StayVista

From sell-out holiday weekends to an ambitious five-year expansion plan, StayVista is reshaping how India travels together. Co-founder Amit Damani shares the strategies driving its rise in the luxury villa market.

Inside StayVista’s Game Plan for India’s Luxury Villa Market

Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director-Asia Pacific, Booking.com, discusses why the Indian market matters more than ever.

India Is Our Highest Priority: Laura Houldsworth

Will Mandarin Oriental finally pay heed and make it to India? James Mabbutt, Vice President, Development Asia Pacific, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, weighs in.

India is Very Much Top of Mind For Us As a Luxury Brand: James Mabbutt

Q&A with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

In a candid conversation, India’s Union Minister of Tourism &amp; Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, reveals the inner workings of his ambitious plan to revolutionise the nation's tourism sector, from addressing the complexities of FTAs to unveiling plans for the 'world's biggest museum'.

Bharat Ki Khoj

A Bold New Phase for Tamara Leisure Experiences

Immediate Priorities and Strategic Focus

Purpose, Sustainability, and Innovation as Pillars

A Transition of Continuity and Change

Tamara’s Growth Pipeline: New Properties

Exclusive:&nbsp;Samir MC, reflects on his new role and responsibilities as the CEO of Tamara Leisure Experiences, as a part of the significant leadership transition for the company’s growth.

Tamara Leisure Experiences Embarks on Bold New Journey with Samir MC’s Visionary Leadership

A symbolic win, a business benchmark

Rooted in local relevance

Aligned with broader expansion

Beyond the 50-hotel mark

Appealing proposition for investors

Exclusive:&nbsp;Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, IHG Hotels &amp; Resorts South West Asia, on IHG’s 50th Hotel Milestone and the Debut of Crowne Plaza Lucknow.

50 & Beyond: IHG Celebrates a Landmark Milestone

Anil Chadha, Chief Executive Officer, ITC Hotels

Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President, Real Estate & Development, IHCL

Sunjae Sharma, Managing Director, India and Southwest Asia, Hyatt India Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.

Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director & Area Senior Vice President – Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia

Zubin Saxena, Senior Vice President and Country Head, India, Hilton

Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts

Is Indian hospitality finally into a ‘golden’ period—unexpectedly as we may have arrived into it, buoyed by post-Covid revenge travel phenomenon that has seen the key metrics for the sector soar, globally and especially in India.

The Next Frontiers

Strong synergies

An impressive portfolio

A gemstone enterprise in 1970

Tests and triumphs

Quality drives success

Meet Harimohan Dangayach, a soft-spoken visionary who crafts exclusive experiences with passion and humility. Preferring to let his work speak for itself, he has quietly built the Dangayach Group into a hospitality leader, eschewing fanfare and spotlight for a relentless focus on delivering exceptional results. Alongside his son Atul, Managing Director of the group, Harimohan shares his insights on navigating global partnerships, maintaining exceptional standards, and capitalising on India's thriving hospitality landscape.

High on Impact: Dangayach Group, The Quiet Game-Changer

Ashish Jakhanwala, the visionary Managing Director and CEO who founded SAMHI Hotels in 2010, has crafted a bold playbook. His strategy? Transform India’s hospitality landscape by focusing on institutional investment and an acquisition-driven growth model, targeting prime metropolitan cities.

The Entrepreneur Who Broke The Mould

Pride Beyond the Symbolism

DEI at The LaLiT: Built Into the Blueprint

From Legal Victory to Lived Inclusion

At The LaLiT, Pride Is a Way of Life

Redefining Hospitality: A Human-Centered Approach

The LaLiT Hotels, under the trailblazing leadership of hotelier Keshav Suri, has emerged as a pioneering force for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in India. In celebration of Pride Month, SOH explores how the group sets itself apart through its deep-rooted commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

DEI Isn’t a Project at The LaLiT—It’s in Their DNA

SOH Exclusive: Nikhil Sharma,&nbsp;Managing Director &amp; COO – South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, on how the company is driving LGBTQ+ inclusion with purpose, people-first leadership, and empathy.

8 Key Ways Radisson is Championing LGBTQ+ Inclusion in South Asia

Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Group CEO, OYO, highlights the company’s remarkable turnaround, transforming from a loss-making venture during the COVID pandemic to one of the&nbsp; world’s largest hospitality chains.

From ₹700 Crore Loss To ₹700 crore Profit: The OYO Story

Sights on Tier II

Organic food and locavore approach

Community engagement

The evolving definition of luxury

Sustainability is woven into GRT's DNA

Navigating the challenges of hospitality

Cultivating a culture of wellness

Bridging gaps for women and LGBTQ+ communities

Forging successful alliances

"Let me make one hotel"

Embracing the digital future

GRT Hotels began its journey far from hospitality, but its leap into the hotel industry was no accident. Vikram Cotah, CEO of GRT Hotels &amp; Resorts, shares how the 22 hotel-strong group is staying ahead in the hospitality game by championing sustainability, practicing inclusivity, and redefining luxury for the next generation.

Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow

e200X  is the future of aviation

The technology behind e200X

Opening new possibilities for tourism

India’s most ambitious urban mobility startup, The ePlane Co., is building the future of flight: the e200X, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Aviation maverick and co-founder of Akasa Air, Aditya Ghosh, gives us the details.

Flying Past Gridlock

Record occupancies.  Record ARRs. Record ARPUs.

On a growth trajectory

Voices from the industry

Factors impacting Indian hospitality

Building on a strong 2024 performance, the tourism and hospitality sectors are poised for rapid growth in 2025.

Why 2025 Looks Exciting

What is the tourism potential of Amritsar looking like in the next few years, especially beyond religious tourism?

Amritsar has recently seen rapid growth in the branded hospitality segment. What factors would you ascribe to this move?

What are the main opportunities for growth for the city’s hotels? What steps would you suggest to increase travel to the city? And what are the top challenges?

How would you rate the state’s policy for hospitality and tourism—and what would you like to see changed?

Could you give us an idea of the trends for occupancy and ARRs in recent years—pre-COVID to post-COVID? By how much are ARRs up this year compared to recent years?

What are the top sources of tourists for your hotel, by revenue? What is the split between leisure/ FIT/ social events, business and MICE guests/events for your hotel? And between local and non-local guests?

Amritsar is characterised by a high volume of religious tourism. Approximately what percentage of guests represents the religious or spiritual tourists? How are other segments growing?   

“Welcome back after 28 years”.

Amritsar, one of India’s leading religious and heritage tourism destinations and a key transit hub to the Himalayas, is strategically leveraging its strengths to boost its tourism market.

Amritsar’s Golden Hue is Shining Ever Brighter

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GM's Think Tank

Owner's Circle

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Hotel

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SOH What's On

Features & Trends

Data & Insights

Columns

Latest News

Appointments

Hotel Signings

Hotel Openings

Pulling for Infrastructure Status

Leading with Empathy and Vision

Micro-Hospitality Is the Future & We Intend To Be At The Centre Of It

Sanjiv Hulugalle: The Man At The Helm Of Sri Lanka’s $1.2 Billion Dreamscape

India Is Our Highest Priority: Laura Houldsworth

India is Very Much Top of Mind For Us As a Luxury Brand: James Mabbutt

The Entrepreneur Who Broke The Mould

From ₹700 Crore Loss To ₹700 crore Profit: The OYO Story

Flying Past Gridlock

Leadership

Karnataka: The next tourism hotspot?

Pulling for Infrastructure Status

Leading with Empathy and Vision

Micro-Hospitality Is the Future & We Intend To Be At The Centre Of It

GST Cut to Fuel India’s Hospitality Growth

Sanjiv Hulugalle: The Man At The Helm Of Sri Lanka’s $1.2 Billion Dreamscape

Inside StayVista’s Game Plan for India’s Luxury Villa Market

India Is Our Highest Priority: Laura Houldsworth

India is Very Much Top of Mind For Us As a Luxury Brand: James Mabbutt

Bharat Ki Khoj

Tamara Leisure Experiences Embarks on Bold New Journey with Samir MC’s Visionary Leadership

50 & Beyond: IHG Celebrates a Landmark Milestone

The Next Frontiers

High on Impact: Dangayach Group, The Quiet Game-Changer

The Entrepreneur Who Broke The Mould

DEI Isn’t a Project at The LaLiT—It’s in Their DNA

8 Key Ways Radisson is Championing LGBTQ+ Inclusion in South Asia

From ₹700 Crore Loss To ₹700 crore Profit: The OYO Story

Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow

Flying Past Gridlock

Why 2025 Looks Exciting

Amritsar’s Golden Hue is Shining Ever Brighter