INDIA Carlson has renewed its joint venture with Chanakya Hotels Private Ltd. and plans to expand its portfolio of Country Inns & Suites by Carlson-flagged hotels from the current 11 to more than 50 over the next 10 years.
Five midscale Country Inns comprising 478 guestrooms are already scheduled to open in India this year, in Satbari, Mussoorie, Gurgaon, Ajmer and Mysore.
The 10-year-old joint venture, Country Development and Management Service Pvt. Ltd., will develop future hotels in India based on the next generation of the brand and will include significant design nuances created specifically for the India market. The next generation of Country Inns will introduce modernity to the product and allow for greater cultural variances in the design details and the services it provides through the use of color, fabrics and food and beverage concepts.
This new generation of Country Inns, which will debut in 2012, has been designed by London-based Virgile and Stone. The rollout of the brand will follow Carlson’s ongoing strategy for India, focusing on primary and secondary cities and resorts.