Atlanta-based America’s Best Franchising has signed a multi-year agreement with Mumbai-based Budgetel Hotels India Pvt. Ltd. to be the master licensee in India for the Budgetel brand. At least 50 Budgetel branded properties are expected to open in India within the next five years.
“We intend to position Budgetel with owners and developers as a highly-desirable brand for new construction, but especially for conversion among India’s two and three-star properties – of which there are some 7,000 prospective candidates,” said Aakash Sachdev, an Indian investor and entrepreneur who serves as managing director for Budgetel Hotels Pvt. Ltd. The venture has the backing of an Indian private equity fund and several prominent Indian venture capital investors.
Sachdev said among the signature elements of the Budgetel brand in India will be free WiFi, flat screen televisions, pillow-top mattresses, and luxury showerhead fixtures.
Within the past two years, America’s Best Franchising has launched an aggressive international expansion of its brands, notably in China, India, and Nigeria. The company currently operates almost 250 properties worldwide under its 3 Palms brand for independent hotels and its four upper economy brands – America’s Best Inns & Suites, Budgetel Inns & Suites, Country Hearth Inns & Suites, and Parkside Hotels & Resorts.