Gearing up for expansion

Year 2021 was ‘successful’ for WelcomHeritage despite COVID-19. Now, the hospitality chain looks forward with ‘much optimism’ as it plans to open new properties.

WelcomHeritage, one of the leading hospitality chain in India, is expanding its hotel portfolio in some of the key tourist destinations in the country. Led by its CEO Abinash Manghani, the hospitality chain looks all set to build upon the success of the past year.

“We approach every endeavour of ours with the utmost thought, planning and discernment. The year 2021 was a very successful year for us despite the challenges brought by the ongoing pandemic. We are looking at 2022 with much optimism as we plan to open a number of new properties and continue to create experiences that bring people together to celebrate life,” said Manghani.

Last year, withstanding the challenges caused by the pandemic, WelcomHeritage managed to add new hotels, including WelcomHeritage Elysium Resort & Spa, Shimla; WelcomHeritage Badi Kothi, Allahabad and WelcomHeritage Cheetahgarh Resort & Spa, Bera in its portfolio in 2021. It added 85 keys to its overall inventory in the last year.

Now the hospital chain is planning to continue the brand’s expansion around the country with four planned openings in 2022, including WelcomHeritage Azora, Fort Kochi; WelcomHeritage Ayatana, Ooty; WelcomHeritage Desert Resort, Mandawa and WelcomHeritage Parv Vilas, Solan. When operational, these properties will add 171 keys to the existing inventory of 903 keys of WelcomHeritage. “We are very excited about our new hotel openings across the country. We are optimistic that business will continue to grow at the same rate as in pre-COVID times. Going forward, we expect to clock generous three-digit growth in 2022. As we turn the page to 2022, we are excited to build on the growth of the previous year by offering more options to our guests looking to explore diverse destinations,” he added.

A joint venture between ITC Ltd and Jodhana Heritage, WelcomHeritage represents some of the finest traditions of heritage hospitality and tourism in India. Some of the other destinations that WelcomHeritage is targeting for expansion in the near future include Kufri, Chail, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Luni, Chikmaglur, Goa and Wayanad.