Dusit International, a leading Thai hotel and property development company, on Thursday announced plans to expand its presence in India by launching its luxury and upper-midscale brands in key emerging markets.
The strategic expansion plan builds on the momentum of Dusit’s recent foray into the Indian market with the soft-opening of the contemporary and upscale dusitD2 Fagu near Shimla in December last year, and the signing of three major properties in Karnataka, including the wellness-focused Devarana Sakleshpur, a Dusit Retreat slated to open in 2028, as well as two new Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts.
The company said it is set to bring its Thai-inspired gracious hospitality to high-potential but underserved markets across the country, while also preparing to target tier-1 destinations in its next phase of development.
While the upper-midscale Dusit Princess brand will debut in Raipur (200 keys), Bhiwadi (165 keys), Kolkata (220 keys), and Lonavala (120 keys), the company is also planning two boutique luxury properties under the recently introduced Dusit Collection brand in Kasol and Manali in Himachal Pradesh, each with 40 rooms.
Speaking with FE, Deepika Arora, head, India, Dusit International, said, “We recently signed our first global Devarana retreat in Sakleshpur in Bengaluru. And now we’ve just announced six more deals. So I think in terms of succession planning, we’ve been consistent in delivering a signing plan.”
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Talking about how the dusitD2 Fagu near Shimla has fared since it welcomed its first guests on December 15 last year, Arora said, “I think it has been a fantastic opening for us. We opened in Shimla, which is a very popular market not just in India but also globally. But the market lacked a good banquet facility which could be a wedding destination.”
Other than the beautiful experience in terms of its location, views, and immersive experience, Arora said it has an offering to host close to 400-500 persons for weddings, which was the need of the hour of that location. “So the response has been excellent and we are looking forward to a great success for our hotel in Fagu,” she added.
Siradej Donavanik, vice-president, development (global), Dusit International, said they are focusing on the “huge market” that is India and “there also destinations that are truly uniquely Indian that no other market has in this world”.
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