Dusit Bird Hotels, the Joint Venture (JV) between Thailand-based hospitality chain Dusit International and the Indian Bird Group, is all set to unveil its first property, Dusit Devarana, New Delhi by the end of this year. “We are committed to a strong presence in India, with an aim to operate 8-10 properties over the next five years,” Sunil Mathur, Regional Vice President, Dusit Bird Hotels, said in an exclusive interview with T3. Of the planned properties, some will be owned and the rest operated on a management contract, he explained. Dusit International recently organised its first roadshow in India to create awareness about its brand and offerings among the Indian travel trade.
Providing details about the Dusit Devarana, New Delhi, he revealed that the 50-key property is spread over eight acres. “The property will house the Dusit Group’s signature Devarana Spa with reflection pools and will attract a lot of leisure and business travellers,” he stated. According to him, the New Delhi property will stand out, not only for its unique architectural designs, but also for its high level of genuine Asian hospitality. “We are an Asian company and know quite well how to put the local flavour into our hotels,” he said.
He further informed that Dusit Bird Hotels will launch its second property, Dusit D2, by mid next year. “The 200-room Dusit D2 in the Aero City at the New Delhi airport will be launched by mid-2013,” he revealed. Currently, the JV is developing Dusit Devarana in Jaipur and Rishikesh, and Dusit Thani in Goa. “We are also looking at a second property in Goa and another one in Gurgaon, which will be on a management contract,” he said, adding that the company is in discussion with a few more developers to operate all brands of Dusit in India. He accepted the fact that there is a challenge to acquire management contracts in India. “We have to look for like minded partners, and sometimes finding the perfect partner is a challenge. But, opportunities in India are bigger than the challenges,” he opined.
Currently, Dusit International operates 22 hotels and resorts and 10 more hotels are in various stages of development in other countries. “We have recently opened Dusit Thani, our flagship hotel, in Maldives and will open Dusit Thani, Abu Dhabi by end of this year. We will open two more properties in China in 2013,” Jurairat Sirisambhand, Group Director of Sales and Marketing, Dusit International, said.
