Unique Mercantile India recently announced its partnership with Whydham Worldwide to bring its famous American hotel brand Howard Johnson, popularly known as HoJo, to India. HoJo hotels in India will be positioned as a mid-market hotel chain, following the brand’s philosophy “Smart Choice for the Smart Traveller”. The brand will make its entry into India through an agreement between Unique Mercantile India and Wyndham Worldwide. Under the agreement, Unique India will develop 35 HoJo properties by 2020 across different parts of India, with the first property opening shortly in Bengaluru.
Talking about the partnership with Wyndham Worldwide Raj Kumar Rai, Chairman and Managing Director, Unique India, said, “We are extremely happy to announce our partnership in the hospitality sector with the prestigious Wyndham Worldwide Group. Unique Mercantile India will invest Rs. 2000 crores on various business models for growing brand HoJo in India. We chose Bengaluru as the destination to open the first property, as this city has warmly accepted all global brands. The first property will house 117 rooms and suites.”
The property in Bengaluru will open in Hebbal, close to many large corporate houses. Announcing the launch of Howard Johnson in India, Rahul Rai, Director, Unique India said, “Following an exclusive business model in the hospitality sector, we aim to invest in both incomplete and existing hotels which are not performing at a below average level. We aim to convert such hotels into HoJo properties and provide them with top notch services with international standards. Wyndham has the expertise in managing and marketing of hotels and with our partnership we hope to strengthen HoJo’s presence in India, a brand that is recognised around the world.”
Set to strengthen its presence in India, the Wyndham Worldwide Group presently has hotels in places such as Agra, Alleppey and Ghaziabad. The partnership with Unique India will witness a phased expansion plan across the country in states like Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Delhi NCR region, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Goa.
Speaking about the Group’s expansion Eric A Danziger, President and CEO, Wyndham Hotel Group said, “In the Asia Pacific region, China and India are the major markets for the hospitality industry. Considering India’s growth economically, it an obvious choice for us to enter the Indian market with this brand. Howard Johnson is a brand with 60 years of rich tradition, and 500 hotels around the world. It is a great product for an everyday traveller who looks for quality and affordable accommodation. We are excited with the tie-up with Unique India and look forward to expanding the HoJo brand in India, with their expertise.”
