After years of low key activity, the Indian operations of Best Western, the largest mid-market hotel chain in the world, is on the verge of major brand growth by which it expects to flag a number of properties across the country. All this will be done in the very near future.

By August, Best Western India, will see its numbers rise sharply with three properties in Ludhiana, Jalandar and Chandigarh in Punjab. It is in the process of closing deals for new projects in Ahmedabad, Baroda, Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli in addition to properties in Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Jaipur in Rajasthan, with the Jaipur property on the verge of finalisation. In addition to the expansion in the north, Best Western India is also targeting south India’s golden triangle with launches in Madurai, Tiruchi and Tanjore, attributed to the ’heavy’ demand for the destination. The company recently flagged the Oasis Mountain Resort in Mussoorie, Uttaranchal.

Outside India, Best Western has plans to open properties in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives. In all, it has set a target to add atleast 16 new properties to its fold in various parts of south Asia and Middle East in the next two years.

According to Anand Gupta, president and CEO Best Western Hotels India, “The brand is well recognised and respected, we want to build on that brand image, therefore we are expanding rapidly. In South Asia and Middle East, we have 29 hotels currently and we plan to grow to atleast 45 hotels in the next two years making Best Western the largest chain in the region by a huge margin.”

The chain in India is concentrating on the domestic travellers. Apart from Delhi and Mumbai where best Western has its own sales and marketing offices, it is also looking at having General Sales Agents (GSA) in Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.