Latest news with #ConceptHospitality
Skift
20 hours ago
- Business
- Skift
Marriott's Strategy for Its New Series Brand: Why It Started in India
Sure, Marriott had the scale, but it lacked a midscale brand in India — until now. With Fern and the launch of Series, it's finally filling the gap and going all-in on India's fastest-growing hotel segment. When Marriott International introduced its newest global brand — Series by Marriott — it chose India as the launch market and took the unusual step of making an equity investment in its local partner, Mumbai-based Concept Hospitality. Asked if this is the hotel company's first equity investment in the Indian hotel sector, Rajeev Menon, president of Asia Pacific (excluding China) at Marriott International, said, 'You could say that. Marriott will only invest for very strategic purposes. And we see this as a very unique opportunity.' It's a notable move for the hotel giant, which traditionally expands through franchise and management contracts and typically launches brands in Western markets. 'For the 24 years that I've been with Marriott, very rarely do we make investments,' said Menon. 'So you can understand t
Entrepreneur
23-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Marriott Joins Forces with CG Hospitality to Transform India's Midscale Hotel Market
This deal will add up to 84 Fern-branded hotels and around 6,000 rooms to Marriott's India portfolio—making it one of the largest multi-unit transactions in the country's hospitality sector. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In a landmark collaboration set to reshape the midscale hospitality landscape, CG Hospitality Global, the hospitality arm of CG Corp Global and majority stakeholder in Concept Hospitality Private Limited (CHPL), has joined forces with Marriott International to launch Series by Marriott™—a bold new brand aimed at midscale and upscale travelers. The alliance is anchored by the integration of The Fern portfolio, a revered eco-sensitive hotel chain in India. "This strategic collaboration represents more than just a portfolio expansion—it's the alignment of two shared visions to redefine the mid-market hospitality landscape," said Rahul Chaudhary, Managing Director and CEO of CG Corp Global. "With this partnership, we're now setting our sights on taking The Fern to 500 hotels by 2030… This is a defining moment for The Fern and a bold new chapter for Indian hospitality." CHPL currently operates over 120 hotels in 90 cities, with 40 more properties underway. This deal will add up to 84 Fern-branded hotels and around 6,000 rooms to Marriott's India portfolio—making it one of the largest multi-unit transactions in the country's hospitality sector. Additionally, Marriott will make a strategic equity investment in CHPL and enter a long-term co-branding agreement for The Fern, The Fern Residency, and The Fern Habitat brands. The move is transformative for both organisations. The Fern will now benefit from Marriott's digital systems, global distribution platforms, and its renowned Marriott Bonvoy™ loyalty program, which boasts over 237 million members. Yet, the brand will retain its local spirit and operational independence. "Series by Marriott furthers Marriott's commitment to delivering lodging offerings in the right place at the right price with basics done well," said Anthony Capuano, President and CEO of Marriott International. "We are thrilled to launch Series by Marriott through our founding deal with CHPL." This collaboration reflects a shared dedication to sustainability, responsible growth, and serving emerging and culturally vibrant destinations. It also underscores CG Hospitality's expanding global presence, with a portfolio of 195 hotels across 12 countries. Recently, CG and Marriott announced the conversion of The Farm at San Benito in the Philippines into an Autograph Collection resort, furthering their shared vision. Together, CG Hospitality and Marriott are not just growing their portfolios—they are setting a new benchmark for the future of hospitality in India and beyond.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
We go from 42 cities to 90 with Series by Marriott launch in India: Menon
This is one of the soft brands we have launched. In India, we have 158 open hotels and another 112 are under construction. These are spread across 42 cities and they represent 17 brands, Menon said Mumbai Listen to This Article Marriott International, the largest hotel in India in terms of inventories, has launched, with an exclusive partnership with CG Corp Global's Concept Hospitality, a global brand 'Series by Marriott', a midscale and upscale lodging segment. Rajeev Menon, president, Asia Pacific excluding China, Marriott International, in a face-to-face interview with Roshni Shekhar highlights the significance of the new brand and the deal (with Concept) to boost the hotel's leading position in India. Edited excerpts: What does the global launch of 'Series' signify for Marriott's long-term brand positioning in India and globally? This is one of the soft brands we have launched.
Travel Weekly
22-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Marriott focuses on 'well-executed basics' with Series soft brand
Marriott International unveiled Series by Marriott, a new soft brand with a focus on "well-executed basics." Encompassing midscale and upscale hotels, the Series collection promises clean and comfortable rooms, free WiFi and daily coffee or tea, with select properties also offering complimentary breakfast, fitness centers and meetings and event space. The brand will debut in India via a deal with Indian hotel management company Concept Hospitality Private Limited. Under the agreement, Concept Hospitality's three flagship brands -- The Fern, The Fern Residency and The Fern Habitat -- will affiliate exclusively with Series by Marriott across India. Marriott will make a small equity investment in Concept Hospitality as part of the arrangement. Founded in 1996, Concept Hospitality has 84 hotels. Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano called India "a key growth market," adding that the Concept partnership serves as "a strong foundation as we look to accelerate growth of the Series by Marriott collection in additional markets around the world." Marriott said it's in "active discussions" with hotel owners about introducing the Series by Marriott brand to the U.S., Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Marriott's other soft brands include Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy.
Mint
22-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Marriott invests in India's Concept Hospitality to start a new hotel brand
US hospitality chain Marriott International Inc. has acquired a minority stake in India's Concept Hospitality, which operates brands like the Fern Hotels and Resorts, to launch a new hotel series, it announced on Thursday. It will first integrate The Fern into its new brand and could later include the Concept's other brands as well. The Mumbai-based company, which has 84 operational hotels, 31 hotels in the pipeline, and 8,000 rooms in total, will continue to manage these hotels. Mint first reported in April that the US hospitality giant had earmarked about $15 million for the deal and valued Concept Hospitality at $100 million. Concept Hospitality—backed by the Nepalese multinational CG Corp Global, which also owns the Wai Wai noodles brand in India—operates 84 hotels across the country under six brands, including The Fern and The Zinc. Marriott International, the company behind hotels JW Marriott, Westin, W and other brands, is the largest hotel chain in India by the number of rooms, according to a 2024 report by the hotel industry consultant Hotelivate. As of August 2024, when this report was written, Marriott had more than 24,000 rooms in India. Its closest rival, Indian Hotels Co. Ltd (IHCL) of the Tata group, had over 21,000 rooms. The report added that around 35% of the country's branded hotel supply, or branded hotel rooms like these, comes from publicly listed firms. While Marriott International itself is unlisted in India, it partners with listed hotel owners like Chalet Hotels Ltd and Samhi Hotels Ltd in India. It had earlier announced it planned to increase its room count to 50,000 over the next three to five years, aiming to operate 250-300 hotels in the country. In 2024, it signed contracts for 42 new hotels in South Asia, including India, adding about 7,000 pipeline rooms. The company operates about 171 hotels in South Asia, with 158 of them in India, which now have close to 30,000 rooms. The new brand will have no-frills rooms—'well-priced' lodging with a focus on essentials and basic, clean stays, the company said. It will also become a part of Marriott Bonvoy, the company's loyalty programme. Rajeev Menon, president, Asia Pacific excluding China, Marriott International, told Mint that this growth will help the company expand into the secondary and tertiary markets. 'This is a one-off exception deal, in the sense that Marriott does strategically invest in companies and has only a handful of hotels around the world where we have some kind of investment. We had done this in the past with our Autograph Collection Hotels elsewhere in the world and built some hotels which we later sold.' 'We see an incredible opportunity for growth here and not just necessarily in premium or luxury brands, but in the space where it's approachable, accessible,' he added. 'This will allow us to amplify our reach as The Fern brand is expected to benefit not only from the loyalty programme and a global distribution system, but also from strategic growth opportunities,' added Binod Chaudhary, chairman of CG Corp Global. The hotel giant is also in talks with hotel owners in regions including the US, Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East about adding more properties to this new brand. The new partnership is being seen as a move to scale operations more quickly in India's competitive and fast-growing hospitality market, where demand is rising for mid-scale and upscale hotels. India has about 200,000 branded hotel rooms, and the number is expected to grow to 300,000 by 2030, according to a report by hospitality consultancy Horwath HTL. This investment marks a change in strategy for Marriott in India, where international hotel companies have generally focused on managing rather than owning properties. Other than Marriott, only a few international hotel groups, including the owners of Hyatt Hotels and French hospitality major Accor, have acquired direct stakes in Indian hotels. Hyatt Hotels holds a stake in India through Juniper Hotels, which went public in 2024. Accor and InterGlobe Enterprises together started InterGlobe Hotels in 2004.
