InterGlobe & Accor Launch 300-Hotel Platform in India by 2030
INDIA’S INTERGLOBE ENTERPRISES and France’s Accor launched an independent hospitality platform to open 300 Accor-branded hotels in India by 2030. The duo will also co-invest in budget hotel chain Treebo, becoming its largest shareholder.
InterGlobe, parent of IndiGo and led by Rahul Bhatia as group managing director, has more than two decades of experience with Accor, which operates 71 hotels in India with 40 more in the pipeline.
The two companies will combine their existing assets, development and management businesses in India to create an autonomous, integrated platform—one of the country’s largest, the companies said in a joint statement. The new entity will exclusively drive the growth of all Accor brands in India, including luxury and lifestyle brands from Ennismore. Accor will retain control of operations and brand management, providing full access to its portfolio and services.
“At InterGlobe, we have always believed in our commitment to building meaningful and enduring relationships with both our partners and the guests we serve,” Bhatia said. “Today, I am delighted to further strengthen our two-decade-long association with Accor through this strategic partnership. Together with InterGlobe’s deep market insights, Accor’s world-class services, and India’s dynamic growth and evolving travel landscape, we aim to redefine the hospitality experience by offering exceptional value to our guests and setting new standards for excellence in the industry.”
Accor and InterGlobe began their partnership in 2004 to develop Ibis-branded hotels across India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. That collaboration has since delivered 22 open hotels with 3,996 keys, and one more in the pipeline. The latest, the 206-room Ibis Mumbai BKC, opened in mid-March.
InterGlobe’s hotel portfolio, under InterGlobe Hotels, is primarily affiliated with Accor’s Ibis brand. It also includes a Pullman and a Novotel in New Delhi, a Novotel in Bengaluru, and two Novotel properties in Chennai. All these properties will now be part of the new Accor-InterGlobe management platform.
InterGlobe, India’s largest travel company, operates hotels in India and abroad. Its airline, IndiGo, runs more than 2,200 daily flights with a fleet of more than 400 aircraft, serving 89 domestic and 37 international destinations. In its last full year, IndiGo carried more than 118 million passengers.
The Treebo deal
Treebo, which manages 800 hotels across 120 cities, will develop the Ibis and Mercure brands in India under a licence agreement. As part of the partnership, Treebo has signed agreements with property owners for 10 new Mercure hotels. Accor brands will leverage Treebo’s technology to tap into India’s vast unbranded hotel market and accelerate growth.
The combined Accor and Treebo portfolio will create India’s third-largest hospitality player, with more than 30,000 rooms, the statement said.
Sébastien Bazin, Accor’s chairman & CEO, said the partnership marks a transformative moment for Accor and its brands in India.
“By aligning with our long-term successful and trusted partner InterGlobe and bringing together the best of hospitality, tech and entrepreneurship in India, we are unlocking unprecedented growth potential in one of the world’s most exciting travel markets,” he said.
Meanwhile, India is on track to become the world's fifth-largest outbound travel market and third-largest domestic travel market by 2027, the statement said. A growing middle class, improved infrastructure, and increased air connectivity have fueled a boom in domestic tourism and international travel—particularly into the Middle East and Asia Pacific, where Accor is a leading hotel operator.
Separately, Bangkok-based Dusit International re-entered India after a decade, signing six hotels totaling around 800 keys. Targeting tier-two and tier-three cities with limited upscale supply, the company opened its luxury retreat dusitD2 Fagu in Shimla in December.
Canadian traveler picks Pakistan’s hospitality over India’s
Pakistan Beats India in Hospitality, Says Canadian Vlogger
INDIA IS KNOWN for “Atithi Devo Bhava,” meaning "The guest is God," but some foreigners disagree. A Canadian man, when asked to choose between India and Pakistan for better hospitality, picked Pakistan without hesitation.
His brief interview with an Instagram user has since gone viral, Hindustan Times reported.
Instagram user @officialnamour, known for vox pop videos, recently asked Canadian traveler Nolan Saumure about "desi" hospitality. Saumure, a Canadian travel vlogger, has visited dozens of countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Indonesia, the U.S. and Vietnam.
When asked, “India or Pakistan—which has better hospitality?” Saumure instantly replied, "Pakistan, obviously."
He explained that Indians often see foreigners as wealthy customers, while Pakistanis offer warm hospitality, inviting tourists into their homes and offering food.
"You go to India, and people just see you as a walking ATM," Saumure said. "You go to Pakistan, and people are like, 'Oh, come here, sit. Take this free food. Come sleep at my place.'"
The video has more than 4.4 million views and hundreds of comments, many agreeing with Saumure.
"As an African living in Dubai, I agree with him. Pakistanis are friendlier than Indians. Pakistanis see you as a friend, while Indians see you as a stranger," one user commented. Another added simply, “I agree (I’m Indian).”
“India gets a lot of tourists, so we’re used to it and have built an economy around them,” another Instagram user said. “Pakistan gets only a few hundred tourists a year, so seeing a foreigner is a big deal for them.”
Some criticized Saumure’s opinion, some with racial overtones.
“Why do whites expect princess treatment from Indians after stealing $45 trillion from India?” one user asked.
A whitepaper by the Confederation of Indian Industry and EY projects India’s tourism and hospitality sector will create 6.1 million jobs by 2034. It currently accounts for 8 percent of total employment.