Adani Airports, IHCL sign eight-hotel agreement in 4 cities

BENGALURU: Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) has partnered with the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd (IHCL), part of the Tata Group, to develop eight hotels with more than 2,000 rooms across four cities, expanding its push to turn airports into commercial hubs that extend beyond aviation, the companies said in a statement on Thursday.

The hotels, spread across Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Guwahati, will operate under IHCL’s Taj, Vivanta, Gateway and Ginger brands. The agreement covers three Taj hotels, two Vivanta properties, one Gateway hotel and two Ginger hotels.

Under the arrangement, Adani Airports will develop the properties, while IHCL will operate them through its multi-brand portfolio.

The partnership builds on AAHL’s strategy to develop integrated airport cities combining hospitality, retail, entertainment, convention facilities and commercial infrastructure.

In June, Adani Airport City Ltd, a subsidiary of AAHL, outlined plans to develop integrated airport cities across its airport network. The company plans to develop more than 655 acres across eight airports in seven states, including nearly 440 acres in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

In the first phase, Adani Airport City will invest more than ₹20,000 crore to develop approximately 22 million sq. ft. across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur and Guwahati, according to the company statement.

“Across the world, leading airports are evolving into integrated destinations that serve as catalysts for commerce, tourism and urban growth. Our partnership with IHCL is an important step in this journey, bringing together our hospitality-led mixed-use destinations and India’s leading hospitality company to create world-class hotels across key airport cities with its brands including the iconic Taj,” Jeet Adani, director of Adani Airport Holdings, said in the statement.

Adani Airports' ambition extends beyond operating airports to developing airport cities that bring together hospitality, business, retail and leisure, while enhancing the overall passenger and visitor experience, Adani added.

The hotel portfolio will include a Taj property at Terminal 2 of Mumbai airport. Lucknow will get a Vivanta and a Ginger hotel, while Ahmedabad will have a Taj and a Vivanta. Guwahati will have a Taj, a Gateway and a Ginger hotel.

Together, the eight properties will offer accommodation, dining, meetings and events, wellness and recreational facilities.

“As India strengthens its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, airport-centric developments are emerging as important commercial and hospitality hubs,” Puneet Chhatwal, managing director and chief executive of IHCL, said.

“…With these additions IHCL will have 25 hotels across its brandscape at key airports in India," Chhatwal added.

With the IHCL agreement, AAHL has now partnered with hotel brands for 15 hotels across its key airports in India.

In May, AAHL said it had signed an agreement with IHG Hotels & Resorts to develop five hotels across airport-linked and high-growth urban destinations in India. The portfolio will add close to 1,500 rooms across multiple brands and locations, in line with IHG’s growth plans for the country. The agreement will also bring IHG’s Kimpton brand to India.

Adani Airports, part of Adani Enterprises Ltd, operates eight airports: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and the newly constructed Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Airport-linked commercial development is also attracting other real estate players. Earlier this year, Prestige Group said it would develop a large integrated project within Bengaluru Airport City, including an 8,000-seater convention and exhibition centre, two luxury hotels, premium office and hotel space, and a performing arts hub.

Madhurima is Senior Editor at Mint and tracks and writes on real estate, urban issues and infrastructure. Besides news stories, she also writes longform stories. She has over two decades of experience in journalism, and has tracked India's real estate sector closely. Real estate in India is complex and fascinating, and she is one of the few journalists who has tracked the sector over the years and mapped critical events—from the Lehman impact in 2008, to the NBFC-led liquidity crisis, to the boom cycle after the 2020 pandemic. She is a Bengaluru-based business journalist but is always looking forward to travel wherever a story takes her. It could be Ayodhya or Jewar to witness the rise of new property markets, or Goa and Hyderabad to experience the changing real estate landscape. Real estate can be a tricky subject, so her aim is always to dig beneath the surface and tell a story as accurately as possible for the readers.<br><br>She has worked in newsrooms across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. She has a Masters degree in English Literature and a postgraduate diploma in journalism from Symbiosis, Pune.

Get Latest real-time updates

Catch all the Business News , Corporate news , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

✕

Wait for it…

Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.