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Lead Story
Hospitality companies bet high on ‘hospitel’ projects
Keen on tapping US $3 billion medical tourism sector
Savio Rodrigues & Neeti Mehra - Mumbai
In a bid to capture a slice of the estimated US $3 billion medical tourism
sector in India by 2012, leading domestic and international hospitality players
have evinced interest to set up hotel-cum-hospital projects aptly titled 'hospitel'
in key metro and upcoming non-metro cities.
Taking the first step towards this direction is Dubai-based Emaar Properties
that plans an estimated 30 hospitels across India within the next 10 years.
Throwing light on the potential of medical tourism and his company's interest
in it in India, Mohammad Al Alabbar, chairman, Emaar Properties, said, "As
many as 1,50,000 medical tourists visited India last year alone, with the number
of arrivals in the country growing by 15 per cent annually. Emaar's expansion
into the healthcare business is part of our holistic approach to property development
and complements our earlier announced plans for the hotel sector. By providing
world-class infrastructure and healthcare services coupled with hospitality,
we are confident that medical tourists will not give India a miss."
Following a similar strategy, Middle East real estate major Al Rostamani Group
through its subsidiary KM Properties plans to set up 10 hospitel projects in
the country in its first phase. Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani, partner and
MD, Al Rostamani Group, said, "We are certainly keen on setting up hotel-cum-hospital
project in India, and are considering different sites in the country but have
not finalised on any yet. It is part of our long-term plan of investments in
India, including the hospitality sector."
Not to be left behind, indigenous ITC and new entrant in the hospitality arena
Shristi Group is also coming up with hotel-cum-hospital projects in Mumbai.
Speaking on ITC's project, Nakul Anand, divisional chief executive (hotels),
ITC, said, "We saw an opportunity in this project owing to growing interest
in medical tourism in the country and will look at other such projects if and
when the need arises." Though, he added, that it would not necessarily
be a new strategy adopted by the hotels division. Similarly, Madhur Aggarwal
of Shristi Hotels - a subsidiary of the Shristi Group that is already into super
speciality hospitals - confirmed that the group is looking at boutique hotels
as its hospital project in Mumbai and will also consider other such projects
in the future.
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Hotels queue up for space at Nagpur health city
Preeti Kannan - Chennai
In its atempts to link hospitality to the fast growing
medical tourism segment for the first time in the country, the Maharashtra
government is now planning to set up a health city in Nagpur, where star
and budget hotels would play the role of a support system to the conglomeration
of hospitals coming up there.
This project would be the first of its kind in the
country, where an integrated health system in partnership with the hotel
industry is expected to give medical tourism a shot in the arm. Express
Hospitality has learnt that hotel chains like the Pride Group, Radisson
and Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) have evinced keen interest to be
a part of this massive 4,311 hectare project (approx 10,700 acres), also
comprising the multi-nodal international hub airport.
Speaking about his plans, Gajbhiye Harshawardhan,
senior VP of Maharashtra Airport Development Company, which has invited
an Express of Interest, said that about 1,100 hectares (approx 2,750 acres)
has been earmarked for commercial and residential projects, where the
hotels will come up. "We have not yet demarcated land specifically
for hospitality as it would depend upon the number of hotels approaching
us and already many hotels have spoken to us. After that we will conduct
a project study and invite tenders by the end of this year and we are
open to both Indian and international brands, including budget hotels.
We have planned about ten speciality hospitals to cater to even international
patients as well as accommodate their relatives," he said.
Besides, with the international airport being upgraded
and several software companies slated to come up in the area, officials
expect many hotels to cater to this demand. However, sources estimate
that only about 50 acres might finally be allotted for hotels. IHCL may
look at a 200-room hotel as well as Ginger budget hotel, while Radisson
would go for a 75-room hotel.
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