Newstrack

Indus Inns on expansion mode

Gayatri Vijaykumar - Bangalore

Indus Inns, a registered luxury service apartment with properties in Bangalore and Hyderabad, is setting up a 150-room no frill property in Bangalore. According to its managing director, Kantha Rao, the Rs 7 crore property will be built on the model of a budget hotel but in a largely scaled-down version.

The property would be constructed using low cost pre-fabricated, pre-engineered material provided by a German company. "The property will be based on the European head-to-bed concept with minimum staff. Our guests would be employees of multinational companies who need a clean place to rest at the end of the day," explains Rao.

The check-in would be done electronically with the use of a password. "We are trying to leverage the advantage of IT. The attrition rates in the industry are quite high; IT would help overcome the problem of shortage of staff," he maintains. Still under negotiation stage, Indus Inns will tie up with a UK or US-based software company to provide the technology. The project is still in the conceptual stage and would take a year to complete. The concept and strategy stage of the project is being undertaken by a California-based consulting firm.

Indus Inns has been operational in Bangalore for the past two years. "We have plans to expand to Cochin, Chennai and Coimbatore," says Rao. The property will cater to corporate customers, especially from the IT and ITes sectors. "All multinational companies have audits in place to ensure that their employees are housed in a secure place. If I am to cater to employees of a multinational company, I have to meet at least five out of their 10 parameters in terms of security and hygiene," explains Rao. According to him, Indus Inns aims at providing a clean and homely atmosphere at budget prices. "We offer our rooms in the bracket of Rs 1,200-1,500 per night. The leaders will always charge around Rs 6,000 and pamper their guests, however we believe in providing efficient service at an economical price." Indus Inns has just received exclusive ownership of the trademark.