IHG Hotels & Resorts and Samhi Hotels are gearing up for a major expansion in Bengal’s hospitality market, spotlighting the potential within the region. Their announcement coincides with the opening of a ₹40 crore Holiday Inn Express in Kolkata’s New Town, marking the 18th property under this brand in India.
The 113-room property, owned by Samhi and managed by IHG, is the first Holiday Inn Express in eastern India. With this entry, Samhi now owns 12 of the total 18 Holiday Inn Express hotels in India.
“As the world’s third-largest domestic travel market, India has capacity for many more hotels,” said Sudeep Jain, Managing Director for South Asia at IHG. He added that Kolkata alone could support up to 20 Holiday Inn Express locations, including those in suburban areas. IHG also expressed interest in management contracts across smaller Bengal cities such as Siliguri, Durgapur, Santiniketan, Digha and Darjeeling.
Samhi Hotels CMD Ashish Jakhanwala called the Kolkata project “the first of the many” planned for the region. He said the investment highlights growing institutional investor interest in eastern India and noted Samhi is in talks to acquire existing city properties.
Samhi currently operates 32 hotels and views the new Kolkata venture as strategically important due to the city’s consistent performance. Jain noted an additional 84 Holiday Inn Express hotels are under construction in India, representing a planned 2.5-fold growth even before signing new deals.
According to India Ratings and Research, RevPAR (revenue per available room) is expected to level off in fiscal 2026 after strong growth in 2025. Despite this, IHG has already surpassed its 2024 deal signings in the first half of 2025. In 2024, the company signed agreements for 18 hotels, and the pace continues.
Both IHG and Samhi emphasized that fast-track government approvals and supportive policies will drive further investment and create employment opportunities in Bengal’s hospitality sector.
With its new Holiday Inn Express in Kolkata and ambitious expansion plans, IHG and Samhi Hotels are betting on Bengal’s growing demand for branded, mid-scale accommodations in both metro and emerging markets—part of a broader strategy that could significantly transform the region’s hotel landscape.
