Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 28, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleIHG projects India will become one of its top‑five global markets, aiming to expand from ~50 current hotels and ~80 in development to over 400 combined (open and pipeline) within five years. This is driven by India’s rapidly growing hospitality sector, forecast to nearly double in value by 2031.
By Nathan Gomes and Praveen Paramasivam
PANAJI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - UK's InterContinental Hotels Group expects India to become one of its top-five global markets within years, a senior executive said on Friday, as international hospitality brands accelerate expansion across the world's most populous country.
"It (India) is like a game-changer. It's an infinite market in a sense," Sudeep Jain, managing director for South West Asia at IHG, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Hospitality Overview Presentation & Exchange conference in Goa.
IHG, whose brands include Holiday Inn and Avid Hotels, currently operates around 50 hotels in India with roughly 80 in development.
The British group said in January it aimed to grow its combined open and pipeline portfolio within the country to more than 400 properties within five years. Globally, IHG operates over 6,900 hotels, with about two-thirds in the Americas.
India's hospitality sector is forecast to nearly double to $55.7 billion by 2031 from $23.5 billion in 2025, according to consultancy Mordor Intelligence, driven by population growth, rapid urbanisation and rising travel demand from both affluent and budget consumers.
IHG is not alone in its ambitions.
Hyatt Hotels Chief Executive Mark Hoplamazian said the chain expects to quintuple its India footprint over five years. Hilton Worldwide has separately announced plans to quadruple its pipeline of hotel rooms in the country.
Executives from Accor and Wyndham Hotels also flagged India as a priority market at the Goa conference.
Jain ruled out an Indian stock market listing for IHG's local operations, at least in the near term, even as local subsidiaries of South Korea's LG Electronics and Hyundai Motor have recently completed Indian initial public offerings.
(Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Praveen Paramasivam in Panaji; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
IHG views India as a game-changer due to its large population, rapid urbanisation, and increasing travel demand, making it a priority for global expansion.
IHG currently operates around 50 hotels in India and has roughly 80 more in development, targeting over 400 properties in five years.
Hyatt aims to quintuple its India footprint, Hilton plans to quadruple its hotel rooms, and Accor and Wyndham also view India as a key growth market.
IHG has ruled out an Indian stock market listing for its local operations in the near term.
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