Hilton and Olive Tie Up to Launch 150 Spark Hotels
Bengaluru: American hospitality major Hilton Group and Bengaluru-based hotel major Olive by Embassy have tied up to launch 150 premium economy hotels in southern and western India under Hilton's new fastest-growing brand Spark by Hilton.
The first Spark by Hilton hotels will open in southern India with a focus on Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
“I am pleased to announce Hilton’s second largest licensing arrangement in Asia,” said Alan Watts, president, Asia Pacific at Hilton, on Monday. The largest such tie-up was announced in China for 1,000 hotels.
The announcement also marks the debut of Hilton's premium economy brand Spark in Asia through India. Spark was launched in 2023 in the United States and later expanded to Canada and the United Kingdom. It is expected to launched in Germany and other western markets.
Explaining rationale behind launching Spark in India, Watt said India has one of the largest middle class in the world.
“We want to offer affordable stays without compromise and capture unmet demand for value and consistency across major and smaller cities. Not only will this partnership set the stage for record-breaking growth, but it also positions Hilton to achieve a commanding presence in one of the world’s largest lodging markets.”
Jitu Virwani, chairman and managing director, of Embassy Group, said, “Spark by Hilton is the ideal brand to capitalise on the country’s growing middle class, its infrastructure investment push, and its burgeoning hospitality sector. We believe that this is the beginning of an exciting journey to redefine the premium economy segment.”
Explaining their plans further, Kahraman Yigit, co-founder & CEO, Olive by Embassy, said they will launch 150 Spark hotels in the next 10 years in the southern and western markets. Each hotel would typically have 60 to 100 rooms and will come in metros, tier 1 and 2 cities.
The price range, he said, could be in the range of Rs 4,000 and upwards