- Friday, April 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Chris Nassetta, president and chief executive officer (CEO), Hilton, and Alan Watts, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton, were recently in India to take part in the Hotel Investment Conference – South Asia (HICSA 2023) in Bengaluru in the southern state of Karnataka.
Reflecting on his visit, Watts spoke on the positive state of travel recovery in APAC and India, the growth opportunities Hilton is witnessing in the horizon and the company’s strategy to capture demand in a new golden age of travel.
“This year’s Hotel Investment Conference – South Asia (HICSA) was proudly hosted for the first time at the Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn Bengaluru Embassy Manyata Business Park, and the sentiments were overwhelmingly positive as India returned in full force,” Watts said.
He added, “India is heading into an incredible cycle. With 220 new airports getting built, hundreds more new planes ordered, and India’s first bullet train project slated for completion by 2026, the pace of infrastructure build in the country is phenomenal.
“We strongly believe that the race for India is ahead of us. We take a long view here at Hilton, and that view is bullish. It is India’s time to shine, and Hilton is absolutely committed to India and is ready to scale here.”
He also said that as the fastest growing hospitality company in APAC, Hilton is on course to exceed 1,000 trading hotels by 2025.
“We opened a record 110 hotels in 2022 and target to exceed that number this year. In India more specifically, we plan to double our operational portfolio within India every three to five years.
“This would not be possible without the confidence that owners and partners place in us to deliver best-in-class returns. We are at the forefront of offering world-class hospitality across key consumer segments and destinations, and will continue to place the right brands at the right locations with the right partners, as we stand ready to capture demand in this new golden age of travel,” Watts said.
