Big Indian hotel group gets bigger and greener
ITC Opens World’s Largest LEED-Certified Hotel in Chennai
ITC, India’s second-largest hotel chain, has just launched the Grand Chola in Chennai. This new hotel was designed and inspired by the architecture and traditions of the Chola dynasty, Southern India’s greatest maritime power of all time
The 600-room property will bring in leisure travelers with its luxury accommodation, 23,000 square-foot spa, and 10 restaurants, but it’s the business of attracting business that the hotel seeks to conquer.
Already branded as ITC’s flagship property, the hotel hopes to transform Chennai into the "convention capital" of India, competing with markets like Singapore and Malaysia for large-scale meetings and company retreats with over 100,000 square feet of banquet space.
With its opening, Grand Chola became the world’s largest LEED Platinum-rated Green hotel.
ITC Hotels is aggressively pursuing an investment-led growth strategy to become the largest hotel operator in India.
It currently has around 90 hotels in over 70 destinations across India.
As many as 40 hotels are at various stages of development, according to Nakul Anand, executive director of ITC.
"These hotels are either owned or managed by us under one of the four brands. The intention is to double capacity in the next few years in terms of rooms, across the brands," said Anand,
He said the company is committed to competitive growth and deploying its full portfolio across the four segments. "That is what we believe is required to successfully deliver on our ambition and goal to attain competitive growth. All the funding will be done through internal sources," he said.
The company is the youngest among Indian chains and is recognised as the fastest growing chain in the country in the very first decade of inception.
"Our business philosophy is to continue to make a meaningful contribution to the overall economic development of the country in multiple ways while enriching the tourism landscape of the country. We believe that business can and must play a role. Therefore we have consciously moved from a single dimension of financial value creation to a triple bottomline philosophy of creating value that encompasses the economic, environmental and social dimension," said Anand.
Valere Tjolle
VISION latest sustainable tourism special offer: Sustainable Tourism Marketing Guide HERE
Valere
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Skyscanner reveals major travel trends 2026 at ITB Asia
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements