IHCL enters homestay segment

The largest hotel chain claimed that this is the first branded product in the homestay market in the country. The new brand will have two sub-brands -Ama Plantation Trails and Ama Fine Homestays.

The company has signed a management contract for nine heritage bungalows with group firm Tata Coffee in Coorg and Chikmagalur in Karnataka and is adding two of its own bungalows mid-next year under the Ama umbrella.

“Today we announce another business. This is a direct derivation of a drive from our group chairman on scaling, synergising and simplifying. Among our group companies we have a lot of guest houses. The first one we started with Ama Plantation Trail today,” IHCL managing director and chief executive Puneet Chhatwal told reporters here.

Bookings will open from March 1 for Plantation Trail.“It is something which is interesting to watch out for in the next 18-19 months. Initially we will start with the group. Once it becomes an established player it will also attract a lot of non-group bungalows and guest houses...We are confident that we will be able to scale this product to 100 units before the end of 2020,” he said.