Ibis, Accor Group’s economy hotel brand, launched its hotel in Navi Mumbai on Monday. With 196 rooms, IBIS aims to attract business managers and executives travelling into Navi Mumbai. Accor is the world’s leading hotel operator which operates the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and most recently the Pullman brands of hotels in India.
Ibis Navi Mumbai has been set up at a capital investment of about Rs 150 crore. It aims to break even in next two years with for 70 per cent occupancy during peak season (i.e. March- June and September- December).
In recent years Navi Mumbai has seen a spurt of corporates setting up factories, IT/ knowledge parks and office space due to affordable rentals, availability of large space and proximity to factories.
Forecasts from the World Travel and Tourism Council predicts the overall business travel spending in India will rise by 8.8 per cent a year between 2011 and 2021 — growing from $26 billion to $72 billion. A large proportion of corporate travellers in India are mid-level executives.
Maverik Mukerji, General Manger, IBIS Navi Mumbai said, “As business travelling on a tight budget keeps rising to make it cost-efficient, executives are looking for the trappings of a luxury hotel but at an affordable price. This has created huge market potential for IBIS in Navi Mumbai. We have already started receiving queries and are confident of achieving our target in the stipulated time frame.”
Ibis is an international hotel company owned by Accor hotels. It has over 900 hotels in 40 countries around the world, with over 370 Ibis hotels in France itself.