Amsterdam is wooing the Tata Group to open a hotel in the city. In turn, the hotel group has asked the city to keep it posted on heritage buildings.
In fact, one heritage building under consideration is a court in Amsterdam, which has shifted to a larger building in outskirts of the city. The Netherlands Government plans to select a hotel developer and operator through a tender process for this court.
However, it is not yet clear whether the Taj Group will bid for the project. “Taj Hotels said they could consider investing in hotels in Amsterdam when they look to Europe. In fact, Indians are one of the largest expat groups in Amsterdam and based on a survey, they would like the presence of a large Indian hotel,” Amsterdam’s Mayor Eberhard Van der Laan said.
Jolanada Van der Aart, Senior Area Manager, Asia, Amsterdam inBusiness, said, “We have been asked to keep the Tata Group informed about heritage buildings in Amsterdam, for which they could enter into a management contract.”
Another Tata Group firm, TCS, already has presence in the city and sponsors the Amsterdam Marathon. Amit Kapur, Regional Director and Head, Benelux, TCS, said the company had provided software for the automated check-in kiosks at the Schipol airport.
There are 152 Indian companies in the country, of which 76 are in the Amsterdam area. The Indian population too has been growing in the city.
Taj Hotels and Resorts have 16 international hotels in the Maldives, Malaysia, Australia, the UK, the US, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa and West Asia.
At a time when international hotels are looking to India to tap its fast growing domestic market, Indian hotel chains are also looking to strengthen their presence globally. Taj Hotels has in the past said it would increase its focus on growing through management contracts for faster growth. From the current 117 hotels globally, the company has a target of running 200 hotels by 2018.
From running the Pierre in New York to acquiring Campton Hotel in San Fransico and Taj Boston, a couple of its international hotels are iconic and heritage properties.
(One of the writers was in Amsterdam on invitation of Amsterdam inBusiness)