Leela-Family Scion-run Araiya will operate 10 properties by 2025, with a target of 40 in five years
Founder Amruda Nair told Mint Exclusive Interval of HICSA 2025 at Hotel Meetings. Nair is the granddaughter of CP Krishnan Nair, who formed the Leela Group.
As part of the expansion, Araiya Hotels tied with Pune-based real estate company Blue Tillion to develop three Greenfields in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. One of the other planned properties is a tent resort in Abu Mountain, Rajasthan under the Araiya brand, which will open in 2026. Additional conversion projects in the state will be announced soon.
The company is working with developers at Greenfield Projects, a brand new hotel project, which helps shape from scratch. It also works with them to reshape and manage existing attributes.
Nair said that although Araiya Hotels has been expanding its business, it has reached its pace until now. The company works in an asset hotel, attacking Greenfield and existing properties. Under the asset lamp approach, companies do not need to invest in it by managing contracts rather than owning their hotels, rather than having capital effective growth.
The company’s brands include Araiya’s Soul, Araiya, Araiya’s Essence and Araiya Anthology Collection. Araiya Palampur is located in Kangra Valley, Himaal Pradesh. Kinwani House in Uttarakhand will be open in May as part of its anthology collection. Another hotel will be in Gir, Gujarat, which will open this month.
Nair draws from her Leela legacy Mint Traditional insight and entrepreneurial agility are helping her expand the company in a competitive market.
After the Nair Family became the helm of Leelaventure Ltd, it attributed control to debt, resulting in a series of asset sales. In 2019, the company’s main properties in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Udaipur were sold to Brookfield Asset Management ₹39.5 million deal. Leela Brand is owned by Brookfield and is now known as Schloss Bangalore Ltd, but the family retains ownership of its Mumbai hotel.
Hotel companies in the new era
Like Araiya, new hotel companies such as Alivaa Hotels, Brij Hotels, Signum Hotels and Cygnett Hotels have also joined the hotel management business over the past few years, adopting asset lights and more flexible models to grow faster.
Alivaa, supported by Ananta Capital, signed about six properties within one year of its existence and achieved its 50-year goal by renting hotels instead of owning them. Brij focuses on luxury accommodation below luxury accommodation and plans to expand from 9 to 50 hotels through revenue sharing transactions.
Signum involves operating the post-leasing pandemic Signum is expanding in India and abroad, recently tied to the Wyndham Hotel. Cygnett is expanding its portfolio of 25 behemoths in City II. These companies are calling for the first time to seek returns without the strict terms of legacy chains.
Under the soul of Araiya Brand’s Nair, the company is developing resorts in Dharamshala, Ambardi, Tapola (new Mahabaleshwar) and Avas. In Kerala, a property in Paithalmala is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Nair said the brand’s new hotel in Dehradun and two other people (the existing safari destination and greenfield property) will soon be fast.
“I think the huge potential found in India will be the cornerstone of our growth strategy, not just focusing on expansion,” Nair said. “Our hotel flag in Jawai or the plantation in the northeast will be a natural extension.”
Spirituality and health
The company’s expansion strategy revolves around professional tours including mountain stations, wildlife destinations, spiritual routes and heritage sites. The company plans to manage its growing footprint through a cluster management structure through support from regional sales offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab.
Spiritual travel is becoming a key theme.
“The unique experience is coming, and these are blended with health. This will help us effectively engage young family travelers for more meaningful holidays,” said Nair.
The GIR combines wildlife with a visit to the Somnath Temple, while Palampur caters to travelers to the Baijnath Temple and Tashi Jong monastery.
The company aims to provide a boutique lifestyle that focuses on unique designs, hyperlocal experiences, personalized services and close ties to local culture.
“Insights as hotel owners allow us to connect with first-time hotel owners who may not have hospitality as their core business,” Nair said. “While our meticulous selection process may slow us down, we believe we will achieve our 40 properties target over the next five years.”
Horwath HTL’s India Hotel Market Reviews said the organized hospitality industry in India is expected to cross 300,000 rooms between 2029 and could add 100,000 rooms, driven by growth in religious tourism, rising income levels and major infrastructure developments.
According to the report, hoteliers can respond to shifts in consumer behavior by driving higher occupancy levels, aiming to increase the current rate of 68-70% to 80% or more of critical business centers.
