Sayaji Hotels has introduced ‘The Forest Chapter’, a new experiential hospitality brand that focuses on immersive stays set in India’s wild landscapes. With this launch, the group steps into the eco-tourism space, offering travellers a chance to slow down and reconnect with nature.

Designed as more than just a forest getaway, The Forest Chapter brings together jungle resorts that focus on experience, comfort, and a deeper connection with the surroundings. Each retreat is planned as a quiet and personal space where guests can unwind and engage with nature at their own pace.

The brand’s design approach keeps things simple yet thoughtful, with spaces that blend naturally into the environment while still offering warmth and comfort. The idea is to create an atmosphere that encourages stillness, reflection, and a slower way of living, allowing the natural setting to take centre stage.

The Forest Chapter begins its journey with three destinations across India, Sasan Gir, Jawai, and Madhai. Each location offers a different experience shaped by its landscape, from dense forests to rocky terrains and calm backwaters. Every stay is designed to feel unique, giving guests a fresh perspective on nature with each visit.

Experiences at these resorts are carefully curated, including jungle safaris, forest walks, cultural interactions, wellness activities, and outdoor moments under the open sky. The focus is on creating meaningful experiences without rushing the guest, allowing discovery to happen naturally.

Ms. Saba Dhanani, Corporate Head, Marketing & Communications, Sayaji Hotels, said: “The Forest Chapter is a deeply intentional brand - one that invites travellers to slow down, disconnect from the noise and reconnect with themselves and the natural world. Every element, from design to experience, is crafted to evoke stillness, reflection and a quiet sense of belonging. It is not just about where you stay, but how you feel while you are there and what you take back with you.”

Mr. Raoof Dhanani, Managing Director, Sayaji Hotels, said: “For over four decades, Sayaji Hotels has been committed to delivering heartfelt hospitality, ensuring every guest feels truly valued. With our foray into the eco-tourism landscape, we aim to extend this same warmth to modern travellers seeking immersive, meaningful experiences.”

With this move, Sayaji Hotels is expanding its presence into a space that values emotion, connection, and thoughtful travel. The Forest Chapter aims to offer stays that stay with guests even after the journey ends, creating a lasting impression of the wild.

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has continued its steady growth, taking its overall portfolio to 628 hotels. This includes 373 hotels currently in operation and a strong pipeline of 255 upcoming properties, showing the company’s clear focus on expansion.

Sharing insights on this growth, Ms. Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President - Real Estate & Development, IHCL said, “This fiscal year marked a record of 250 signings through inorganic and sustained organic growth delivering an expanded brandscape and scaling our presence in the midscale segment. Reflective of the rising affluence and accompanying demand, we strengthened our presence in the luxury segment with the on boarding of Claridges Collection, a boutique luxury offering and acquisition of controlling stake in Atmantan, an integrated wellness centre and Brij hospitality in experiential leisure. Ginger leads the midscale segment with the acquisition of majority stake in ANK and Pride hospitality reaching a 250+ portfolio across 150+ locations.”

She further added, “IHCL demonstrated organic growth momentum across its brandscape with 19 signings in Taj including a hotel in Cairo, a 500 key hotel in Patna and a hotel and branded residences in NOIDA. The re-imagined Gateway reached a milestone portfolio of over 50 hotels.”

Highlighting the company’s expansion on the operations side, Ms. Deepika Rao, Executive Vice President – Hotel Openings & New Businesses, IHCL said, “In line with our guidance, IHCL opened 30+ hotels this fiscal year well represented across brands. Entering new markets of Lakshadweep, Ekta Nagar, Raichak, Kanpur, Vrindavan and Bhutan and strengthening our presence in Goa, Ahmedabad, Coorg, Kochi, Gurugram, Delhi, Varanasi, Udaipur, Haridwar and Dehradun.”

She added, “Through acquisitions this year we added over 100 operating hotels taking IHCL’s operating hotels to 373 hotels with over 33,000 rooms this fiscal.”

With this pace of growth, IHCL is moving closer to its long-term vision under the Accelerate 2030 strategy, aiming to reach a portfolio of 700 hotels in the coming years.

Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts has announced a strategic alliance with The Aviyaan Luxe Serenity to collaborate on integrated sales and marketing initiatives. The partnership is aimed at strengthening market presence, unlocking growth opportunities, and delivering enhanced value to guests through curated hospitality experiences.

The collaboration brings together the global outlook and experience-driven expertise of Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts with The Aviyaan’s strong regional presence and execution capabilities.

Under this alliance, both organisations will work on integrated sales campaigns, co-branded marketing initiatives, and client-focused solutions to drive growth and improve market reach. The partnership will also focus on increasing brand visibility and using cross-market insights to create differentiated experiences for both leisure and business travellers.

Richa Adhia, Managing Director, Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts, said, “We are excited to partner with The Aviyaan. This collaboration reflects our commitment to building strong, value-driven relationships that enable us to better serve our clients and deliver impactful sales and marketing solutions.”

The group currently operates a curated portfolio of properties across India, the United Kingdom, and East Africa. As part of its global expansion strategy, Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts recently acquired La Barbarie Hotel, marking its entry into premium European leisure destinations.

In India, the brand’s portfolio includes experiential stays such as Treetop by Eight Continents Astroport Sariska, Stamps Jodhpur, Stamps Golden Lagoon in Amritsar, and Stamps Pushkar. Internationally, it has expanded with Ocho Homes in Belfast and Taychreggan – Signature Collection in Scotland, along with Treetop by Eight Continents in Zanzibar. These developments further strengthen its positioning as a design-led and experience-driven hospitality brand across key global destinations.