ITC Hotels, a major player in India’s hospitality sector, has unveiled an ambitious plan to significantly expand its room inventory over the next five years. As per the recent report by Business Standard, the conglomerate aims to boost its hotel room count by 50%, targeting a total of 200 hotels with 18,000 keys by 2028.

Currently, ITC Hotels boasts a portfolio of 12,000 rooms across 131 hotels in 80 destinations. This growth trajectory is part of the company's strategic focus, announced during its institutional investors and financial analysts event on December 12.

A noteworthy aspect of this expansion is the emphasis on managed hotels. Two-thirds of the new inventory is expected to fall under the managed portfolio, a significant increase from the current 50%. ITC has a pipeline of 35 managed hotels with over 3,200 keys in the works.

This expansion also includes a shift in the premium segment of the company’s offerings. Over the next five years, premium hotel keys are projected to comprise 45% of the total managed portfolio, up from the current 30%.

Additionally, ITC is exploring greenfield and brownfield projects to add around 300 rooms. In the past 24 months, the company has opened 22 hotels, capitalizing on the post-pandemic boom in the hospitality sector. With foreign tourist numbers still 85% below pre-pandemic levels, ITC anticipates a significant surge in demand.

The company's hotel segment reported record-high performance in the second quarter of this financial year, with revenues and pre-tax profits witnessing a substantial increase.

Under its Next strategy, ITC is focusing on scaling up and increasing profitability across its business verticals, with plans for innovation, exports, and acquisitions. The hotel brand profile of ITC includes luxury, upper upscale, boutique, mid and upscale, and heritage categories.

Furthermore, a demerger of the ITC Hotels Co. is on the horizon, with the board of directors approving a scheme of arrangement for the demerger of the hotel business. The new entity is expected to be listed within 15 months and will continue to use the ITC brand name.

In addition to hotel expansion, the company is also scaling up its food and beverage business, with new restaurant openings reported by ndtvprofit.com.