Homegrown hospitality chain Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has opened Cygnett Collection Jim Corbett, a 50-key resort near Ramnagar in Uttarakhand. The property is now part of Trademark Collection by Wyndham, adding to Cygnett's destination-focused portfolio and strengthening its partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

Located along the Umedpur–Chilkiya belt, the resort offers easy access to Jim Corbett National Park while also remaining connected to Ramnagar and other popular attractions in the region. Its location is suited to travellers visiting Corbett for wildlife experiences, family holidays, short leisure trips, corporate retreats and social occasions.

The resort features 50 rooms, each measuring close to 400 sq. ft., with layouts aimed at longer and more relaxed stays. Guests can dine at C Pavilion, the property's all-day dining restaurant serving Indian, regional and international cuisine. Other facilities include an outdoor swimming pool and landscaped outdoor areas.

Along with its leisure facilities, the resort has a strong focus on meetings and events. Summit, its approximately 3,000 sq. ft. conference and banquet venue, can host up to 250 guests depending on the event format. The venue, along with the outdoor spaces, is designed to cater to corporate offsites, intimate destination weddings and private celebrations.

"Jim Corbett has developed into a strong year-round leisure market, with demand extending beyond wildlife travel to family holidays, celebrations and corporate retreats. For us, this opening is also an important expression of what Cygnett Collection is intended to represent. We want to bring together destination-led properties that have a clear sense of place and an individual identity, while giving guests the consistency of service and operating standards associated with Cygnett," said Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & Managing Director, Cygnett Hotels & Resorts.

The resort combines its destination-led character with Cygnett's hospitality experience and the reach of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Its association with Wyndham is expected to improve its visibility among domestic and international travellers while supporting Cygnett's plans to develop hotels in high-potential leisure destinations.

The opening also adds to Cygnett's efforts to build Cygnett Collection as a distinctive midscale portfolio featuring boutique resorts, heritage conversions and properties where the destination plays an important role in the guest experience. Hotels under the Collection are designed to retain their individual architectural and local character while following common standards of contemporary hospitality and the company's Cygnetture service framework.

With Cygnett Collection Jim Corbett, the group is expanding its presence in one of North India's established wildlife and drive-to leisure markets. The property brings together access to the Corbett landscape, accommodation, dining and event facilities for a range of travellers.

The resort's inclusion in Trademark Collection by Wyndham also highlights the growing collaboration between Cygnett Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as both companies explore further growth opportunities across India and South Asia.

Commenting on the milestone, Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & Managing Director, Cygnett Hotels & Resorts, said, "When we started Cygnett twelve years ago, we were convinced that India's hospitality growth story would increasingly be shaped by emerging cities and untapped destinations. The North East, pilgrimage centres and regional markets offered immense potential, and our strategy was built around participating in this transformation long before it became an industry trend."

He further added, "As we enter the next phase of growth, our focus is on creating a globally connected hospitality platform rooted in regional India. Our partnership with Wyndham, expanding portfolio of brands and strong development pipeline position us well to capitalize on the evolving travel landscape and create long-term value for our stakeholders."

Cygnett expects India's hospitality growth to be increasingly driven by spiritual tourism, experiential travel, destination weddings and infrastructure-led commercial corridors. The company believes emerging destinations beyond traditional metropolitan markets will offer significant opportunities in the coming years.

As part of its growth plans, Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has set a target of surpassing 100+ hotels and 10,000+ keys by 2030, as it looks to expand its presence across India and South Asia.

The Hazelnut Factory (THF) has marked its entry into Uttarakhand with the opening of THF Lakehouse on the iconic Mall Road in Nainital. Inaugurated on 10th August 2026, the new destination is the brand’s 23rd edition, bringing together its signature artisanal mithai, handcrafted desserts, specialty coffee, fresh bakery and all-day dining.

Set against the scenic beauty of Nainital Lake, THF Lakehouse has been designed to blend with the character of the hill destination. The space combines contemporary touches with the old-world charm of Nainital, creating a warm setting for travellers, families and locals to spend time over food and coffee.

The launch was celebrated in the presence of Smt. Sarita Arya, MLA of the Nainital Assembly Constituency.

For Ankit Sahni, Founder & CEO of The Hazelnut Factory, the opening also carries a personal connection, as he spent his school years in Nainital.

“Nainital has always held a very special place in my heart. I spent my school years here, and to return to the city with something we have built from the ground up is an incredibly meaningful feeling. With THF Lakehouse, we wanted to create a space that feels connected to Nainital - warm, welcoming and rooted in its character, while bringing the quality, craftsmanship and hospitality that define The Hazelnut Factory. It is wonderful to see locals and travellers come together over good food, coffee and the simple joy of being in a beautiful place.”

The Nainital launch is also an important step in THF’s growth journey. Starting from Lucknow, the brand has grown into one of North India’s fastest-growing premium food and beverage brands, bringing together artisanal mithai, specialty coffee, bakery, patisserie and contemporary hospitality.

With THF Lakehouse, the brand continues its approach of presenting familiar Indian flavours in a contemporary way while creating spaces that connect with their surroundings.

In Nainital, this connection comes together through the setting itself, where mountains, coffee, conversations and memories meet against the backdrop of Nainital Lake.

Summit Hotels & Resorts has appointed Sudhir Gupta as Corporate General Manager – Finance, strengthening its leadership team as the hospitality company continues to expand its portfolio across India.

Gupta brings more than 15 years of experience in hospitality finance and financial operations. His expertise includes financial planning and analysis, budgeting, management reporting, taxation, cost controls, hotel pre-openings, and finance systems.

In his new role, Gupta will oversee the finance function across Summit Hotels & Resorts. His focus will be on strengthening financial controls, improving reporting systems, and supporting the company's growth and expansion plans.

Before joining Summit Hotels & Resorts, Gupta served as Cluster Financial Controller for Marriott Surat and Courtyard by Marriott Surat, where he handled finance operations for both hotels. His responsibilities included budgeting, business reviews, financial reporting, revenue recognition, taxation, cost and inventory accounting, vendor negotiations, and financial controls.

Over the course of his career, Gupta has also held finance leadership and operational roles at Southern Hotels Pvt. Ltd., 1589 Hotels Pvt. Ltd. (Clarks Collection), JHM Interstate Hotels, Crowne Plaza and The Oberoi Group. This has given him experience across both corporate and property-level hotel finance.

His experience also covers hotel pre-openings, accounting and operating system implementation, performance analysis, and the development of financial processes across multi-property portfolios.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Sumit Periwal, Director, Summit Hotels & Resorts, said, "As Summit enters its next phase of growth, building stronger corporate systems behind our expanding portfolio is an important priority. Sudhir brings a valuable combination of hotel-level financial understanding and multi-property corporate experience. His exposure to budgeting, controls, systems and pre-openings will be particularly relevant as we strengthen our financial framework and scale the business across new markets."

The appointment is part of Summit Hotels & Resorts' ongoing efforts to strengthen its corporate leadership and build scalable systems to support its growing hospitality portfolio.

Website: Summit Hotels & Resorts