In exclusive conversation with HotelTALK, Saurabh Rai discusses how India’s surging luxury market is driving Preferred Hotels & Resorts to expand its presence in the region.
Lipla Negi
Q: What are the key new developments at Preferred Hotels & Resorts?
A: The pace of pandemic recovery was such that India emerged as a standout performer in 2023 and beyond, and we are thrilled to have globally finished one of our best years yet. Our portfolio currently stands at about 600 hotels across 80 countries— with 80 hotels signed in 2024 alone. That means over 15 per cent of our portfolio was added just last year, underscoring the strong momentum we are riding. Looking ahead, in 2025 our expectations are even more bolstered.
India has been a key market for us since 2002, and over the past 23 years, we have built a robust presence here, with 27 exceptional properties in our portfolio. A major highlight of 2024 was the initiation of strategic partnerships with prominent publicly listed independent hotel companies, including Aurika Hotels & Resorts (from the Lemon Tree Hotels group), Chalet Hotels and The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, which is in the process of going public. When companies with such rigorous financial standards and governance frameworks choose to align with Preferred Hotels & Resorts as their global infrastructure partner, it is a strong vote of confidence in our model. Our 2025 growth strategy will build on this foundation with a mix of organic expansion through our existing partners, Aurika, Chalet and Leela, and new collaborations with independent brands. We are very confident that we will end up retaining the growth momentum of 2024 into 2025.
Q: We are seeing marquee hotels shift from hard brands to independent hotels. What does this trend say about the future of luxury hospitality, especially in India?
A: There is an ongoing industry conversation around the fluid movement between hard brands and independent hotel models. Globally, we have seen owners of marquee properties shift away from traditional big-brand affiliations to go independent, partnering with global infrastructure platforms like Preferred Hotels & Resorts and sometimes, the reverse also happens. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
A compelling validation of the independent hotel model is the case of the Al Habtoor Group in Dubai. They de-flagged their property originally launched as the St. Regis Dubai, later aligned it with Hilton’s LXR Collection, and ultimately joined our Legend Collection in October last year. Most recently, their second property—previously the Ritz-Carlton Budapest—transitioned to become the Al Habtoor Palace Budapest, reinforcing their commitment to the independent luxury space.Closer home, India’s luxury market is on a high-growth trajectory, evidenced by the rapid rise of brands like The Leela Hotels and Resorts, our esteemed partner. And it is not just us, many international luxury brands are now lining up to enter this dynamic market. With strong headroom for expansion over the next decade, India is clearly emerging as a key destination for luxury hospitality—with both domestic strength and global validation behind it.
Q: What key criteria must a hotel meet to join the Preferred Hotels & Resorts?
A: At Preferred Hotels & Resorts, we have four distinct collections—Legend, LVX, Lifestyle and Preferred Residences, each with clearly defined and objective criteria. When we engage with a prospective hotel, whether the approach comes from them or us, we begin with aligning them to the right collection. From there, we look at service quality and guest experience, not dictating design or operations, but evaluating how the property delivers best-in-class service in its category.
For example, Legend, our ultra-luxury tier, competes with the world’s top luxury brands, so the benchmarks are exceptionally high. We use a detailed framework of around 1,500 quality checkpoints covering service standards and guest programming. The essence is to ensure authentic alignment—we celebrate the individuality of each hotel while upholding the excellence our brand stands for.
Do you think making sustainability certifications mandatory can drive real, on-ground impact?
A: When it comes to sustainability certifications and government-backed programmes, we fully acknowledge that sustainability is a constantly evolving space—a growing sphere that truly takes a village to move forward. Across our brands, be it Beyond Green, Preferred Hotels & Resorts or under the larger umbrella of Preferred Travel Group, our Climate Action Plan reflects our role as an enabler, moderator and anchor of this conversation.
We are deeply committed to keeping sustainability central to every stakeholder dialogue—with our partner hotels, customers, B2B collaborators, corporate bookers and travel management companies.
Our goal is to actively contribute and continue evolving our impact. As governments and economies introduce their own certifications and frameworks, we view it as a “blue ocean’—there is room for everyone.
What are some of the standout sustainability initiatives you are driving across your brands and hotel partners?
A: We have long believed in sustainability as a core value and have seen travel as a force for good before it became a mainstream conversation. I have been with the company for 18 years, and I clearly recall discussions as early as 2011–2013 about how we could spotlight sustainability more meaningfully within the travel and hospitality ecosystem.
We are confident that we will end up retaining the growth momentum of 2024 into 2025.”
- Saurabh Rai, Executive Vice President, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, South Asia, Middle East and Africa
