Ambuja Neotia and IHCL to invest up to ₹3,000 crore in nine Bengal hotel projects

what happened

The Ambuja Neotia Group intends to commit about ₹3,000 crore over the next five to seven years to nine hospitality projects in West Bengal, working alongside Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), according to Moody's, which cited officials. The sites range from Kolkata and Raichak to Digha, Siliguri, Lataguri, Kalimpong and Darjeeling.

Group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia said two newly opened hotels, AltAir House and IHCL SeleQtions in Kolkata and Siliguri, are part of the plan, which also includes a ₹100 crore expansion of Taj Chia Kutir Resort & Spa in Darjeeling. The partners currently run 11 properties in the state, a number that would rise to 20 once the nine other facilities are complete.

IHCL managing director and CEO Puneet Chhatwal said the partnership now covers more than 80 properties across India, including 55 resorts under the Tree of Life leisure brand. Neotia added that he had recently met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to present the group's investment vision for the state.

why it matters

For investors, the deal mainly signals IHCL's expansion in eastern India, through its Taj hotel brands. Ambuja Neotia's wider plan of about ₹15,000 crore across hospitality, healthcare and real estate over the same five to seven years gives the fuller picture.

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