Dusit is back in India, with a pretty curious strategy
Dusit, one of the world’s biggest luxury hotel chains, is back in India, and this time, they say it’s for good. Following up on the soft launch in December of its first property, the dusitD2, Fagu, Shimla, the Thai hotel giant now plans to spread across the country, including rolling out its famed Dusit Devarana luxury brand with a property outside Bengaluru.
Dusit’s second coming will not be restricted to the presently operational Shimla property, which it is positioning as a wedding destination hotel that can accommodate up to 400 guests. “The Shimla market has been there for a zillion years, but lacked a property that catered to wedding and banquet market. So we were very strategic in our decision to…launch with that facility which was a miss in that market, and it has worked in our favour,” said Deepika Arora, Head — India, Dusit International.
Dusit has already signed up three properties in Karnataka, including a Devarana luxury wellness retreat in a jungle setting in Sakleshpur, just a few hours drive from Bengaluru. It is set to open by 2028.
Additionally, six additional Dusit hotels are set to open soon — the upper-midscale Dusit Princess brand will debut in Raipur, Bhiwadi, Kolkata and Lonavala, while the boutique luxury branding ‘Dusit Collection’ will open in Kasol and Manali in Himachal Pradesh.
“(India’s) tourism industry is evolving rapidly, with increasing demand for high-quality, experience-driven stays. By blending our unique brand of Thai-inspired gracious hospitality with wellness-led experiences and destination-driven properties, we aim to create exceptional stays that resonate deeply with Indian travellers,” said Siradej Donavanik, Vice President – Development (Global), Dusit International.
Dusit seems to be following a careful strategy in its second coming to India, by going for under-penetrated spots instead of the high-volume big cities like Mumbai or Delhi or tourist centres like Goa. “One of the key things which we definitely looked at was (that) the location has to be strategic,” explained Deepika. That explains the curious selection of locations — Bhiwadi in Rajasthan is just across the border from Delhi NCR and an industrial town which gets many business visitors, but no great hotel options till now.
Or up and coming cities like Raipur in Chhattisgarh, or hot tourist spots like Kasol and Manali which have a heavy influx of tourists, but no corporate hotel chain, yet. “These are underserved markets, but heavily visited by the consumers and tourists. And if I could offer a consumer an immersive experience with our gracious hospitality in these markets, I would love to do that,” said Deepika.
It also explains the launch in places like Sakleshpur, hitherto unheard of in India’s tourism and hotel circuit. But being just a few hours away from Bengaluru and with its wilderness setting, combining with Dusit’s famed Thai-style wellness credentials, the idea was to create a luxury wellness escape. “The industry landscape is also moving to that,” Deepika explained, adding, “So when it came to creating our wellness brand, you know, and giving that wellness experience to our customer, right, that's when we looked at a location like Sakleshpur. Because it is serene (with its) coffee plantation (and) the view, where you can detach yourself and be there, you know!”
Dusit had come to India in the late-2000s in a tie-up with the late Ankur Gupta of Amadeus fame, opening a Dusit Devarana hotel on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway on what was once Gupta’s farmhouse. However, the partners soon went separate ways, Dusit disappearing from India’s hotel map while Gupta launched his own hotel brand, Roseate.
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