Spree Hotels has within a year of launch achieved 10 operational properties, including corporate guest houses and serviced apartments. Keshav Baljee, managing director, Spree Hotels hopes to achieve 50 operational properties in the next five years across all brands. “We believe we can achieve this target in time,” he stated. Some of

the the upcoming projects include corporate guest houses in Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata; besides serviced apartments in Bengaluru, and a number of hotel projects in Bengaluru, Pune, New Delhi, Jog Falls, Hyderabad and Raipur.

The brand hierarchy of Spree Hotels has been designed to span not only hotels but also resorts, clubs, serviced apartments and guest houses. The current operational properties include Spree Longer in Pune, Spree hotels in Pune and Bengaluru, ZiP by Spree (New Delhi and Bengaluru), Azzure by Spree (Goa), two corporate guest houses in Bengaluru (Sarjapur Road and Electronic City) and Club Spree – Augusta Club, Bengaluru. Talking about the brand strategy Baljee said, “Spree is a brand for the young at heart. We believe strongly in providing extra service, along with some unique experiences for the modern traveller. This is what keeps customers coming back. Features are easily copied by your competitors, but the total experience is difficult to mimic.” He explained that the word ‘Spree’ literally means to indulge, “We are in the four-star and three-star space with the Spree Brand and our hotels cosset the modern traveller with superfast and free wi-fi, large flat screen televisions, multi-cuisine and 24×7 dining options, spas, and thoughtfully designed touches in the guest room.”

Spree – the flagship brand, is equivalent to a four-star product; ZiP by Spree is the moderately priced brand that has four promises of five-star quality; Spree Longer are apartment hotels (serviced apartments) with a difference while Club Spree is club management services. “We have brand standards associated with each of our brands. As long as the hotel meets our brand standards we are open to brownfield projects or conversions. Greenfield projects are also quite exciting, although the gestation period for those is quite long in our country. As I have been involved in many greenfield projects I can add substantial value in the design and development stage as well. We primarily work on the management contract model and perform a multitude of services for the owner including end-to-end management and asset management services,” said Baljee.

With a vision to be the preferred hotel chain for the modern traveller, worldwide, Baljee is looking at opportunities all over the country. “We evaluate each opportunity with respect to the value it can add to our existing portfolio, and our future growth plans. As long as the opportunity is with a like minded partner, in a location that has active demand drivers, we would be keen to take on the project,” he stated.

Source : http://www.expresshospitality.com