'It's The Golden Age Of Travel In Apac'

Hilton hotels’ Alan Watts on why he does not feel threatened by the Airbnb model and doing business in India in the age of GST

- Varsha Meghani

ON THE SIDELINES OF THE HOTEL Investment Conference-South Asia (HICSA), an annual forum for industry players in the region, held in Mumbai this year, Forbes India caught up with Alan Watts, executive vice president and regional president Asia-Pacific (APAC) for Hilton hotels. Edited excerpts:

Q Globally, the growth rate (by revenues) for Hilton hotels is 6-7 percent, whereas for APAC it is double that, at 15 percent. What are the key drivers of this growth?

Every one in four hotels being opened in the [APAC] region is a Hilton branded hotel; in China it’s one in every three. Three things are fuelling this growth—rapid urbanisation, the rising wealth of the middle class and low-cost air travel. You not only have domestic travellers, but also those generating huge outbound demand. China will see about 100 million outbound trips by 2025, while India already has 30 million people travelling out. All of this has an inter-regional play. It is the golden age of travel in APAC. As a result, we’re seeing the growth rates for us as well as our competitors in the region top the charts.

Q You currently have 17 Hilton branded hotels in India, which is much less than some of your competitors. How do you plan to increase your footprint in the country?