Ambuja Neotia Group has announced an investment commitment of around Rs 3,000 crore to expand West Bengal’s hospitality sector, with projects planned across Kolkata, Siliguri, Darjeeling, Digha, Raichak, Lataguri and Kalimpong. The announcement came during the opening of Alt Air House–IHCL Sele Qtions properties in Kolkata and Siliguri.
The investment forms part of the group’s broader plan to invest about Rs 15,000 crore in hospitality, healthcare and real estate in Bengal over the next five to seven years, chairman Harshavardhan Neotia said. He said the group’s hospitality expansion reflected confidence in the state’s tourism potential and its range of metropolitan, riverfront, forest, tea garden and Himalayan destinations.
Neotia said he had recently met CM Suvendu Adhikari and discussed the group’s investment vision. He said closer coordination between the state government and the Centre could support infrastructure development, improve coordination around incentives and welfare schemes, and help unlock new opportunities in the state.
The hospitality investment will cover a wider portfolio of Indian Hotels Company Ltd brands and is expected to be distributed across key tourism and business destinations. The plan includes the two newly launched Alt Air House properties, as well as a Rs 100 crore expansion of Taj Chia Kutir Resort & Spa in Darjeeling.
The Darjeeling expansion will add 28 rooms, or keys, and 15,000 sq ft of banqueting facilities. The project is intended to increase the resort’s accommodation and event capacity in one of Bengal’s most established hill tourism destinations.
The Alt Air House property in Kolkata is located at Ecospace Business Park in New Town and has 42 individually designed rooms and suites. Its design draws on Bengal’s cultural heritage and places the hotel within one of the city’s major business and emerging urban development districts.
The Siliguri property, located at Uttorayon Township, has 60 rooms and suites influenced by the cultural character of north Bengal. The hotel is positioned as a gateway to north Bengal and the eastern Himalayas, connecting business and leisure travel in Siliguri with destinations in the surrounding region.
IHCL managing director and chief executive officer Puneet Chhatwal said the launch of Alt Air House under the Sele Qtions brand marked a new phase in the company’s partnership with Ambuja Neotia. He said the two companies were focused on expanding tourism and developing distinctive hospitality experiences across the region.
The partnership currently spans more than 80 properties across India, including 55 Tree of Life resorts. The latest properties and proposed investments add to the hotel infrastructure available across Bengal’s business, urban, coastal, forest and hill destinations. Further project timelines, construction schedules and individual investment allocations for the planned locations were not specified in the announcement.
