Kerten Hospitality, Ireland-headquartered global lifestyle hospitality group, has announced its entry into the Indian market, marking a significant step in the company’s next phase of global expansion. As part of its India launch, the group is targeting 1,000 keys in the first phase, bringing its community-focused, bespoke lifestyle hospitality model to the country for the first time.
India has been identified as a strategic growth market aligned with Kerten Hospitality’s long-term plan to enter high-growth destinations at a time when lifestyle-led travel demand is accelerating.
The announcement follows one of the most successful years in Kerten Hospitality’s journey. The group closed 2025 with a 55 percent increase in operating revenues, 69 percent growth in GOP, and a 44 percent rise in management fees year-on-year. This performance was driven by geographic diversification, disciplined expansion, and sustained demand from owners and investors for its differentiated lifestyle hospitality platform. Entering 2026, the group signed 1,000 new keys in January alone across the Middle East, Africa, and other high-growth markets. With 60 projects now in the pipeline across three continents and 12 proprietary lifestyle brands, India represents the group’s most significant new market move to date.
With the Indian hospitality market projected to reach $55.67 billion by 2031 at a CAGR of 14.76 percent, the country offers strong potential for experience-led, locally rooted hospitality concepts. Kerten Hospitality’s community-first philosophy aligns with India’s evolving traveller profile — young, digitally savvy, and increasingly drawn to immersive, culturally authentic stays over conventional hotel formats.
At the core of Kerten Hospitality’s offering is the belief that today’s travellers seek genuine experiences rather than standardised hotel rooms. Its “bespoke-at-scale” model has already proven successful across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, demonstrating that local identity and institutional-grade management can work hand in hand.
Kerten Hospitality’s owner-first philosophy is another key differentiator. Instead of imposing rigid brand manuals, the group follows flexible brand guidelines, allowing asset owners to shape properties with their own vision while leveraging Kerten’s operational expertise, recruitment network, and marketing platform.
Indian asset owners will have access to three of Kerten Hospitality’s proprietary brands:
- The House Hotel — a bespoke luxury offering rooted in local culture
- Cloud7 Hotels — a design-led lifestyle hotel concept
- HOSME — where affordability meets social hospitality
To support this expansion, Kerten Hospitality has established a dedicated India office and is actively engaging with asset owners across key destinations.
Commenting on the Group’s focus on the India market, Marloes Knippenberg, CEO, Kerten Hospitality said, “It’s well known that India is one of the most dynamic travel markets in the world, with robust tourism fundamentals and an increasing appetite for lifestyle-driven hospitality experiences. As travellers increasingly seek destinations that combine culture, design and community, we see significant potential for innovative hospitality concepts that reflect the spirit and diversity of the country. At Kerten Hospitality, our business model is based on developing destinations that go beyond the realm of traditional hospitality, bringing together culture, creativity and meaningful guest experiences. We are already seeing a strong demand from developers and owners and will soon be able to cater to the vast diaspora of Indian consumers with Kerten-managed properties across the country.”
Kerten Hospitality currently has a footprint of 60 lodging projects across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The group operates 11 properties and has a confirmed pipeline of 60 lodging projects across three continents, spanning hotels, serviced residences, and mixed-use lifestyle destinations that combine hospitality, culture, wellness, dining, and social experiences tailored to each location.
