India’s hotel industry is experiencing one of the most sustained periods of expansion in its history. Driven by a domestic travel boom, rising disposable incomes, an explosion in spiritual and leisure tourism, and the Indian government’s aggressive infrastructure push connecting smaller cities to the national aviation and highway network, branded hotel chains are growing faster and spreading deeper into the country’s geography than ever before. According to hospitality research estimates, India’s hotel industry is projected to add tens of thousands of branded rooms every year through the decade, and in 2026, the race to capture that demand is producing some of the most exciting portfolio expansions the sector has seen.
What makes India’s hotel chain landscape particularly rich is its layering — at the top, generational Indian hospitality dynasties like Taj and Oberoi that have spent over a century building a global reputation for luxury; in the middle, global chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Accor, and Hilton that have committed deeply to the Indian market; and at the value end, homegrown brands like Lemon Tree and Ginger that have cracked the formula for consistent, affordable hospitality at scale. Together, these chains define what modern Indian hospitality looks like across every price point and traveller segment.
All ten hotel chains featured in this article are actively operating, expanding their Indian portfolios in 2026, and financially stable. Here is a comprehensive, honest look at each.
1. Taj Hotels — Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL)
No conversation about Indian hospitality begins anywhere other than Taj Hotels, the flagship brand of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, a Tata Group enterprise founded in 1899 by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. When Tata built the original Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai — which opened its doors in 1903 and still stands as one of the most iconic hotels in the world — he created not just a business but the very template for Indian luxury hospitality.
Over a century later, that template has been refined into a portfolio that spans over 300 hotels across India and internationally, operating under four distinct brand tiers: Taj for iconic luxury, SeleQtions for individually distinctive properties, Vivanta for contemporary upscale travellers, and Ginger for smart budget stays.
IHCL’s performance in 2025 and 2026 has been exceptional by any measure, with the company posting record revenues driven by strong domestic leisure demand and a recovery in inbound international tourism. The Taj brand in particular has been expanding into new Indian destinations — Tier 2 leisure markets, pilgrimage circuits, and wildlife tourism corridors — with a deliberate strategy to capture the next generation of Indian luxury travellers who are increasingly willing to pay premium prices for premium experiences within India rather than travelling abroad. For any traveller seeking the definitive Indian luxury hotel experience, the Taj remains the standard against which everything else is measured.
Brand portfolio: Taj (luxury), SeleQtions (distinctive), Vivanta (upscale), Ginger (budget). Properties across 100+ Indian destinations.
2. The Oberoi Group — EIH Limited
The Oberoi Group, operating under EIH Limited, occupies a different but equally prestigious position in Indian luxury hospitality. Where Taj leans into the grand, celebratory scale of Indian palace hospitality, Oberoi has built its reputation on intimate, meticulously curated luxury — properties with fewer rooms, extraordinary attention to detail, and a service philosophy that prioritises the individual guest experience above all else. The Oberoi and Trident brands together represent arguably the most design-forward and service-precise hotel portfolio in the country.
The Oberoi’s properties in Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi, and Mumbai are consistently ranked among the finest hotels in Asia, and the chain’s Oberoi Sukhvilas resort in Chandigarh and its wilderness lodges in Rajasthan represent a masterclass in how luxury hospitality can be designed in harmony with natural and cultural landscapes. In 2026, EIH continues to invest in selective expansion rather than rapid scale, which preserves the brand’s exceptional quality consistency — a strategic choice that differentiates it sharply from chains that pursue growth at the cost of product integrity.
Brand portfolio: Oberoi (ultra-luxury), Trident (premium). Selective Indian portfolio with uncompromising quality standards.
3. ITC Hotels
ITC Hotels, the hospitality division of the diversified ITC Limited conglomerate, operates one of India’s most interesting luxury hotel portfolios precisely because of its deeply Indian identity. ITC’s flagship properties — the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai, ITC Maurya in Delhi, ITC Maratha in Mumbai, and ITC Sonar in Kolkata — are designed as celebrations of regional Indian architecture, craft, and cuisine. The food and beverage offering at ITC properties is particularly celebrated; its Bukhara and Dum Pukht restaurants in Delhi are considered among the finest dining experiences in the country.
ITC’s commitment to sustainability is woven into its hotel operations at a structural level — the company has been one of the first Indian hotel chains to achieve multiple Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications, and its sustainability credentials have become a genuine differentiator in an era when corporate clients and environmentally conscious travellers actively consider a hotel’s environmental footprint in their booking decisions. The WelcomHotel and Fortune brands extend ITC’s footprint into the upscale and mid-market segments respectively, giving the group meaningful presence across multiple price points.
Brand portfolio: ITC Hotels (luxury), WelcomHotel (upscale), Fortune (mid-market), WelcomHeritage (heritage). Pan-India coverage across segments.
4. Marriott International India
Marriott International is the world’s largest hotel company and has built the most comprehensive international hotel chain presence in India by a significant margin. With over 150 hotels operating across its multiple brand tiers — from the ultra-luxury JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton (Mumbai) at one end to Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield, and Four Points by Sheraton in the mid-market — Marriott has achieved something that no other international chain has managed in India: genuine, large-scale presence across both metro and Tier 2 city markets.
The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programme, with hundreds of millions of global members, is a particularly powerful asset in the Indian context. For the growing tribe of Indian frequent travellers — business professionals who fly domestically several times a month, NRIs visiting family, and outbound leisure travellers who accumulate points internationally and redeem them in India — the Bonvoy ecosystem creates a booking habit that is extremely difficult for competitors to disrupt. In 2026, Marriott continues to sign new management contracts across India at a pace that outstrips every other international chain in the country.
Brand portfolio: JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Westin, Sheraton, Le Méridien, Marriott Hotels, Renaissance, Courtyard, Fairfield, Four Points — all active in India across Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets.
5. Hyatt Hotels India
Hyatt has built a premium and luxury-oriented Indian portfolio that punches well above its numerical size. With properties operating under the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Andaz, and Hyatt Place brands across India’s major cities and leisure destinations, Hyatt has cultivated a reputation for design-led, experience-forward hospitality that resonates particularly strongly with younger, design-conscious high-income travellers. Its Andaz brand — which positions itself as a “style of living” rather than a traditional hotel chain — has been particularly well received in cities like Delhi and Mumbai where its boutique-luxury approach feels distinct from the more conventional luxury hotel aesthetic.
Hyatt’s World of Hyatt loyalty programme has also gained significant traction in India, and the chain’s continuing pipeline of new signings — particularly in leisure destinations like Goa, Kovalam, and the Himalayan foothills — signals a long-term commitment to the Indian market that goes well beyond its current operational footprint.
Brand portfolio: Park Hyatt (luxury), Grand Hyatt (upscale), Hyatt Regency (full-service), Andaz (lifestyle), Hyatt Place (select-service). Growing leisure and metro presence.
6. Accor India
Accor is the French multinational hospitality giant with one of the most strategically diversified brand portfolios in India, spanning a remarkable range from luxury to economy. Its Indian presence includes Sofitel and Pullman at the upper-luxury end, Novotel and Mercure in the upper-midscale segment, and the highly successful ibis brand in the budget-smart category — with ibis properties in multiple Indian cities consistently ranking among the best-reviewed budget hotels in their respective markets due to their combination of design quality, cleanliness, and competitive pricing.
Accor’s multi-brand strategy in India is particularly intelligent because it allows the group to operate across hotel investment cycles — when luxury demand softens, its midscale brands compensate, and vice versa — and to compete for management contracts across the full spectrum of developer projects. Its ALL — Accor Live Limitless loyalty programme connects Indian members to a global network of 5,000+ hotels, which adds meaningful value for outbound Indian travellers.
Brand portfolio: Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, ibis Styles, ibis. Broad geographic and segment coverage across India.
7. Hilton India
Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the American hospitality giant with a 100-year global history, has been expanding its Indian footprint with notable momentum through 2025 and into 2026. Operating under brands including Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts — with the ultra-luxury Conrad brand anchored at the prestigious Conrad Bengaluru — Hilton has pursued a quality-over-quantity strategy in India that has earned it strong brand perception among both domestic and international travellers.
The Hilton Honors loyalty programme is one of the most globally recognised hotel rewards programmes, and its integration with co-branded credit card partnerships in India has given it meaningful everyday visibility with high-spend consumers. Hilton’s pipeline of properties under development in India is among the most active of any international chain, with particular emphasis on Tier 2 business cities and domestic leisure destinations that are seeing rapid infrastructure development.
Brand portfolio: Conrad (luxury), Hilton Hotels & Resorts (full-service), DoubleTree by Hilton (upscale), Hilton Garden Inn (mid-scale). Selectively expanding across India.
8. Lemon Tree Hotels
Lemon Tree Hotels is India’s most successful homegrown mid-market hotel chain and one of the great entrepreneurial hospitality stories of the last two decades. Founded by Patu Keswani in 2002 and listed on Indian stock exchanges in 2018, Lemon Tree has built a portfolio of over 100 hotels across India under a multi-brand architecture that spans Aurika Hotels & Resorts at the luxury end, Lemon Tree Premier in the upper-midscale segment, Lemon Tree Hotels in the mid-market, and Red Fox by Lemon Tree Hotels in the economy segment.
What makes Lemon Tree particularly distinctive — and genuinely admirable — is its industry-leading commitment to inclusive employment practices. The company employs a significant percentage of people with disabilities and individuals from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, and has built its HR processes, physical hotel designs, and operational systems around making this inclusive model work at scale. This is not a marketing position; it is structurally embedded in how the company operates. In 2026, Lemon Tree continues to expand aggressively into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets where it has identified a significant supply gap in quality mid-market accommodation.
Brand portfolio: Aurika (luxury), Lemon Tree Premier (upper-midscale), Lemon Tree Hotels (mid-market), Red Fox (economy). Over 100 properties across India.
9. Radisson Hotel Group India
Radisson Hotel Group, operating through its Indian subsidiary, has built one of the most geographically widespread international hotel chain presences in the country, with particular strength in Tier 2 business cities where its Radisson Blu and Radisson branded properties often serve as the flagship business hotel in markets that other international chains have not yet entered. This early-mover advantage in secondary markets — cities like Jalandhar, Guwahati, Varanasi, and Indore — has given Radisson a loyal corporate client base among the businesses headquartered in or regularly visiting these cities.
The group also operates Park Inn by Radisson in the mid-market segment and has been expanding its Radisson Individuals collection, which allows independent hotel owners to affiliate with the Radisson brand and distribution network while maintaining their individual character — a model that is particularly relevant for India’s large stock of independent upscale properties looking for international brand leverage without full-franchise obligations.
Brand portfolio: Radisson Blu (upscale), Radisson (full-service), Park Inn by Radisson (mid-market), Radisson Individuals (affiliation). Strong Tier 2 city penetration across India.
10. Mahindra Holidays — Club Mahindra
Mahindra Holidays and Resorts, operating its flagship Club Mahindra vacation ownership brand, occupies a unique and important position in this list because it represents a fundamentally different model of hotel chain operation — one built around membership, recurring family travel, and destination resort experiences rather than transactional hotel nights. Founded in 1996 as part of the Mahindra Group, Club Mahindra has built a network of over 100 resort properties across India and international destinations, with a member base of over 280,000 families who hold long-term vacation membership plans that give them access to the resort network for decades.
The Club Mahindra model is particularly significant in the Indian context because it has democratised resort travel for the middle class in a way that transactional hotel pricing simply cannot. A family that would never spontaneously book a five-night stay at a hill station resort because of the cost will commit to a decade-long membership that makes exactly those stays routine — changing how they think about family travel in a structural, lasting way. In 2026, Club Mahindra continues to expand its resort portfolio into new leisure geographies and has strengthened its digital booking and member management platform significantly.
Brand portfolio: Club Mahindra (vacation ownership resorts), Zest by Club Mahindra (short-stay properties). 100+ resorts across India and international locations.
What This Landscape Tells Us About Indian Hospitality in 2026
Reading across these ten chains, a few broader patterns are worth understanding. The first is the accelerating bifurcation between luxury and value — both ends of the market are growing faster than the traditional mid-market, as affluent Indian consumers trade up to genuine luxury experiences and budget travellers seek branded, quality-consistent alternatives to unbranded accommodation. The chains that have the clearest identity at one or the other end of this spectrum are generally outperforming those stuck in an ambiguous middle.
The second is the importance of loyalty programmes as genuine competitive infrastructure rather than just marketing tools. The chains whose loyalty ecosystems are most deeply embedded in Indian travellers’ daily financial lives — through co-branded credit cards, airline partnerships, and aggregated point economies — are generating booking volumes that have become structurally difficult for competitors to disrupt.
And the third, perhaps most important pattern, is the ongoing geographic expansion beyond the metros. India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are producing a new generation of travellers who demand the same quality, safety, and service standards as their counterparts in Mumbai and Delhi — and the chains that are moving into these markets early are building customer relationships that will compound in value for decades.
Conclusion
India’s hotel chain landscape in 2026 is one of the most dynamic in the world — a market where century-old indigenous luxury brands compete with global giants, where homegrown mid-market innovators are expanding faster than almost anyone predicted, and where the sheer scale and diversity of Indian travel demand ensures that there is meaningful room for excellence at every price point. Whether you are choosing where to stay as a traveller or simply trying to understand who is building the future of Indian hospitality, the ten chains on this list represent the best of what the industry has to offer right now.
