The Tata Group’s hotel company, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) — best known for its Taj Hotels — is buying a 51% stake in mid-range hotel chain Clarks for ₹204 crore. This deal will strengthen IHCL’s presence in India’s growing tourism and business travel market.
IHCL will take control of two companies — ANK Hotels and Pride Hospitality — which together operate 135 properties under the Clarks brand in India and Sri Lanka.
Along with this, IHCL has signed a partnership with Brij Hospitality, which runs 19 boutique hotels under the Brij brand. This partnership will help IHCL market and distribute Brij hotels more effectively.
With these moves, IHCL aims to expand further into the midscale hotel segment while continuing its asset-light growth strategy (expanding without owning too many properties directly).
About the Companies Involved:
- ANK Hotels (started in 1996, Lucknow) runs hotels under the names Clarks Inn, Clarks Inn Suites, and Clarks Inn Premier. It has 111 hotels — 67 open and the rest in the pipeline.
- Pride Hospitality (started in 2005, Jaipur) operates hotels under Clarks Safari, Clarks Collection, and Clarks Resorts. It has 24 hotels — 13 open and the rest coming soon.
About IHCL:
Founded in 1899, IHCL opened its first hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, in 1903. Today, it has 392 hotels in India and abroad (249 operational and the rest under development). Most of its revenue comes from hotels in India, followed by international hotels and its airline catering business. IHCL manages several brands, including Taj, Vivanta, Ginger, SeleQtions, Gateway, Claridges, Tree of Life, and Ama Stays & Trails.
Although India’s hotel industry faced booking cancellations earlier this year due to military tensions with Pakistan and other global conflicts, IHCL expects strong business for the rest of the year — especially from weddings, business events (MICE), and visits by world leaders.
