The Mumbai-based Sarovar Hotels and Resorts is looking forward towards catering to the needs of mid-upper middle level businessmen and holiday makers in India. It therefore opened Hometel previous week as the country’s first branded budget hotel and has eight more such hotels in the pipeline.  

Sarovar Hotels managing director Anil Madhok states that there is a dire need for good hospitality in the mid-segment market. 'The mid-market segment lacks fine hospitality and what guests aspire for. When you enter a 2-3 star hotel, you really don't know what you will get,' points out Madhok.

Hinting at the profitability aspect, the MD of Sarovar Hotels stated that this segment of the market is absolutely untapped. The focus thus would be on catering to price-sensitive holiday makers looking for comfort.

The cost of renting out a room at the Hometel hotels will vary between Rs.1,500 to Rs 5,000 as per the city and location. Anil Madhok informed that Sarovar Hotels and Resorts targets to more than double its hotel property count in India by 2012. It presently has 35 hotels under its belt.