Mumbai: Hilton International is entering Chennai in association with the South India-based Empee Hotels Ltd, part of the Empee Group.. Empee Hotels and the Hilton have signed an agreement for Hilton to manage and operate Empee Hotel's luxury hotel, under development, in Chennai, at an investment of Rs184 crore.

The 40-year old Empee Group is a well-diversified business conglomerate with vested interests in business related to hotels, liquor, sugar, power, packaging, transport, construction and exports. Empee Hotels, is promoting its first five star hotel in Chennai. The Group also owns two other hotels at prime locations in Chennai.

The 253-room Hilton Chennai, which opens in December 2007, will have several restaurants, a destination bar, a swimming pool, a health club and a spa. Located 15 minutes from the Chennai airport, Hilton Chennai would also include four conference rooms, a ballroom and a business centre.

Wimberley Allison Tong & Goo (one of the leading global design teams has designed this property. The hotel design will be a blend of Indo-Saracenic Style of architecture with new generation state-of-the-art facilities.

Announcing the new tie-up,. M P Purushothaman, chairman of Empee Group said, "In the last 18 months Hilton's presence nationally and regionally has grown quickly making it a priority partner for our group."

According to Nisha Purushothaman, managing director, Empee Hotels Ltd, "With this tie-up we will take our hotel business to the next level and work with a global hotel chain that has a modern array of upscale properties. With the development of the new property, the Hilton brand will have a very strong presence in Chennai and will be a preferred choice for judicious travelers to this region."

Speaking at the signing ceremony at Chennai, Koos Klein, president for Hilton International Middle East and Asia Pacific,. said, "As the powerhouse behind India's automotive industry and with its growing IT sector, the outlook for this market is very positive. Chennai's hotel industry is shaping up to be one of the most dynamic in India, with occupancy levels at the top end of the market posting very strong gains."

"This is a strong addition to our eight properties already established in India and the three other properties now under development." he added.

In April 2004, Hilton International had signed a strategic alliance with EIH Limited, giving the company instant presence in eight locations across India; seven under the Trident Hilton brand (located at Gurgaon, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Cochin) with the eighth being the Hilton Towers, Mumbai. EIH Limited manages all hotels while Hilton is responsible for international marketing, promotion and reservations through the Hilton global network. Another property, Trident Hilton Mumbai, a 500-room new property in north Mumbai, is scheduled to be built in 2007.

Hilton has also signed management contracts for three new properties. A 300-room new generation Hilton hotel and a 250 room Hilton Residences in Bangalore, and a 100-villa holistic lifestyle retreat in Shillim in the Western Ghats.

Chennai accounts for 40 per cent of India's automotive industry with companies such as Hyundai, Ford, Mitsubishi, Ashok Leyland and Royal Enfield having manufacturing facilities within the region, with BMW also having announced its intention to open a manufacturing plant in the city in late 2006.

Hilton International (HI), is an operating division of the UK-based Hilton Group plc, which owns global rights to the Hilton brand throughout the world, barring the US and Mexico, where the Hilton brand is owned and managed by Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) The two jointly share the Hilton brand in Canada. They also share responsibility for the Conrad brand, which includes 17 hotels in 12 countries. HI and HHC together operat 2,700 hotels worldwide of which over 500 of which are branded Hilton.

Hilton International operates 403 hotels, (261 branded Hilton and 142 under the mid-market Scandic brand). Under a joint venture agreement, Hilton International and the North American based Hilton Hotels