Skift India Forum Video: The Evolution of India’s High-End Hospitality

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

In this video:

• Luxury Travel Growth in India: The number of Indian households that can afford luxury travel is expected to triple from 70 million to 220 million in the next five years. Travelers increasingly want immersive, personalized experiences, and they’re showing a growing preference for wellness and cultural experiences.
• Outbound Travel and Global Influence: India’s outbound travel market is projected to close a $100 billion gap with China, becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets.
• Powering Loyalty via Partnerships: Hotels like The Leela are prioritizing hyper-personalization and immersive experiences and leveraging alliances like Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) to strengthen customer loyalty and reduce dependency on online travel agencies (OTAs).

In this video from Skift India Forum, Chris Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance, and Anuraag Bhatnagar, CEO of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, joined SkiftX Research Editor Dan Marcec to discuss the evolving expectations of Indian luxury travelers and the strategies reshaping premium hospitality experiences.

India’s luxury travel sector is expanding in step with the country’s rising affluent class. High-net-worth Indian travelers now prioritize exclusivity, immersive cultural experiences, and bespoke hospitality rather than conventional five-star stays. Trends such as wellness tourism, sustainable luxury, and multi-generational travel reflect a more conscious and experience-driven approach to leisure. At the same time, premium air travel and customized services are becoming key markers of this sophisticated segment.

On the global front, India’s outbound travel sector is surging, with spending poised to rival China’s in the coming years. A preference for extended, high-value trips to destinations such as Dubai, Thailand, the U.S., and the U.K. is fueling growth. As demand for luxury travel experiences rises, Indian travelers are reshaping global luxury tourism with their distinct preferences and substantial spending power.

Luxury hotel brands increasingly focus on direct customer relationships and loyalty programs to capitalize on these trends. Partnerships like the one between the Global Hotel Alliance and The Leela help independent hotels compete by reducing acquisition costs associated with OTAs. These alliances provide travelers with global consistency in luxury experiences and boost repeat bookings and customer retention while allowing hotels to maintain their unique brand identities.

This content was created collaboratively by Global Hotel Alliance and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.