Hospitality sector witnesses an uptick in M&A activity

Improved occupancy rates and higher revenue per available room (or Rev-PAR) are the two words that defined the hospitality sector in India during 2015. The superior performance can be ascribed to several factors including the success of e-tourist visa facility (now available to 113 countries); the onset of budget-hotel aggregators such as Oyo Rooms; and lower cost of travel, especially air travel.

Findings by JLL, a global real estate services firm, indicate that M&A activity in the Indian hospitality sector hit a multi-year high in 2015. The table below enlists some of the deals that defined the year.