The Tata Group owned Indian Hotels Company is in the process of re-branding and

RELATED ARTICLES Starbucks in deal with Tata to open cafes in India Starbucks-Tata alliance for coffee shops expected by month end Anil Ambani, Tata to make case to PM on power crisis Tata, Ambani to meet PM over power issues Tata unveils cheap electric car in Detroit

re-positioning a number of its properties across the country and is mulling phasing out of its Taj Residency brand, R K Krishna Kumar, director, Tata Group and vice-chairman, Indian Hotels, said here.

“There would be a lot of rebranding after which some of our hotels would be converted to newly-launched Vivanta while there wouldn't be Residency brand any more,” Krishna Kumar said.

He was here accompanying Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata in connection with the foundation stone laying ceremony of the group’s 150-room five-star property in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Vivanta by Taj in Guwahati, the first five-star property in Guwahati will be set up with a capital outlay of Rs 95 crore. The foundation stone was unveiled by the Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

Indian Hotels would be setting up as many as six Taj Safari hotels within the next 18 months. “We are more carefully looking at opportunities to expand in Assam. Assam, which is richly endowed with natural resources and wildlife, will certainly be a great candidate when it comes to expanding our Taj Safari brand,” Krishna Kumar said. Elaborating on Vivanta’s future plans, Krishnakumar said that the company was keen on pushing the Vivanta brand, which has so far been positioned as “upper upscale” and placed in between Taj, which is a five star super deluxe brand and Gateway, with a five star deluxe positioning. In the first phase, Vivanta by Taj Guwahati will have 150 rooms. This will be Guwahati’s first five-star hotel and have 6,000 sq ft convention facilities as well.

Tata Group chairman said: “We hope this property will attract not only business visitors but tourists as well.”