American hotel giants are moving aggressively into India, seeing it as the next frontier for growth. With rising incomes, a booming domestic travel sector and a government eager to improve the country’s tourism infrastructure, India is commanding unprecedented attention from the world’s most prominent hotel brands.
Marriott International, the largest hotel company globally, operates over 150 properties in India and plans to add 80 more in the next five years. Its hospitality pipeline spans luxury resorts, urban business hotels, and midscale offerings tailored to India’s fast-growing middle class.
Hilton is scaling up rapidly with 25 hotels open, 20 more in development, and four new brands launching in India this year. Hyatt has over 45 hotels there and continues expanding into Tier-2 cities to serve both corporate and leisure travelers. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts operates 50 hotels in 35 Indian cities and aims to double that figure through partnerships in midscale and budget properties.
Then there is the other side of the coin. Indian travelers are reshaping the American hospitality market.
India is now one of the fastest-growing sources of inbound tourism to the United States. In 2024, 2.2 million Indian tourists visited the U.S., a 24% increase over the previous year, making India the second-largest overseas market for U.S. tourism outside of North America. This year, India is projected to become the third-largest source of international visitors to the U.S., behind Canada and Mexico. Indian travelers are not just arriving in greater numbers—they are also spending more. In 2023, Indian tourists spent over $20 billion in the U.S. by some estimates, placing them among the top-spending international traveling demographics.
American hotels are aware and seizing the opportunity. Luxury chains are expanding vegetarian, vegan and Jain-friendly dining options. Business hotels in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago are offering India-specific amenities, from electric tea kettles to Indian news channels.
In leisure destinations such as Orlando, Las Vegas and Honolulu, hotels are tailoring packages for Indian weddings and multi-generational travel. Indian Americans form a kind of connective tissue binding both trends. Their economic footprint in the U.S. hospitality industry is deep and enduring. Today, over 60% of all motels and hotels in the U.S. are owned by Indian Americans, translating to more than 40,000 properties generating an estimated $40 billion in annual revenue and employing hundreds of thousands.
That economic footprint is matched by political and organizational influence. The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), founded in 1989, now represents more than 20,000 hotel owners and is the largest hospitality trade organization in the world by membership. Its members own nearly two-thirds of all economy and midscale hotels in the U.S., and the association plays an increasingly visible role in policy advocacy, regulatory engagement and workforce development.
Indian companies are no longer just participating in the American market: they’re reshaping it. In 2024, Indian hospitality company OYO acquired the iconic Motel 6 and Studio 6 in a $525 million all-cash deal, marking one of the most consequential cross-border acquisitions in the sector’s history. This move reflects a broader shift. Indian hospitality firms are no longer looking outward for validation. They are now exporting capital, models, and management expertise—embedding themselves in the heart of the U.S. economy.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
