India, Feb. 25 -- Global hospitality major BWH Hotels, which operates brands such as WorldHotels, Best Western Hotels & Resorts (BWHR) and SureStay Hotels, is accelerating its expansion in India, with a sharp focus on tier-2 and tier-3 cities, religious tourism circuits and highway developments. In an exclusive interview with Sanjay Maurya during his visit to India for the HOPE 2026 hospitality conference in Goa, Ron Pohl, president of international operations at BWH Hotels and president of WorldHotels, outlined the company's India strategy and global outlook. Edited excerpts: India is at the top of our development list globally and hence we established our presence here a decade ago. It is our number one focus. Today, we have 36 operating hotels and 25 under development in India. We are growing at a pace of 15-20 hotels annually and expect to have 160-170 hotels in India by 2030. We are targeting Rs.500 crore in revenue by 2030, supported by the addition of new hotels. While metro cities remain important, we are increasingly focused on tier-2 and tier-3 markets. The expansion of highways under projects like Bharatmala and improved rail connectivity are opening up enormous opportunities in the hospitality sector. As new corridors like the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway become operational, more Indians are driving across states. They need quality accommodation along these routes, and we see strong potential there. Our brand has historically grown by identifying strong potential in secondary and tertiary markets rather than focusing only on metros. We see that Indians are travelling for leisure, religious visits, weddings and short getaways, creating sustained demand in emerging cities and regional destinations. BWH Hotels is replicating in India the model it successfully used in the US - expanding along highways and in key leisure destinations. BWH follows a targeted and conservative growth strategy, entering only those markets where hotels are likely to succeed and strengthen the brand rather than pursuing aggressive expansion. Religious tourism is a major focus area for us. It is growing significantly across India. We already operate in religious destinations such as Vrindavan, Katra, Amritsar and Tirupati, and we will soon open hotels in Mathura and Ayodhya. We are creating a focused strategy around religious circuits as these destinations see consistent and year-round demand. We want to ensure our brands cater appropriately to pilgrims and leisure travellers visiting these cities. Absolutely. Under WorldHotels, we are expanding beyond conventional luxury hotels into branded residences, which offer high-end living with hotel-style services, and into glamping, which combines outdoor experiences with luxury comfort. Traveller expectations are evolving - people want immersive, experiential stays......