The greenfield project will bring restaurants, a pool, gym and more than 10,000 sq ft of event space to one of Western Odisha’s principal commercial and cultural centres.
IHCL has signed a 125-key greenfield Gateway hotel in Sambalpur, expanding its Odisha portfolio to eight properties, including three under development.
- IHCL has signed a greenfield 125-key Gateway hotel in Sambalpur, Odisha, in partnership with Shamsher Singh Hura of JAS Group.
- The planned hotel will include all-day and speciality dining, a bar, gym, swimming pool and more than 10,000 sq ft of banquet space.
- IHCL says Sambalpur’s industrial base and demand for business travel, conferences, weddings and social events are central to the project.
- With the signing, IHCL says its Odisha portfolio will reach eight hotels, including three under development.
(NEWS) SAMBALPUR, Odisha, India, 2026-Sep-11 — /Travel PR News/ — Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is extending its Gateway brand into Western Odisha with a 125-room hotel planned for Sambalpur, adding new accommodation and event capacity in a city where commercial activity and regional tourism increasingly overlap.
The Gateway Sambalpur project is a greenfield development being undertaken in partnership with Shamsher Singh Hura of JAS Group. IHCL announced the signing on September 11 and said the hotel will include an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality restaurant, a bar, gym and swimming pool, along with more than 10,000 square feet of banquet space and multiple meeting rooms.
According to IHCL’s announcement, the project is intended to serve a mix of business travelers, conferences, weddings, social events and leisure demand. The company did not disclose an opening date.
Sambalpur combines commercial demand with regional tourism
Sambalpur sits on the Mahanadi River and functions as a major commercial, educational and cultural centre in Western Odisha. Odisha Tourism highlights the city’s cultural heritage, Sambalpuri textiles, temples and access to attractions including Hirakud Dam and Debrigarh.
For IHCL, that combination gives the planned Gateway hotel two distinct demand streams. Corporate and industrial activity can support weekday business and meetings demand, while Sambalpur’s cultural attractions and proximity to Hirakud provide a leisure component that broadens the hotel’s potential guest base.
Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President – Real Estate & Development at IHCL, said the reworked Gateway proposition is aimed at travelers seeking contemporary full-service hotels in emerging markets. She identified Sambalpur’s expanding industrial ecosystem and rising demand for business travel, conferences, weddings and social events as key reasons for the signing.
Large banquet component points to meetings and social events
The scale of the planned banquet space is one of the project’s most notable features. At more than 10,000 square feet, the main event area, combined with additional meeting rooms, positions the hotel to pursue weddings, conferences and corporate gatherings alongside transient hotel business.
That focus reflects a broader development pattern in Indian secondary cities, where branded hotels increasingly combine rooms with substantial meeting and celebration facilities. In Sambalpur, those spaces could serve local social demand as well as visiting companies and institutions operating across Western Odisha.
Shamsher Singh Hura said JAS Group sees growing demand for higher-quality hospitality as Sambalpur develops as a commercial, cultural and tourism destination. JAS Group has interests spanning automotive, real estate, hospitality and lifestyle businesses in Odisha.
IHCL’s Odisha portfolio grows to eight hotels
IHCL says the Sambalpur signing will take its portfolio in Odisha to eight hotels, three of them under development. The project also extends the footprint of Gateway, which IHCL positions as a full-service brand designed around local experiences and contemporary accommodation.
Across all of its brands, IHCL reports a global portfolio of 660 hotels, including 274 in the pipeline, spanning more than 300 locations in 15 countries.
For Sambalpur, the planned hotel adds another branded property to a market supported by both industry and regional travel. For IHCL, it strengthens coverage in Odisha beyond the state’s better-known coastal and capital-city markets while giving Gateway a foothold in Western Odisha.
