December 11, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 30, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 10: Pearl-Continental Hotels will establish 20 budget hotels in the country during the next two years with six beginning operations in Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Karachi and Multan during the next three months.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Monday, Hashoo Group Chief Executive Officer Murtaza Hashwani said the budget hotels, known as Hotel One, would have an average 40 to 50 rooms each with three to four star facilities.

Approximately, 250 rooms would be developed during the next three months. Hashoo Group would invest Rs2 to 2.5 billion in the project and hire nearly 3,000 employees during the next two years with 500 becoming resource personnel and staff members during the next three months.

He said a master franchise agreement had been reached between the PC hotels and Hotel One for ensuring strict quality and service.

He said that the Hotel One would bridge the gap between the luxurious and the affordable. The hotels meant mainly for the sales force members visiting different cities would have round-the-clock coffee shops instead of banquet halls. The daily room rent would be Rs4,000 to Rs4,500.

Hashoo Group would also make arrangement for providing hospitality training to 10,000 persons in Lahore during the next five years.