In the mountains of the Eastern Himalayas where tourism potential has long battled infrastructural limitations, Summit Hotels & Resorts has quietly become one of the region’s most dominant hotel companies, and its CEO & Founder Sumit Mitruka now wants to use that foundation to create a sharper, more segmented brand identity that stays rooted in what he calls “generous hospitality.”
Started in 2011 from Gangtok, Sikkim, Summit Hotels & Resorts today operates around 25 mid-scale hotels with 900 rooms spread across Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Shillong and the Kaziranga belt, and is now expanding steadily into leisure destinations outside the Northeast. “We are around 16 years old now,” he began, “and when you talk about the Northeast, tourism majorly happens in Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, this side, and then Shillong, Kaziranga, and Tawang. We have presence in all these places except Tawang. Inside Sikkim, we have around seven or eight destinations.”
Summit entered Goa a year ago with an 80-room hotel in Calangute, followed by one property in Shimla and another in Rishikesh, and is now in advanced discussions for assets in Kashmir, Kerala and spiritual markets like Puri, Mitruka informed.
But the big shift within the company is the move from a pure-play mid-scale operator to a multi-brand, multi-segment hotel company, beginning with its first luxury-leaning project in Siliguri. “We are now building a five-star hotel in Siliguri at the airport,” Mitruka said, explaining that the 100-room property with 30,000 sq ft of banqueting and a full sports clubhouse is being developed in anticipation of a new greenfield airport proposed to open in 2027. “We will be operating it under the Summit brand only,” he said, “but we are segmenting the Summit. Right now, we operate mid-scale hotels. This will be in our luxury segment.”
A second marquee greenfield project is already planned in Darjeeling, with land acquired and announcements expected soon. Mitruka said this shift toward a differentiated brand architecture is partly strategic and partly in response to the new GST regime, which eliminates ITC for room rates below Rs 7,500. Mitruka said that they will be renovating and upgrading a few of their existing properties to command a higher ARR.
However, he said that the decision would be after analysing the consumption data of each destination.
While working on a multi-brand strategy, Mitruka continues to believe in the potential of a true mid-scale brand opportunity in the Indian context. Mitruka is blunt about the direction many Indian mid-market brands have taken. “In mid-scale, the brands you see in India have been cutting on various aspects of service,” he said. “The moment people talk about mid-scale hotels, you will see they are not full-serviced — they might not have a spa, they might not have a coffee shop, they might not have 24-hour room service. At Summit, we are trying to maintain or hold on to these aspects of hospitality and still keep ourselves mid-scale. At Summit Hotels, we believe in  generous hospitality. That is what we have been standing for.”
Commenting on the general tourism scenario in the northeast, especially in the light of the recent reports of low tourist footfalls and lower footprint of branded hotels, compared to other regions of the country, Mitruka attributed it to three primary issues – infrastructure, connectivity and investments. Bagdogra is the gateway airport, which is a defence airport without night landing facility. There is a dearth of quality accommodation because of lower appetite of investors from outside the region to invest in infrastructure, he said. However, he hoped the new Siliguri airport and the ongoing rail extension from Siliguri to Rangpo in Sikkim to transform the tourism in the region in a big way.
As Summit Hotels & Resorts prepares to expand beyond its original geography while adding a more premium layer to the brand, Mitruka’s focus remains on consistency. “Summit will always be there,” he said. “We believe in generous hospitality, and if we can deliver that at a mid-scale price while growing into higher segments, that is where the brand will truly differentiate itself.”
Updated on Nov 17, 2025
Source https://hospitalitybizindia.com/news-track/my-vision-is-to-build-summit-hotels-resorts-into-a-multi-brand-multi-segment-hotel-company-sumit-mitruka/
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