Equity International, a the privately held investor and builder of world-class companies outside of the United
States, announced today the closing of a US$75 million commitment to Samhi.
Headquartered in Gurgaon, near Delhi, Samhi is a newly formed hospitality property company focused on the
development, acquisition and ownership of select-service, business-class hotels across India, founded by HVS chair
Manav Thadani, HVS founder Steve Rushmore and ex Accor regional development head Ashish Jahkhanwala. The company has already begun development of properties in Bangalore, Chennai and Gurgaon including four hotels and an inventory of 630 rooms with brands such as Courtyard and Fairfield by Marriott and Hyatt Place. In addition, the Company has a pipeline of projects in some of the India’s top locations like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata.
Samhi also has a joint venture with Marriott International to develop Marriott-branded properties across the Indian
subcontinent and is working with other hotel operators and brands on a selective basis.
“Equity International is recognized for identifying and leading promising real estate businesses in the most
attractive and dynamic emerging markets,” said Gary Garrabrant, CEO, Equity International adding, “With Samhi, led by
Ashish [Jakhanwala], we have the opportunity to create the leading hotel property company in India, and we are
privileged to partner with GTI Capital in this highly compelling market.”
“Samhi is GTI’s first hospitality-related investment since being founded, and we are honored to be partnering with
the teams at Samhi and Equity International. This investment perfectly represents our model of partnering with the
best-in-class management teams in India, and investing both our own capital as well as aggregating capital from the
finest co-investors globally,” said Gaurav Burman, co-founder and general partner of GTI Capital Group.
“Equity International brings a proven record of building leading companies worldwide and a strong reputation as an
active and involved investor,” said Samhi CEO, Ashish Jakhanwala. “The commitment from a preeminent company such as Equity International confirms the strength of SAMHI’s platform and growth prospects.”
Samhi’s Board of Directors will include Equity International’s Christopher Fiegen and Vijay Jayaraman, Ashish
Jakhanwala, Manav Thadani, and Gaurav Burman and Gaurav Dalmia of GTI.
The investment was made by Equity International’s Singapore operating company to capitalize on opportunities in the
fast-growing Indian subcontinent.
