Summit Hotels & Resorts has signed a 24-key property in Samthar, an emerging mountain destination in West Bengal, as the hospitality company expands its presence across lesser-explored destinations in the Eastern Himalayas. Scheduled to open in October-November 2026, Summit Samthar—The OtiEat Collection will join the company’s recently launched OtiEat portfolio, which focuses on destinations located beyond established tourist circuits.
Located around 30 km from Siliguri, Samthar offers a setting surrounded by forests, tea gardens, and Himalayan landscapes. Unlike established hill stations in the region, the destination remains relatively underexplored and provides opportunities for nature-led and slow travel, hiking, and birdwatching.
The upcoming property will feature 24 rooms facing Kanchenjunga, with each room offering a private balcony. In addition, the resort will include an in-house restaurant, private lawn, tea garden, children’s play area, common sitting spaces, and extensive outdoor areas.
“Samthar represents exactly the kind of destination we believe has considerable potential for the next phase of leisure travel in the region. Our experience in the Eastern Himalayas has shown us that when hospitality reaches a lesser-known destination, its impact goes beyond the hotel itself. It creates local employment, generates demand for transport and other services, and allows us to source produce and everyday requirements from local shops and suppliers. We have seen this around properties such as Summit Bougainvillea Tea Resort in Tindharia, Summit Tashi Ghang Heritage Resort in Pelling, and Summit Enigma Resort & Spa in Lamahata. Our aim in Samthar is to become part of the local economy while introducing more travellers to the destination without taking away the character that makes it worth discovering,” said Sumit Mitruka, Founder & CEO, Summit Hotels & Resorts.
Furthermore, the signing advances Summit Hotels & Resorts’ strategy of moving beyond established tourism centres and entering smaller destinations across the Eastern Himalayas. Destination development forms a key part of the OtiEat Collection, with the company expecting hospitality investments to support local employment, tourism services, and longer visitor stays.
For Samthar, Summit expects the new property to introduce the destination to a broader leisure audience. At the same time, the resort could encourage travellers to extend their North Bengal itineraries and explore lesser-known areas of the region.
The new signing also forms part of Summit Hotels & Resorts’ broader portfolio strategy, which operates across three propositions. OtiEat focuses on emerging destinations, Signature offers premium destination hospitality, while Mandir centres on spiritual tourism.
Through these three propositions, Summit Hotels & Resorts continues to expand its hospitality presence across diverse travel destinations while developing properties around emerging leisure, premium, and spiritual tourism markets.
