Dusit International posts strong growth with highest hotel signings in 2025

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January 14, 2026

Dusit International has delivered the strongest development performance in its history, completing 24 hotel signings in 2025. As a result, the Thailand-based hospitality group achieved an all-time high while significantly expanding its global development pipeline across Asia, the Middle East, and other international markets.

According to the company, this milestone came at a time of rising development costs and evolving investor expectations, thereby underscoring Dusit’s measured and disciplined growth strategy. Moreover, the group continues to prioritise quality-led expansion, with a sharper focus on conversions and brownfield projects to support faster project delivery and earlier investment returns. Several developments signed and opened in 2025 demonstrated this capability, including Dusit Hotel AG Park, Chengdu; dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives; and Tantawan Tented Camp, Chiang Rai. Additionally, the year marked Dusit’s entry into new markets such as Indonesia, while the company also deepened its presence in Japan, India, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines.

Commenting on the achievement, Siradej Donavanik, Vice President – Development (Global), Dusit International, said, “Our development strategy has never been about growth for growth’s sake. It is about identifying the right assets, in the right locations, and applying the right brand, operational expertise, and long-term vision to unlock their full potential. Whether through new builds, conversions, or thoughtfully integrated mixed-use developments that combine hotels and branded residences, our focus is on alignment—between the asset, the market, and the brand—supported by disciplined execution and a clear pathway to sustainable performance. This is how we create long-term value for our partners and deliver experiences that are true to what Dusit stands for.”

Meanwhile, Chanin Donavanik, Group Chief Executive Officer, Dusit International, said, “The momentum achieved in 2025 reflects the strength of Dusit’s long-term strategy and the clarity of our direction as a group. Our priority has been to build a high-quality, well-balanced portfolio that can perform across market cycles, supported by strong brands and a deep understanding of the destinations we serve. In 2026, we remain focused on disciplined execution and sustainable growth, while staying mindful of the broader economic and geopolitical environment.”

Looking ahead, Dusit’s active development pipeline now exceeds 50 properties, all scheduled to open within the next five years. Furthermore, the company expects 2026 to be a strong year for openings, with plans to add more than 1,400 rooms globally. Currently, Dusit’s portfolio comprises 296 properties across 18 countries, reinforcing its position as a globally diversified hospitality group.

Magure Enters 2026 on the Back of a Transformational 2025, Strengthening Its Position as a Leading Enterprise AI Innovation Partner in the UAE

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January 14, 2026

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Dubai, UAE – January 2026—Magure, a global enterprise AI innovation & transformation company headquartered in Dubai, reflects on a landmark year of growth, platform launches, and strategic expansion in 2025, reinforcing its role in building and accelerating enterprise-grade AI platforms in the UAE, with a clear focus on scaling across regional and global markets.

In 2025, Magure unveiled a refreshed brand identity and new website, signaling its evolution from an AI project partner into a full-stack AI innovation ecosystem. Marking eight years in business, and with 80+ customers across the world, the rebrand reflects Magure’s sharpened purpose, growing global footprint, and long-term commitment to delivering enterprise-grade AI solutions from its core markets.

“2025 was a defining year for Magure. As AI enters its execution era, where value is defined by outcomes, not experiments—we focused on building platforms, partnerships, and capabilities that help enterprises move faster from ideas to impact. We are shaping how responsible, scalable AI is built and operated with confidence, control, and speed,” said Akhil Koka, Chief Executive Officer, Magure.

As part of its growth strategy, and with a shift to a new office space in Dubai, Magure Tech Middle East now operates as the company’s global holding entity and headquarters, with Magure Tech India Pvt. Ltd. continuing as a wholly owned subsidiary. This structure strengthens Magure’s ability to scale globally while anchoring innovation, governance, and enterprise delivery in the UAE.

The company also expanded its leadership team across Sales, Marketing, and Technology, along with its Board of Directors, bringing together deep expertise across AI engineering, product innovation, and enterprise transformation to support its next phase of growth.

From a product strategy standpoint, 2025 marked a decisive shift toward platform-led growth for Magure. Magure launched and advanced the build of MagOneAI, a unified enterprise agentic AI platform for building, deploying, and monitoring AI applications at scale. With centralized control, built-in observability, and audit-ready reporting, MagOneAI supports sovereign and compliant AI operations, aligned with the UAE’s national AI and digital transformation priorities.

In parallel, the company also launched MagLabs, a GenAI-powered use-case discovery and innovation platform that helps enterprises systematically identify, validate, and prioritize high-impact AI use cases—accelerating time-to-value and reducing execution risk.

Completing this portfolio, Magure enhanced and rebranded its Computer Vision platform as MagVisionIQ, delivering scalable, real-time video intelligence for safety, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making across BFSI, smart infrastructure, logistics, healthcare, large-scale events, and more.

Together, these platforms reflect Magure’s growing enterprise AI portfolio, actively deployed across the UAE today, designed to scale across the GCC, and built to support global enterprise requirements.

Magure’s momentum was further strengthened through strategic partnerships with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), NVIDIA, and Huawei, enabling secure, sovereign, and high-performance AI deployments aligned with enterprise and government needs. Notably, Magure became the first non-Chinese company to adapt Computer Vision AI models on Huawei’s Ascend Architecture, reinforcing its leadership in alternative AI hardware ecosystems.

Throughout 2025, Magure closed multiple enterprise engagements, added new customer logos, and maintained a strong on-ground presence at leading UAE technology and innovation forums, including the Dubai AI Festival, Dubai FinTech Summit, GITEX Global, and DATE with Tech MENA.

Magure’s Vision for 2026

As AI adoption accelerates across the UAE’s public and private sectors, guided by the government’s long-term vision to position the country as a global leader in Artificial Intelligence by 2031, Magure enters 2026 aligned with this national direction. The company’s focus for the year ahead is to deepen enterprise impact across the GCC, scale its AI platforms and space globally, and continue helping organizations move from AI ambition to measurable, real-world business outcomes.

With the UAE as its primary market today, Magure’s next phase of growth centers on expanding regional presence, strengthening platform adoption, and partnering closely with enterprises to deliver AI systems that are trusted, scalable, and built for long-term value.

About Magure

Magure is a global enterprise AI innovation company headquartered in Dubai, UAE, helping enterprises and governments turn AI ambition into real-world outcomes. Magure offers a full-stack AI ecosystem spanning enterprise agentic-AI deployment and observability via MagOneAI, GenAI-powered innovation through MagLabs, and industry-ready Computer Vision intelligence with MagVisionIQ.

With 80+ customers globally, Magure delivers secure, scalable, and sovereign AI solutions across BFSI, government, smart cities, healthcare, logistics, events, and more. Backed by strategic partnerships with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, NVIDIA, and Huawei, Magure enables organizations to move from ideation to execution with clarity, speed, and measurable impact.

For more information, visit www.magureinc.com

Espire Hospitality expands portfolio with Country Inn, Varanasi

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January 14, 2026

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Espire Hospitality Limited has announced the opening of Country Inn, Varanasi, thereby strengthening its Country Inn Hotels & Resorts portfolio. Moreover, the launch supports the company’s broader strategy to expand across high-potential destinations in India.

Located in the central part of Varanasi, one of the world’s oldest living cities, the hotel enjoys close proximity to prominent ghats and temples, ensuring convenient access for both leisure and business travellers. Additionally, the property features modern guestrooms with contemporary interiors, along with high-speed Wi-Fi and standard in-room amenities designed to enhance guest comfort.

Furthermore, the hotel houses SUTRA By Banaras, a multi-cuisine restaurant serving a selection of Indian and international dishes. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, while positioning itself as an all-day dining destination for in-house guests.

Commenting on the launch, Akhil Arora, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Espire Hospitality Limited, said, “Varanasi is a city of unparalleled spiritual depth, shaped by its cultural richness, history, and tradition. We are proud to bring Country Inn to this sacred destination, thoughtfully creating a space that resonates with the city’s timeless spirit while offering contemporary comfort and our signature warm hospitality. With the opening of Country Inn, Varanasi, our endeavour is to offer travellers a fresh and modern space to pause and immerse themselves in the timeless charm of this beautiful city.”

Consequently, the opening further strengthens Espire Hospitality Limited’s national footprint. The company has already signed properties in Rishikesh, Udaipur, Jalandhar, North Goa, Dehradun, and Varanasi, and it continues to progress toward its goal of 30 operational hotels by FY26.

Coffee-first beverage brand Drickle raises Rs 6-Cr to expand its outlet network across Bengaluru

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January 14, 2026

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Coffee-first beverage brand Drickle raises Rs 6-Cr to expand its outlet network across Bengaluru — Vardhman Jain & Rahul Nijhawan, co-founders, Drickle

Bengaluru-based coffee-first beverage quick-service restaurant (QSR) brand Drickle has raised close to Rs 6 crore in a seed funding round through equity. Notably, the round attracted participation from a group of angel investors and operators, including Param Kandhari, Naresh Krishnaswamy, Abhinav Mathur, Hemanshu Jain, Vinay Bhopatkar, Vaibhav Sisinty, Dalvir Suri, and Rishit Jhunjhunwala, while Shaili Chopra also participated through Ideabaaz.

Previously, in April 2025, the company had raised Rs 5.3 crore and subsequently secured an additional Rs 50 lakh as an extension of the round via Ideabaaz. Now, Drickle plans to deploy the fresh capital to scale its outlet footprint across Bengaluru while simultaneously strengthening backend manufacturing capabilities. Additionally, the company intends to build its leadership and operations teams and increase investments in marketing and brand-building initiatives.

Founded by Rahul Nijhawan and Vardhman Jain, Drickle currently operates seven compact-format outlets in Bengaluru. Importantly, each outlet spans 150–200 square feet and operates within clustered micromarkets, a strategy that helps the brand drive high-frequency customer consumption. Meanwhile, the brand targets affordability by operating in the Rs 100–150 price range.

From a product standpoint, Drickle follows a coffee-first operating model, offering fresh-brewed flavoured coffees as its core proposition. At the same time, the menu also features beverages such as matcha, boba, and Thai tea, allowing the brand to cater to evolving consumer preferences.

Crucially, the company runs an owned backend manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, where it produces coffee brewing solutions and key ingredients in-house. As a result, Drickle operates asset-light outlets without espresso machines while continuing to maintain tight control over margins and supply chain efficiency.

IHCL enters Tuticorin with signing of Ginger-branded Hotel

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January 13, 2026

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IHCL enters Tuticorin with signing of Ginger-branded Hotel — Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President – Real Estate & Development, IHCL

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced its entry into Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, by signing a Ginger-branded hotel, thereby strengthening its footprint in the state. Notably, the company will develop this property as a greenfield project, which further expands IHCL’s presence in Tamil Nadu.

Commenting on the development, Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President – Real Estate & Development at IHCL, said, “Tuticorin is emerging as a key economic hub in South India, driven by its strong industrial base and new investments. The growth of mega projects in the automobile and energy sectors has created significant long-stay demand, making it an ideal market for Ginger’s presence. This signing reinforces IHCL’s commitment to catering to evolving needs in high-potential destinations. We are delighted to partner with R. Gajendran for this project.”

As planned, the proposed Ginger Tuticorin will feature 100 keys and will occupy a strategic location along the Tirunelveli–Tuticorin highway, thereby offering seamless access to the city’s industrial and commercial centres. In addition, the hotel will house Ginger’s Qmin restaurant, a bar, meeting spaces designed for business travellers, and a fully equipped fitness centre.

Sharing his perspective, R. Gajendran, promoter of Thangam Real Estate & Thangam Plots & Farms Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are delighted to partner with IHCL and bring the Ginger brand to Tuticorin, offering contemporary hospitality to the city’s growing business segment.”

Meanwhile, Tuticorin, also known as Thoothukudi, continues to function as a major port city on the Coromandel Coast, supported by a robust maritime and industrial ecosystem. With this signing, IHCL’s portfolio in Tamil Nadu will reach 28 hotels, including 10 properties currently under development.

Omaxe Ltd announces Rs 500-Cr investment in Ludhiana retail-led development

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January 13, 2026

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Omaxe Ltd announces Rs 500-Cr investment in Ludhiana retail-led development — Jatin Goel, Executive Director at Omaxe Ltd

Omaxe Ltd has announced an investment of Rs 500 crore to develop Omaxe Chowk, a mixed-use project that integrates high-street retail with luxury residential units in Ludhiana’s Ghumar Mandi area, thereby introducing organised retail formats into one of the city’s most active commercial districts.

Importantly, the company acquired the land through a competitive bidding process conducted by the Rail Land Development Authority and will develop the site on a leasehold basis. Given its location, Ghumar Mandi stands out as one of Ludhiana’s traditional shopping hubs, particularly for wedding-related and jewellery purchases, and continues to witness steady daily commercial footfall. Accordingly, Omaxe plans to position the project as a modern alternative to long-established market clusters that consistently attract consumers.

As part of the development, the project will feature a curated mix of premium retail outlets, jewellery and wedding-focused stores, fashion brands, destination dining options, and entertainment facilities. Additionally, Omaxe will introduce a dedicated food and experience zone named Dawatpur, and the company expects to announce participating brands ahead of the launch.

Jatin Goel, Executive Director at Omaxe Ltd, said, “Ludhiana has always been an important market for Omaxe, shaped by strong enterprise and everyday commercial activity. With Omaxe Chowk, our objective is to create a destination that feels contemporary yet familiar, one that brings structure, luxury, ease, and comfort to the way people shop, dine, and spend time.”

Further elaborating, Goel highlighted consumer convenience as a central planning priority. “A key focus has been walk-to-shop convenience, where seamless connectivity allows people to move easily from home to office and from home to retail and dining spaces. Consumers today are looking for destinations that offer not just choice, but also convenience, integrated luxury residences, and a welcoming atmosphere, and this project has been thoughtfully planned with those expectations at its core.”

From a design perspective, the layout will provide two-sided frontage with access from both Rani Jhansi Road and College Road, thereby enhancing visibility and ease of entry. Moreover, infrastructure plans include wide approach roads, structured entry and exit points, internal circulation routes, pedestrian walkways, and parking capacity for more than 1,000 cars. At the same time, the architectural design blends heritage-inspired elements with contemporary features to reflect the local character of the area.

In terms of economic impact, Omaxe stated that the project will generate employment during the construction phase and create sustained job opportunities across retail, food and beverage, operations, security, and facility management once operational. Structurally, the development follows a public-private partnership model between the Rail Land Development Authority and Ludhiana Wholesale Market Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Omaxe Ltd. As per RERA timelines, Omaxe has scheduled project delivery for June 2030.

Meanwhile, Omaxe continues to operate across 31 cities in eight states, with a diversified portfolio that spans residential projects, commercial developments, integrated townships, and public-private partnership ventures. For FY 2024–25, the company reported consolidated total income of Rs 1,637 crore.

OpenAI acquires healthcare startup Torch for $100 Mn to strengthen OpenAI’s expanding healthcare initiatives

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January 13, 2026

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OpenAI has acquired Torch, a healthcare technology startup that focuses on unifying and analysing personal medical data, thereby completing a transaction valued at approximately USD 100 million in equity, as the company announced, according to media reports.

Through this acquisition, OpenAI aims to strengthen its expanding healthcare initiatives, particularly its recently launched ChatGPT Health service. As part of the integration, OpenAI will incorporate Torch’s team and technology into the platform, which will enhance AI-driven healthcare capabilities, including the consolidation of lab results, medication records, and visit information into a single contextual engine.

Notably, Torch, which launched about a year ago, has developed technology that aggregates fragmented health records from hospitals, lab tests, wearables, and consumer wellness applications, thereby offering users a comprehensive view of their medical history, according to industry reports.

In addition, the acquisition brings Torch’s engineering team—including its founders and key personnel—into OpenAI, where they will contribute their expertise to accelerate the development of ChatGPT Health and related AI-powered healthcare tools.

Overall, the move highlights OpenAI’s broader strategy to deepen its footprint in the healthcare sector, as it expands the application of generative AI beyond general-purpose use cases into specialised areas such as medical data integration and personalised health support.

OpenAI’s acquisition of Torch marks a strategic step toward building more intelligent, integrated, and personalised healthcare solutions. By combining advanced AI models with unified medical data infrastructure, OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT Health as a key platform in the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and digital healthcare.

Beauty and wellness services startup Dazzl raises $3.2 Mn to pilot on-demand beauty services across Bengaluru

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January 13, 2026

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Beauty and wellness services startup Dazzl raises $3.2 Mn to pilot on-demand beauty services across Bengaluru — Komal Solanki and Ashish Bajpai, co-founders, Dazzl

Bengaluru-based beauty services startup Dazzl has raised $3.2 Mn (approximately INR 29 Cr) in a seed funding round, as Stellaris Venture Partners led the investment.

Additionally, the round attracted participation from prominent angel investors, including Ritesh Agarwal, Maninder Gulati, Abhinav Sinha, Sameer Brij Verma, and Abhishek Bansal.

Founded by former Nexus Venture Partners vice president Komal Solanki and ex-OYO executive Ashish Bajpai, Dazzl provides on-demand beauty and wellness services at home. Specifically, the startup concentrates on quick beauty services such as blow-dries, head massages, and pedicures, with trained professionals reaching customers within 10 minutes.

Going forward, Dazzl will deploy the newly raised capital to pilot its services across selected micro-markets in Bengaluru, while simultaneously building scalable local operations and investing in technology and professional training systems.

Notably, Dazzl launched operations just last month and is currently active in a single micro-market in Bengaluru, beginning with Bellandur. Moreover, the startup plans to expand into adjacent micro-markets across the city in the coming months, depending on consumer demand and population density.

“Consumer behaviour has clearly shifted towards immediacy, and we believe this expectation is now extending from products to services. Dazzl is building a fundamentally new operating model for beauty and wellness that is designed for everyday use, speed, and reliability,” said Naman Lahoty, partner at Stellaris Venture Partners.

In contrast to appointment-based beauty platforms, Dazzl targets frequent and last-minute use cases. At the same time, the company operates a supply-led model, through which it controls hiring, training, and daily operations to maintain service consistency.

“What should be about looking and feeling your best has quietly turned into a chore for today’s urban consumer,” said Solanki of Dazzl. “It now demands days of advance planning—aligning calendars, waiting for slots, and reorganising your day around a service. Dazzl removes that friction entirely.”

Meanwhile, the startup reports strong early customer feedback, particularly from users who want to fit short self-care services into unpredictable routines, including working professionals and young parents.

In the competitive landscape, the startup goes head-to-head with players such as recently listed Urban Company and Yes Madam. Importantly, its largest rival, Urban Company, commands a dominant position in the fast-evolving quick house-help segment and has raised more than $550.5 Mn in private funding, in addition to launching an INR 1,900 Cr IPO.

Dazzl’s early funding success highlights growing investor confidence in hyperlocal, on-demand service models. As consumer expectations increasingly shift toward speed and convenience, Dazzl’s supply-led and immediacy-focused approach positions it to carve out a differentiated space in India’s competitive beauty and wellness services market.

Alphabet reaches $4 Trillion market cap on AI-led revival

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January 13, 2026

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Alphabet reached a $4 trillion market valuation on Monday as a result of Google’s sharpened focus on artificial intelligence, which eased investor doubts about its long-term strategy and thereby pushed the company back to the forefront of the high-stakes global AI race.

At the same time, the technology giant surpassed Apple in market capitalization on Wednesday for the first time since 2019, thereby becoming the second most valuable company in the world.

Together, these milestones highlight a dramatic turnaround in investor sentiment toward Alphabet, with the stock rising nearly 65% in 2025, thus outperforming its peers within Wall Street’s elite group of stocks, the so-called Magnificent Seven.

So far this year, the stock has added another 6%, and most recently, shares traded up 1.1%.

Notably, this shift stemmed from Alphabet addressing concerns that it had squandered an early AI advantage, as the company transformed its once-underestimated cloud division into a powerful growth engine and also attracted a rare technology investment from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

In addition, the company’s new Gemini 3 model received strong reviews, which in turn intensified pressure on OpenAI after GPT-5 left some users underwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Google Cloud’s revenue surged 34% in the third quarter, while simultaneously its backlog of non-recognized sales contracts climbed to $155 billion.

Furthermore, Alphabet accelerated this growth by renting its self-developed AI chips—previously reserved for internal use—to external customers.

Reflecting this rising demand, it was reported that Meta Platforms was in discussions to spend billions of dollars on Alphabet’s chips for use in its data centers beginning in 2027.

At the same time, Alphabet’s core advertising business, which remains its dominant revenue driver, has largely maintained stability despite economic uncertainty and intensifying competition.

Ultimately, the company became the fourth company to reach the $4 trillion valuation milestone, following Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple.

Alphabet’s resurgence underscores how a renewed AI strategy, strong cloud performance, and resilient advertising revenues can reshape market perception and restore investor confidence. As a result, the company has reasserted itself as a central force in the global technology landscape, positioning Alphabet to remain a key contender in the rapidly evolving AI-driven economy.

Suba Hotels launches Click Collection Hotel in Gangtok, strengthens North East footprint

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January 12, 2026

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Suba Hotels Limited has strengthened its footprint in the scenic state of Sikkim with the launch of Click Collection Hotel, Gangtok, marking another milestone in its expansion strategy. With this opening, the company has introduced its second property in the Northeast during the current financial year, reinforcing its growing focus on the region.

Earlier this year, Suba Hotels expanded its Gangtok presence by opening Clarion Hotel De Renees, thereby laying the foundation for a stronger hospitality portfolio in the state.

Sharing the company’s strategic direction, Mansur Mehta, Managing Director of Suba Hotels Ltd, said, “We are concentrating on opening a number of hotels in the leisure segment, as this market is growing at a very rapid pace. We have witnessed a nice business growth in our leisure properties, and that is why our focus is there on this segment as well.”

Meanwhile, speaking at the launch event, Mubeen Mehta, CEO of Suba Hotels Limited, highlighted the company’s positive momentum, stating, “The company has been growing steadily, and we are happy that the company has started well in the year 2026. We have many openings lined up in the near future, and we are sure that the company will do well this year as well.”

The newly launched Click Collection Hotel, Gangtok, features 42 smart luxury rooms spread across Standard, Executive, and Premium categories, ensuring comfort and flexibility for diverse guest preferences.

In addition, the property offers a host of modern amenities, including high-speed Wi-Fi, air-conditioned rooms, in-room dining services, and round-the-clock guest assistance, enhancing the overall guest experience.

For dining, the hotel houses Cinnamon, an all-day coffee shop that serves multi-cuisine specialities while offering panoramic views of the surrounding valley. Furthermore, the Zodiac Banquet can host up to 100 guests, making it ideal for corporate meetings, conferences, and social celebrations.

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