Amit Saberwal on Growing Hotels in a Shifting Market

Amit Saberwal, Founder and CEO of RedDoorz, has spent the past decade building one of Southeast Asia’s most aggressive budget hospitality platforms. His approach blends brand segmentation, operational control, and increasingly, AI-driven systems.

At Skift Asia Forum 2026, Saberwal brings a ground-level view of what scaling actually looks like across fragmented, fast-growing travel markets. His perspective lands at a moment when operators face tighter margins, shifting traveler expectations, and a digital-first customer journey.

What is driving the next phase of growth in your market or organization?

“Despite macroeconomic challenges, RedDoorz has maintained a 25% YoY growth rate in its primary market.

Our expansion is primarily fuelled by a robust multi-brand strategy designed to address the varied accommodation requirements of our guests.

Within our portfolio of seven brands, premium offerings like Sans and Urbanview are experiencing accelerated growth at 40-50% annually.

Furthermore, we have significantly enhanced customer experience through our company-operated hotels, which allows for total operational control and consistent service quality.

This division currently encompasses over 100+ hotels and is projected to double its footprint within the next 12 to 18 months.”

What is one lesson you have learned about scaling across multiple markets?

“I will take Indonesia as an example.

This country represents a primary market for us and stands as a major travel hub in Southeast Asia. The population is 280M+ and has a large share of younger people 18-40 years old.

The travel sector is being shaped by infrastructure developments alongside a growing middle class and a young demographic. Many cities like Bandung, Malang, Surabaya and Balikpapan have improved road connectivity and ports in the last 5 years.

And we have been able to grow in these cities with an increase in business activities.

Many of the youngsters in this country are beginning their careers and evolving personally and professionally. And their travel preferences will shift over time.

RedDoorz has built a strong loyal relationship with these millennials over the past decade, launching diverse brands to meet their evolving needs.

By providing tailored accommodation options, we have successfully retained these users over the years and expanded our reach in tandem with their growth.

Consequently, your business can achieve multifold acceleration by capturing a macroeconomic growth curve at the right moment.”

What are travellers expecting now that is different from a few years ago?

“As per Google travel trend reports, consumers are prioritising shorter regional trips (3-4 days) due to cost pressure and macro-uncertainties.

With the use of AI, hyper-individualised travel plans are on a rise.

Travelers are increasingly prioritizing authenticity over amenities, often choosing centrally located accommodations to better immerse themselves in local culture.

This has led to a notable shift in spending habits; rather than dedicating the bulk of their budget only towards accommodation, tourists now seek reliable, reasonably priced stays so they can allocate more funds toward experiences.

Festival based travel with family and friends is becoming popular.

This Eid, we have seen many of our leisure cities doubling in bookings compared to last year.”

What is one prediction that might surprise our audience?

“Southeast Asia’s digital decade gained significant momentum post-pandemic, as internet penetration reached 75% in 2021 with approximately 40 million new users joining the ecosystem annually.

Traveller discovery and booking behaviours have shifted decisively from walk-ins to digital platforms and from generic accommodations to reliable, branded stays.

We are now witnessing a further evolution through the integration of AI; 75% of users now leverage AI-assisted search.

The upcoming phase of growth will be defined by the supply side’s ability to adapt.

Hotel operators must enhance their operational flexibility and effectiveness to align with heightened guest expectations.

At RedDoorz, we are deploying AI across our platform to enhance personalized search and streamline the guest journey.

Through our company-operated hotel division, we have developed AI solutions for operations monitoring and quality management, allowing us to reduce operating expenses by 20-40% and deliver higher margins at scale.”

What It Takes to Win the Next Phase of Loyalty

Saberwal’s session will resonate with leaders navigating pricing pressure, shifting consumer expectations, and the fragility of trust in a digital-first booking environment.

If you’re responsible for growth, product, or commercial performance, this is where you pressure-test your approach against what’s actually working at scale.

Apply to attend Skift Asia Forum 2026 in Bangkok this April 28–29. Tickets are limited.