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PATNA IS A day trip away from Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, and the ruins of Nalanda, an ancient monastery visited by the Chinese monk Xuanzang on his journey to the west. It is the capital of Bihar, a state of nearly 130m people, and a stopping point for pilgrims. Yet until recently it did not have a single premium hotel.

That changed a year ago, when the Indian Hotel Company Limited (IHCL), the country’s biggest chain, opened a Taj-branded luxury hotel with rooms looking out on the sacred Ganges. At its restaurant one recent evening, a local couple celebrated their wedding anniversary while another family sipped overpriced lime sodas.

The hotel is one of around 50 that IHCL has opened in India since the start of 2024. Today it operates or is developing more than 350 across the country, which it plans to double to nearly 700 by 2030. Accor, a French company, and its Indian partner, InterGlobe, want to grow from 111 to 300 hotels in the same period. Other big global chains, including Radisson and Marriott, have similarly bold plans.

India’s tourism and hotel industries saw a burst of travel after pandemic lockdowns. “But then the demand did not slow down,” notes Puneet Chhatwal, IHCL’s boss. Even as rates rose in response, people continued booking rooms, says Pushan Sharma of Crisil Intelligence, a research firm.

Indians now jet across the country for concerts and cricket matches. “Spiritual tourism” is also in vogue, leading hotels to open in places like Ayodhya, the site of a grand new temple. “Suddenly everybody seems to be on some kind of religious pilgrimage all the time,” says Mr Chhatwal.

The government’s infrastructure push over the past decade has also fuelled the travel boom. Thousands of miles of new highways have opened up possibilities for driving holidays. Flight connections between cities have risen by more than a quarter since before the pandemic.

The supply of hotel rooms has struggled to keep up. The number of “branded” rooms, as those in the organised sector are known, rose to 200,000 last year, up from half that in 2014. But that is still only about as many as in the United Arab Emirates, which has less than one-hundredth the population of India. Another 100,000 rooms are expected to be ready by the end of the decade.

Although most cities—including trading hubs and the capitals of many states—still lack decent hotels, that is changing. Ten years ago 69% of India’s branded rooms were in ten cities. That has dropped to 58% this year. Horwath HTL, a hospitality consultancy, expects the figure to fall to 50% by 2029. Last year two-thirds of hotel openings were outside the top-ten cities.

These hotels are not aimed only at travellers. Second-tier cities are short of highquality restaurants, spas and ballrooms in which to hold Indian weddings. “We learnt that if you open a basic hotel in a tier-2 town, it doesn’t do well. People want a banquet area, a swimming pool, lawns,” says Aditya Pande of InterGlobe.

What could slow the industry’s growth? Oddly enough, India’s weakness in attracting foreign tourists is a source of resilience for the hospitality business, insulating it from geopolitical shocks. India’s size also helps; natural disasters in one part of a large country simply push travellers to other destinations. The recent crash of an Air India flight to London has put off some customers, but they have other airlines to choose from. Falling interest rates and forecasts of low inflation bode well for discretionary spending.

The biggest risks are internal to the industry. One is the supply of skilled workers; attrition rates are high. Another worry is access to financing. But the biggest threat is from expanding too fast. Oyo, a once-hot hotel startup, is a cautionary tale. It grew too quickly to maintain standards, the primary attraction of a branded hotel.

Travellers started to stay away.

Overexpansion can also be a problem if too many tourists arrive in a place that cannot handle them. Some spots in the mountains already suffer from gridlock, pollution, water shortages and hordes of jostling selfie-takers. Many Indians are exploring their country for the first time. Gung-ho hotel chains have a role to play in ensuring it is not the last.

段落解析

第一段

原文：

Patna is a day trip away from Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, and the ruins of Nalanda, an ancient monastery visited by the Chinese monk Xuanzang on his journey to the west. It is the capital of Bihar, a state of nearly 130m people, and a stopping point for pilgrims. Yet until recently it did not have a single premium hotel.

中文大意：

帕特纳（Patna）距离佛陀悟道之地菩提伽耶（Bodh Gaya），以及中国高僧玄奘西行途中曾参访的古代寺院那烂陀遗址（Nalanda），都不过一日之程。它是人口近 1.3 亿的比哈尔邦的首府，也是朝圣者的重要中转站。但直到最近，这座城市竟然连一家高端酒店都没有。

句式语法结构分析:

1. PATNA IS A day trip away from Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, and the ruins of Nalanda, an ancient monastery visited by the Chinese monk Xuanzang on his journey to the west. PATNA IS A day trip away from...

○ a day trip away from... 是地道表达，表示“距离……一天行程”；

○ 用于地理/旅游类写作，体现相对便捷的空间距离感。

•where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenmentis said to have done sth. 是“据说已经做过某事”的标准表达，常用于历史或传说背景；

○ attain enlightenment（获得觉悟）是佛教术语，宗教语境中的正式用语。

•and the ruins of Nalanda

○ the ruins of... 表示“……的遗迹”，是考古/历史报道中的常用短语；

○Nalanda 被作为专有名词简洁插入，前无冠词或解释，要求读者具备一定背景知识。Nalanda（那烂陀） 指的是古代印度最著名的佛教高等学府——那烂陀寺院大学（Nalanda Mahavihara），位于今天印度比哈尔邦的纳兰达县，是世界上最早的国际化大学之一，存在时间超过 700 年（约公元 5 世纪至 12 世纪）。

•an ancient monastery visited by the Chinese monk Xuanzang on his journey to the west.

○ visited by... 是过去分词短语作定语，修饰 monastery；on his journey to the west：玄奘“西行”的表达方式是经典宗教文化术语，也影射《西游记》的文化背景。

2. It is the capital of Bihar, a state of nearly 130m people, and a stopping point for pilgrims.

• It is the capital of Bihar：直陈句式，信息清晰明了；

• a state of nearly 130m people：

○ of nearly 130m people 是限定性后置定语，常见于新闻数据类表达；

○130m 表示“1.3亿”（million 的缩写），用于口语或简明写作中，尤其常见于媒体文章；

•a stopping point for pilgrims

○ stopping point 指“中转站、歇脚点”，用于描述朝圣路线上的节点；

○ pilgrims 为宗教术语，指朝圣者，历史宗教报道常见词汇。

3. Yet until recently it did not have a single premium hotel.

Yet until recently：经典的对比过渡结构，表明“情况已经发生变化”，用于突出新旧反差；

•it did not have a single premium hotel

○ did not have a single... 是强调结构，表示“一家都没有”，语气强烈；

○ premium hotel：指高档酒店，是旅游/商业领域中常用词汇。

语言与术语解析:

1.a day trip away from...

○ 定义：距离……一天的路程；

○ 例句：The vineyard is just a day trip away from the city center.

○ 中文：这家酒庄离市中心只有一天的行程。

2.be said to have done sth.

○ 定义：据说已经做了某事，常用于传说或未经证实的历史叙述；

○ 例句：He is said to have discovered the ruins centuries ago.

○ 中文：据说他几个世纪前就发现了这些遗迹。

3.attain enlightenment

○ 定义：获得觉悟，佛教术语，意指达到涅槃之境；

○ 例句：Buddhists believe that meditation can help one attain enlightenment.

○ 中文：佛教徒相信冥想能帮助人获得觉悟。

4.monastery (n.)

○ 定义：寺院，尤其指僧侣居住和修行的地方；

○ 例句：The monastery was built in the 12th century.

○ 中文：这座寺院建于12世纪。

5.journey to the west

○ 定义：玄奘西行的历史旅程，同时是中国古典小说《西游记》的英文名称；

○ 例句：Xuanzang’s journey to the west inspired countless legends.

○ 中文：玄奘的西行之旅激发了无数传奇故事。

6.stopping point

○ 定义：中途停靠点、歇脚地；

○ 例句：The small town serves as a stopping point for hikers.

○ 中文：这个小镇是徒步旅行者的中转站。

7.premium hotel

○ 定义：高档酒店，常用于酒店评级和旅游商业；

○ 例句：The city now boasts several premium hotels with luxury amenities.

○ 中文：这座城市如今拥有几家设施豪华的高端酒店。

第二段

原文：

That changed a year ago, when the Indian Hotel Company Limited (IHCL), the country’s biggest chain, opened a Taj-branded luxury hotel with rooms looking out on the sacred Ganges. At its restaurant one recent evening, a local couple celebrated their wedding anniversary while another family sipped overpriced lime sodas.

中文大意：

这一切在一年前有了改变。印度最大的酒店集团 —— 印度酒店公司（IHCL）在当地开设了一家泰姬品牌的豪华酒店，客房可俯瞰神圣的恒河。某天晚上，酒店餐厅里，一对本地夫妇正在庆祝结婚纪念日，旁边一家人则小口啜饮着价格不菲的青柠汽水。

句式语法结构分析:

1. That changed a year ago, when...

• That changed：主语“That”指代前文提到的“缺乏高端酒店”的状态；“changed”用一般过去时，强调过去某一事件改变了这一现状。

• when the Indian Hotel Company Limited...opened a Taj-branded luxury hotel...：这是时间状语从句，说明“改变”发生的具体事件。

○ the Indian Hotel Company Limited (IHCL)：正式企业名称后加缩写，是新闻报道常见格式。

○ the country’s biggest chain：同位语结构，对 IHCL 进行解释说明，chain 在此指“连锁酒店集团”。

○ opened a Taj-branded luxury hotel：

▪ Taj-branded：复合形容词结构，意为“泰姬品牌的”，体现品牌战略。

▪ luxury hotel：固定搭配，意指“豪华酒店”。

○ with rooms looking out on the sacred Ganges：

▪ with rooms：介词短语作方式状语，说明酒店的一大特色。

▪ looking out on...：现在分词作定语，修饰“rooms”，表示“可俯瞰……”。

▪ the sacred Ganges：宗教文化色彩浓厚的词组，“恒河”在印度教中被视为神圣之河，sacred 增强文化意象。

2. At its restaurant one recent evening, a local couple celebrated their wedding anniversary while another family sipped overpriced lime sodas.

• At its restaurant one recent evening：

○ 介词短语作时间与地点状语，组合简洁，提升叙事节奏。

○ its 指代前文中的 Taj-branded hotel。

○ one recent evening：表具体但不指明日期的时间表达，带有“新闻纪实感”。

• a local couple celebrated their wedding anniversary：

○ 主语 + 谓语 + 宾语结构，celebrated their wedding anniversary 为常见搭配，表达“庆祝结婚纪念日”。

• while another family sipped overpriced lime sodas：

○ while 引导并列句，表示两个动作同时进行。

○ sipped：用词精妙，强调“轻啜慢饮”的动作，对比强调饮品的“昂贵”。

○ overpriced lime sodas：带有批评意味的形容词 overpriced（价格虚高），与平民饮品 lime soda 的组合制造出讽刺感。

语言与术语解析：

1. Taj-branded

• 含义：带有“泰姬品牌”的；为品牌名+动词过去分词的复合形容词结构。

• 例句：They stayed in a Hilton-branded resort in the Maldives.

• 中文：他们住在马尔代夫的一家希尔顿品牌度假村。

2. look out on

• 含义：俯瞰；用于描述从某处望出去的景色。

• 例句：Our room looked out on the ocean.

• 中文：我们的房间面朝大海。

3. sacred

• 含义：神圣的；常用于宗教、仪式相关名词前。

• 例句：The Ganges is considered a sacred river in Hinduism.

• 中文：在印度教中，恒河被视为神圣的河流。

4. celebrate one's wedding anniversary

• 含义：庆祝结婚纪念日，是固定搭配。

• 例句：They celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in Paris.

• 中文：他们在巴黎庆祝了结婚十周年纪念日。

5. sipped

• 含义：“轻啜，抿饮”，用于描述慢慢品饮的动作，有品味意味。

• 例句：He sat quietly and sipped his coffee.

• 中文：他安静地坐着，轻啜着咖啡。

6. overpriced

• 含义：价格过高的；带贬义，常用于评论不值这个价格的商品。

• 例句：Many tourists complain about overpriced souvenirs.

• 中文：很多游客抱怨纪念品价格太高。

第三段

原文：

The hotel is one of around 50 that IHCL has opened in India since the start of 2024. Today it operates or is developing more than 350 across the country, which it plans to double to nearly 700 by 2030. Accor, a French company, and its Indian partner, InterGlobe, want to grow from 111 to 300 hotels in the same period. Other big global chains, including Radisson and Marriott, have similarly bold plans.

中文大意：

这家酒店是印度酒店公司（IHCL）自 2024 年初以来在印度新开的约 50 家酒店之一。如今，该公司在全国已运营或在建的酒店超过 350 家，计划到 2030 年将这一数量翻番，达到近 700 家。法国雅高酒店集团（Accor）及其印度合作伙伴 InterGlobe 也计划在同一时期，将旗下酒店数量从 111 家增至 300 家。其他全球大型连锁酒店集团，如丽笙（Radisson）和万豪（Marriott），也制定了类似的激进扩张计划。

句式语法结构分析:

1. The hotel is one of around 50 that IHCL has opened in India since the start of 2024.

• one of around 50 that...：常见结构，“one of + [数量词修饰的名词] + that从句”用于强调某一事物属于某个更大集合中的一部分。

• around 50 that IHCL has opened...：

○ around：表示“大约”，略带模糊性的数值表达，在新闻和商业写作中常用。

○ that IHCL has opened：定语从句，修饰前面的“around 50”，说明是IHCL新开设的酒店。

○ has opened：现在完成时，强调从过去某时（2024年初）开始持续至今的动作。

2. Today it operates or is developing more than 350 across the country, which it plans to double to nearly 700 by 2030.

• it operates or is developing more than 350：

○ operates or is developing：并列结构，涵盖“已运营”与“正在开发”两类状态，表达公司现阶段的业务总量。

○ more than 350：具体数字，体现业务规模，结合上下文是指酒店数量。

• across the country：介词短语，修饰“more than 350”，说明这些酒店分布于全国范围。

• which it plans to double to nearly 700 by 2030：

○ which 引导定语从句，先行词为“more than 350”，即计划翻倍的对象；

○ plans to double to nearly 700：

▪ plan to do sth.：常见表达，表示“计划做某事”；

▪ double to...：表示数量翻倍至某个新数值；

▪ nearly 700：数量表达“接近700”；

○ by 2030：时间限定，“到2030年为止”，常用于描述中长期规划。

3. Accor, a French company, and its Indian partner, InterGlobe, want to grow from 111 to 300 hotels in the same period.

• Accor, a French company, and its Indian partner, InterGlobe,：

○ 插入两个同位语结构：分别说明 Accor 是法国公司，InterGlobe 是印度合作方，增强信息密度。

• want to grow from 111 to 300 hotels：

○ want to grow from...to...：固定句型，表示计划实现某种“增长或扩张”；

○ 111 to 300 hotels：具体数值目标，增长幅度也暗示了企业的雄心。

• in the same period：时间状语，指代与 IHCL 相同的时间区间，即2024年至2030年。

4. Other big global chains, including Radisson and Marriott, have similarly bold plans.

• Other big global chains：泛指“其他大型全球连锁企业”，为前句内容的扩展。

• including Radisson and Marriott：插入结构，列举代表性例子以增强权威性。

• have similarly bold plans：

○ similarly bold plans：表达“同样激进的计划”，修辞上形成对比与呼应。

○ bold：用词简练，既可指“雄心勃勃”，也暗含“具有风险与野心”的意味。

语言与术语解析：

1. open (a hotel/business)

• 含义：开设、开张，用于商业或服务设施的运营启动。

• 例句：IHCL opened 50 hotels in India this year.

• 中文：IHCL 今年在印度新开了 50 家酒店。

2. operate / is developing

• 含义：前者表示“已经运营”，后者指“正在开发或建设中”，二者并列可全面概括企业现状。

• 例句：The company operates 100 hotels and is developing 20 more.

• 中文：该公司已运营 100 家酒店，并在开发 20 家。

3. double (v.)

• 含义：使……翻倍，是商业增长中常用动词。

• 例句：The firm plans to double its production capacity by 2025.

• 中文：该公司计划到2025年将产能翻倍。

4. grow from...to...

• 含义：增长/扩张至某数值，是企业计划常见表达。

• 例句：The startup grew from 10 to 100 employees in two years.

• 中文：该初创企业两年内员工数从10人增长到100人。

5. bold plans

• 含义：大胆的、具有雄心的计划，常用于描述积极进取的商业策略。

• 例句：The CEO announced bold plans to expand overseas.

• 中文：首席执行官宣布了进军海外市场的雄心计划。

第四段

原文：

India’s tourism and hotel industries saw a burst of travel after pandemic lockdowns. “But then the demand did not slow down,” notes Puneet Chhatwal, IHCL’s boss. Even as rates rose in response, people continued booking rooms, says Pushan Sharma of Crisil Intelligence, a research firm.

中文大意：

疫情封锁结束后，印度的旅游和酒店行业迎来了一波旅行热潮。IHCL 首席执行官普尼特・查特瓦尔指出：“但随后需求并未放缓。” 研究机构 Crisil Intelligence 的普尚・夏尔马也表示，即便酒店价格因此上涨，人们仍在持续预订客房。

句式语法结构分析:

1. India’s tourism and hotel industries saw a burst of travel after pandemic lockdowns.

• India’s tourism and hotel industries：并列名词结构，指“旅游业与酒店业”，主语范围明确。

• saw a burst of travel：

○ saw：过去时，作为感知动词表示“经历、目睹”某种情况，是媒体和学术中常见写法；

○ a burst of travel：名词短语，“a burst of”表示“短时间内突然的爆发”，形象地描述了封锁后的出行激增。

• after pandemic lockdowns：时间状语，明确这波增长的起因——“疫情封控解除之后”。

2. “But then the demand did not slow down,” notes Puneet Chhatwal, IHCL’s boss.

• But then：转折副词短语，起承上启下作用，强调“出行热潮并未如预期中退去”。

• the demand did not slow down：

○ the demand：特指旅游与住宿需求；

○ did not slow down：否定式，使用了一般过去时的强调结构“did + 原形”，突出“预期中的减弱并未发生”。

• notes Puneet Chhatwal：

○ notes：新闻报道中用于引述观点的动词，替代 says，使语言更正式；

○ Puneet Chhatwal, IHCL’s boss：同位语结构，进一步解释说话者身份，体现权威性。

3. Even as rates rose in response, people continued booking rooms, says Pushan Sharma of Crisil Intelligence, a research firm.

• Even as rates rose in response：

○ even as...：强调“即使在……的同时”，表示意料之外的同时发生，常见于强调对比；

○ rates rose in response：

▪ rates：此处特指酒店价格；

▪ in response：表“作为回应”，暗示价格上涨是对高需求的市场反应。

• people continued booking rooms：

○ continued + -ing：表示动作的持续进行，说明需求热度依旧；

○ booking rooms：经济与服务类表达中常用词组。

• says Pushan Sharma of Crisil Intelligence, a research firm：

○ says + 人名 + of + 机构：新闻文体中典型引用格式，结构紧凑；

○ a research firm：对机构的补充说明，使读者了解其性质。

语言与术语解析：

1. a burst of (activity/travel etc.)

• 含义：突发、一阵（活动或情绪的爆发），强调强度或短时性。

• 例句：There was a burst of applause after the speech.

• 中文：演讲结束后响起了一阵掌声。

2. lockdowns (n.)

• 含义：封锁措施，尤其用于指因公共卫生或安全原因实施的强制隔离。

• 例句：The city was under lockdown for two months during the pandemic.

• 中文：该市在疫情期间被封锁了两个月。

3. slow down (v.)

• 含义：放缓、减弱，常用于经济、增长、需求等语境中。

• 例句：Consumer demand began to slow down in the second quarter.

• 中文：第二季度消费者需求开始放缓。

4. in response (to sth.)

• 含义：作为回应、应对，用于说明因果关系。

• 例句：Prices increased in response to higher demand.

• 中文：由于需求上升，价格也随之上涨。

5. continue doing sth.

• 含义：持续做某事，常用于描述趋势或行为未中断。

• 例句：People continued traveling even during the off-season.

• 中文：即使在淡季，人们仍持续旅行。

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