Indian Hotels acquires 10 pct stake in Orient Express

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian Hotels Co Ltd said on Monday it had paid $211.3 million for a strategic 10 percent stake in Orient-Express Hotels Ltd, and said the two companies were in talks to form an alliance. India's largest hotels operator, which owns the Taj group of luxury hotels and resorts, struck the deal through a wholly owned subsidiary, Samsara Properties, with a view to expand its brand internationally, the company said in a statement. "As part of this strategy, we have been pursuing alliances and relationships with leading hotel groups that have not yet up a presence in India, but have secured leadership positions in various geographies," R.K. Krishna Kumar, vice chairman of Indian Hotels said.