GTI Capital trims stake in weak-return Samhi Hotels

Source: vccircle.com

TL;DR

The story at a glance

GTI Capital Partners, an India-focused private equity firm co-led by Gaurav Dalmia and Madhav Dhar, sold a big chunk of its stake in Samhi Hotels, the hotel owner it backed since 2011 alongside Equity International.[[3]](https://medial.app/news/pe-firms-equity-international-gti-capital-sign-off-from-legacy-india-bet-with-poor-show-4059cae5facf9) This open-market block deal happened on June 28, 2024, right as the firm trimmed its exposure to a legacy portfolio company with weak returns.[[2]](https://www.goodreturns.in/news/gti-capital-sells-stake-in-samhi-hotels-for-rs-193-crore-011-1354593.html) Samhi Hotels runs midscale properties like Marriott and IHG brands and listed in 2023.[[4]](https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/announcements/bse/11072025/8f39dcd1-8999-43b3-a009-6998b59c8555.pdf)

Key points

Details and context

Samhi Hotels, founded in 2010, got early backing from GTI Capital and Equity International in 2011 to build a portfolio of upper-midscale hotels in key Indian cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The firm grew through acquisitions and partnerships with brands like Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG, listing on BSE/NSE in September 2023 via a Rs 1,370 crore IPO.[[4]](https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/announcements/bse/11072025/8f39dcd1-8999-43b3-a009-6998b59c8555.pdf)

VCCircle's angle stresses the exit's timing amid weak returns—GTI held through the IPO (selling a small OFS stake) but offloaded more in 2024 as the investment aged without strong multiples. Hospitality faced COVID hits, though Samhi recovered post-IPO; still, long-hold PE bets like this often yield below benchmarks in India.[[8]](https://www.vccircle.com/pefirms-equity-international-gti-capital-sign-off-from-legacy-india-bet-with-poor-show)

No exact IRR or total returns disclosed, but the "weak returns" label fits VCCircle's pattern for exits underperforming peers (e.g., similar "poor show" for Equity-GTI full exit).[[8]](https://www.vccircle.com/pefirms-equity-international-gti-capital-sign-off-from-legacy-india-bet-with-poor-show)

Key quotes

None reliably sourced from the paywalled article or matching coverage.

Why it matters

Legacy exits like this show India PE firms cleaning up old portfolios amid pressure for better distributions to LPs.

For investors, it flags modest realizations in hospitality—GTI got ~1.5x on sold shares but likely subpar overall after 13 years.

Watch Samhi's debt reduction and growth post-IPO, plus any final GTI/PE stake sales, though lock-ins ended without big dumps.[[2]](https://www.goodreturns.in/news/gti-capital-sells-stake-in-samhi-hotels-for-rs-193-crore-011-1354593.html)