PurposeThe paper aims to provide an overview of the facts and trends relating to the Indian hospitality industry. It also seeks to identify the key strategic and financial issues that hoteliers are currently facing and to introduce the theme issue.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws facts and emerging trends from various official reports and collates key issues as highlighted by the theme issue contributors. All the papers in the theme issue identify salient points after rounds of discussions with practitioners.FindingsSome of the key emerging areas are risk management, cost management, land management and policies, revenue management, growth challenges and innovative practices arising from an extended inflationary period.Practical implicationsWith domestic hoteliers in an expansion mode and foreign operators' intention of investing in India, the paper is of interest to hoteliers and policy makers interested in knowing about emerging and topical issues relating to this market.Originality/valueThere are relatively few prior studies relating to the strategic and financial issues affecting the hospitality industry in India – particularly in the context of practitioner involvement. The theme issue involves senior practitioners in the review from the outset and this approach offers a significant contribution to applied research in this field.