With clouds of pandemic-induced travel restrictions becoming a thing of the past, hotel industry is making a grand comeback with elevated expectations of the guests. Collating ideas on the guests-centric provisions and the trending innovations looking into the sustainable travel, Vibhas Prasad, Director at Leisure Hotels Group gave insights on how hotels have geared up to meet the customized needs of the guests. Prasad pens down that Eco-tourism has acquired great significance in recent times as it has the potential to bring about the economic development of the local communities and also protect our natural heritage.
- Offering tailor-made services to the guests
The Indian hospitality sector is rapidly recovering from the lows of the pandemic. While the leisure segment has seen historic ADRs and occupancies of late, even the business segments are nearing their 2019 numbers. Service (guest) delight is vital in the hospitality business as guest choices have evolved with global exposure and local competition. Guests demand personalised services; they expect prompt service at all times, and they complain much more often than ever before about every possible aspect of their experience in case their expectations are not met. Leisure Hotels Group has been in the business of curating guest experiences in our resort destinations for well over two decades largely in Uttarakhand and Himachal. This has remained our forte, centric to our customer demographic. The experience has been built around activities in and outside the property, recreation, entertainment and the dining experience with local flavours in sync with the ambience and locale.
- Eco-Tourism or sustainable travel is the key as per the latest trends, what strategies do you have in the platter for this?
The Group is committed to employing the best environmental and ecological practices in technology, equipment, and operational processes. The Group supports philanthropic activities and is a keen contributor to the conservation of nature and cultural heritage. Eco-tourism has acquired great significance in recent times as it has the potential to bring about the economic development of the local communities and also protect our natural heritage. Naturally, we at Leisure Group understand our responsibility towards the rich natural heritage that we support. In the last couple of years, we have established infrastructure that enables us to understand the impact of our activities on the ecosystem around us. Today, we are geared up to tackle the problems and make our activities eco-friendlier. We have realized that unless the welfare of the local communities is taken care of, the ecosystem around us cannot be at peace and hence we have adopted several strategies To support the local communities so astoce their dependence on the forest, To conserve Natural Resources, To support Wildlife Management
- Taking the front seat with offering high-end services
We have been in the hospitality business for more than three decades. We have a three-pronged approach toward business development. One is through building our hotels and another is through management contracts of third-party properties in strategic locations. With our own landbank and the opportunity to grow the Management Vertical in strategic leisure destinations, we have our hands full.
Initially, the model was to build & operate for ourselves. Over the last two decades, the group is now trying an “asset right” model wherein the group has built and leased hotels & resorts for the Mahindra Group in Corbett National Park, built & given a Resort on a management contract basis to Taj Hotels in Corbett National Park and another one in Haridwar with more in the offing.
We have also built a branded hostel vertical with our first two offerings in Rishikesh and Varanasi which are planning to build across multiple other locations.
The group has currently two properties which have a real estate gated community in the same premise. We are also looking to continue to expand this vertical.
- In competence with peers
Leisure Hotels Group is a 32-year-old experiential luxury resort chain in North India and the largest across the state of Uttarakhand. Since its foundation in 1989, the group has had the chance to serve the most discerning travellers in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Goa & Uttar Pradesh at 18 locations.
The group’s portfolio of 25+ properties includes smart business hotels, boutique resorts, bespoke villas, and luxury camps offering leisure, adventure, wilderness, wellness & spiritual experiences.
The Group has been successfully creating delightful guest experiences in leisure destinations for over three decades. The group intends to continue delivering an old-fashioned style of award-winning and full-hearted services at the core of its customer delight experience.
