Serta is an international brand and is available in more than 100 countries across the globe. Currently, Serta is America’s leading brand in the spring mattress category and has well-established presence in retail and hospitality segments.
How much of Serta’s business worldwide comes from the hospitality sector?
Hospitality contributes to around 40% of Serta’s business worldwide. To further strengthen its business from this segment, Serta has tied up with top hotel chains across the globe like the Hilton Group of Hotels and Marriott. Some of the hotels in India include Hyatt, Chennai; Hyatt Regency, Pune; J.W. Marriott, Bengaluru; Courtyard by Marriott, Pune; Ramada, Bengaluru; Hilton Garden Inn, Delhi; Hilton, Chennai; Hilton, Goa; All Hilton Doubletree Hotel chain, India; and Hampton, Vadodara.
How much importance are you laying on the hospitality sector in India?
Hospitality segment is growing rapidly. It is important for two reasons: first, the association of Serta with reputed hotel brands is critical for the business to occupy the position of the “most preferred brand” in the Indian hospitality industry.Second, the hospitality business also complements the retail as many hotel guests who experience Serta products in the leading hotels are also potential retail customers. Hence, focusing on this segment is crucial for Serta’s expansion plans in India.
You’ve been in this market for a year. How has the response been?
India is a complex market with varied preferences and lifestyles. However, the consumer response in the retail segment in India has been overwhelming for Serta products as many of them have settled for mattresses that are priced more than `50,000, which is uncommon in the mattress industry. Even in the hospitality segment, the hotels that have procured Serta products have reported high satisfaction levels in terms of sleep and comfort from their guests and based on their survey and business, some of the hotel owners have also commented that they have made the right choice.
What is your value proposition for the Indian hospitality market?
Serta products are value for money. They use cutting-edge technologies like Posture Spiral technology, Advanced Comfort Quilt technology and Mega foam technology, some of which are patented.
The technologies enhance the performance of the mattresses thereby providing guests high satisfaction in terms of sleep and comfort, which are the most important parameters in a hospitality business. Such technologically superior products are more durable and are worth the investment since they normally outlive the warranty period by almost 40%, if properly maintained. All Serta products use high quality raw materials sourced from the best in the world and are manufactured using hi-tech machines from Europe and USA to produce high quality mattresses that guarantees performance and satisfaction.
What is your strategy in reaching out to hotels?
We cater to hotels directly and do not plan to appoint any contractor or agency. We work very closely with hotel operators and owners and develop products to suit their requirement and hence it is important to directly interact with all of them.
What products are you planning to offer to the Indian market?
We have different products for hospitality and retail segments. Some of the leading international hotels have their own specifications for the mattress and accessories and we suggest products based on the same. There are hotels that do not have set specifications and we work closely with them to develop suitable products based on their clientele, star rating and budget. The products thus developed are in line with international standards.
What is the kind of after-sales support you plan to offer the hotels?
With our own manufacturing set-up in India, we are equipped to provide excellent after sales service. We usually conduct ‘Mattress Health Check-ups’ every six months to check the upkeep of the mattress and initiate correction if required. We also provide training to the hotel housekeeping staff and provide tips on up-keep and cleaning of mattresses. Usually our product outlasts the warranty period but regular checkups help us to understand the maintenance standards adopted by the hotel and also the usage pattern of the guests and its effect on the mattresses.
This helps us provide a solution, if required. Such an approach also provides us an opportunity to interact with the hotel Housekeeping staff and know more about customer feedback, which is critical for product innovation and development.
What are the benefits of Serta compared with local manufacturers in India?
Serta products are incomparable to any of the local manufacturers in India primarily due to the advanced technologies adopted by the brand, superior quality of raw materials that are sourced from USA and Europe, unique manufacturing techniques for durability, and manufacturing methods using hi-tech machines by highly skilled work force to produce superior quality product.
Serta is the only mattress brand in India to use hi-tech German technology known as Mega foam technology to manufacture foam.
Foam manufactured with this technology avoids using methylene chloride, which is a blowing agent widely used in foam manufacturing in India. Methylene Chloride is an ozone depleting substance and is banned in many parts of the world. The gases produced during foam manufacturing using methylene chloride are harmful to human beings and hence Serta adopts safe manufacturing method. The Mega Foam technology uses vacuum for foam manufacturing and hence is environment friendly. The foam manufactured using Mega Foam technology has open cell structure for better air circulation which minimises heat build-up on the surface of the mattress to ensure maximum comfort and durability Serta also has unique patented technologies like the posture spiral spring technology for minimising partner disturbance and Advance Comfort Quit technology (ACQ) for superior comfort and feel. Our highly skilled workforce manufactures every mattress with accuracy and perfection. Every mattress that comes out after a rigorous quality check is securely packed with three types of packing material i.e. two layers LDP and outer thick cartons with nylon tapes and then the mattress is delivered to the customer’s door step anywhere in India. All the above make Serta products unique and distinctly different from the normal mattresses that are produced in India.
