The current post-pandemic travel rush has brought safety into prime focus for many travellers. Right now, most of the travellers are looking for a safe and hygienic holiday more than anything else. Luxury Escapes is tapping into the boutique properties segment to cater to such travellers and provide a safe holiday experience for its members.
While boutique properties have always been popular with travellers, the relevance and popularity of these smaller-chain hotels has increased in these post-pandemic travel rush times. Thanks to their remote locations, limited number of rooms, great attention to detail and personalised level of hospitality, boutique hotels instil a great sense of confidence in travellers today.
Arun Ashok, Regional Head, Luxury Escapes India & Middle East, has this to say – “Small boutique resorts have been integral partners of Luxury Escapes long before Covid-19. We cater to an extremely niche segment of discerning travellers who aren’t just looking at a branded, big box style hotel experience. The level of personalisation and care that a boutique resort can offer, logistically can’t be replicated by a large chain hotel. And this is more so the case when it comes to Covid-19 precautions, hygiene standards, etc – this is definitely the year of the boutique resorts.”
Akhil Anand, Director, Tree of Life Resorts & Hotels, says, “Over the past 3-4 years, we have witnessed travellers preferring resorts with smaller inventories and those that are slightly away from the city centres and in the lap of nature. The pandemic has certainly accelerated this trend further and stapled such resorts at the forefront of consideration for leisure travellers.”
Echoing a similar sentiment, Jitender Singh Rathore, Director, Fateh Collection, believes, “Boutique hotels like ours in Kumbhalgarh are situated at an elevated area with lots of open spaces and lush gardens. Even the rooms spill out into balconies and courtyards with amazing views. Whenever the lockdown restrictions have eased, we have seen housefull bookings for our boutique properties.”
Luxury Escapes has always adapted to the ever-changing scenarios of travel and offered holidays that its six-lakh members will enjoy. Keeping up with the current trend of safety-first vacations, Luxury Escapes has partnered with a few luxurious boutique properties such as Atali Ganga in Rishikesh, Fateh Safari Suites in Kumbhalgarh, Tree of Life Resorts in Binsar and Jim Corbett National Park and more.
Boutique properties are also at the forefront of customised itineraries and experiences which make for a great holiday. Vaibhav Kala, Founder, Aquaterra Adventures & Atali Ganga – an Activotel by Aquaterra, says, “By definition, boutique properties are smaller retreats, are more personalised, often offer experiential and outdoor experiences. Many of them don’t follow the regular hotel block construction with common amenities and air conditioning and cookie-cutter design.
SOPs are easily administered, and guests intrinsically feel safer, looked after and get more space than large city hotel getaways. Boutique hotels have the unique ability to curate and personalise the entire experience with cherry-picked offerings.”
After two waves of the pandemic, the trend of boutique properties is certainly on the uptick and is touted to find more and more travellers. Akhil predicts, “I find that a lot of the larger brands and hospitality players are now seriously looking at the boutique space which was never the case earlier. This is testament to the fact that the boutique space is clearly the future of leisure travel not just in India but globally, too.”
There’s no denying that boutique properties will increasingly become the preferred choice of travellers soon. Vaibhav predicts, “Destination hotels will no longer be chosen for amenities and facilities, but for experiences, space and safety. After all, two waves of COVID-19 have taught us all the value of solitude and peace of mind.”
