In a career spanning three decades, Abinash Manghani has traversed his professional journey wearing several hats primarily in Tourism, Hospitality and Real Estate advisory services. Manghani began his career with ITC after joining the Welcomgroup Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi when he was selected for the Group’s Management Trainee Program in 1990. He was appointed as Sales and Marketing Manager for ITC Hotels in Chennai in 1996 before being posted as Marketing Manager for the Group’s flagship property, the ITC Maurya in 1999. He joined Colliers Jardine, a real estate MNC Consultancy as General Manager in 2000 and was involved in several landmark transactions and advisory including valuation & divestment of hotels along with Jardine Fleming and landmark telecom venture / IT, retail and commercial projects.
In 2005, he re-joined ITC Hotels as Head – Sales and Marketing and was deputed to Fortune Hotels overseeing the Mid-market to Upscale Brand, setting up of the national sales and distribution system and was involved with development wherein the brand grew from 13 Hotels to 40 from 2005 to 2010.
Today he gives us insights on WelcomHeritage’s journey, Challenges faced by him during these times, A shift in traveller’s perspective and the expansion plans of the group.
- Could you take us through WelcomHeritage’s 25-year journey and commitment to representing India’s finest heritage hospitality and tourism traditions?
The journey has been challenging yet a fulfilling one! A joint venture between ITC Ltd. and Jodhana Heritage, WelcomHeritage was established in 1997. The brand’s phenomenal story of showcasing the brilliance of India’s diverse heritage began with a mere 5 hotels. Today, we have 39 properties, spread across 35 scenic and tranquil destinations under our portfolio.
What began with remodelling architectural marvels of heritage palaces and havelis to preserve the rich cultural treasure-trove found in our country, over the years, we’ve added to our portfolio an intimate collection of small luxury boutique hotels and resorts amidst exotic locales across India, with an aim to conserve and appreciate the country’s natural heritage too. These properties offer varied cultural & wilderness immersion that cater to various interests of the modern traveller.
Thus, our destinations now range from havelis and Palace hotels, even one where a 320 year old temple resides, to shikaras in Kashmir, enchanting wildlife retreats, coffee plantations in Coorg, riverside resorts – each property having its own unique USP and its own distinctive style and character. Guest experience and detailed hospitality are our primary focus.
Our endeavour is to create a special balance between local traditions and modern-day requirements thus creating best-in-class authentic experience without losing the Heritage ethos in some of the country’s most inspiring settings.
- Do you see a shift in travelers’ perspectives and needs in the past 2 years? How is the brand evolving to cope with these changing needs?
While the Indian traveller was always a key player for WH, the segment has clearly grown tremendously and even evolved during these 2 years. Factors such as revenge tourism (and restricted outbound travel), good road connectivity, and the discovery of the plethora of travel experiences India has to offer, has led to new markets for our regional destinations. The Local before Global trend easily caught the approval of the young Indian traveller. Even now when the skies have opened, we see that staycations, remote working, pod travel to the concept of bleisure combining business and leisure travel, and short-holiday trends are here to stay. There is an increasingly growing appreciation for and an interest to explore India’s natural heritage and cultural history.
We adopted a proactive approach to adapt our offerings and practices for the evolving expectations of these evolving travellers. We crafted innovative packages for staycations in city hotels, ‘Work from Here’, ‘Head for the Hills, ‘Drivable holidays’ packages, to suit various requirements. Weddings were an added boost for resorts. Flexibility was key to guests bookings and we’ve been sensitive with prices too. We recently introduced ‘Buy now, pay later’ option to our guests to reduce any financial and holiday planning burden there may be. This can be availed across all WH hotels when booked on the brand’s website.
- How has social media changed the marketing game from your perspective? Does it reflect on the revenue of the hotel?
For us, it has emerged as a powerful tool that effectively and inexpensively allows hotels to reach and connect with guests and potential customers, showcase our products, get more eyeballs on offers and build brand identity.
Being present on more SM platforms can also help with search engine optimization because the more channels, the more linkages, the more likely you will be found. Additionally, to building short term demand, SM can build brand awareness, increase the likelihood of subsequent brand choice and have positive impact on future revenue.
- Which are the properties and destinations where you see the most growth in India?
Hills and more lately, the demand for wildlife and heritage is rising. In response to this, we added three new hotels last year, WelcomHeritage Elysium Resort & Spa in Shimla (Hill Resort), WelcomHeritage Badi Kothi in Allahabad (Heritage Hotel), and WelcomHeritage Cheetahgarh Resort and Spa in Bera (Wildlife Retreat) to our portfolio. All three properties have been extremely well received by travelers already.
- What are the sustainable practises followed by the hotel?
Sustainability is increasingly becoming a key focus for us at WelcomHeritage, not just to ride the marketing trend but for the real impact it has on the environment and community; eco-friendly practises are also cost-effective. We’ve set stringent goals and guidelines across WH hotels aiming towards this. Some of these are:
· Energy and water conservation through using more renewables, efficient sensor lighting systems, low-flow pressure valves in kitchens, developing water treatment plants etc.
· Waste reduction through recycling and composting
· Use of local, natural and indigenous ingredients across all departments in the hotels, including the spa and house-keeping is encouraged
· Using organic and local produce in the kitchens.
· Moving away from single-use plastic – be it reducing bottled water or using Key cards made of wood and paper
· Recently, WH Jungle Home received the prestigious TOFT eco-rating of ‘Good Practices Provider’ and WH Tadoba Vanya Vilas Resort and Spa received a ‘Quality provider’ rating
- WelcomHeritage has recently launched properties in the South. Does the brand want to continue its focus in the region?
Yes, absolutely! We already have WH Shivavilas Palace in Hampi, WH Fernhills Royal Palace in Ooty and WH Ayatana in Coorg. The launch of WH Azora by Ayatana is in its final stages – a landmark heritage property in the heart of Fort Kochi. WelcomHeritage Ayatana in Ooty will also open this year.
- Where does the brand see itself 5 years from now? Tell us more about how you would describe your growing relationship with travellers in these years.
Continuing our brand expansion within the country, we have three planned openings in 2022, including WelcomHeritage Azora in Fort Kochi, WelcomHeritage Ayatana in Ooty and WelcomHeritage Parv Vilas, Kasauli Hills in Solan. When operational, these properties will add 101 keys to the existing inventory of 944 keys.
We plan to have 65 hotels by FY 2025-26 with 2500 keys in all. We are looking at expansion in South and East India, to complement our strong presence in the North.
- Pros and cons of Heritage hospitality tourism (From your experience/perspective)
Often seen as synonymous with cultural, historical, arts, nature or attractions-related tourism, Heritage tourism also encompasses natural heritage, such as caves, nature reserves, gardens and marine. As with all kinds of tourism, it comes with its pros and cons:
Pros:
· Injects new money into the destination, in many cases the location is rural or small towns. Supports and boosts small local businesses
· Create jobs
· Diversifies the local economy revenue
· Builds vital relationships between communities
· Encourages civic, sanitation and infrastructure facilities
· Promotes preservation of local resources
· Preserves, respects and increases awareness of local history, traditions, customs among travellers and the locals too
· The advent of conscious and responsible tourism also helps encourage local residents and visitors to be mindful about their impact on the natural and built environment.
Of course there are undeniable negative impact, especially if tourism development isn’t done right. Unplanned, irresponsible development can make the local economy unstable, increasing the cost of living for local residents, increasing pollution or creating environmental hazards. If the communities don’t get direct benefits from the tourism inflow, it may lead to frustration, dissatisfaction and distress among the locals too.
