1. Can you give us brief of your hospitality journey?
Hospitality has been a consistent trade in our family for years. After the untimely demise of my late brother who was the pioneer of Sayaji, I decided to try my best to carry his dream of expansion forward. After a lot of learning and growth in the past 10 years, our numbers speak the rest.
2) How has the home grown brand, Sayaji Hotels established itself in the central and western parts of the country?
In the year 1987, my brother Late Mr. Sajid Razak Dhanani (the Ex. Managing Director) came up with the first Sayaji Hotel in the city of Vadodara. With remarkable success of the Vadodara Hotel we acquired land and built several luxury properties in Indore, Raipur & Pune. Our group kept expanding by adding hotels and resorts on management at Kolhapur, Bhopal, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Rau, Nashik, Aurangabad and Dehradun.
3) Since Sayaji Hotels has been named after Sayajirao Gaekwad III, who was the Maharaja of Baroda, how deeply rooted is the Sayaji Hotel brand to its roots F&B, Amenities, Services etc.
Our group has been named Sayaji to pay homage to the former king of Baroda, Sayajirao Gaekwad. Our hospitality is deeply rooted in a unique combination of extraordinary experiences, high performance and strong human values. Ultra luxurious accommodation, soul-pampering amenities, fine dining and grand banquet halls enhances the guest experience, mirroring the royalty the brand is built on.
4) What was it like to venture into the Northern regions of India such as Dehradun? How differently is the property designed in a different state that will cater to its locals in the best way possible?
Effotel by Sayaji, Dehradun will always be the special star in our sky as we entered into Northern region with this hotel while it was a greenfield project. Our expertise has been added to the unit right from commencement till completion. Today we are catering to locals, domestic and international travellers all over the world. The unit has spacious 65 rooms, 2 large banqueting facilities, Cube – The Coffee Shop catering the locals with delicacies of Northern region and rest of India. With huge demand from locals for FNB facilities and influx of leisure travellers all over India to Dehradun we are expecting to exceed our budgets for the year 22-23 and looking forward to opening many more hotels in leisure destinations pan India.
5) The tag ‘Affordable luxury’ is not a buzzword. How do Sayaji hotels define the same?
Luxury shouldn’t be restricted to certain people, everyone deserves to indulge themselves unconditionally. Sayaji Hotels define affordable luxury as unmatched hospitality at our lavish properties offering stylish rooms, multiple eateries, elegant event venues and upscale amenities at an affordable price.
6) Is there any specific international trend that the hotel follows?
Sayaji Hotels have moved towards digitalization by introducing QR code payments, digital restaurant menus, voice control electronic devices etc. In the foreseeable future Sayaji Hotels would like to invest in voice activated elevators, service robots, personalization of guest service tools etc. This will result in enhanced guest experience.
7) Two things that you would like to change to the current hospitality industry?
I would like to make training and development an everyday priority instead of a one-time event. This promotes the growth of employees and helps them achieve job satisfaction. I would also like to provide personalized customer service in all areas. The happiness of every customer matters. learning and growth in the past 10 years, our numbers speak the rest.
