Goa, a tiny emerald land on the west coast of India, is known for its leisure experiences and pristine beaches. A few of them know that this destination offers much more than just relaxing in the sun. When selecting a leisure hotel, guests are not only looking for resorts which provide tailored hospitality but also seek the ‘so close-yet- so far’ location for their vacations.
Tucked between lush forest and calming waters of Mandovi river, the beautiful Doubletree by Hilton Goa Panaji is located just ten minutes from the UNESCO world heritage site at Old Goa. Wrapped in nature’s bounty, the hotel reflects a true blend of Goan culture and luxury.
Resha Naik, Marketing and Communications Manager at Doubletree by Hilton Goa Panaji, states that “Our serene resort location surrounded by nature with mesmerising views of the river and numerous activities for every traveller, coupled with the flawless service, is what sets us apart — making us a popular resort destination in Goa”.
Personalised hospitality
This luxury property makes a relaxing staycation option with well-appointed rooms. Leaving no stones unturned, Doubletree by Hilton Goa Panaji keeps a closer watch on their guest’s needs for a real-time personalised hospitality experience. Shiv Bose, the general manager of the property, articulates, “We have infused technology to ensure that we offer real-time personalised hospitality. A digital key in your mobile phone lets you open your room, and our chatbot “Kipsu” ensures guests can message us round the clock for assistance. To further elevate the experience, we have initiated “Chatter”, a connected technology that aids the department to realise and understand guest needs. Our “Dare to Delight” program gives an allowance to every department for a discretionary spend towards delighting a guest.”
He further adds, “As we continue to elevate our offerings, we shall keep a close watch on our guests’ needs and will strive to make their stay truly memorable, reminiscent of our brand and lineage.”
Empowerment guideline
The hotel has created a unique empowerment guideline that is tiered for every designation. This serves as a virtue to the team member who can make decisions instantaneously and not rely solely on their managers.
They also have tied up with Amazon to award gift vouchers to their team members, recognised by guests on feedback platforms, thus creating an environment of appreciation.
The hotel has recently started an initiative where they pay for the crèche facility of infants below the age of four years to ensure working parents are not burdened with the welfare of the child during work hours.
In addition to the above, the hotel has also provided fully furnished apartments to their team members, thus ensuring a healthy work-life balance.
Enhancing local delicacies
With a rich Portuguese influence in the Goan cuisine, the guests look out for local delicacies within the hotel, anticipating a more conceptualised menu. The hotel offers three multi-cuisine restaurants, including a rustic Goan restaurant ‘Feliz’. Narasimha Kamat, the Executive Chef at the hotel, explains, “Ever since the relaunch of Feliz, we have received numerous appreciation for the cuisine. We wish to take this forward and explore opportunities beyond the realm of the resort with outdoor catering. With the new banquet venue, we have conceptualised menus and breaks in keeping with the culture of Goa. Guests can opt for a theme that effuses the ethos of sun and sand whilst enjoying the local delicacies. Our new breakfast addition, “Goa with Love”, offers a host of local cuisines for guests who seek a detour from the regular offerings.”
A cordial welcome
With the growth in the range of hotel competitors in Goa, the way hotels treat their guests once they step foot into the lobby plays an important role. For their loyalty to guests’ growth, minute details such as personal attention and customisation are critical aspects of the business. Kiran Rathi, Front Office Manager, reveals, “Attention to detail is the key to a rewarding service experience. It is advisable to plan for every arrival and departure and be forthright to assist guests.”
Diving into customisation
To seek comfort, the guests usually prefer a room which makes them feel welcomed and special. Diverse customisation of amenities and touchpoints within the room is essential to make a guest feel delighted. Gangadhar Khandare, Executive Houskeeper, explains, “We plan for each guest stay and take it upon ourselves to acclimatise the guests to the resort. Each room is decorated for celebrations, and touchpoints like towel art, and surprise amenities are placed to make their stay extra special. Team members are encouraged to use their discretion and aesthetic sensibilities to provide an enriching stay experience. ‘Minibar on us’ provides the guest with the first fill with our compliments and has been greatly appreciated by guests.”
He further adds, “We have four room categories ranging from forest views to river views. This diverse option with variable price points assists guests in choosing a room of choice to make their vacation memorable. Whilst the hospitality remains the same for all room categories, the view and room size alters for the higher categories for an enhanced effect.”
All about MICE
With the pandemic lifting off from the hospitality segment’s shoulders, MICE segments in Goa seem to be climbing upwards. To further enhance this experience, Doubletree by Hilton Goa Panaji has showcased some MICE segment offers. Mousumi Sharma, Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, says, “We have rolled out some interesting MICE offers with value propositions starting from Rs. 1. Yes, you read it right; guests can add Re. 1 in their room bill to avail of complimentary airport transfers. We also have a host of value packages for guests who wish to conduct their events with us. It ranges from customised tea breaks to an innovative buffet and set menu options. Capped under the banner “Events at Infinity”, guests can choose from a plethora of options to make their events truly special.”
The hotel recently unveiled a 3,400 square feet banquet space which can be divided into two halls. Preeti Sawant, Associate Director of Sales, expounds, “Being an idyllic location perched atop a mountain, we used to get a host of queries for MICE and other social events. The banquet space is a boon since we will now be able to materialise all corporate and social queries. Our new value-based offers mingled with our general promotions will add impetus to the overall sale of banquet spaces, which consequently will give additional fodder to the top line.”
Seamless operations
Post-Covid, Doubletree by Hilton Goa Panaji has not only been following the safety parameters, but also ensuring that the guest’s stay is not disturbed by any means. Amar Albuquerque, Director of Operations, avers, “Whilst we still follow heightened sanitisation protocols for public area and guest rooms, the erstwhile scrutiny from guests on these parameters have lessened, and they seem to be more at ease.”
The hotel even ensures an exclusive kids program for the little ones enjoying their quality time in the resort. Albuquerque further explains, “Amongst the many initiatives would like to highlight our kid’s program that sets us apart. Every child staying at the resort gets a gift bag that has a toy, chocolates and an armband. We take every child through a playful check-in experience and have a surprise and delightful moment during the stay. All children at the resort can partake in the 11 resort activities and enjoy unlimited servings of ice cream during their stay. The resort has toy train rides along with four play zones for children of different age groups.”
Amping up the social media game
With the recent growth of digital marketing and online engagements with guests, the hotel is keen on setting its social media marketing game higher than before. Resha Naik, the Marketing and Communications Manager, explains, “Digital marketing and social media is the way forward. As per the data available, age of 108 minutes per day on YouTube compared to other platforms. Short, engaging video content is overly enjoyed by the masses. Hence we are investing time in producing and creating rich video content for our followers.”
She further adds, “‘Word of mouth is the most realistic form of marketing, and hence we ensure that our guests are well taken care of the moment they set foot at the resort. With the repeated positive feedback, we have moved up to being #8 out of 1907 hotels in Goa on TripAdvisor, which is proof of amazing experiences.”
Nailing hospitality parameters
From curating the ampleness of in-house and outdoor recreational activities to offering delicacy from the coastal regions of India, this beautiful property is nothing less than the embodiment of intimacy and tradition. With so much to offer, the property sums up as an ideal destination for a peaceful and leisurely vacation in the heart of Goa and will continue to do so. When asked about what the future holds for the hotel, General
Manager, Shiv Bose, concludes, “This is a simple answer, the best resort in Goa in all hospitality parameters.”
