Seven months back, not many would have thought of hosting a wedding with a 100-people guest list. The coronavirus pandemic has significantly altered the idea of hosting lavish weddings. They are now a low-key and muted affair, bound by social distancing norms and restrictions.
The ongoing health and economic crisis have downsized the lavish celebrations into more intimate and cautious ones, with emphasis on top-notch hygiene and safety norms. In these uncertain times, the demand for safe and hygienic wedding venues is on the rise. Most couples are turning to five-star hotels to host their wedding owing to their enhanced safety and hygiene standards. Hotels, too, are implementing tough protocols to leverage the weddings segment, which has picked up considerably, especially in Tier-II and III cities and destination resorts.
For IHCL-owned Taj Group of Hotels, wedding celebrations— with a CAGR of 15 % over the last five years—have been a notable contributor to their revenues. Owing to COVID-19-induced lockdown in the first quarter, all their business, including weddings, were impacted. With the gradual easing of restrictions on numbers and borders, the Tata group’s hospitality arm is now receiving ample enquiries for weddings.
While at IHCL group hotels, the number of weddings has scaled up to last year’s numbers, their size has been scaled down. Photograph: Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad.
According to Renu Basu, Senior Vice President – Global Sales & Marketing, IHCL the number of weddings has scaled to last year’s numbers, but the size has been scaled down. She confirmed that the pipeline of wedding events across their hotels looks robust in the coming months. “This is basis the pent up demand of the first and second quarter due to postponed events and the opportunity presented by families opting for hosting weddings in India against international destinations,” she adds.
Basu highlights that their landmark hotels in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Agra, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have been hosting several small-sized weddings for the past few months. The hotel group is also seeing a rising interest in theme-based and beach weddings. “Royal-themed weddings at our grand palaces in Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad continue to be a popular choice, whereas beach weddings in Goa, Kovalam and Bekal are much sought after,” she added.
The focus for most hotels is on contactless dining and contact-lite food service and social distancing norms.
Apart from this, resorts and hotels at a drivable distance from cities— Mahabalipuram from Chennai, Damdama, Rishikesh and Corbett from Delhi as well as Nashik, at a few hours from Mumbai—are witnessing a significant number of small weddings.
Roseate Hotels & Resorts, which resumed operations in September 2020, is seeing some recovery in bookings and enquiries for the 2020 wedding season. “We have planned over 20 weddings this year,” says CEO Kush Kapoor. He believes the pick-up will probably take a couple of weeks before people begin socializing in smaller groups.
The only challenge, points out Kapoor, is a reduced gathering, a result of a dip in overall hotel revenue and guest expectations of lower rates. Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences’ general manager, Sandeep
Johri, echoes a similar sentiment. The hotel resumed hosting weddings from June onwards and the wedding segment’s contribution to the bottom-line has been comparatively lower due to capping on the size of the gathering.
A venue partner, capable of hosting two weddings is faced with executing four weddings on a particular date. Utmost attention to contact-lite food service is the new normal. “The challenge comes in the form of volume,” says Johri. However, in such situations, the hotel endeavours to more than deal with them through strict adherence to social distancing norms and new hygiene protocols while retaining the very essence of hospitality and top-class service.
“This is possible at an enhanced cost but the safety of our guests and staff remains our top priority,” he adds. Johri adds that one of the reasons why the ‘Big Fat Indian wedding’ market is unlikely to be affected long term by the ongoing pandemic or any known turmoil, leave alone a recession is due to importance attached to auspicious dates.
Indian families are known to plan weddings well in advance so that they can be hosted on the auspicious
dates. He contends that a majority of the auspicious dates are towards the latter half of 2020. While there have been several changed plans and the size of the gatherings have been curtailed, the number of weddings has only seen an upward curve. Some weddings that had been planned between May to July 2020, have been pushed to Q4 of 2020.
Innovation as a bounce-back strategy
Despite facing several challenges, including the smaller scale of weddings and social distancing norms and restrictions, hotels are carving out innovative experience and going the extra mile to assure memorable wedding experiences.
Venue Preference (The outdoor v/s indoor set-up)
There is growing concern about lack of cross-ventilation in closed venues. There is a significant shift in preference for outdoor spaces. Johri adds, “Though indoor wedding venues have their benefits, a grandiose poolside day wedding or an evening wedding on an open terrace or garden is witnessing high demand.” He highlights the fact that Kolkata experiences pleasant winter months, which may lead to more outdoor weddings this year.
Many couples are planning a daytime wedding ceremony, which has sparked a new trend i.e open-air, day wedding celebrations. In a bid to leverage this trend, Hyatt Regency Delhi is offering 32,050sq.ft of event space with a combination of function, form and technology. “The Mansion, a new space at Hyatt Regency Delhi, offers an annexe garden attached to the oval room for guests who want an outdoor Vedic ceremony,” informs General Manager Julian Ayers.
Hyatt Regency has initiated open interactive kitchens at their venues. “Guests are more comfortable with the idea of open show kitchen and bar that foster connection. Not only do they add a dramatic element to the celebrations, but increases the confidence of guests in the safety and hygiene protocols,” adds Ayers.
While most hotels have reported a significant rise in the demand for outdoor venues, The Leela Palace Chennai is receiving more enquiries for indoor venues. According to Director of Sales and Marketing, Ranjith Reddy, the hotel is hosting weddings in both their indoor and outdoor venues. “Our large pillar-less banquets provide ample space to ensure social distancing norms, which makes it an ideal and most preferred venue for weddings,” states Reddy.
What works in favour of an indoor venue at The Leela Palace Chennai is its separate banquet entrance. “It ensures the privacy of guests and separates the venues from the rest of the hotel, ensuring minimal contact in either wing of the hotel. This helps us adhere to all the social distancing norms and measures mandated by the government to host safe and intimate weddings,” he adds.
The Leela Chennai blends sophistication with royal touches for a grand wedding. PHOTOGRAPH: THE LEELA CHENNAI.
Tech-enabled wedding experiences
Technology adoption has been the biggest pandemic trend across all hospitality segments. Right from the mandatory thermal screening of guests at the hotel entrance to contactless check-in via QR code and digital menus, a lot has evolved in the past few months.
Given that weddings will be an intimate affair owing to the capping on the number of guests, relatives or friends of the couple based at distant locations may prefer being a part of the celebration virtually. This essentially means that live streaming of wedding ceremonies will emerge as a trend shortly. Right from virtual tours to e-meetings, hotels across the globe are now integrating these new-age tech experiences into their wedding portfolio.
Hyatt Hotels are working to roll out enhanced digital amenities that offer guests more control over how they connect with the hotel. “Technology will be a crucial instrument in driving our mission to serve our guests safely. Contactless menus and payment options, QR codes and other such tools that help decrease physical contact with guests would play a major role. Besides, we are also offering virtual inspections of the site on the request of the guests,” informs Ayers.
The present situation calls for a reduction in the number of visits to the hotel for finalizing the details. Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences have devised social-table platforms to demonstrate their products and offerings virtually. “With this technology, you can conduct a site recce virtually. You can also have an extensive picture-sharing of proposed venues, along with repeated video calls with our specialized chefs and banqueting team to ensure the client feels involved in every stage of the discussion and wedding planning,” affirms General Manager Sandeep Johri.
The Leela Palace Chennai is using Cisco’s WebEx product extensively to connect with guests, make presentations and host meetings as well as virtual tours of their banquets. Roseate Hotels & Resorts are organizing a virtual tour of the hotel as well as online meetings, besides live kitchen access.
Rejigging the interiors
Reconfiguration of seating and banquet set-ups are crucial to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection. Wedding venues should opt for bigger tables with limited seating to maintain distance between people. Apart from revising the seating capacity in each hall, maintaining a minimum of 6 feet distance between each table and chair is a must. Buffet access with limited guest access and food served on table or by dedicated serving staff on the counter are some of the steps being adopted.
An integral part of any wedding is the décor, traditionally a high-contact arena. There will be changes here too: Use of more artificial flowers and accessories that can be thoroughly sanitised and the arrangements should be such that guests or hosts can move around without touching it.
The Leela Palace Chennai’s large pillar-less banquets provide ample space to ensure social distancing norms.
Stepping up the hygiene quotient
As living with COVID-19 becomes normal, hygiene and safety are the need of the hour. Hotels are going the extra mile to assure the health and safety of guests. From placing sneeze-guards on service counters to ensuring maintenance of social distancing, hotels are ensuring a seamless experience for safe and intimate wedding ceremonies.
The covers at the venue will be placed at a minimum of two-metre distance, and the kitchen and service staff will wear PPE (masks, gloves & other protective gear) at all times. Moreover, regular temperature checks of staff will continue to be a part of the new normal. Personnel from areas designated as hot spots will be discouraged in the hotel premises. Besides, strict vendor entry and exit protocols have been enabled to procure the décor that adds to the grandeur without sacrificing the safety of our guests or associates.
A look at the necessary precautionary measures practiced by the hotels before and during wedding ceremonies:
Before the Wedding:
- Increased frequency of cleaning with hospital- grade disinfectants of all high-touch surfaces.
- Social distancing guidance in public areas.
- Temperature checks for all colleagues, guests and partners entering the event space.
- Virtual site inspection available on request.
- Introducing contactless service throughoutthe hotel.
- Prominently placed hand sanitizer stations across the venue.
- Protective masks and other PPE for colleagues.
- Implementation of enhanced hygiene, safety and hygiene protocols throughout event spaces.
- Information and protocols to be discussed with guests about the entry process in the event spaces.
- Reworking the seating plan and capacity of the venues as per social distancing.
During Wedding Celebrations:
- All guests will be required to sanitize their hands while entering the venue.
- Restriction of entry without a face mask.
- Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes will be kept on each table as an amenity.
- Minimal verbal interaction between guests and team members.
- Beverage trays are placed in front of the guests for them to help themselves.
- Starters/snacks to be proportioned in small bowls and are served on tables.
- Sealed water bottles along with sanitized upside-down water glasses are pre-set and placed on each table.
- Replace buffet layout with pre-plated food in individual portion.
- Any equipment brought in by third-party vendors to be disinfected before entering the premises.
Recreating the F&B experience
Touchless menus available to guests can be conveniently scanned via the QR code.
Food is at the heart of every celebration. The COVID pandemic has changed the way a buffet used to look. The focus, now, is on contact lite. Johri claims, “The focus will be on cooking small portions of food. Unique concepts of bowl meals and cuisine specific counters offer variety but help us to distribute the guests across different counters.”
Self-help buffets will become outdated. Safety norms mandate live counter stations to maintain a distance between the team and guests. A protective see-through shield serves as a barrier. One-bowl eats and pre-plated starters dispensed from counters are the new concepts.
“The menus would become concept-driven and unique. Bringing the kitchen out in front of the guest will be the new normal. This will offer confidence to guests about the hygiene practices being followed. Mono portions, the freshness of ingredients and sanitization protocols will gain importance. Live cooking will help in reducing the wastage as well,” adds Johri.
Commenting on the changes in the F&B services, Reddy opines, “Buffets are being reduced and menus are being tweaked to suit live cooking and sit-down service. In a bid to ensure freshness and minimal wastage, the focus is on cooking food in smaller quantities.”
In terms of restaurants, the menu will focus on a la carte. “We have made touchless menus available to guests that can be conveniently scanned via the QR code. Guest cutlery is sanitized and pre-packed in our SURAKSHA pouches, to ensure safety and healthy dining experience,” informs Reddy.
Most hotels are offering attractive wedding packages to drive up demand. If The Leela Palace Chennai’s
attractive package includes complimentary airport transfers by BMW Sedans for the bride and groom, Hyatt Regency Delhi has announced a special honeymoon offer. Guests can simply request offer code HMOON and enter into a contract by December 31, 2022, to host the wedding or commitment ceremony and they will earn World of Hyatt Bonus Points redeemable towards free nights with no blackout dates. Now, we will wait for the guests to bite the bait.
