Till early last year, ITC Grand Central’s luxurious lobby would be humming with business travellers checking in or out, or meeting peers in the coffee shop.
Cut to 2020.
With the suspension of international travel, these working professionals pivoted from in-person meetings and events to virtual platforms. However, Amit Kumar, General Manager, ITC Grand Central took all this in his stride. He believes that for corporates, post-crisis return will take some time and business travel will revive at a slower pace than leisure travel.
“We are actively engaging with our corporate clients to tailor our services to suit their needs and requirements better and are hopeful that this sector will bounce back to its potential soon,” he stated, since as domestic travel has resumed. “While the entire industry is adapting to the new normal, we adapted to the changing situation and re-imagined our business models and offerings to cater to our
guests more efficiently and effectively.”
Moreover, the widely adopted work-from-home culture has opened a new way of conducting business. This resulted in immediate as well as but potentially longer-lasting ones implications for business travel. However, in the face of adversity, Kumar found several opportunities to restructure the business.
STAY SAFE, STAY SUCCESSFUL
The most decisive element that the hotel worked towards enhancing was the quintessential warmth synonymous with ITC Grand Central. Moreover, it streamlined its operations to enhance consumer experiences without compromising on the responsible luxury ethos associated with ITC Hotels.
“One of the most important thing for us is reassuring guests of the sanitisation and hygiene standards being followed. The ‘WeAssure’ programme is our commitment towards our guests’ health, hygiene and safety,” Kumar stated. This programme is designed in collaboration with medical professionals and disinfection experts to augment the existing hygiene and cleaning protocols across all ITC Hotels.
The reason is simple. Health and safety precautions are now a more significant factor in determining where guests choose to stay rather than price. In other words, consumers feel most confident about travelling to places where contact with other people can either be minimised or controlled in a way that lowers the risk of infection.
Kumar read this message loud and clear. “Prioritising health and safety practices isn’t just the right thing to do, it is the key to giving travellers the confidence to return. It is important, then, to view new health and safety practices in the proper context,” he pointed out.
And while many hoteliers are concerned about the added investment for implementing these hygiene protocols, he believes they cannot be considered as a cost. “Rather, this is a value proposition that should be front and centre in how destinations and hotels market themselves to potential travellers,” he advised.
Well-being, sustainability, safety and hygiene are catchwords that gain customer attention.
FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE DRIVES NEW THINKING
Over the past few months, customer behaviour towards lifestyle choices has seen a dramatic change. Well-being, sustainability, safety and hygiene are catchwords that gain their attention. And when it comes to F&B, their preferences will be based on healthy eating and sustainable food produce.
This is where ITC Hotels can score lots of points with guests. Its 10-year strong ‘Responsible Luxury’ ethos underscores ITC Hotels’ culinary initiatives to present cuisine experiences while adhering to elevated standards of food safety and hygiene.
Keeping in line with industry trends and customer preferences, the hotel chain designed Gourmet Couch, a specially curated menu from its restaurants for takeaways. As part of its responsible dining initiative, it also partnered with food delivery platforms so that customers could continue enjoying their favourite dishes from popular restaurants of the hotel while staying at home.
This helped boost ITC Grand Central’s F&B revenue, which was significantly impacted by the lockdown, like that of all hotels in the industry. Moreover, it devised a 360-degree approach to ensure that both room and non-room revenue are boosted as the momentum to travel increases.
“Post the lockdown, the sentiment towards travel and hospitality was poor. This meant that room revenue ended up taking a significant beating. However, at ITC Grand Central, we looked at innovative ways to boost non-room revenues. This included partnering with on-demand delivery platform for food delivery to provide signature dishes from our restaurants to customers,” Kumar explained.
As the situation improves, there is a pent-up demand to travel People want to re-live the joy of a relaxed vacation with family. To cater to this growing segment of travellers, the hotel introduced an all-in-getaway package, which elicited good response. “Additionally, as more people are going back to offices, MICE travel is also gaining traction,” Kumar pointed out.
ONE BIG FAMILY
While the global pandemic tested the hospitality industry’s ability to change, ITC Grand Central encouraged its employees to utilise the time to upgrade their skill set. From initiatives pertaining to mental health, to hosting virtual classes for skill development, Kumar’s team took the time during the lockdown as an opportunity to learn more and broaden their horizons even further. This has led to a workforce that is now multi-skilled.
“At ITC Grand Central, we felt it was imperative to keep employee morale high. Our HR team was constantly in touch with employees and were proactively enquiring about their well-being and that of their families. We are one big family and at difficult times such as this, families support each other. That is exactly what we have also done,” Kumar maintained.
He believes that multitasking will be the mantra, going forth. According to him, more than focusing on lean teams, hoteliers should concentrate on enabling and empowering each team member to contribute to the best of their ability and learn in the process.
Over the past year, Kumar has taken every opportunity to streamline and reorganise business processes in preparation for an eventual rebound, post-COVID-19. While others might rue the year gone by, he would rather call it productive. He is confident that the transformational changes that ITC Grand Central undertook since March 2020 will have positive ramifications for years to come.
