Zubin Saxena

When the hospitality industry bemoaned the disruption wrecked by the pandemic, Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) quietly went about its business. It introduced two new brands – Radisson Individuals in 2020 and Radisson RED this year. Talking about this, Zubin Saxena, MD & VP, South Asia, RHG said that Classic Grande Imphal is the first member of the Radisson Individuals family while it is prepping up to announce Radisson RED Chandigarh, Mohali shortly.

“With Radisson Individuals, our newest affiliation brand, we have been equipped with speed to market. The brand will help us expand our portfolio and go into newer destinations and explore newer investor relationships. Radisson RED will support our repositioning efforts and usher in a new culture of unconventional, bold and unique hospitality,” Saxena said.

SUSTAINABILITY ABOVE ALL ELSE

RHG leveraged the pandemic as an opportunity to enrich its culture with all its stakeholders, something it believes is not built by one person but takes the effort of every member of an organisation.

Moreover, while building hotels, immense thought is given to different aspects such as sustainability, hotel design, innovation and pioneering new concepts. One big shift in the hotel chain’s approach with regards to its existing hotels and those under development is on sustainability. Saxena himself has been spending considerable time learning new concepts for hotel operations and design affecting sustainability.

The other big learning has been transparent and consistent communication. RHG connected with stakeholders by hosting monthly digital town halls, leadership sessions with guest speakers, newsletters with preventive measures of pandemic and more.

It also ensured that none of its hotels closed. “Once the restrictions were lifted, we were able to visit all our hotels regularly and interact with people across levels,” Saxena added.

GOING STRONG
The pandemic did not change RHG’s decisions to develop more hotels. In fact, Saxena is proud that the company could achieve progress in adversity with a close eye on the balance sheet. He added that the RHG would strengthen its presence in leisure destinations with the addition of six upper upscale resorts this year. Radisson Blu Resort, Dharamshala, Radisson Blu Resort Visakhapatnam and Radisson Resort & Spa Lonavala opened recently while resort additions in Goa, Pondicherry and Pahalgam are to follow.

“We are making a big push for expansion in tier-4 and 5 cities, formulating our plans and strategies in this direction to mark the next phase of business expansion,” Saxena revealed. Another key focus area is F&B. RHG is making strategic plans to capture this segment in a big way and is keeping its eye out for talent, partnerships and investments.