Nakul Anand
When the changes are of such great magnitude, it may not be prudent to keep trying different angles. Instead, reinforce your strengths and reimagine solutions for the new order using these assets
The biggest challenge that companies faced recently was uncertainty. So, how does one deal with it? According to Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC, the golden rule in any critical or uncertain situation is to stick to the basics and let that be the source of all innovation. “When the changes are of such great magnitude, it may not be prudent to keep trying different angles. Instead, reinforce your strengths and reimagine solutions for the new order using these assets,” he recommended.
For ITC Hotels, the Gourmet Couch & Flavours and its F&B mobile app were clear winners. The challenges posed by the pandemic also reinforced the company’s belief in ‘Responsible Luxury’. It also went the extra mile to ensure the wellbeing of its associates.
In addition to vaccination drives and medical assistance to employees, it started the ‘Conversations to Connect’ initiative. Each HOD of a hotel made 5 to 10 calls daily to employees across various levels to stay updated about their well-being employees and also that of their family. This was followed by the DMC and Functional Heads at the Divisional level.
GROWING, GROWING, GROWN
ITC’s hotel group operates under four brands – ‘ITC Hotels’ at the luxury end, ‘WelcomHotel’ in the five-star segment, ‘Fortune’ in the mid-market- to-upscale sector and ‘WelcomHeritage’ in the heritage leisure domain. Earlier this year, it launched, Storii, a collection of intimate-sized boutique upscale lifestyle properties for the new age traveller.
“ITC Hotels offers comprehensive hospitality solutions through over 100 hotels in over 70 destinations in India. Of these, 14 are part of ITC Hotels Luxury Collection, and 21 are WelcomHotel properties. These are a mix of owned and managed properties.
ITC Colombo will be our first foray in the international segment,” Anand elaborated. Having consolidated its position in the luxury segment, ITC Hotels is looking at expansion across all brands with an asset-right approach.
POSITIVE SIGNS
The easing of restrictions signals a positive trend as guests show increased willingness to travel and dine out again. Every hotel brand is keen to extend services that offer them a safe and holistic experience. ITC Hotels got a jumpstart with ‘WeAssure’ which redefined its hotel operations along the lines of social distancing, well-being and contact light services. Incidentally, it is the world’s first chain to receive the DNV Platinum Certification for the programme.
While COVID-19 poses key short-term and long-term issues, Anand noted that the industry will rebound quickly once the worst of the pandemic is over. Since this recovery might be tempered by prolonged economic performance, he suggested that hotels be prepared for multiple scenarios that might unfold. The key will be to react to the short-term issues that arise but then quickly pivot to long-term planning and identification of opportunities.
