Travel + Leisure - India & South Asia
May I Help You... Virtually?
In the absence of patrons, Indian hospitality players have begun to offer brand experiences online. Could this be the future of travel? RIAAN JACOB GEORGE probes.
mania.” W Goa, known for its flamboyant lifestyle offerings, kept the entertainment value up during the lockdown with live sunset DJ sessions, a virtual seven-day detox with a yoga coach, and a live cocktail session in partnership with Pernod Ricard.
The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts (oberoihotels.com) has also been on-board the knowledge-share bandwagon, posting a host of immunity-building recipes on their website. Created and conceptualised by the group’s in-house team, this was a culinary brand building exercise of sorts, where larger audiences, including both patrons and non-patrons of the hotel, could be part of the brand experience.
BUILDING A LIFESTYLE
A few brands stepped back to focus on the bigger picture of hospitality. Sports, entertainment, and food were harnessed in Accor’s (all.accor.com) global campaign #ALLatHome, a virtual brand extension of its Accor Live Limitless division. Ibis Music, for instance, was a very successful gig-driven programme at Ibis hotels across the country. Ibis India decided to repackage Ibis Music as #GigsatHome. Every Friday, artists like The Gilsons,
Prachi Kapil, AZTEC, and The Suryansh Project took over the Ibis India Instagram handle to perform live gigs. “In addition to providing a platform to young artists, we wanted to deliver unique experiences to our virtual community, as our in-house gigs are on hold for now. The idea is to entertain and stay connected,” says Sylvain Laroche, director of operations, Ibis India.
Another strategic move was when a mass market brand like Amul partnered with a luxury hotel to reach new audiences. JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar (marriott.com) collaborated with Amul India to create a range of easy home recipes, bringing the former’s premium content and experiences into a more relatable context. The final objective was “to craft virtual experiences for guests to bridge the distance,” says Anshuman Bali, the hotel’s executive chef.
Wellness has been one of the most hotly debated topics in recent times, and ITC Hotels’ (itchotels.com) campaign, Digital Master Series, is a noteworthy branding exercise. Through six wellness videos, the luxury group is communicating its narrative of well-being. The campaign, Wellbeing Master Series by Kaya Kalp, is driven by Dr Suraj Dubey, head of spa and wellness. The first session on palm reflexology, focussed on boosting immunity and vitality, was conducted by Dr Mamtha, the resident naturopathy physician at ITC Grand Chola Chennai. “On closer analysis of the market, we found that wellness is one of the most significant areas of guest engagement. This is indicative of a trend, one that will find greater meaning in our future offerings. We need to retain engagement with both guests and our social media community,” the home-grown luxury group’s COO, Anil Chadha, tells us.