‘We anticipate an increase in MICE business in the coming months’
Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, the first Sheraton to be crown ‘Grand’ in South-Asia, is located in the neighbourhood of Malleswaram. The hotel forms a part of the expansive Brigade Gateway lifestyle enclave comprising of the World Trade Centre office tower, the massive Orion Mall and Multiplex, green space, a manmade lake, and more. Vikalp Raj, Director of Sales and Marketing, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, shares more on the MICE perspective in the current market conditions.
Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway is positioned as the city’s leading corporate hotel with a strong focus on the MICE market due to its large convention facilities. The hotel consists of 230 guest rooms, including eight restaurants and bars.
MICE has always been a major revenue generator for the hotels but with the current times, there has been a cap on the maximum number of guests that can be accommodated in a particular space. Customers are shifting to hybrid events where organisers host a meeting with few participants at the hotel and the attendees are part of it virtually. Currently, the wedding segment is helping in driving the volumes for the hotels. Smaller residential social events are the new trend from now till quarter one of 2021, in lines with current government guidelines.
“In the coming months, we are anticipating an increase in MICE business as compared to the past two quarters. Resorts have started experiencing small MICE movements. People want to host a small conference in a resort destination for change in the environment and also an event in isolation. From February 2021, city-wide events are going to take place in Bengaluru like Aero Show, for which we have started to get queries from various companies,” shares Vikalp.
Their pillar-less Grand Ballroom is one of the city’s largest and features modern architecture and design that will impress any gathering. Its 640 square metres can accommodate up to 800 guests theatre-style. They also have a selection of meeting venues that can serve as breakaway rooms, as well as a 640-square-metre prefunction area for exhibitions and displays.
In these challenging times, alternative revenue sources are also important. Vikalp shares, “The major alternative revenue source is the social segment, self-isolation and staycations. While people are using their own vehicles for family getaways, they are using hotels in the city for transit. Home delivery of food is also another segment where we have seen a good customer response. Our full board staycation package has seen a rise in the bookings for people wanting a small and quick break without going out of the city.”