Belmond goes city hopping
Belmond recently held its second annual roadshow in India covering Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai from September 19-23, 2016.
Acollection of unique travel experiences, Belmond has its presence in 23 countries around the world, says Shane Arnold, Regional Director of Sales-Asia Pacific, Belmond. "We have built our collection over the last 40 years. We are very much based on experiential travel. We are more leisure based than corporate,” he adds.
Arnold adds, “I have been personally travelling to India and this is my 6th or 8th time. Many of our properties were part of the Leading Hotels of the World. So I have attended the Leading roadshow for several years. We over that time built our business here in India, to the point where we made a full time commitment to be in the market place. We have seen a growth in this market that is why we continue to invest more and more each year.”
Giving an update on the group’s aggressive growth plans, Maria Kuhn, Corporate Director of Communications, Belmond, says, “We plan to double the size of the company in the next five years. By 2020, we will have hotels in operation or signed deals and doubling of profit as well. We are also looking at making their existing more efficient.” Listing their three pronged strategy, she said, “Firstly we want to drive topline growth and bottom-line results. Secondly we want to increase the brand awareness; Belmond will provide authentic escapes to some of the most luxurious properties in the world. These would stand for well being, nature and culture. Thirdly we want to increase our global footprint.” She adds, “Therefore we are looking to buy newer resort properties and also at pure management contracts.”