SHREYAS RETREAT

BANGALORE TARIFFS: Poolside cottages and garden tented cottages cost `27,500 per night; Three-bedroom cottages are priced at `37,000 per night UNIQUENESS: Spread over 25 acres, the resort is themed around yoga and wellness. The yoga is taught in traditional ashram style, yet guests live in environment associated with luxury Sher Bagh 18 years ago, hardly 2 per cent guests used to be Indian. That trend continued till quite recently. That figure is over 20 per cent [ now]. The affluent Indians who used to travel abroad are now starting to enjoy the experiences that lie within,” says SUJAN’s Singh. Joerg Drechsel, a delegate of the Asian chapter at R&C, says, “The domestic market is growing fast; we expect it to grow to 50 per cent of guest arrivals.”

“There have been ups and downs in the number of inbound tourists over the past few years. There are new destinations such as Sri Lanka and Indonesia that are competing with India for international travellers. However, domestic tourism is here to stay,” says THRS’s Goel.

The luxury boutique hotel market is burgeoning but could grow even faster. The owners are mostly HNIs, industrialists and royal families. Beyond them, it’s difficult for anybody to enter this space as government policies do not favour high-end properties with small room inventories. For instance, to apply for a bar licence, a hotel needs to have a minimum number of rooms. The online chatter on platforms such as Tripadvisor and Expedia has made travellers confident about seeking out adventures beyond the traditional destinations. The hotels that can create lasting memories will stand out. ~