The ‘lighter’ side of Mayfair

Bjorn DeNiese,Vice President, Business Development at Mayfair Hotels & Resorts, on the group’s foray into a lighter model of leasing and managing hotels

Mayfair Hotels & Resorts has appointed Bjorn DeNiese as Vice President, Business Development. In the new role, he will be responsible for spearheading the group’s future, as it aims to launch a new sub-brand.

Tell us about your new role at Mayfair.

Mayfair Hotels & Resorts has always owned and operated its hotels. With this new vertical, we will get into the management, franchise, and lease segments of operating hotels. So, it’s a much lighter, rapidly growing model we’re looking at.

The new vertical will initially focus on the East of the country and subsequently look to make headway to central and North East India. The upcoming projects include Raipur (early 2019) as well as Siliguri and Kolkata (2020). The new vertical will be responsible for the development and expansion of the group, which will establish itself through lease, management, and franchise models under a yet-to-be-named brand. It will aim to add another 100 rooms to the current portfolio of 515 rooms by the end of this financial year and double the number of rooms within three years.

What will be your business strategy to achieve the said target?

Our entire team is going to be brand-new, imbibing a contemporary approach to things and a forward-thinking, novel style of management. We will ensure that the signature Mayfair touch is there, but we are looking to leverage technology in a big way in the future.