MANISH DAYYA
2019 to be even better
This year, we hosted multiple key events in the city. In addition, a focus on MICE, weddings, corporates, and FITs also enabled us to maintain good occupancy throughout the year.
We are all geared up for 2019 with a refurbished look and a fresh experience for our guests. Increased MICE and business travel, rise in global events and international associations, and growth of start-ups is only going to add to the demand. We expect that we will achieve at least a seven to 10 per cent increase in growth over this year and with the current progression and some prominent events in the pipeline, we expect 2019 to be a much stronger year for our property.
More opportunities to come
Considering India’s steady y-o-y growth in the MICE market, we expect continued and increased demand from international MICE organisers. For the South Indian market, one can expect to see continued growth from various industries such as IT, pharmaceuticals and automobiles, which will primarily drive MICE. With increased travel and meeting requirements of these industries, the southern region will continue to enjoy increased opportunities to cater to them.
Also, in years to come, the scale of such events and dependency on highly advanced technology will increase, giving us an edge over others as we are already well-equipped to cater to this rise in demand for conference venues and banquets. We also expect weddings to be a key driver of MICE in South India, as there has been a shift in demand for events at hotels and convention centres.
Online and offline get equal attention
Digitalisation has invariably reduced the gap between the traveller and the hotel. It provides guests convenience and allows hotels to connect with them and engage them through multiple channels. As a hotel, we continuously work towards increasing our visibility and be present on all relevant platforms, including third party travel partners.
Besides the usual channels, our strong loyalty network - Le Club by ACCORHOTELS - further drives direct bookings especially with individual travellers and MICE planners. Another avenue that propels direct bookings is the ACCORHOTELS mobile App, an easy-to-use and guest-friendly platform where guests can take advantage of special offers. With our aggressive 360-degree outreach plan, we have an equal focus on online as well as offline channels.