V for Vinnca
Vinnca Hospitality has built a place for itself in India’s hotel market. Snehal Kulshreshtha, Co-Founder & Director of the Group, provides an insight into Vinnca’s mission to face challenges head-on.
How was 2018 for Vinnca Hospitality?
The year has been extremely exciting for Vinnca; we signed a large convention property in Hyderabad that has a single hall of 40,000 sqft. With 57 keys in the first phase, the property will add another
100 in its second phase. We then signed a spa retreat in Nashik and a resort in Vythiri in Wayanad, scheduled to open soon. We have also been busy with IndeCampus, a student-only hotel in Dehradun. This is an exciting real estate asset class that we are involved with. We have also seen sign-ups and openings in Mundra and Bhuj for our new brand - V by Vinnca. This is a no-frills brand that fits into the economy-upscale segment. While the one in Bhuj has just opened, the one in Mundra will open shortly.
Keeping in mind our mission of making Indians see India, we have tied up with a unique property in Kolad, Maharashtra. This tents-only property, Vinnca Village at Rockhills Adventure Resort, can accommodate up to 80 people. Further down the old Mumbai-Goa highway, we are opening a boutique resort - Vinnca Woodvillas Beachfront Resort - a 21-villa property in Shrivardhan.
What do you foresee for business over the next quarter?
We are approaching the ‘season’ phase, so we are expecting a robust performance on the occupancy front. In terms of ARR, we are among the market leaders in the regions we operate in, be it Kumarakom, Ooty, Rajkot, or even the new ones our properties are in.
What challenges, in your opinion, have curbed the pace of growth for the group?
Manpower is a big challenge for us. While the whole country is talking about hotel management institutes bringing managers into the service industry, we, as founders, are focusing on building the skills of the actual team of associates at the hotel, who are the reason these hotels are where they are. Skilled manpower at the steward level, room attendant level, etc., is where we see little focus, so we are concentrating on building that in the Tier-II, III, and IV markets we operate in.
In fact, in some regions we have even been encouraged by the owners to train the rural populace that wants to build a career in hospitality as a means of supporting their families. We have already received an encouraging response and are quite excited. Also, road infrastructure and the availability of electricity have undergone a sea change in the past three to four years, as many would agree, further aiding our mission to operate in the TIERII, III, and IV markets that we want to be in.
How open are you to competition?
Competition is great; we welcome it. There is a place for everyone, in my opinion. Competition helps in developing a destination, in turn helping business. That said, drivers of this business need to be strong as well. People have accepted us as a brand and owners are now accepting and welcoming us as a company. Needless to say, we have competed for the same property in almost all destinations.