Technology drives Cygnett
Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has 13 operational hotels in India. Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & Managing Director of the group, discusses the plan of action for expansion.
Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has evolved as a technology–savvy brand in the hospitality industry. The group is actively working to add 12 to 15 hotels per year for the next three years, which will work out to about 4000 rooms by 2020.
How has 2018 been for Cygnett in terms of growth?
It has been yet another milestone year with lots of development. Many hotels and resorts have come under the Cygnett umbrella from various locations. So far, we have added 300 keys and will be coming up with six new properties.
Our units in Itanagar and Gangtok will be operational soon and the rest will be operational within a span of five to six months.
Is the group eyeing global expansion as well?
We are in the process of introducing new hospitality concepts to maximise value for customers and investors.
Cygnett is already operating in two countries - India and Nepal. Driven by the objective to develop and operate hotels in international markets, we are eyeing territories like South and Southeast Asia, as well as Africa. We are planning to put remote offices in Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Indonesia to initiate development.
How is Cygnett using technology and Artificial Intelligence to enhance its services?
Technology has been our core enabler and makes Cygnett a very strong tech-savvy brand. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key element of Big Data; if done right, it can strengthen any hotel’s performance.
We have our own next-gen engine known as Cygnett CX, which comprises several inter-meshed components that include an information-rich, user-friendly website; an e-Central Reservations System (Cloud-CRS); online reputation management; CRM; and a service monitoring module.
All of our modules are supported by AI and data analytics to understand and deliver a personalised hospitality experience to every customer. Because of the vastness of the project, we are developing it constantly. We are all set to deploy an AI-powered chatbot onto our upgraded website to ease customer navigation.
What are your plans and targets for 2019?
Improve, expand, and innovate is our plan. We are always going back to the drawing board to deliver maximum value to our guests and investors. The next year, hopefully, is going to be another optimistic year. We are aiming high to develop and operate hotels in the international market.
We are targeting presence in more than three countries and a consolidated key count of 2000 and 30 hotels.
What’s new at the group?
We will be coming up with a getaway resort in the valley of Uttarakhand by January-end next year. Situated five kilometres from Nainital, the resort would be just seven hours away from the National Capital Region and will be an ideal stop for travellers.