Picture Postcard Perfect
Immersive, intimate, interactive travel. Sound familiar? Destinations that fell off the luxury map? Oft-mentioned, casually thrown around. Sustainable hospitality? Too much; too many. So when Kapil Chopra, former president of the Oberoi Group, launches an all-new experiential luxury hospitality brand you wonder how different can it really be? At first blush, The Postcard Hotel, promises just that—a surprising blend of what is, what could be, and what should be. Targeting a demographic that seeks leisure with a difference, pleasure tempered with joy and experiences that are memoir worthy, their properties will focus on destinations by the sea, the mountains or jungles rich in wildlife.
“What I wanted to do with The Postcard Hotel, is make luxury hotels for the modern audience but bring back the romance and charm of sun kissed holidays. Each hotel will offer unique experiences that are true to its surroundings, giving guests a sense of the neighbourhood and the destination in a way never seen before,” promises Chopra, who is the brand’s founder and CEO. This means no set breakfast hours, no buffets, and “definitely no sugary welcome drinks or breakfast croissants,” he adds. In its place—authentic local experiences, from food, to design, to artisanal welcome cocktails, to scheduling your own check in and check out hours and immersions with the local community. They have already opened three luxury hotels spread across Goa, starting with The Postcard Moira—perched among one of the four heritage villages of Goa—The Postcard Velha, hemmed by 300 acres of virgin coconut plantations in old Goa and The Postcard Cuelim, a property that houses a 350-year-old chapel on its premises. While making way for the romance of simpler times, Chopra has a very clear chart for the future as well as a commitment to build and operate 50 hotels in the next five years with Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Sundarbans and Kanha among seven destinations set to open doors in the next 12 to 18 months. Keeping in step with the most current trends in luxury travel and hospitality, this is one brand where nostalgia is the vibe and history en vogue.