Marriott’s new venture in hyderabad

Marriott International presented its hallmark event, India Market Place, at Westin Hyderabad Mindspace & saw large attendance from hotels under Marriott brand across India.

The Marriott India Market Place was introduced to Hyderabad for the first time, with The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace serving as the perfect host. Marriott's hospitality offerings were diverse, with over 30 hotels participating in the event.

HYDERABAD DEBUT

Amitabh Rai, CGM, Westin Hyderabad Mindspace and Hyderabad Market, Marriott International, shared, "Hyderabad is quickly becoming a primary feeder market for many other Indian cities. People considered Mumbai, Delhi,

Bengaluru, and even Kolkata to be major markets, but with new businesses arriving and a proactive government in terms of infrastructure development, Hyderabad has risen to prominence. It is also a watershed moment for Marriott as a brand. We are India's largest hotel chain, with 135 properties and growing. We must establish strong roots in the Hyderabad market." At Marriott International,

Abhishek Rajagolkar, Area Director Sales & Distribution for South & East India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, stated, "It was divided into two sessions. Around 140 people attended the afternoon session of one-on-one meetings. The evening focused on engagement and networking, with senior executives from various companies in attendance. The soiree drew close to 150 people." He went on to say, "This is a common occurrence in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. We held it in Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad this year. We are even planning a trip to Chennai in the near future."

8 MARRIOTT HOTELS IN ONE MARKET, WITH 3 MORE IN PIPELINE, SHOWS HYDERABAD'S IMPORTANCE

WHY HYDERABAD

Rai revealed that the company already has seven Marriott hotels in Hyderabad and is currently building an eighth, which will be the city's next Westin. "Eight Marriott hotels in one market, with three more opening in the next few years, shows Hyderabad's importance to Marriott," he stated.

INTEGRATING CLUSTER

Rai noted that they are integrating many things in the Hyderabad cluster. "We are synergising our operations and marketing as a cluster. Thus, all hotel purchases in Hyderabad are now clustered, giving us greater bargaining power with vendors. The plan is to operate and maximise our efficiency," he said. However, he added, "We will hold various events for customers. We are planning a golf event in October that will be a Marriott Golf Tournament involving many Marriott brand hotels, and we will get our customers to fly in people from outside to play in this tournament and have a gala evening. We also have many activities planned on the ESG front."

RISING ADRS

When asked about rising ADRs across the country, Rai cited a study and stated that inflation has increased by nearly 12 per cent from 2019 to now. "What was worth `100 in 2019 is now worth `88. As a result, hotel rates in 2019 have been reduced by 12 per cent, and there is a push to significantly raise the rates. Since the cost of everything has increased, including flights, and people are paying, we must go into the market with confidence. Rates for most city hotels are steadily rising," he stated. Rajagolkar added,"Recovery versus 2019 is an important goal we have had for a long time. We have seen signs of recovery over the last two months. Most of our hotels have nearly matched or even exceeded 2019 levels. The resorts' prices were already higher than in 2019, but our business and city hotels have seen a return of that recovery. The plan is to grow past the 2019 levels in 2022 and 2023."

TRADE LIAISONS

Rai stated that, similar to the Market Place for corporate clients, they have a separate thing for MICE and tour operators. "We take them offsite to our hotels, and all of the hotel GMs join and spend two days with them," he noted.

WEDDINGS ON

Rai reiterated that Marriott offers a complete wedding solution to those wanting to have weddings there. "We have wedding specialists not only in Hyderabad but in most Marriott hotels across cities. We have a wedding team that includes specialist chefs and even a traditional Maharaj," he asserted.

Weddings, as per Rajagolkar, are an evergreen market. "Every Marriott hotel hosts weddings. The smaller ones are primarily focused on intimate weddings, whereas our larger hotels are heavily engaged in evolving the entire 360-degree experience. Even our business hotels, which had probably never seen a wedding before, are beginning to see the value in the segment. We now have a dedicated national sales team of 30–35 wedding planners," he stated.

TERTIARY CITIES LIKE TRICHY AND SILIGURI ARE SEEING GOOD DEMAND AS COMPARED TO KEY CITIES

BRAND EXPANSION

Rajagolkar remarked on a statement from Marriott's top management about having 27 properties in India over the next 18 months "A Courtyard by Marriott in Trichy is one of the many hotels that will open soon. A Le Meridien is opening in Amritsar. Rishikesh will soon have a Westin. These are all new destinations with unique hotels."

While many of these new destinations are spiritual, Rajagolkar agrees that spiritual tourism has always been strong in India. However, Marriott did not have many hotels in these areas.