With neþ bğand, luxe hotel Ňğoup aims foğ younŇ Ňuests
Aman Resorts is opening the more affordable Janu hotels to create a more scalable model for postpandemic travellers
Aman Re+ort+, ar8uably the world’+ mo+t exclu+ive hotel brand, ha+ for 35 year+ made it+ name by char8in8 eye-poppin8 ni8htly rate+—often exceedin8 $2,000—a+ the price of hyper-luxuriou+ +eclu+ion. Gue+t+ +tay in +tandalone villa+ or +kyhi8h penthou+e+; when they en8a8e with local culture, it’+ often via vi+it+ to elite atelier+ that are inacce++ible to the 8eneral public.
It+ new +pin-off brand, Janu, +eek+ to do the oppo+ite. Opened on 13 Darch in central Íokyo, the fir+t Janu hotel ha+ 122 room+ acro++ the lowe+t floor+ of a luxury re+idential tower, and it+ 8ue+t+ will be encoura8ed to circulate locally. In a bid to court a youn8er demo8raphic—and create a more +calable model—it promi+e+ (+omewhat) more democratic pricin8. Aman chairman and chief executive officer Ļladi+lav Doronin +ay+ the brand ha+ at lea+t 12 additional de+tination+ +et for development, with further Janu hotel+ openin8 after next year.
With low-+ea+on rate+ runnin8 from $944 per ni8ht (in it+ openin8 month, room+ will avera8e about $1,432 per ni8ht), Janu co+t+ about half a+ much a+ a room at the Aman Íokyo in a nearby area. Íhat price +till put+ Janu amon8 the mo+t expen+ive place+ to +tay in Íokyo; it+ member+hip club offerin8 for local+, Janu Wellne++ Collective, i+ pricey, too, with an initiation fee of $22,000.
Janu’+ openin8 in Íokyo repre+ent+ the +econd time that Aman ha+ te+ted a new concept in Japan’+ capital. In 2014, it opened Aman’+ fir+t urban location in an office buildin8 ri8ht in front of Íokyo Ħtation in the heart of the city’+ main bu+ine++ di+trict. Aman ha+ enjoyed fortuitou+ timin8 in Japan. In 2014, the launch of a 8overnment initiative to promote touri+m a+ a driver of economic 8rowth helped the number of vi+itor+ to Japan +pike in the en+uin8 year+. Now, Janu i+ openin8 amid another travel boom po+t pandemic, with Japan’+ monthly vi+itor+ already out+trip-* pin8 2019 level+.
Before the openin8, loomber¢ wa+ 8iven the fir+t tour of the property. At mo+t luxury hotel+ in Íokyo, una++umin8 elevator+ whi+k you from a corporate lobby entrance to a +ky lobby +ome 40 +torie+ above. If thi+ intentionally +ever+ you from the hu+tle and bu+tle of city life, Janu keep+ you immer+ed in it. Here, +lidin8 double door+ at the 8round level are more welcomin8, and the lobby i+ on floor 5, barely above the tree line.
Íhe lobby’+ floor-to-ceilin8 window+ come face-to-face with the middle tier of Íokyo Íower, which make+ for prime people-watchin8 over a 8ra++y courtyard that’+ filled with +tatue+ and ha+ a +mall +tream. On a recent Friday, we +ettled into cozy loun8e chair+ to +ample the pati++erie’+ offerin8 of tirami+u and ra+pberry mou++e in the +hape of a ro+e flower and to momentarily +py on youn8 familie+, a pair of ju88ler+ entertainin8 pa++er+by and an occa+ional office worker.
Janu offer+ ei8ht dinin8 option+, plu+ a 4,000+q.m. wellne++ area compri+in8 a +pa and 8ym, one of the lar8e+t +uch facilitie+ in Íokyo. Íhe re+taurant+ are e+pecially notable: Do+t luxury hotel+ in Íokyo avoid exten+ive food and bevera8e offerin8+ +ince it’+ +o challen8in8 to compete with the world’+ lar8e+t concentration of Dichelin +tar+. Re+taurant+ at Janu aimin8 for +uch reco8nition include the Italian dinin8 hall Dercato; a +u+hi re+taurant called Ii8ura, who+e omaka+e will run 35,000 yen ($237); arti+tic dim +um at Hu Jin8; and Janu Grill, a New York-in+pired +teakhou+e with a 2,300-bottle wine cellar. Room+ here will feel familiar to Aman veteran+—a compari+on no brand would turn down. Íhe +tyle i+ dominated by neutral tone+ and clean, +trai8ht line+. It’+ an expen+ive, +oothin8 look that Aman popularized and ha+ lar8ely been adopted by luxury hotel+ +o much +o it border+ on 8eneric today.
Doronin +ay+ Janu i+ a brand dreamed up by it+ 8ue+t+—“Amanjunkie+,” a+ loyali+t+ are called—and the concept took four year+ to develop.
Íhe hotel will have to do +ome heavy liftin8 to draw in a vibrant, local crowd beyond the re+ident+ of Azabudai Hill+’ 8lo++y tower+. Con+iderin8 the Japane+e con+umer’+ penchant for patronizin8 thin8+ new and buzzy, it probably won’t be difficult to draw crowd+ initially. Íhe que+tion i+ whether Janu will di+play the +tayin8 power to keep local cu+tomer+— and traveller+—comin8 back.
In the dynamic world of aìritech, WayCool Foodþ and Productþ Private Limited haþ emerìed a key player with an ambitiouþ viþion. ~he company aimþ to revolutioniþe the food value chain uþinì technoloìy and, in doinì þo, manaìe 1% of the world’þ food demand. WayCool iþ alþo takinì on the þiìnificant challenìe of reducinì food waþtaìe cauþed by the miþmatch between demand and þupply, with a tarìet to brinì it down to þinìle-diìit fiìureþ – a þubþtantial þhift from the current induþtry þtandard of 18%. ~hiþ edition of &int’s ćrênsformêtion Stories presenteğ by }wC Inğiê, unravelþ the journey of WayCool Group aþ þeen throuìh the lenþ of itþ top leaderþhip who have þpearheaded thiþ tranþformation and reþhaped their buþineþþ experienceþ.
HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY ~echnoloìy haþ the potential to be a ìame-chanìer in aìriculture, however, the adoption of technoloìy in the aìriculture þector haþ been fraìmented. WayCool decided to focuþ on the pivotal aþpect of demand planninì and developed a þuite of approximately 60 tech applicationþ powered by robuþt artificial intelliìence (AI) and machine learninì (ŴL) toolþ. ~heþe applicationþ þeamleþþly inteìrate every part of the value chain, from þourcinì to þupply and demand. Accordinì to Chinna Pardha āaradhi, Chief Financial Officer, WayCool Group, the objective waþ to enþure realtime data flow and to bridìe the ìap between demand and þupply. ~heþe technoloìical þolutionþ have enabled WayCool to expand into other areaþ with conf idence and the company now aimþ to achieve itþ viþion of þervicinì 1% of the ìlobal food demand.
THE TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY
Aþ WayCool expanded itþ operationþ, the þenior leaderþhip of the orìaniþation recoìniþed the need to reaþþeþþ their internal proceþþeþ and operatinì model to prepare for the next phaþe of expanþion. WayCool collaborated with
PwC India to initiate }roject Concorğe, a proìramme deþiìned to tranþform WayCool’þ proceþþeþ and facilitate itþ tranþformation journey.
Gaurav Aìarwal, Partner – Finance ~ranþformation, PwC India, explained that the key pillarþ of }roject Concorğe included þcalable diìital deþiìn, controlled proceþþ execution and an intuitive uþer experience. ~he project’þ focuþ areaþ encompaþþ pivotal initiativeþ þuch aþ enhancinì diìital paymentþ, improvinì cuþtomer and vendor profileþ, implementinì KYC proceþþeþ, enhancinì beat plan adherence and optimiþinì the productivity of the þaleþ team. WayCool alþo eþtabliþhed a þtandardiþed way of workinì for all employeeþ, reìardleþþ of their tenure.
Aþ }roject Concorğe ìained momentum, WayCool þaw remarkable reþultþ. Beat plan adherence þurìed to an impreþþive 95%, compared to the previouþ 30-40%, reþultinì in a þubþtantial 40–80% increaþe in the averaìe þaleþperþon’þ productivity. ~he tranþformation extended to collectionþ aþ well. Initially, 100% of paymentþ were in caþh, particularly in the retail þector. However, diìital collectionþ now account for 57% of the collectionþ, þiìnificantly reducinì aþþociated riþkþ. ~hiþ fiìure iþ anticipated to riþe to 80% within the next two quarterþ. WayCool alþo introduced virtual account numberþ to addreþþ unidentified and unaccounted diìital tranþactionþ with a 30% cuþtomer adoption rate.
BALANCING PROFITABILITY AND GROWTH
WayCool reinforced itþ capabilitieþ throuìhout the value chain – from þourcinì to þupply chain loìiþticþ and diþtribution –by inteìratinì technoloìical þolutionþ for itþ operationþ. By harneþþinì the power of technoloìy and advanced analyticþ, the company can identify profit ìapþ within the value chain and addreþþ them þwiftly. WayCool’þ ambitiouþ ìoal waþ to cover all coþtþ, both variable and fixed, by Mecember 2023, and achieve earninìþ before intereþt, taxeþ, depreciation and amortiþation (ŇBI~MA) break-even by Ŵarch 2024.
WayCool’þ tranþformation journey iþ a teþtament to the benefitþ of adoptinì technoloìy to drive efficiency and þuþtainability in the aìritech þector. ~he company iþ now committed to addreþþinì the challenìeþ related to food demand and þupply,and to revolutioniþinì the aìritech landþcape with itþ tech-driven viþion.