Assuring safety and instilling brand confidence
With its presence in India for over a decade, ibis has established itself in the smart economy segment. Given the consistent offering by the brand irrespective of the location, there is a substantial number of travellers who prefer ibis for both their personal and business travel needs. The excellent occupancies and leading market share of 20 ibis hotels spread across 13 cities in India are a testimony of guest preference. Vineesh Kurup, General Manager of ibis Chennai City Centre and ibis Chennai Sipcot, shares more about ibis Chennai City Centre which has created a niche for itself and is a most sought-after hotel in its segment in the region.
Like the whole hospitality industry, the ibis Chennai City Centre was also severely impacted by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. However, during the pandemic, the hotel supported the state health department in accommodating the front-line medical staff. Even though the revenues and profits were severely impacted, the hotel continued to serve the few guests and retained the staff.
After the second lockdown was lifted in July 2021, the hotel quickly ramped up with public channel bookings surging month on month. The confidence of travellers was reinforced by the COVID safety protocols under the ALLSAFE label, that ensures intensified hygiene and prevention measures. The ALLSAFE procedures were carefully prepared and followed religiously to ensure the safety of their guests and staff.
“Our ALLSAFE procedures played an important role in instilling the confidence in our guests about their health and safety. Customers are themselves aware and conscious about their safety and appreciate the hotel’s efforts to prevent the pandemic. Both guests and staff are adjusting themselves well with the new ways of conducting business at the hotel, shares Vineesh.
While leisure travellers are increasingly becoming more confident in travelling because of the safety protocols followed at the hotel, they are also particular about the hotel where they choose to stay. Vineesh states, “I believe the hotel selection depends a lot on the safety assurance and the confidence in the brand. Although
MICE is growing, the pace is slow. We see a monthon-month improvement in meetings from our corporate clientele. Yes! We see a bounce back in the leisure and MICE segments.”
Located on the city’s main arterial road known as Mount Road, the hotel is close to the US Consulate, commercial hubs like T. Nagar and Egmore. It is located next to a metro rail station with direct connectivity to the airport and the Chennai Central railway station. Vineesh says, “The USP is the location of the hotel. In addition to the location, the strong reliability of the network of ibis hotels is also a key driver of business for the hotel.”
Discussing the role and importance of technology in the pandemic, Vineesh points out, “While technology upgrade is inevitable and plays a key role in guest experience in the hospitality industry, just like any other industry, the essence of hospitality lies in the personal touch. There is no replacement for personal interaction, smiling faces and the expression of gratitude. For a hotel stay to be made memorable for a guest, it is the personal touch which paves the way.”
While the threat of Omicron is present, all the major south Indian cities have been witnessing a very good business ramp-up in the last couple of months and are expected to continue. While the IT industry hasn’t completely switched over from the work-fromhome mode, other industries such as automobiles, banking, insurance,
pharmaceuticals, and FMCG have started travel for business purposes. Leisure destinations are also witnessing tremendous demand during weekends and holidays.
“The hotel industry is one of the most resilient, and it has been proven time and again. The hospitality industry will certainly bounce back and that too sooner than what was anticipated by experts. Few changes, such as a heightened focus on the safety of guests and staff, efficiency in utilisation of manpower, frugal ways of operations, have been embraced by the industry and those are likely to stay for long. The worst days for the industry seem to be behind us and together we hope for the prosperous and glorious days of the industry to return soon,” speaks Vineesh with much optimism.