Souvagya Mohapatra

Managing Director, Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka

The year 2022:

The period after COVID-19 in 2022 was fairly good for us regarding business in our Maldives properties. Most of our resorts in The Maldives experienced high occupancy with leisure segment clientele from all over the world. It is encouraging to notice that the confidence and enthusiasm amongst the travellers for their journey has begun. COVID-19 has taught us a new way of guest services, mainly on the digital front. This is the quickest way to serve the guests and take care of detailing and no errors. Innovativeness, value-added services, anticipating guest needs, and exceeding guests’ expectations are some of the key features that we adopt. Our Learning and Development team constantly strive to impart regular training on this. Our Business Development Team back in India and Southeast Asia has already identified several upcoming projects, and soon we shall announce our presence in these regions. Inspiring trends seen and to look forward to: It is heartening to notice that the entire world has recognised tourism as a major segment to boost the economy. The initiatives that the local tourism boards and the government take to promote a particular destination are encouraging. The business fraternity is looking into investing in tourism and hospitality ventures because of the government’s lucrative offers and businessfriendly tourism policy. Infrastructure creation, such as air connectivity, good roads, and the upgradation of monuments and heritage sites, will play a key role in developing a particular destination. Marketing and awareness must also be prioritised so that a particular destination gets its much-needed exposure. Travel marts, road shows, FAM tours, etc., must be undertaken frequently by the tourism stakeholders for a win-win situation.

Preparedness and expectations for 2023: The year 2023 is going to be an important year for us as we are going to announce our presence in South East Asia, including India. Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts with its three sub-brands e.g., OZEN, By Atmosphere, and OBLU are all set to make their mark in South East Asia in a big way. Recently during ILTM France, we announced our upcoming property at Kolkata – “OZEN Mansion Kolkata.” Close to 300 keys and approximately one lakh square feet of banqueting space will make this luxury 5-star deluxe property one of the best in Kolkata and eastern India. Important tourism destinations and cities across India such as Jaipur, Goa, Kausali, Nagpur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, etc. will soon have the presence of Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts.