Tree of Life plans expansion
Himmat Anand, launched The Tree of Life Resort & Spa in 2010 in Jaipur. “I knew that one day I would build and operate a resort which would not necessarily follow traditional hoteliering norms and the Jaipur property was the fructification of that dream and desire” says Anand. Having set the structure and procedures in place over the last two years of operations, Himmat is now looking to take the Tree of Life brand to its next level. “My son Akhil, who has worked with me at the Resort for close to two years is now more in charge of operations along with the team, while I am involved at the macro level. This gives me more time to think about our next moves.” Anand has now launched a company which will identify and search for unique properties on a management contract and operate it on behalf of the owners.
“There is a misconception that small cannot be profitable. With just 14 villas in Jaipur, we met our operating costs from the first year itself,” he says.
The Tree of Life brand will look at managing properties with a maximum of 20 to 25 keys. In addition to Himmat Anand, this team has Santosh Choudhary - Vice President Operations who was earlier an Executive Chef, Anjana Das - Head of HR and a Head of Sales will be joining shortly. “We will keep a tight structure of a few people who have high quality experience and a passion for doing things differently” says Anand.
There are also plans to build another property of their own. “I have a very interesting concept in mind and will hopefully be in a position to launch my second hotel in early 2013,” he concludes.