Westin combats oversupply in Pune
Starwood Hotels is optimistic about the Pune hospitality sector overcoming the hurdle of excess room supply and less demand, betting on higher ARRs ahead.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts' five-star branded property - Westin Pune, this year, is moving away from the traditional marketing concepts. With Pune hospitality industry facing the lower ARRs challenge, the property is looking at unique ways to engage their guests. According to Sujeet Kumar, GM, Westin Pune; the brand really matters for the hotel to attract customers and
The Westin Pune Koregaon Park targets the preferred business customer segments
build in trust for longer relationship. It is drifting away from the usual marketing activities which concentrate on an overall aspect of the hotel. Kumar informed that the property is working on 'one venue at a time' concept wherein with variety of F&B offerings including Indian, Oriental and International Cuisine, it will focus on quality of food and enhancing the overall guest experience. He said, “Our objectives are clear and budget have been allocated respectively. Keeping guest engagement as our priority, our activities will now focus and trigger our guest relations and definitely escalate our customer experience.”
Elaborating for a need to ditch the usual marketing concepts, Kumar said, “Pune has been growing as a industrial hinterland, with IT, automotive companies and banking sector setting up corporate houses in the district. Wherein I feel with increasing number of hotels in Pune, the industry holds a huge potential to grow in this market." He informed that in last five years, the city's hotel supply has witnessed a steep growth of over 4,645 rooms with an average increase of 10 per cent in occupancy levels. “It is here where our brand plays a significant role. The Westin Pune Koregoan Park targets the preferred business customer segments,” said Kumar. The overall growth in Pune hospitality sector was primarily led by the MICE segment as the city is a perfect alternative to Mumbai for hosting large scale events. Kumar said, “The average rates recorded the highest decline (- 11.3 per cent) among all the mar- kets tracked recently in India. Despite the declining average rates, Growing projects, businesses, and new acquisitions has translated in increasing ARR ( Average Room Rate) and shows that Pune is back on its recovery path.” The property works with ten online travel agents and have visibility for many offers which includes advance purchases, last minute deals, packages and various promotions. “We work towards maintaining best rate guarantee wherein the guest would find the same rate across all channels,” Kumar said.