Taj Vivanta’s cool quotient
Rajeev Khanna, General Manager, Vivanta by Taj – Surajkund, talks about the changing times and how they will continue to expand the way they have been planning to.
PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA
did you want a Taj Vivanta at Surajkund? There is a tremendous potential in the NCR region. As Mumbai developed into South Mumbai, North, midtown and Navi Mumbai, likewise Delhi too has developed and there are these little markets and sub-markets that have been created all over the NCR region and across the country. The business environment has changed a lot in the region. There is so much of demand here and now industry and businesses are being set up all over the NCR region. This was an existing hotel; it was set up as there was a big potential seen five years ago and it has been faring well. They needed a larger and stronger brand like the Taj to take this on to the next level, and we also saw opportunity in promoting it as a leisure destination, and also for weddings and large events. Looking at the offerings that the hotel had, the Taj decided to join hands and take it ahead.
difficult is it to take up an e xisting hotel vis-à-vis setting up a new hotel?
It is a challenge, but it is difficult in the sense as you have people coming from a very different background in terms of culture; and hospitality is more driven by what you feel and how you feel about the business, and the hospitality that you extend to your guests. So, it has taken us a while and we have this moral of building bridges which brings about changes very slowly and gradually among people. We have a great amount of brand stan- dards which govern the way you conduct yourself, the way you look, the way you serve and the way your demeanour. So, all of that takes time and it is the biggest challenge
The business environment has changed in the NCR. There is so much demand and industry and businesses are all being set up here
that one has, but it is not difficult to deal with it over a period of time, considering we have a large amount of experience behind us.
is your take on the hospitality sector in the NCR market?
Because of what’s happening currently around the country, there’s a bit of slowing down. But, if you look at reports internationally or in India, there is a great potential. It may not come tomorrow and it may take a while because of what’s happening around the world and in India, but we are quite bullish about it. We don’t see any reason why we should not be expanding the way we are because BRIC nations are where the focus and future is.
howareyoupromoting the hotel? When we saw what this hotel had to offer, in terms of products, it excited us to a large extent because it can cater to the MICE segment because of the large inventory of almost 300 rooms that it has-plus the convention space of almost about 25,000 sq ft. The hotel also has the added advantage of the proximity to Delhi, the way the property is laid out. The fact that it has a large spa will also attract leisure travellers because today travelling out of Delhi for a holiday is becoming more and more expensive. I have just moved from our hotel in Goa where we were feeling the pressure, particularly during the peak months of December and January when airlines had hiked up their fees frightfully and people felt that flying out to Bangkok and Sri Lanka is much cheaper. So, we feel somewhere as a Taj property we’ll surely gain with Vivanta by Taj - Surajkund.
will make the guests keep coming back to Vivanta by Taj - Surajkund?
The customary Taj service and the unique experiences that we have to offer will surely make us different and it has made us different. We offer what is called the cool luxury that appeals to the young generation, which is very different from the stiff upper lip luxury that may appeal to the older generation.