‘Our USPs are location, comfort and value’
In conversation with , Shikha Agarwal, Owner, Lans Castle, shares her views on the major trends appearing in the hospitality sector, the functioning and USP of their group and much more. Here are excerpts from the conversation.
On being asked about what the major trends are that they see appearing in the Hotel Business in the country today, she said, “Hotel industry in India has seen an unprecedented growth trend in the last decade or so and has been one of the key industries driving the growth of the service sector in India. Today, there is a huge basket of options for each type of customer to choose from at each destination that he chooses to visit. Hospitality sector is expected to increase further in coming years with revival of global economy as well as increasing disposable income of middle class in India. Moreover, there has also been a change in societal preferences with more and more people now opting for weekend trips, adventure tourism and taking periodic annual vacations to spend more time with friends and family,” says Shikha Agarwal, owner of the hotel property.
Apart from the global hospitality chains that are there in major cities which are mostly looked upon as business hotels, people nowadays are also looking forward to new hotel segments such as leisure hotels that not only provide a value-for- money opportunity but also provide a chance to explore the smaller known towns and cities of India. “I expect the business hotels to grow at a steady rate but the leisure hotels have been growing exponentially for last few years and would continue to grow in the coming years,” she says.
She further went on to talk about their group and shared facts about their functioning and the core principles on which they run their busi- ness. “At Lans Castle, we have a distinct combination of 3 USPs to offer: Location, Comfort and Value. Lans Castle is located in remote hilly region of Pauri Garhwal in the city ‘Lansdowne’. Lansdowne offers its visitors a hill station with all its natural beauty intact and not being commercial as most of the other hill stations in India. It houses a 125-year-old Army cantonment and is fast becoming a leisure tourist destination. Since inception, our endeavour has been to provide utmost comfort to our visitors in terms of having an enjoyable, comfortable and a relaxed holiday that they are looking for at affordable prices.”
“All the initiatives that we have taken with regard to the hotel have been, in one way or the other, to improve customer satisfaction and towards being a socially responsible management. We firmly believe in taking feedback and suggestions from our esteemed visitors to further improve upon our offerings so that we are able to exceed the expectations of our visitors each time. Moreover, we are engaging local people from nearby places, hiring and giving them training even though they have no formal exposure in hospitality sector. This shows our commitment to engage and con- tribute to the overall growth of the area,” she added.
She said, “Since Lansdowne is non-commercial and not such a popular destination, we have taken a few initiatives to increase the visibility of this unexplored hill station so as to get this town its due admiration and provide an opportunity for its visitors to relax and rewind themselves. All our plans, always, would be directed towards providing a relaxed ambience and experience to our guests by constantly improving and exceeding customer satisfaction.”