The Radisson Hotel Group has developed a program to help prepare its properties around the world for Indian tourists. Nikhil Sharma is the managing director and chief operational officer for South Asia of Radisson Hotel Group. He told Skift that a program called Welcome India is in development.
“We would like our hotels to be prepared for Indians, because Indians are unique travelers with their own nuances such as vegetarian food or traveling in groups of multiple generations,” he added. He also said that India was one of the few countries where there are multi-generational travelers.
Indian travelers with families, for instance, want to be in rooms that are next to one another. This is a small quirk and nuances. He said that this is also true of destination Indian weddings where some hotels may not know or understand the rituals involved in the ceremony.
He revealed that the company was currently working on a blueprint. He said that the company is currently working on a blueprint.
The whole idea is to create a playbook that will make Indians feel at home anywhere they go in a Radisson, just as much as in India.
The Best 200 Hotels in India
Radisson’s India portfolio has grown to include 200 operating and developing properties. The chain is present in the country since 26 years. Sharma claims that Indians view Radisson as being an Indian brand. “As a global brand, we have a very localized and nationalistic approach. Our portfolio includes more than 50 percent of smaller cities.
He predicted that India would go from 185,000 hotel rooms with branded names to 1,000,000 operating rooms in the next 5 years. He said, “I believe that Radisson can easily reach 500 hotels in this time.”
Sharma, smaller cities The following are some examples of how to get started: spiritual destinations What are the main drivers of growth? “If India is to develop, it must grow beyond the top ten cities. We have focused on this. We opened hotels at places such as Karjat or Yavatmal where tourists were not coming,” he stated.
India has many unbranded hotels. However, many of them are now using a “soft brand” approach. This is where independent hotels work with larger hospitality chains to provide sales and operational support but retain their unique identity and name. Radisson, for example, has two soft brand names – Radisson Individuals & Radisson Individual Retreats.
Sharma said that due to their lack of resources, unbranded properties are not always able get the Radisson label. In the future, more unbranded hotels will transition into branded ones, especially in the upper-upscale and midscale segments, said Sharma.
The Marketing is Missing, but the Competition is Intense
The competition in India is increasing as the brands present in India are increasing their inventory The following are some examples of how to get started: more brands are entering.
Radisson, he said, is relying on word-of mouth and loyalty in order to differentiate itself from an ever more discerning clientele.
“Loyalty has always been a cornerstone of our system. Last year, almost 15% of our 2.2 million Indian members rebooked with us in a 3- to 6-month time frame. Repeat bookings are also a big draw.”
Radisson has upgraded its experience to further appeal to Indian audiences. Radisson sponsors the Bangalore Football Club. “We are looking to become more involved with young, upcoming sports,” said he.
Literary Escapes, a program for travelers who love to read, has been launched by the company. He said that they would like to establish book reading clubs and work with authors to maintain the culture of reading. Sharma said that initiatives like these would be a brand differentiator to a certain extent.
Promote its ‘Art of Weddings’ Radisson offers a wedding planning program to help couples customize their wedding at Radisson hotels. Indian weddings become more extravagant. “It’s not that we didn’t have weddings at Radisson but we didn’t showcase it.”
