Rajib Roy Choudhury, Senior General Manager, Vedic Village Spa Resort, Kolkata, talks about establishing the property as a top pick for wellness and leisure, F&B and weddings along with the current trends of hospitality industry

A haven for travellers looking for a picturesque location amidst Nature, Vedic Village Spa Resort (VVSR) offers an authentic Bengal village-like ambience masked in international infrastructure. Spread over 150 acres of fertile farmland greenery, sparkling lakes, coconut groves and a wealth of flora and fauna, the property is also a one-stop destination for weddings and a foodies’ paradise. Excerpts from an interview:      

VVSR has been positioned as a wellness and leisure destination in the region. How has been the guest response to Sanjeeva Spa in the present situation? 

Wellness has always been the centre of attraction and point of discussion in our lives. VVSR contributes to this basic fact in the form of the only Ayurvedic Therapy Centre, Sanjeeva Spa, in eastern India where the age-old treatment therapies of Charaka Samhita are merged with modern-day de-stressing and detoxifying techniques. The spa offers treatments for pain and stress management, skin complaints, stomach and liver-related issues as well as Ayurveda therapies in consultation with an ayurvedacharya. In fact, the spa has gone beyond the boundaries of its premises to offer holistic and physical wellness therapies to guests not only from India but neighbouring nations too. 

Bengali cuisine is one of the most celebrated ones globally. How does your dining incorporate its essence and what role does F&B play in attracting more customers to the Vedic Village?

Bengali cuisine is deep-rooted and connected to the sentiments of Bangali-ana and Bonedi-ana which gets accentuated with locally produced traditional spices and herbs. Keeping in line with the view that the F&B offerings of any hotel or resort are considered to be its star attraction, we serve multicultural cuisines: Bengali, European, Coastal, Caribbean, Street Foods, Oriental and Italian. To add to the outlets at VVSR: Bhoomi, Agnee, Yagna and Sheetal, the pool shack – Pool Bistro – adds to the multiple choices.  

Apart from room occupancy and F&B, what’s the share of weddings at VVSR? Any plans to increase your market share and make Vedic Village a one-stop wedding destination? 

VVSR is known to host large-scale weddings, that too multiple weddings on the same day. We are poised to take this loyalty to the next level. Alongside our e-brochure and a microsite on our website dedicated to weddings, we have plans to participate in wedding fairs across the nation and neighbouring countries. Easy access to our services and facilities through technology is the main agenda. We not only want to be a wedding destination but a one-stop-solution for all wedding events. Besides banqueting facilities of all sizes alongside open lawns, we ensure weddings are memories once you have got the event done with us. Multiple lawns and venues enable Vedic Village to host multiple weddings on a single day.  

Tell us about the current trends in the hospitality market and your plans with respect to them.

If one has to talk about current trends, there are quite a few mention-worthy activities like sanitation and cleanliness that have taken a spotlight, something we all are extremely careful about. The entire VVSR clan are drivers of safe distancing and maintaining all essential Covid-19 protocols. From booking a room online to arriving at the hotel’s main portico to checking in to rooms, villas and bungalows, we maintain several points of contactless check-in and check-out formalities. This not only becomes hassle-free but is something which, given the present scenario, is widely recommended and acknowledged. Staycations, work-ations, day-cations and day-outs are the trends we are witnessing in perspective. The best part is that at VVSR these were already happening since 2019 and have gained momentum over the years. I would reiterate that with the trend of revenge travel and dining, Vedic Village has opened out its doors to one and all in the safety bubble of nature which is ideally nurtured and conserved at all times. We live to set benchmarks; we live to live life and propel memories for anyone who chooses VVSR.