Upendra Shanbhag, General Manager, Toshali Sands Ethnic Village Resort, Puri shares why the destination is ideal for weddings and how they recently held three back-to-back lock down weddings.

How is your resort an ideal destination for weddings?

Toshali Sands in Puri has been designed with state-of-the-art facilities to specialise as a "Destination Wedding Venue", since the last ten years. The extremely appealing and eye-catching interiors of the hotel with a touch of true ethnicity enhances the overall charm and beauty. The USP of the resort is the overall greenery right in the lap of nature, spread over twenty-one well maintained lawns throughout its area of 30 acres. To add to it, the resort has excellent contemporary facilities like tennis court, fitness center, Ayurveda Spa and a marvelous swimming pool, which enhance the value of the ambiance. With our committed, friendly and cooperative staff you get round the clock attention and dedicated services to be sure of a successful and tension free event, irrespective of the magnitude of the event. 

How did you manage to hold three back-to-back lock down weddings?

It was more to do to respect the sentiments of our guests who braved the odds of the COVID- 19 scenario, based on the word of commitment given by our entire Toshali Sands team, and delivered to the fullest of their expectations. All the three wedding guests had been referred by someone in their family who had earlier visited Toshali as a part of a wedding party, held earlier. The trust they placed in us was the motivating factor which helped us agree to their requirements, and duly execute them.

What Covid 19 safety guidelines of WHO and Govt of India are you following for the same?

The entire team had been trained by two different set of Trainers- First by our In-house Training Resource from our HR team. The second was as an external FHRAI certified Trainer brought in Online every day for 2 hours, over a week to explain in detail to various departmental team members the ways of implementing the simple yet effective practices required. All standard practices demonstrated in classes and explained were as per FSSAI norms shared in the Government of India directives, along with the WHO standard guidelines.

How is Puri developing as a city for destination weddings?

Puri, being the temple town of Lord Jagannath, and one among the Chardhaams, has always, and will always attract devotees, and people from all walks of life and all parts of India. This is the prime reason why the popularity of Shri Jagannath Puri will ever increase as a preferred choice for destination weddings, by the day, and more so as we return to normalcy.