The VP Sales and Marketing of Mayfair Hotels, Bjorn Noel Deniese tells us about the group's very unique take on hospitality from their fortress in the east.

THE MAYFAIR Group is one of Eastern India's largest hotel operators. Starting off in Rourkela, the group has grown and now has hotels in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Gopalpur-On-Sea (all in Odisha), Gangtok (Sikkim), Darjeeling, and Goa, with properties coming up in Kalimpong and Kolkata very soon, the eastern focus remains on the group (except for its Goa property which is very niche). BW Hotelier spoke toBjorn Noel Deniese, Vice President, Sales and Marketing of Mayfair Hotels.

Deniese has been associated with the group for the past decade began by speaking about the group. "We have always been about making environment-friendly hotels. We look at sustainable hotels as far as the style of our architecture, the layout of our hotels is concerned. We are never vertical hotels, we are always laterally spread. We ensure that there is a lot of local influence and employment engaged in the property".

Besides this, the group also makes sure that local culture is infused in the cuisine being served in the hotels, he added. "The guest who is staying with us is experiencing the destination in its entirety," he added.

Asked about expansion plans, Deniese said, "You have a 100 rupee note. If you take out the 100 rupee, you have an image of Mount Kanchenjunga. The hotel from where that picture was taken, is the hotel that we are going to be taking over next, the Himalayan Hotel in Kalimpong, a 100-year old iconic property. We will be opening the property in Summer 2017. We are also building a 250 room hotel in Kolkata, in the Rajarhat side". 

It's very important for the group to complete the eastern circuit, being an eastern brand because Kolkata is a crucial feeder market for Mayfair, he added.

Away from the eastern part of India, the group is also going to be starting a project in Raipur, Deniese added. "We will continue to develop the east and North Eastern parts of India, places where we find potential," he said.

Deniese also clarified that all the properties in the group are owned and operated by the group itself. "Mayfair is an Indian local homegrown brand and we take pride in the way we operate the hotels. We don't call it a completely professional service, but its more of a friendly Indianised style of professional, semi-professional service, which is at times needed," he added.

The expansion plan is not aggressive at all, he explained. "We will not be going into the franchisee or the management contract models as of now. When we identify a passion hotel that Mr (Dilip) Ray (the founder and CMD of the group) finds that there is potential. He has to like the destination first of course. We do a regular feasability report". 

The group likes to concentrate on areas that they are strong in. "We find there is lack of strong hotel brands in the east of India so that is where we are strongest."

On the subject of manpower, he confessed, that ironically, with a lot of people moving out to different parts of the country to work in hotels and hospitality, there has been an issue of getting manpower for properties in the east. "They will go everywhere else but no one works at home," he said. He felt that it was due to multiple causes. One, that people work harder when they are not at home and also because, in the North East especially, its a smaller community and you don't want to be known as a waiter in your hometown. At the same time, hospitality and tourism is something that is in the blood of the people in the east and the north east of the country. 

"Everyone is so hospitable, it just comes to naturally, if you just put in a little effort. I think that is what we do when we train and groom people who may be a tenth pass guy, who can be groomed to make sure he gives the best experience the guest can have of the region," Deniese said.

On the question of standardising what is a group of very individual hotels, Deniese said, "We have a set of standard operating procedures which is the basic requirements. Then, since we are just nine hotel, not a 40-hotel brand, we can customise each location and requirements of service levels." He took the example of the Mayfair Rourkela, a business hotel, would not have the same requirements to service a guest as the Gangtok property.

The group in total has a staff strength of 1500 people spread over the 435 rooms owned and operated by them. The biggest property in terms of employees, rooms and revenues is the Mayfair Lagoon Bhubaneshwar. There is also a great deal of involvement from the family and the guests do get a feel of almost being guests in a home, he added. 

As far as business is concerned, things are much better than last year, he told me, "Compared to last year, this year looks much better, all figures are in green as of now, we are doing well and we are looking to increase the profitability rather than just the revenue".

"One of the challenges which we did identify a few years back, which we are currently working on is the technology aspect of the hospitality business and our adaptiveness to that. What we are doing is, currently centralising all our reservation systems and ensuring that there is a similar experience for all guests who are calling in to a Mayfair to book a room, whether its in Rourkela or Bhubaneshwar," he said.

While its important to be visible on all platforms, its also important to also make sure that your brand website is strong, he said in conclusion. 

This article was published in BW hotelier issue dated '' with cover story titled 'Renovations Issue '