Shyam Kumar, General Manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Agra, shares his views on the recovery in travel and tourism market and on business prospects in the near future

Home to one the Seven Wonders of the World, Agra for decades has been equally popular among the domestic and international tourists who throng the city to visit the iconic Taj Mahal. However, the last two years were extremely tough for Agra as Covid19 wreaked havoc across the globe. The restrictions imposed due to the pandemic adversely affected the travel industry in Agra.

Signs of revival 

The travel industry is showing a huge sign of revival after the Government resumed international travel from March 27. Pre-pandemic, a large number of domestic as well as foreign tourists visited Agra every year. We are hoping to see these numbers again. The long term outlook of the industry is going to be far more positive than it was in the recent years. At the end of the day, it is the fundamental need of people to travel and explore and Agra is one of the most important tourist destinations in India.

 Shyam Kumar, General Manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Agra

Out-of-the-world experience

Occupancy at DoubleTree by Hilton Agra has been picking up and a vast improvement can be witnessed in all the segments now. Hilton Clean Stay was implemented in 2020 to ensure safety and hygiene are given priority in winning the confidence of the travellers. As Agra is one of the most preferred driving destinations from Delhi-NCR, we have witnessed an upward trend in domestic, leisure, corporate, FIT and destination weddings. One of the main focus of the property is to provide a resort experience to any family that stays at the hotel. The hotel has four Food & Beverage outlets including North 27, the all-day dining and the recently re-launched Indian specialty restaurant, Kebab-e-que. 

Perfect wedding destination

With multiple wedding ceremonial venues for different events and an inventory of 104 rooms, DoubleTree by Hilton Agra is one of the most preferred weddings destinations in the city. Wedding Diaries by Hilton launched last year is one-stop destination for customising the big day and making it a larger-than-life event. The property will continue to focus on destination weddings as it boasts of 40,000 sq ft lawn which can be customised according to the requirement of the guests.

The hotel offers various stay packages to ensure that the guests experience the best along with a host of recreational activities including outdoor pool, spa, fitness centre or entertainment activities like magic shows, pottery making, puppet shows or instrumental music for guests in the evenings, making DoubleTree by Hilton Agra as the most preferred hotel in Agra.