In an interview with BW HOTELIER, Rajib Roy Choudhury, Senior General Manager, Vedic Village Spa Resort, talks about the performance of the luxury resort, experiential travel, trends shaping the sector and more

Nestled in the lap of Nature, 20 minutes from Kolkata international airport, Vedic Village Spa Resort has been built horizontally in authentic architecture of Bengal villages. The luxury resort blends in completely with the uniqueness of the landscape, combining natural beauty and outdoor fun with unbeatable indoor luxury. Sprawling over 18 acres of fertile farmland greenery, sparkling lakes, coconut groves and a wealth of flora, it is a haven for migratory birds, butterflies, squirrels and exotic species of plants. And a destination for rejuvenating weekends, family vacations, corporate retreats and destination weddings. 

On offer is a collection of exclusive handpicked accommodation, with extraordinary villas and private homes, plus premium hotel rooms. Not to forget is the gourmet experience at the award-winning regional cuisine restaurant or through farm to fork organic meals at the all-hour restaurant, or even through the simplicity of the rituals at the tea lounge. For after-hours, there’s the romantic poolside bar or the pulsating nightspot. And finally, serenity awaits you at the Sanjeeva Ayurvedic Spa to indulge in holistic wellness. 

The trend for addressing wellbeing in hospitality now goes beyond merely providing spa fitness classes or highly nutritious food. Do you agree?

Yes. However, there have been gross improvisations and upgradations in the post pandemic hospitality of looking into wellness and wellbeing, keeping the earlier aspects intact. As a matter of fact, hotels and resorts have started embracing techniques and treatments where in a whole lot of ailments are being addressed in various forms and methods. Meditation centres, detoxification chambers, oxygen parlours, cycling tracks and psychological counselling are some concepts implemented as mandates that have gained huge popularity globally. The age-old traditional Indian Yoga is another important feature which is now a part of the activity gamut of almost every hotel or resort. All credit goes to the International Yoga Day which has gained momentous support of the world populace.

How is a Vedic Village stay different from others?

Our mission is Versatile Indulgence in Luxury and Leisurely Ambience amidst a Green Earth. At Vedic Village Spa Resort, we have launched Vedic wellness, a combination of Ayurveda and naturopathy. We believe that staying and keeping healthy are two most important aspects of human lifecycle today. In effect, naturopathy treatments like colon hydrotherapy, mud bath, naturopathy day care; shatkriya, yoga, kunjalkriya, therapeutic Swedish massage, hip bath, spine bath, arm and foot bath are practiced here. Traditional treatment methods as described in Charaka Sanhita are followed too which has attracted patronage not only from within the country but from across the borders too. 

Supported by pollution-free green environment, Vedic Village Spa Resort is blessed to have abundance of active oxygen which is as good as Oxygen Therapy. At Vedic Wellness, patrons and patients can avail treatments for skin ailments, liver ailments, joint pains, arthritis and gout, hair and scalp ailment as well as psychological counselling. First light and Last light plantation walk, terracotta temple experience, organic farmlands, water bodies with abundance of fish, fruit plants, medicinal herbs, long jogging tracks and expansive flora and fauna, Vedic Village has it all. Thus, a stay here is so different, so natural and so fulfilling. In addition, battery operated carts for transfers within the entire estate reduces carbon footprint.

How to do you analyse the performance in 2022? What are your thoughts on industry revival in 2022 and the trends that reshaped the sector?

The year 2022 paved way for the survival of the fittest, hotels with clear strategies of pricing, service-ability, cleanliness and hygiene, adapting and adopting technology, identifying alternate market segments as compared to the popular contemporary segments (like “cations” etc), strategies of cost control to ensure surviving bottom-lines have done well and managed to stay afloat. Having said that, the management at Vedic Village Spa Resort embraced all of these and witnessed a robust turnaround. Overall, as a resort, we have seen far-reaching effects of revenge travel and revenge dining which has shown a positive revenue curve wherein overall ARRs have gone up by 8 per cent YOY and APC has gone up by 11 per cent YOY. 

With the corporate segment opening up travel during 2022, there has been a spurt in corporate functions like meetings, conferences as well as incentives like corporate picnics, reward and recognition have seen a formidable growth. Wedding segments have been the cherry on the cake which has witnessed a pre-pandemic growth of 4 per cent YOY. With the wellness angle which Vedic Village Spa Resort specialises in, post-pandemic growth of about 12 per cent in the wellness segment indicates worldwide interest and sentiment. However, the best is yet to come and from the second quarter of 2023, we should be able to return to pre-Covid situation and supersede it.

What are your expectations from 2023 in terms of business revival?

On the revenue front, there has been a noticeable growth as by the end of the third quarter, we almost did 98 per cent of what was achieved last year. Significantly, we do see a steady rise in the hotel occupancy percentage over the past few months. The year 2023 is possibly going to be the best one for the hospitality industry since the onset of the pandemic. The demand is going to multiply by segments across the board, be it leisure, corporate, weddings or MICE and will definitely touch the glorious pre-Covid past. The wedding segment is going to witness 40-50 per cent growth and is going to be one of the major revenue churners. The demand for weekend travel is going to stay and build upon wherein we have seen that hotels have become a destination itself where guests want to relax and give their families ample time, thereby sharing memorable moments with each other. With the countries lifting VISA restrictions and increasing flight frequencies, we are hopeful to have more inbound footfalls in the region which ideally should translate into transits, wellness and travel series. We are expecting formidable growth in 2023 which is going to define environment-friendly Vedic Village Spa Resort in a new light. 

What all sporting activities are offered at The Vedic Village? 

Being one of the most expansive properties in India, Vedic Village Spa Resort extends an array of sporting options: from cricket, football on ground or turf, badminton in different lawns to a golf course with a five-hole putting green. Tournaments by corporates and events at state level are also organised here. Since its introduction at the resort, paintball has been a major trend over the past year. Since the last festive season, list balloon bursting, darts and archery have been widely accepted by the guests. Youth have been drawn towards segway rides while families enjoy togetherness during boating experiences at Aqua Club. Then there are many other options for ones who do not see sport as a calorie burning aspect. Cricket and football can be played in floodlights too. To tag along, there are indoor games like table tennis, carom, foosball, pool table, chess, ludo and a deck of cards on request. Guests can also indulge in stargazing with a full-fledged telescope. And the response has been overwhelming.

Roy Choudhury ends by saying that as per a report, 56 per cent of world population is planning to take a family vacation this year and willing to explore exotic locations. “As we offer elements of wellness lifestyle and explore brave and natural asset-based wellness and healing traditions. We have necessary infrastructure to provide an impeccable stay, what an international traveller looks for. Vedic Village is a multi-seasonal resort with a year-long event calendar curated from cultural activities to musical festivals and wellness offerings. And it takes just about 30 minutes to travel from the international airport to reach the Vedic Village Spa Resort,” he explains.