Veer Vijay Singh, MD & CEO, Trance International Hotels & Resorts, points out the steps of hospitality market recovery

With leisure and business travel staging a comeback amid falling infections and widespread vaccination, the Indian hospitality industry, which had laid off millions over the first and second waves of the pandemic, has started hiring once again. When going in for fresh hiring, one needs to strategically relook at the staff numbers and ratios which gives the opportunity of right sizing. I feel Indian hotels have a large number of staff, much more than necessary. Focus should be laid down on quality rather than quantity.

From day one, all staff members should be encouraged to indulge in multiskilling and loyalty traits should be looked into. The focus should be on training and re-training as per present norms. Every member of the staff should be clear about their roles and their job description should be clearly mentioned in their respective contracts. More importantly, it should be duly signed by them to avoid confusion later. Taking note of the present-day situation, catering colleges should become more proactive in training the students accordingly.

TRENDS SHAPING FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MODEL

I strongly feel wedding business has really been the pillar and it will continue to be but then Covid19 protocols must be strongly focussed on. Though conventions and conferences will take time picking up, the focus will be more on resorts and leisure destinations in the coming times. Webinars and visual meets have been the trend and a saviour and this could be done more smoothly and differently by the hotels. Another interesting trend will be the increased use of packed food with a rise in the number of people working from their homes. Focus will be on outdoor catering in the coming times.

MARKET RECOVERY AND HOTELS REINVENTING THEMSELVES

Even as international air travel except from a few countries begins soon, one should not forget about the domestic sector and keep it alive and encourage people to keep travelling nationally. Another welcome step is the relaxation on visas which will encourage travel. One would like to witness all the countries to start promoting various festivals and tourism events to help the market recover. Emphasis should be laid down on putting across the right pricing as overpricing would kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

INVESTMENT IN NEW PROJECTS AND RENOVATION OF EXISTING PROPERTIES

While space planning should be done with utmost care, Covid19 protocols need to be addressed as earlier the security protocols were done post-terrorist attracts. The cost of the project or the renovation should be kept low to avoid the margins of profit taking a beating.

Spread out your customer segments and not put all the eggs in one basket. Two major tourist-popular states like Rajasthan and Kerala attracted international tourists and were most affected during the pandemic and the ban of international travel. One needs to get good professionals for consultancy and management as this industry has some technical nuances and requires in-depth handling and more importantly, don’t get demotivated as one can see light in the end of the tunnel and good times always come.

This article was published in BW hotelier issue dated '' with cover story titled 'INVESTMENT SPECIAL ISSUE VOL 7, ISSUE 6'