INDIA, BETWEEN A BOOM IN LUXURY HOTELS AND UNIQUE MICE EXPERIENCES
From luxury hotel projects to unique experiences for business travellers and MICE, here's a round-up of industry news from India. |
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INDIA, BETWEEN A BOOM IN LUXURY HOTELS AND UNIQUE MICE EXPERIENCES
From luxury hotel projects to unique experiences for business travellers and MICE, here's a round-up of industry news from India. |
Category: Asia Pacific - India - Industry economy
- Hotel opening - Hotel projects - Tourism
Article written by Vanessa Guerrier-Buisine on 2024-05-28
The Taj Mahal may be the symbol of an India rich in history, culture, and tourism, but the destination has many other assets, including immersive, personalized experiences for both leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) travellers. We stopped by the India stand at IMEX Frankfurt to meet Manuj Ralhan, General Manager of the Novotel Jaipur Convention Centre.Unique MICE experiencesManuj Ralhan is well versed in the world of luxury, having worked for brands such as InterContinental, Four Seasons, JW Marriott, and Conrad, and has raised the bar in terms of the level of service offered by his hotel. At the Novotel Jaipur Convention Centre, he is developing unexpected experiences.
“We welcomed a group of 20 luxury conference planners, for an incentive stay. We served them lunch in the form of lunch boxes. They were all sitting together and, when they opened the lunch box, they all discovered a different lunch. 20 Different lunch boxes, containing their favourite dish, but which they hadn't eaten for a long time because the box contained the dish that each of their mothers prepared for them at the age of 10. This was accompanied by a note from their mother. The recipe for the dish was their mother's. They all had tears in their eyes, and they were all calling their mothers, the emotion at its height” describes Manuj Ralhan.
He goes on to mention another hotel in Jaipur, which offers another authentic and memorable experience: “The hotel allows you to live in the shoes of a shepherd. It teaches you how to work as a shepherd, have and manoeuvre a herd of sheep….” he explains. It's an experience far removed from the clichéd visit to the sublime Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world.
For the director, travellers are searching for immersive experiences. “They want to experience local culture, taste local food and understand our way of life. Jaipur and Agra, with the Taj Mahal, offer immersive local experiences”, he recalled during our exchange.A booming luxury hotel industryAlongside the sublime properties of the Indian groups Taj Hotels, Oberoi, and The Leela Palaces, the growth and potential of tourism in India is attracting attention from the major hotel groups, driven by their top-of-the-range and luxury brands.
While Radisson has just opened its Radisson Collection Hotel & Spa, Riverfront Srinagar, IHG Hotels & Resorts has reopened the InterContinental Jaipur Tonk Road at the end of 2023 after a major renovation. And the group has just signed a deal to open the Crowne Plaza Resort Nepalgunj in Nepal in 2023. 2028.
Accor has signed eleven new hotel projects in India in 2023, including the Fairmont Agra, which will open in 2025, close to the Taj Mahal, and the Pullman Amritsar, due to open in 2027. The arrival of a second hotel in India for the Raffles brand, with the Raffles Jaipur scheduled to open in July 2024, confirms Accor's ambitions in the country. It will feature 50 exclusive suites and an unrivalled luxury experience.
The Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur Hotel with 150 rooms and suites will also open in 2024. The hotel is positioned as a “spectacular destination for weddings”, accommodating up to 2,500 guests.
The Hilton Group's luxury hotel projects have been boosted by the appointment of Candice D'Cruz, who has taken charge of the Group's luxury brands in APAC. Among these projects, the Waldorf Astoria Jaipur, announced for 2027, will offer 51 villas with swimming pools and 174 rooms, and promises to be an “oasis of luxury”, while the Conrad Jaipur has just been signed for 2027.
With a series of new projects and unrivalled attention to detail, India is tailoring luxury to the needs of the MICE segment. Thanks to personalized, immersive experiences, the high expectations of MICE guests are being met, and luxury tourism is booming in the country.
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