Giving Lords a new direction

Pushpendra R Bansal, Chief Operating Officer, Lords Hotels & Resorts, shares that the brand is targeting 40 hotels by 2020, and will venture into new regions as part of its expansion strategy. It will also open a luxurious property in Gujarat this year.

Nisha Verma

The hospitality industry in India is set to perform better in 2020, claims Pushpendra R Bansal. He says, “As demand outpaces supply, there is a clear indication that hotel occupancy, ARR and RevPAR will see an increase. Lords Hotels & Resorts is eyeing 40 hotels by 2020. We are ushering into the Northeast with Guwahati and two other cities in the pipeline. We aim to further strengthen our portfolio in the South and East. We are also increasing our foothold in Rajasthan and Maharashtra with three up- coming properties. We will be opening a luxurious property in Gujarat in 2020, along with three other properties there.”

We are increasing our foothold in Rajasthan and Maharashtra with three upcoming properties; we will be opening a luxurious property in Gujarat

Bansal claims that 2019 was a favourable year for the brand, and in their endeavour to offer true value offerings to guests while continuing to grow in the mid-market space, they crossed many a milestone in the decade-long journey. “We opened hotels in Birgunj (Nepal), Kurnool, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Nathdwara, Morbi, and Jamnagar. We also signed up few hotels in Lonavala, Vyara, Rajkot (three hotels), Lucknow, Guwahati, and Udaipur,” he  informs. With the new openings, the group aims to establish itself as a “trustworthy brand for delivering ‘true value’ experiences to guests in the exciting, value-driven hotels.”

Lords Hotels & Resorts saw an aggressive growth momentum adding eight hotels across the brand in 2019. “We see the next five years as a defining period of growth. We give a growth graph to our team members and give them training, and assign new responsibilities and challenges. The key to our success is continuously finding new ways to exceed expectations and host delightful services for guests,” he insists.

According to Bansal, the Indian hotel industry is growing at a fast pace, mainly due to the intervention of the government in facilitating business through economic reforms, changes in taxation policies, etc. He adds that the travel agent community has also been very important for Lords Hotels & Resorts. “The role of online travel agencies has become increasingly important within the hotel industry, because they provide a convenient way for customers to compare hotels and book them over the internet, either from the comfort of their own home or on the go,” he shares.