TravTalk India Online Magazine
The landscape of luxury resorts in India is evolving as travelers increasingly seek intimate, personalized experiences over large-scale opulence. Onora Hospitality stands out by offering boutique properties in serene locations, catering to niche preferences with curated, affordable luxury.
Janice Alyosius
What strategies is Onora Hospitality employing to distinguish itself within this competitive segment?
An increasing number of people have come to realise, even more so after the pandemic, that big is not equivalent to beautiful. Guests, especially those in the luxury hospitality segment, are now looking for small, differentiated experiences and products, which are not in a cookie cutter format. They want more personal and intimate experiences. That is what we offer through our hotels, especially at the jüSTa Luxe and Bookmark Resorts properties.
We don’t have 150-200 room inventories at our hotels. They are boutique properties at picturesque locations. Experiences are curated based on the guests’ preferences, be it bird watching and nature walk in Mukteshwar and Dharamshala or stargazing at Ranthambore or a picnic by the stream at the resort in Mussoorie. Moreover, the location of our resorts is a distinctive feature of our brand. Even if the property is at a popular tourist destination, it is at a quieter and more serene spot to give much-needed peace and relaxation to the guests. Another key feature is that while offering all luxury elements for a comfortable stay, we have ensured that the price points are quite competitive so as to make it affordable for a larger section of the customer base.
We started the Bookmark Resorts brand in May 2023 and we have now started gettingtraction with the second one opening in Ranthambore in December 2023. We will get more clarity in the coming months as technically this will be the first full season when the properties will be operational.
As far as the clients’ expectations are concerned, our guests are very realistic and they understand that transformation is not possible during a 3-5 day stay. Having said that, during their stay at our properties, we manage to help them make a head-start into their wellbeing journey by gently nudging them towards a healthier and less digitized lifestyle, healthier and balanced food choices, an introduction to yoga and meditation and an appreciation of nature.
The fact is that the Bookmark Resorts brand was launched keeping in mind the changing needs of the people who are looking for experiences. It caters to those people who arelooking for short, quick wellbeing experiences at locations which can offer them more than what a normal hotel would offer.
