Minor scouts for more locations in India

Minor Hotels is not only making a dent in the hospitality segment in India but has also opened its very own hotel – Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur – with many more in the pipeline. As the leadership team based in India scouts for locations in the country, here are the growth plans for the brand in the Indian market.

Hazel Jain

Minor Hotels is set to intensify its presence in the dynamic Indian hospitality market. The global hotel operator with more than 550 properties in 56 countries recently concluded a three-city India roadshow in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. The roadshow saw representatives from 26 Minor properties from the Middle East, Europe, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius meet India’s travel agencies, luxury wedding planners and MICE companies. This was the third edition since 2019.

With the first property under ‘Anantara’ brand opening in Jaipur recently, Minor Hotels is targeting 50 new openings in India over the next decade. Richard Beh, VP Commercial – Asia, Minor Hotels, said, “India is a huge market for us for inbound, within India, and outbound. We are seeing a lot of potential growth from India for our hotels in South-East Asian markets, including Thailand and Maldives. India is one of our fastest-growing markets; it is the third largest economy in Asia; and we are seeing a lot of middle-class Indians that have disposable income. We are also seeing a lot more interest in destinations where we have our brands in. We are setting up an office in India in New Delhi soon. We wanted to have our presence directly here, so that we are able to serve our partners and suppliers, and have the pulse of the market. Our focus will be on further development and Anantara in Jaipur is one of them. We also see huge potential in other gateway cities like Mumbai.”

Vijay Krishnan Vazhvelil, Vice President – Indian Operations, Minor Hotels Group, said, “We have all the brands here right from Anantara to Avani, Avani Plus to NH Collection and NH Hotels. Minor Hotels is making a mark in India with Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur, which has 150 keys and beautiful banqueting spaces for weddings and celebrations. We have a lawn of approximately 5,000 square metres, beautifully laid out and we have a ballroom of 8,000 square metres, a small room, which is around 3,500 square feet and a couple of other party halls in and around that hotel.”

Introducing their new concept called ‘Namaskar Minor’, Chirodeep Chakraborty, Regional Director – Sales, Minor Hotels, said, “Namaskar Minor is a new programme that we are introducing this year. It is a standardisation promise to our B2B and B2C customers, whether they are travelling for weddings, FIT, individual stays, or as a group. Everything that an Indian traveller need is covered under Namaskar Minor. This includes regular things like a bottle of water, but also connecting rooms for families, vegetarian food and Indian food. So, it is standardising all of that into a channelised way to tell our hotels the basic criteria of an Indian guest.”

He shared that the group has seen a lot of bookings for their hotels in Europe, Australia, and the USA from Indian guests. “Cities like Amsterdam have been doing extremely well for the Indian market with Thailand being a favourite since weddings are big in Thailand. And Anantara, being a Thai brand, is well known among Indian guests for weddings. But what has happened in the last two years is that the luxury set has also increased. As a result of this, we are seeing more luxury guests,” Chakraborty added.