Bracing for the year ahead

In the last two years, the business landscape has shifted. The hospitality industry has taken advantage of this shift to manage its sales and revenues better. With new developments, fresh offerings and an optimistic attitude, the sector is gearing up for the coming year.

Janice Alyosius

The passing year was a mix of good and bad for the hospitality industry. While it began on a bright note, the second COVID-19 wave wreaked havoc on the industry across the country. However, the industry is now doing better, thanks to the wedding season and the New Year.

Business in 2021

In terms of the business in 2021, Sidharth Koul, Director Sales & Marketing, JW Marriott, Bengaluru, stated that the hotel’s central location has benefited them. It was one of the most sought-after places for clients planning special festivities and weddings, thanks to a choice of open-air venue alternatives. “Even in a city like Bengaluru, which is mostly known as a business destination, the wedding season has been extremely active in the last several months. In terms of the number of weddings that are already confirmed and those that are planned for the coming year, we continue to see a positive trend.” About the business in 2021, the Hotel Royal Orchid in Bangalore revealed that it has always been a popular choice for weddings, but due to the pandemic and the limited number of guests, they decided to split the large venue designed to hold over 500 guests into multiple sections.

“Splitting the enormous space enables us to host multiple social events at the same time, such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations,” said Ajay Sampige, GM, Hotel Royal Orchid, Bangalore.

New offerings

Regarding new offers, Koul says, “At our all-day fine dining restaurant, JW Kitchen and our PAN-Asian restaurant, Merak, we are offering a multi-cuisine buffet for guests. To enhance our guests’ overall experience, we’ve put together some fun room-packages for families and couples who want to spend their vacation in luxury. ”  Hotel Royal Orchid, Bangalore, expressed concern over the new COVID variant.

Future plans

When asked about the plans in 2022, Koul expressed his displeasure with the revelation of the new variant, saying, “With the news of the new variant, we’re keeping a close eye on the first quarter. With the exception of international travellers, who make up a substantial amount of our business, we had expected a significant recovery in most categories of our business. I believe, there will be a negative impact on a few. We remain positive about the revival of business travel, as well as a slight uptick in international travel, beginning in the second half of next year.”

Sounding positive, Sampige said, “We all hope 2022 will be a better year for all. The hospitality industry has had a severe impact. Our employees, owners, operators and ancillary industries have taken a beating. But the last couple of months have been extremely good and we are already back to 2019 revenues. I feel that 2022 will be stronger
than ever.”