Flexibility is key to success

Intercontinental Hotel Group is making sure that they walk the talk when it comes to delivering the right kind of services in times of recovery from the pandemic, right from curated stays, to being technology powered at various stages, and catering to needs of the trade and customers.

Nisha Verma

Talking about how the pandemic affected hotels of Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), Veenu Rastogi, Area Director, Sales & Marketing – North India, said, “For hotels of all siz es and stripes, the unpredictable, fluctuating nature of post-pandemic demand has led to a rethink in staffing strategy, product offerings and cost management. We can expect to see some consolidation activities happening in the industry.”

Travel trade

As far as the travel trade is concerned, Rastogi said they have been engaging continuously.

“We all know that international travel is yet to start, and the outbound is also limited right now. Hence, we introduced domestic hotel-wise packages, which we have offered to the agents, and can be targeted to the families. In our portfolio, we have right from the resort to the business hotel to a no-frill Hotel like Holiday Inn Express,”
she states.

Promotional strategies

Rastogi believes that the hotel industry of the next decade will be defined for ancillary revenue.

“Although the hotel industry is a resilient industry, which has weathered many adverse market situations in the past, we feel that the drop in the demand post-COVID market will be too close for comfort for business and industry. This will necessitate hotels to look at ancillary revenue more closely and seriously,” she claims.

Way forward

Saying that the hospitality industry is yet to get back its pre-COVID level spot, Rastogi claims that hotels across the globe are witnessing fluctuating occupancy due to many uncertainties related to region-specific shutdowns, government-imposed regulations, and an increasing concern for health safety among guests.

“At all areas and functions of our hotels, we have introduced enhanced health and safety standards. This also includes our F&B offerings – home deliveries, restaurants and in-room dining as well. At our restaurants, we are not only focusing on cleanliness but also facilitating social distancing and the use of technology such as the use of E- menus or QR code menus to minimise contact. At many of our hotels in India, instead of usual buffets, the breakfast is being delivered through set menus/ a la carte options through in-room dining,” she adds.

Weddings galore

Claiming that weddings have become smaller affairs, Rastogi shares that quality in weddings has become even more important in today’s time.

“All our hotels have revisited their minimum banquet capacities keeping social distancing norms in place and our hotel continues to be popular in the social and wedding related event space – birthdays, reunions, family getaways and intimate weddings. Our specially curated menus are planned around the preferences of the families and offering bespoke services to guests along with aesthetically crafted meals and desserts is also a priority without compromising on hygiene and safety,” she adds.

Women in travel

Rastogi highlights that despite the natural inclination towards this industry, most women in the past were assigned roles like guest relations, sales and housekeeping, given their sociable personalities. “However, today organisations have been working towards bolstering their proportion of women and shifting their focus towards gender parity at all levels. Organisations have today become more cognisant about the needs of women and policies have been drawn to make our work life simpler – whether it be extended maternity or paternity leave, day care centres, flexible work hours and much more. An added benefit of the pandemic, is the acceptance by companies for the work-from-home format, which allows more women to continue their careers while not giving up the demands that home and family may make on their own time.

“I personally believe that an aspect that plays a huge role in our career is our support system – our family, friends and loved ones,” she stresses.