Sarovar showers offers

Ajay K Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, talks extensively about the latest developments of the brand, its performance till date, his views on industry disruptors and more.

Anupriya Bishnoi

Q. What are the latest updates at Sarovar?

We had an exciting first quarter this year. Sarovar opened the first branded hotel in the historic city of Jhansi and the fifth in Uttar Pradesh. That has been a significant development for us. We have also announced the opening of our crowning glory, Sarovar Premiere, Jaipur in the Pink City. This quarter also brings in the monsoon as a magical season to travel and explore. Destinations such as Thekkady in Kerala, Goa and Shimla allow different experiences during this time of the year. Our hotels in these destinations are offering exclusive ‘Best Deal Guaranteed’ packages for the season and ‘Book Direct’ offers for stays. Other expected openings in 2018 include hotels in Lusaka, Zambia, Dar Es Salaam and Tanzania, and Jaisalmer, Katra, Dibrugarh, Junagadh and Gorakhpur in the domestic market.

Q. How has the year fared for the brand till now? What kind of occupancy did you see?

Sarovar Hotels is focused on strategic expansion throughout India and Africa and we are continuously striving to achieve our goal to have 100 hotels by 2020. This year contributed with some exceptional hotel openings and signing of new properties. Our hotels are logging an occupancy level above 70 per cent and we believe that this is good and poised to go further as the Indian economy continues a speedy growth around 7 per cent per annum.

Our hotels are logging an occupancy level above 70 per cent and we believe that this is poised to go further as the Indian economy continues a speedy growth

Q. It’s been a year for GST implication. What kind of changes have you observed in the industry?

Under the Goods and Service Tax, the hospitality sector stands to reap the benefits of standardised and uniform tax rates, and easy and better utilisation of input tax credit. As the final cost to end user decreases, we can see the industry attract more overseas tourists than before.

Q. What are your views on industry disruptors?

They serve a useful purpose for hotel guests. There needs to be greater regulation by the government from a security and tax perspective, but disruptors are definitely here to stay.

Q. As a home-grown brand, what advantages do you have over the others?

We know the market well and the local sub-market even better. We connect with our guests with the warmth of being local guides and understand their needs well. We talk the language of the land.