Our diverse portfolio makes us a stronger brand with the ability and strength to enter multiple markets
Espire Hospitality Group announced having 20 hotels and over 700 rooms by December 2023. Where do you stand?
We will have 16 hotels by the end of 2023. With these 16 hotels, we have already crossed a count of 800 rooms.
You also earmarked around Rs. 550 crore for the expansion. How is scenario looks like?
This is on track with renovations planned at our hotels in Jim Corbett, Kosi, Bhimtal and Mussoorie. Our Jim Corbett resort has been under renovation for 12 months post which Kosi will undergo the renovation process, followed by the rest of them to eventually present these fresh offering to our guests.
You are coming out with different brands such as Six Senses Fort Barwara, Country Inn Hotels and Resorts and ZANA Luxury Escapes. What is the positioning of these brands?
All our brands are unique to themselves and offer a distinctive experience for avid travellers. Our diverse portfolio makes us a stronger brand with the ability and strength to enter multiple markets. It also gives us an opportunity to expand faster as we can target multiple asset owners, depending on the resonance with our brands.
Six Senses is a world-renowned high-end premium luxury brand. Located in Sawāi Mādhopur, ‘Six Senses Fort Barwara’ is a 14th-century fort that has been sensitively preserved and transformed into an all-suite sanctuary of well-being. It is the highest ARR hotel in the country.
ZANA Luxury Escapes is the newest addition to our portfolio. Our maiden resort under this brand, ‘ZANA Lake Resort, Udaipur’ on the Udai Sagar Lake opened in August 2022. We are also planning to open ZANA resorts in Sawai Madhopur, Kasauli and Rishikesh this year.
Country Inn Hotel and Resorts is our mid-segment resort brand. These resorts are strategically located in destinations that are best suited for adventure, discovery, and at the places that inspire the soul
How is the response in terms of average occupancy, ARRs, and RevPar, and what are your expectations from 2023?
While the financial year has just started, we are already witnessing a 15% hike in our ARR. Occupancies are always at peak in the first quarter and we are witnessing the same this year as well. All in all, since we are a growing company, we have budgeted a 100% hike from the overall revenue compared to the last year.
Which segment looks promising for you: Business, Leisure, or Bleisure?
We have a diverse portfolio of hotels that attracts different segments and therefore all segments are promising for us.
What is the share of F&B,, MICE, and weddings segment in your overall business?
MICE and FNB contributes 30-35% to our overall business, while the direct FNB revenue is 15%.
What are your marketing and promotional strategies for 2023?
We believe in storytelling and showcasing the unique experiences each of our hotels and resorts offer through real life influencers. With the upcoming launch of our various ZANA and Country Inn resorts, we have many stories to tell and reasons for the people to return. Investing in Digital Marketing is an important pillar of our strategy as the media landscape has shifted to digital in the last two years, and people have started spending more time on social media.
What is the ratio of OTAs, travel agents and your own platform in your overall bookings?
With 50% share, OTAs contributes to the major chunk of our business while the remaining 40% is contributed by the offline agents and 10% through the direct channels including our brand website.
What measures are you taking on the sustainability front?
With a growing concern for the environment, we are firmly committed to improving the carbon footprint and maximizing the positive impact on the environment and the community.
One of the key brand pillars of Six Senses Fort Barwara is sustainability. There are multiple activities that we undertake as our responsibility towards the environment and the community, like providing locals a platform to showcase their handcraft which have been passed on for generations and sell their products at the fort. We have our own water filters and produce our own glass water bottles to minimise the use of plastic. Our rewilding project aims to conserve the natural habitat by removing invasive species and planting native and endemic trees and plants which are vital for a healthy ecosystem.
At ZANA Lake Resort, Udaipur, we use ‘MA Earth Botanicals’ bath and wash amenities that are free from chemical additives, synthetic fragrances, petroleum, animal-by-products, sodium laurel sulphate, mineral oils, parabens and cruelty free. Our dental amenities are completely plastic free as we use naturally made chewable tablets packed in a glass bottle and an environmentally friendly wooden toothbrush. Besides this, we have an on-site farm from where we source our key cooking ingredients that are used to create a vegetarian fare that is that is both, indulgent and nourishing. We also use solar plant at the resort, as our contribution towards sustainability.
