‘Hospitality market in Dhaka is growing every year’

The hospitality industry in Bangladesh is witnessing a never-before boom as the Asian nation turns into an important business hub, not only of the region but the entire world. With the increasing arrival of business travellers from all around the globe, the hospitality industry is getting more investments than ever in its five-decade plus of existence. Though industry experts feel the country is underserved in terms of quality hotel accommodation, they are optimistic that it will soon meet the growing demand for luxury hotels. A number of industry giants have already set foot in Bangaldesh and a few more are likely to open their doors for guests soon. 

One among the established hotels is The Westin Dhaka, the country’s most preferred and only wellness focussed premium five-star hotel. It is located in Gulshan 2, Dhaka’s emerging and dynamic business and diplomatic district with corporate offices, embassies and high commissions, shopping, dining, entertainment and historic landmarks in close proximity. From offering menus for healthy meals made with superfoods at the restaurants to providing room amenities that help guests sleep better at night, everything revolves around living healthy at the hotel, be it the guests or the associates. Every room and suite of the hotel includes the Heavenly Bed and Bath for which the Westin brand is globally famous. Just 8 km from the international airport, the property positions itself as the best F&B destination in the city with world-class restaurants and bar. 

At the helm of affairs here is Australian national Daniel Muhor who, as the property’s General Manager, ensures every guest walking in returns home happy and satisfied. Muhor started his career 25 years ago as a restaurant manager at Le Meridien, Rialto in Melbourne with a stint at The Westin Gurgaon. Since 2019, he has been working as Cluster General Manager for The Westin Dhaka and Sheraton Dhaka. Muhor says the hospitality market in Dhaka is very promising and has been growing every year. “At present, we are observing a huge number of business travellers coming to Dhaka, especially after travel restrictions have been lifted. However, we find very few leisure travellers coming to the capital due to the city being a busy cosmopolitan,” he shares. Though the property has been home to guests from all across the globe, a majority of them come from North America. “After that, a significant number comes from Asia and Europe. As most of the guests coming to the hotel are business travellers, typical stay at the hotel is between four and five days,” informs Muhor. Apart from room occupancy, 55 per cent of hotel revenue comes from F&B which includes banquets, restaurants, weddings, outdoor catering and airport lounge sales.

Muhor shares that the hotel is, at present, receiving a good number of inbound international travellers. “Even during the pandemic, we fared better than our competitors as we were quick to implement the health and safety related initiatives by the Health Ministry and our own ‘Commitment to Clean’ programme by Marriott International. Around the pandemic, we saw very few international travellers coming to Dhaka. So we came up with exciting staycation packages for the locals. Over time, these packages were enjoyed by a significant number of local guests which minimised our losses for not having a large number of inbound international guests,” he says.

India market for The Westin Dhaka

“Over the years, a significant number of Indian guests – corporates, celebrities and VIPs have stayed at The Westin Dhaka. Around 10-12 per cent of our guests are from India. To reach out to the Indian market, we are constantly being supported by our GSO and NSO teams based in India. Indian corporate accounts are secured locally by our sales team. We also provide special offers for Indian travellers through our website and OTAs from time to time,” he shares. 

Sustainability initiatives 

“Everything we, as a Marriott International brand, do is about sustainability. As a Serve 360 drive, we have our own Sustainability & Social Impact Goals which we plan to achieve by 2025. We are constantly trying to limit our carbon footprint by implementing various initiatives and modifying the hotel by installing energy efficient systems to reduce energy consumption round-the-clock. We consume and encourage the usage of locally sourced ingredients and seasonal products. To avoid waste, we buy exactly what we need to. We have reduced the use of plastic wherever possible. We encourage guests to reuse hotel sheets and towels,” Muhor informs, adding that the property will soon provide toiletries in reusable bulk containers rather than single-use packets. 

“By using intelligent systems for office processes, we have gone paperless. Every year, to create awareness regarding climate change we participate in Earth Hour with our guests and associates. We also help the community by executing cleaning drives and by providing food, toys and clothes for the underprivileged from time to time. We also help the community by continuously recruiting and developing the youth, diverse populations, women, people with disabilities, veterans and refugees,” he says. 

Booking trends and consumer preferences 

After the travel restrictions were lifted, the property started receiving a large number of international business travellers. “The volume is increasing day by day as the demand for international travel is very high right now. To give confidence to our guests to come back to the hotel, we are maintaining our ‘Commitment to Clean’ initiative to provide the safest environment possible. For the local guests, we are also promoting our weekend staycations to drive rooms, spa and F&B business,” says Muhor.