A Hotel Needs to Get its Positioning Right: Subhabrata Roy

The Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai, Vashi saw a four per cent increase in overall occupancy this year, exceeding its targeted occupancy for the year ending March 31, 2016.

“We are working on exceeding the targets this year as well”, said Subhabrata Roy, General Manager of the hotel, while speaking to BW Hotelier. So far the hotel occupancy hovers around 82-83 per cent with domestic and international guests having an equal share of total rooms. The average length of stay of guests is 3.5 days. Roy told us that the Guest Experience Index (GEI) is 8.7 per cent for the hotel. The TripAdvisor rating has also increased considerably.

To get the momentum going, the hotel is taking aggressive steps on guests as well as staff engagement, according to him.

“Guest interaction is crucial. Initiatives have been taken to increase guest engagement. On the request of our in-house guests, we have changed the in-room dining menu and are also planning to come up with a new menu for the buffet”, informed Roy.

Steps have been taken to focus on staff engagement and training as well, he said. Activities like salsa classes and food festivals in the cafeteria have been introduced, he shared. “I believe these small things definitely adds value in the long-run”, said Roy.

Another aspect of getting guests to the hotel and keeping it in the news is social media. The hotel is in the process of revamping its social media pages and a new dedicated agency have come on board to look after the social media pages of the hotel, according to the GM.

Other important revamps keeping the new targets in mind include, the relaunch of its salon in May, 2016 and a home drop facility for guests who stay within a 3 km radius, to prevent drunk driving, which is also in the works.

With the rising cost of Heat Light Power (HLP) measures have been taken to bring down the variable costs to add to GOP.

“New inventories will come up in Navi Mumbai over the next couple of years and we are prepared for the competition. With guest and staff satisfaction in place, handling additional pressure would not be a challenge for us,” affirmed Roy.

The guest has become much more savvy, he shared, “nowadays the guests are well-versed, thanks to the Internet and social media. Brand awareness has increased and they know what to expect. In addition, guests have developed palate for different cuisines. We get to know and learn a lot from our guests.”

Talking about the mantra for success in a hotel, Roy said, “A hotel needs to get its positioning right. This should be followed by right service, quality service and correct marketing strategies.”