'Going Geo specific will result in intense reach to targeted demographics with zero spillover': Amit Kumar

Located in the heart of the city, Courtyard Chennai is a contemporary retreat for today's business and leisure travellers. Set in the Teynampet area, it is near the US Consulate, Valluvar Kottam Monument and the upscale shopping amenities of Express Avenue & Pondy Bazaar. 

As per industry experts, domestic travel is showing signs of recuperating and will continue to aid recovery for hotels in 2021. What are your initiatives to attract more domestic guests? 

India’s domestic tourism market is strong, which will be a key factor in the industry’s recovery. Outbound travel will be minimal and discretionary – which means increased travel within the country for vacations / breaks will be a key driver for the industry. Domestic travellers who prefer places easily accessible through roads and weekend destinations will witness larger footfall. So, overall, domestic business driven by staycation, followed by weddings segment is expected to recover faster. As domestic travel trends increased in the market with staycations and last-minute booking, the hotel room packages are tailored to the consumption pattern with free cancellation and 20-30 per cent of discounts on the daily rates.

As a city center hotel, Courtyard Chennai is located in heart of the city with easy access to trade offices and consulates and recently US Embassy has opened interview slots in February and March 2021  for VISA stamping and being 10 minutes away from consulates there are special packages floated in our brand.com  as “US Consulate VISA Package”, which includes breakfast, Wi-Fi, Two way transfer to embassy has gained key traction on domestic market.

How has the F&B been faring in the current situation? What initiatives have been taken to adapt to the new trends? 

After witnessing the worst shut down ever, the F&B industry is getting back to its feet by adopting means to adhere to the new normal. Our restaurants are adopting digital ways in daily operations like a digital menu, digital payments, digital feedback and technology to communicate with our customers which have been successful. Our carefully curated culinary delights are being delivered to people's doorstep through Marriott On Wheels -MOW. This concept has also been a success. Realigning and arranging customised intimate wedding are other business opportunity in the market now. Referring to marketing Initiative – going geo specific will result in intense reach to the targeted demographics with zero spillover. It is crucial to emphasise on safety and hygiene protocols to build the trust back in connoisseur who would want to step out to dine and bring back the joy of travel.

Your views on the return of banquets, weddings and MICE? 

The banquets, weddings and MICE industry is an integral feeder market for both the hospitality and tourism sectors and like everything else has been hard hit by the pandemic and the lockdown. As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels are evolving new concepts. The focus has shifted from delighting and creating out-of-the-box experiences to safety, hygiene and sustainability. While the luxury services in hotels are either getting replaced or temporarily suspended, there are likely to be more “Techy” events, such as a combination of a smaller physical meeting backed by technology such as video conferencing with another group of attendees participating from a different location. Basically, this will help companies to adhere to newer capacity rules and control costs. Improved cleanliness protocols and practices will be visible across all spaces and at all events to ensure guests can focus on the meeting with the assurance of a safe and hygienic experience.

Marriott International has newly launched a campaign that encourages customers to start thinking ahead and planning for their future meetings or events.  “THE TIME IS NOW” campaign for Marriott Bonvoy members which is valid throughout 2021.

How do you plan to reach out to the family vacationers for the summer holiday season, especially addressing the needs of the kids? 

In terms of Chennai Market, it had witnessed a huge spike of a staycation with maximum traction to ECR (east coast road) short trips from the city hustle and access to private beach had an advantage for resorts on that belt, but still, the city hotels had traction on "staycation" and "workcations" as domestic market trends helped on recovery. When it comes to addressing the needs of the kids, we have recreated our F&B offerings with special breakfasts for kids and cookery class from our chefs. Apart from the regular inclusions like breakfast, high-speed internet there are special inclusions on those packages like 20 per cent discount on the SPA & Saloon, Early check-in and Late checkout, Two pieces laundry per room per day, 20 per cent off on Food & Soft Beverages and 50 per cent off on 2nd room l kids meals/(>12yrs). Our curated offers are constantly promoted on all our social handles with targeted geo location to avoid spill overs.

Any other point that you want to share with our readers? 

We understand that people are thinking about travel differently now. We are too.That’s why we have elevated our exacting standards and rigorous protocols to create hospitality norms and behaviours to address the unique challenges presented by the current pandemic environment. This ‘new normal’ may evolve and change over time to reflect new government guidance and new societal expectations. What will never change, though, is our commitment to keeping hotel associates, guests and customers healthy. This is our utmost priority. Marriott International recently launched our Global Cleanliness Council, including experts from the field of medicine and public health to supplement our reputation of cleanliness and hospitability. Additionally, we’ve developed 200+ cleaning protocols throughout each step of our guests’ journey and every physical space in the hotel.