WE GOT the opportunity to have a chat with Sunjae Sharma, the General Manager of the Grand Hyatt Mumbai and the Area Vice President for West India, also overseeing the South. The urbane and dapper Sharma is in charge of one of India’s most successful hotels and a key player in the MICE market for India. This hotelier with over 24 years experience held forth on what makes his property so unique and what really went into making Grand Hyatt Mumbai such a successful MICE destination. Here are some of the excerpts from the interview.
BW Hotelier: Tell us a little bit about the hotel and its positioning in Mumbai?
Sunjae Sharma: Grand Hyatt Mumbai is Hyatt International’s flagship multidimensional lifestyle complex in South Asia and is in close proximity to the Bandra-Kurla Business District. Grand Hyatt Mumbai, grand in scope and design is a city landmark, setting new standards of luxury and service in India’s financial and entertainment capital.
With approximately 10 acres of mixed-use development, the complex is truly a world class facility. Created by an international team of designers and consultants, the multidimensional lifestyle complex houses bespoke themed art curated by Rajeev Sethi.
The complex includes 547 luxurious guest rooms and suites; the Grand Club, the hotel’s executive floors, which offer exclusive privileges and amenities to guests; the city’s most sophisticated and technologically advanced conference and meeting facilities; and 147 serviced apartments. In addition, there are multiple specialty restaurants which serve authentic Indian and international cuisine; The Bar; The Gourmet Store; Club Oasis – Spa and Fitness Centre; Christiaan Georgio salon; and a multi-level shopping plaza which houses a range of local and international brands for the upwardly mobile Mumbaites or visitor to Mumbai.
The hotel houses one of the finest collections of commissioned art in a public space. Together with curator Rajeev Sethi, Grand Hyatt Mumbai took a pioneering step in bringing together Mumbai’s known artistes and upcoming talent with crafts people from around the country, to celebrate and reinterpret the Shiva myth as envisioned by seers and artists centuries before.
Grand Hyatt Mumbai offers over 30,000 square feet / 2,790 square metres of conference and meeting space – amongst the largest and most sophisticated facilities in the city. These include the 11,600 square foot /1,078 square metre Grand Ballroom, which can be partitioned into three sections, and seven additional meeting rooms and board rooms. The Grand Ballroom overlooks a majestic waterfall and the hotel’s indoor courtyard with breath taking water features and landscaping. At its entrance is a spacious 8,600 square foot / 780 square metre foyer, which can be used to host pre-function cocktails and receptions. All meeting rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual and high-speed communications connections.
In addition, the hotel has the beautiful Grand Lawns, 40,000 square feet of landscaped area, adjacent to the hotel. Hyatt’s unique Convention & Events team assists in customizing and supervising all events from start to finish.
BWH: What makes you so successful as a MICE property in India?
SS: The majestic and versatile event spaces, strategic location in proximity to the business district and airports and Hyatt’s signature authentic hospitality make us one of the most preferred MICE destinations in India. What truly sets us apart is our people who make a difference and create moments of more, specifically suited for all guests every day.
BWH: How has your year been so far and what do you want to achieve next year a far as the MICE business is concerned?
SS: The year has been wonderful with an influx of new businesses and diverse opportunities for MICE owing to efforts by the Government and Economic bodies. Our focus continues to consolidate and strengthen our positioning as the preferred MICE destination in South Asia with the splendid outdoor venue of Grand Lawns and reinvented event experiences at Grand Hyatt Mumbai.
BWH: What are the challenges of operating in Mumbai among your competition set?
SS: With challenges come opportunities - the market is buoyant and the avenues for growth and collaboration are promising.
BWH: In your view, if you could do something different, something you can’t do right now, what would it be?
SS: We will continue to deliver the extraordinary experiences for your guests through CARE at the heart of everything we do. Innovation is key for the success any business and we will strive to consistently deliver memorable moments.
BWH: List three most innovative strategies that have helped you push up your MICE business in FY2015-16. Are there new strategies in place for this financial year? What percentage of your revenues come from the MICE business?
SS: Our strategy has been very simple – to curate experiences rather than just execute events for our discerning guests and partners. With the addition of our beautiful Grand Lawns, we are looking to attract international events and global conferences. Also the market reach and efforts of our Hyatt Sales Force teams and upcoming projects in India will consolidate our positioning as a MICE destination in the heart of Mumbai. Approx. 25% revenue can be attributed to MICE.
BWH: Which are your big MICE source markets? How do you reach out to them? What are the big MICE events you have had at your hotel over the past one year?
SS: Domestic source markets include – Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore primarily and US and UK in the international market. Our widespread Hyatt Sales Force and Global Sales Teams are our ambassadors in key markets supported by our hotel sales teams. We deploy customized campaigns and plans in these markets with an integrated marketing approach to reach the target audiences. Also participation in Domestic and International Fairs, Hyatt MICE events etc help enhance the reach and visibility in desired markets.
BWH: How big is digital media in your MICE marketing strategy? Any innovative campaign that you would like to share?
SS: Digital media is an integral part of our overall marketing strategy and plans. We work closely with our digital teams on property in collaboration with regional support as well as agency expertise. We have seen wonderful results with targeted display campaigns and Social Media efforts with video content over the past months for event spaces and plan to continue these for the coming months too.
BWH: What are the big challenges you have faced, or foresee, in your MICE business? How have you surmounted them, or plan to do so?
SS: With challenges come opportunities. The future looks promising with the trend being positive, market sentiments being buoyant and opportunities being immense to attract more MICE business to Mumbai as a destination. We will continue to deliver signature experiences and create Living Grand moments for our guests through innovation and care, thereby strengthening our positioning as the multidimensional lifestyle complex in Mumbai.
