Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre to Boost Presence in US Market

By Rashmi Pradhan SPREAD ACROSS 15-acre of lush green surroundings, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre is connected to one of Southeast Asia’s biggest Convention Centres, Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Neil Paterson, General Manager, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre and Hyderabad International Convention Centre talks to BW Hotelier about ten successful years of operations of the hotel Telling us about the unique features of Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC) and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Paterson said, ’NHCC is centrally located in the IT and financial district of the city of pearls and is Hyderabad's most preferred convention hotel. HICC offers state-of-the-art exhibition, meeting and convention services, which makes for a convenient choice while planning a wedding or a world-class conference. HICC is the first purpose-built convention centre, which has a capacity ranging from 50 to 6500 delegates and features 37 breakout rooms. The pillar-less internal hall of net 6,480 sq. meters that can hold a 5,000-delegate plenary and can be partitioned into six halls. NHCC features 287 rooms tailor-made for business and leisure travelers.’ NHCC and HICC are a perfect destination for MICE and leisure travelers. The hotel witnesses a mix of 65 per cent domestic and 35 per cent international travelers. NHCC and HICC have been participating in international and domestic trade fairs and will continue to do the same. Paterson informed, ’We are looking at significantly boosting our presence in the US market as most of the movement is from that sector, thanks to the growth in IT.’ He further added, ’We actively market Destination Hyderabad and seek to bring in a major chunk of MICE business to HICC, as this not only benefits the convention centre and the hotel, but also significantly benefits the local economy. We are also working on leveraging the online space for driving growth through various modern digital tools. Engaging with our audiences on social media platforms has also helped strengthen our brand reach and awareness. We will be focusing on organizing group and community events to sensitize them to our range of products and services. Well-planned weekend stay offers and deals will be leveraged through the year as well.’ Highlighting the future trends, Paterson said, ’While the past years have focused on the domestic market, the next few years will be outbound ruled. Increasing e-Visa facilities, establishing cross-cultural links, will help smoothen the process. Exciting food and beverage trends and the authenticity of foods will also play a major role as people will like to go back to the basics. Providing a non-alienating and unique guest experience by customizing requirements will also be appreciated. Hotels will become more tech-friendly and will take to digital platforms for check-ins, customer redressals and more.’ Speaking on the challenges of operating one of the largest convention centres, Paterson said, ’NHCC and HICC attracts a large number of MICE and business travelers. Employee turnover is the biggest challenge that the industry faces today. The industry is facing a mismatch between demand and supply of manpower. In the hotel industry, staff turnover is as high as 25 per cent per month. The retention of manpower and training them to a certain caliber is important for a multinational. The resource needs to be trained as per the corporate DNA and handle large numbers with panache and hence staffing is crucial in such situations.’ The Author is Assistant Editor, BW Hotelier.-