Reinventing An Icon

A year after the Taj hotel group announced Tajness, its over-arching branding philosophy, BlackBook takes stock of the brand’s resurgence and how it plans to battle the increasing competition

- Pankti Mehta Kadakia

Delicate notes of jasmine waft into the air; strains of familiar background music melt into the evening; a usual morning yoga ritual is comforting. Whether you are in Goa, Srinagar or Guwahati, you should know that you are at a Taj hotel even with your eyes closed.

Tajness. A one-word philosophy that sets the rules for the hotel chain’s ethos, all over the world. Unveiled in August last year, Tajness is defined as a sum of guest experiences that seek their inspiration from the nobility of Indian heritage and traditions.

A year on, the philosophy has driven many significant changes for the group. Its name, for starters. In February this year, the parent Indian Hotels Company Limited announced that all hotels in its current global portfolio are to be grouped under a new, single-branded house identity — Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris. This means a sunset for the more affordable Vivanta by Taj and the Gateway Hotels and Resort brands; these hotels will be absorbed into the umbrella brand — and will offer an experience to match.

The mammoth task is in progress. By the end of the year, all Vivanta and Gateway properties, as well as Taj’s own original hotels, will be stamped with Tajness and unified.

BlackBook took stock with the team spearheading the change — Chinmai Sharma, Chief Revenue Officer; Rakhee Lalvani, Global VP – Corporate Communications and PR; Renu Basu, Global VP – Sales; and Rajshree Bakshi, Global VP – Marketing. A new MD and CEO, Puneet Chhatwal, joins them later this month.

Why rebrand?