Is going local the new mantra?

Being local is not just ‘the’ word but also the focus especially with regards to India as a country and the whole spotlight on ‘Be Indian…Buy Indian’.

- Charmaine Fernz

The new buzzword for consumers today is going local. This is followed by the much-adopted concept of being healthy which results in overall well-being of an individual. Considering current circumstances being local is not just ‘the’ word but also the focus especially with regards to India as a country and the whole spotlight on ‘Be Indian…Buy Indian’. Taking a cue from this growing trend, we pursued the topic to understand how does the Indian hospitality industry work on its local procurement.

The concept of local procurement has been gaining prominence in the last decade or even more. However, each hospitality group has a different take as Shailendra Kapur, Senior Director Operations and Revenue, Best Western Hotels & Resorts explains from a global hospitality chain perspective. “We, at Best Western Hotels & Resorts every year hold a convention for its North American members as well as a Global Conference for its international offices.

During these events, attendees have the opportunity to meet with a diverse array of global/local suppliers which is a platform that enables managed and franchised hotels in the region to purchase goods and services directly from BW preferred suppliers.

Best Western engages its suppliers at the local level to support its standardisation goals. We believe in the fact that “We’re partners. We work together for the end goal of our customers. When we are doing research on a product we meet with our suppliers and get their inputs on what the industry is looking at,” he adds.