DRIVING A GLOBAL BRAND WITH A NATIVE SOUL

Operating a hotel in India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ is not a piece of cake. But Srijan Vadhera, General Manager, Conrad Bengaluru gets the ball rolling at a hotel where guests can experience international-standard service and style.

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What are the transformations you have effected in the property?

I am privileged to have the opportunity to lead a young, enthusiastic team and work towards taking the hotel to greater heights. My focus areas at the hotel have been to a) Retain and motivate the right talent pool; b) Make Conrad Bengaluru a preferred hotel for the talent in the city so that aspiring hoteliers look forward to being associated with a brand like Conrad, and c) Focussing on our brand values. Our team members need to understand the core of our existence, which is to deliver exceptional experiences at all times.

What are the numbers as they stand today? How have they grown?

The hotel has seen tremendous growth in its first full year of operation with all the revenue streams exhibiting a healthy double-digit growth. The Bengaluru market is one of the most buoyant in the country and has remained resilient in the face of an uncertain economic outlook recently. The total hotel revenues have seen almost a 60% growth over 2018, with all segments heavily contributing to this growth. RevPar growth has again been the highest amongst hotels in the central business district, with occupancy growth of almost 75% over 2018. Food and beverage contributed approximately 46% of the total revenues this year. For Conrad Bengaluru, large-scale conferences and social celebrations are great contributors to our success. Restaurant revenues have again doubled over 2018, driven by a consistent focus on creating unique culinary experiences.

What are your major revenue streams and how have they grown?

Rooms contribute almost 50% to our revenues, followed by F&B, which contributes approximately 46% . While we remain focused on developing other revenue streams, their total contribution currently remains at 4 to 5%.