RETAINING THE HUMAN ASPECT OF HOSPITALITY

With technology replacing face-to-face interactions, Ginger Hotels revised its SOPs to keep the human element of the business intact, albeit safely

- VINITA BHATIA

When The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) announced results for its second-quarter ending September 30, 2020, the performance of Ginger Hotels stood out. The midscale-economy hotel chain from Roots Corporation, a subsidiary of IHCL, recorded improved occupancy in September 2021 reaching 51%, up from an average of 31% in Q1.

This moderate upswing is reason enough to celebrate at a time when the hospitality industry was badly battered by the pandemic and subsequent lockdown for several months. With the unlocking of the economy, business is gradually picking with green shoots of revival being witnessed in the domestic travel and accommodation segment.

Deepika Rao, MD, and CEO of Ginger Hotels tells Vinita Bhatia how taking the pandemic in its stride, the hotel chain used the time to carry out various cost optimization initiatives. Just before the lockdown, it had signed a new hotel in Amritsar, its first in Punjab.

It followed this up by signing two new properties in Chennai, one each in Patna, Odisha's Kalinganagar, Chandigarh, and Guwahati. While keeping customers at the front and center of all business plans, Rao added that Ginger Hotels will continue expanding its footprint in high-demand markets, where there is ample scope for growth.

Is there a sweet spot for hoteliers to focus on currently in their bid to increase room occupancy?

While the industry grapples to find an answer to increase footfalls and occupancies to the pre-COVID levels, there are some interventions that brands at large have looked at. These include all-inclusive pricing, staycations, hourly rates, workation, and work-out of-hotels packages.