In Conversation With Mr Mandeep Lamba As He Talks About The Impact Of Global Hospitality On The Indian Market

1. What do you aim to achieve by bringing the stalwarts of the hospitality industry under one roof?

HVS ANAROCK HOPE (Hospitality Overview Presentation & Exchange) 2023 aims to showcase India's global stature as a hospitality industry powerhouse, by bringing Indian and international hospitality leaders, thought leaders, investors, hotel owners and new-age differentiators together for focused deliberation and interactive dialogues on various thought-provoking and forward-thinking topics impacting the hospitality industry.

The two-day conference will feature 80+ speakers from around the world, who will analyse and discuss the current and future state of the global and domestic hospitality & travel sectors with a primary focus on future trends and new age opportunities. With the business environment and customer behaviour changing at a pace never experienced before, the collective wisdom emerging from these deliberations would provide meaningful insights to deal with the impending transformation. HOPE is two-days of high-octane knowledge exchange, networking, and celebrating success!

2. How has the hospitality sector and travel industry transformed post pandemic?

COVID has changed the hospitality industry as we knew it, as travellers and hospitality players adapted to the evolving situation and found ways to keep moving forward. In the absence of inbound travel, hotel companies finally recognized the enormous potential of domestic tourism and the need to grow their presence in Indian leisure destinations. Focusing on cost efficiency, being more agile, thinking outside the box and accepting new ideas quickly are a few other changes that have strengthened the sector. Hoteliers are proactively focusing on alternative customer segments and diversifying into non-room ancillary revenue streams. Moreover, technology adoption has accelerated, and operations have become leaner.

The last two years have seen a significant change in traveller behaviour, with privacy, hygiene, and cleanliness taking precedence over all other considerations. Many travellers are now looking for greater flexibility and convenience, especially when traveling in small groups or with families and pets. Popularity of alternative accommodation products such as homestays and villa rentals has increased exponentially in India as a result of these changing preferences.

With remote working becoming a significant option across the globe, people are looking to explore newer destinations as the barrier of working from a regular office environment has been overcome. This is likely to be a game changer along with bleisure that is now increasingly preferred with travel on business being clubbed with an extended stay for leisure.

3. How will the Indian Market impact the global hospitality industry in the next 2 years?

India, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, is expected to become the third largest by 2030. With its resilience to global headwinds thus far and a prominent role in the G20, the country will play an important part in shaping the global economy going forward. This is good news for the country's tourism industry, as both inbound and outbound travel are expected to increase significantly in the coming years. To be part of this growth story, all major international hotel chains are increasing their presence in the country. Meanwhile, Indian hotel chains and brands such as Taj, Oberoi, and the Leela are winning accolades globally, which is helping boost the visibility of the Indian hospitality industry. Very soon, the level of service offered by Indian chains will redefine "hospitality" and establish new standards around the world. Indians are also now seen in leadership roles across the globe in leading hotels and in corporate roles with leading brands. This footprint of Indians being a large global workforce for the hospitality sector is only going to grow. Further, Indian hospitality brands such as Taj & Oberoi already have global presence which they are actively looking to enhance along with brands like the Leela also looking to extend in some key international markets.

4. Can you name some of the future trends to watch out for in 2023 in the hospitality sector? Elucidate with examples

Demand will continue to be strong driven by various factors. India’s G20 presidency will result in incremental demand for hotels in the cities where the meetings will be held. Bleisure travel is expected to gain further momentum as international business travellers and high-profile MICE events return to the country. Medical tourism is also expected to increase because of the relaxation of international travel restrictions and the falling rupee coupled with the government’s desire to provide a boost to this sector.

Hoteliers will focus on efficient usage of technology as it helps in reducing both capital and operating costs, improving profitability, and streamlining processes, while enhancing guest experience and personalization. Most hotels will be developed with ‘smart’ guest rooms to enhance guest comfort and experience. Smart tech is poised to play a greater role in future hotels. It gives hoteliers endless possibilities to differentiate themselves from the competition and exceed the expectations of the guests of tomorrow.

Experiential and immersive travel experiences such as Yoga, workout, biking, trekking, retreats along with gastronomic delicacies from very elaborate curated health food menu options, nature trails, meditation with global fitness and wellness gurus along with local community involvement are going to be a newer area for resort development very different from the current label of wellness resorts. A case in point is the newly launched SIRO brand by Kerzner which also operates the luxury One & Only brand.

Last but not the least, sustainability will become more than mere lip-service, as companies step-up their efforts given that an increasing number of younger travellers are giving sustainability a prominent place while making their travel choices

5. Which key members of the global/Indian hospitality industry will be a part of H.O.P.E? A few touch points of the kind of sessions one should expect there?

More than 250 distinguished invitees and delegates, including Industry CEO’s and top corporate leaders from India and other parts of the globe, thought leaders and influencers, start-up founders with interesting stories, F&B entrepreneurs who have disrupted Hotel F&B leadership, hotel general managers, top hotel asset owners, leaders in travel and travel technology, private equity & investment banks, real estate players, and architects, will attend the HOPE conference.

of the key goals of the HOPE conference is to give industry stalwarts and thought leaders a forum to deliberate and offer new perspectives on variety of industry trends and challenges, such as skill-shortage, sustainability, future of hotel design, consumer travel trends and technology, along with keynote addresses and presentations by eminent experts. I am truly excited about the agenda and the speaker line-up that we have; so, stay tuned for more details over the coming weeks.