46 HOTELSCAPES • May 2014

◗ MICE

Celebrated hotels which hold upscale weddings

Amit ModiVice President, The Grand, New Delhi

“In today’s time and generation f a m i l i e s d o n o t w a n t

conventional weddings . They want their weddings to be grand a nd exclusive . T he pla nning starts months in advance in order to organise a hassle-free event with elaborate arrangements. In India, where customs, rituals and colours are so luring, everybody wa nt s to splu rge more t ha n ever on their wedding. Some families plan to have a roya l destination wedding and some desire a wedding in a luxurious

environment of a five star hotel where they get the feel of the hotel pool and lawns to do various events. Irrespective of any downturn, wedding remains a stable business, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime event in India. Due to huge and multiple options, to hold various events at different locations, we get a clientele which wants a combination of destination, royal, lifestyle and luxurious wedding. Most of our clients prefer to shift with their families and friends to our hotel and organise events in our various venues on all three to four days. In fact we host a lot of international weddings where clients want a taste of India in their celebrations.”

Amit ModiVice President,

The Grand, New Delhi

Most of our clients prefer to shift with their families

and friends to our hotel.,,Siddharth Savkur

General Manager Alila Diwa Goa

Today’s guest is very well informed, has experienced

the best.,,

Siddharth SavkurGeneral Manager Alila Diwa Goa

“Go a h a s a l w a y s b e e n India’s premier choice for

destination weddings. Thankfully, the allure of the state has only increased in recent years with more couples choosing to tie the knot here. In their response, service providers in the state have stepped up with attractive offerings and packages at different price points. Alila Diwa Goa has made strong inroads into the destination wedding segment ever since we opened four years ago, and we continue to innovate based on trends and feedback. Today’s guest is very well informed, has experienced the best the world has to offer and is usually very clear about her requirements. Young couples today are increasingly picking wedding dates based more on practical considerations like work schedules and holidays. They choose auspicious dates less than the norm. This augurs well for both the industry as well as the guest. Hotels have the opportunity to pick up business during lean periods and the guest benefits by getting better deals. In this era of increasing inventory in most destinations and the resulting stiff competition, it is imperative for hoteliers to communicate with each other and agree on pricing and discounting thresholds.”

Some hotels in India are famous for conducting the country’s most lavish weddings, where they provide tailor-made services to the clients, while taking care of the every minute need. HotelScapes talks to

spokespersons of some of these hotels where the most luxurious weddings take place, asking them about how weddings are adding to their business and what customers look forward to today.

May 2014 • HOTELSCAPES 47

MICE

Graham GrantGeneral Manager,

The Leela Palace, Udaipur

We have seen growth in the past and will keep

seeing acceleration.,,

Sunil GuptaGeneral Manager,

ITC Rajputana, Jaipur

The ability of a good venue is to make every wedding unique and memorable.,,

Sunil GuptaGeneral Manager, ITC Rajputana, Jaipur

“The experience of weddings that we provide is where

everyone, including the host, can be a guest even hosts and especially at a destination which offers great settings and backdrop. Above all, the ability of a good venue is to make every wedding unique and memorable. ITC Rajputana has a unique position of being “rooted to the soil”, paying tribute to local heritage and culture, evident in the architecture, interior design and services of the hotel. The hotel also houses ITC’s internationally acclaimed indigenous Spa brand, Kaya Kalp. ITC Rajputana gets a judicious mix of both, the fascinated international traveller and the India traveller who has once again discovered Jaipur. The NCR generates weekend getaways. These are a big hit. Jaipur is a city that has kept pace with the modern Indian.” HS

by ANUPRIYA BISHNOI

Graham GrantGeneral Manager, The Leela Palace, Udaipur

“In a city like Udaipur, which is famous for weddings, we

certainly have seen growth in the last few years and will keep seeing acceleration. Last year the growth rate which we saw in the number of weddings was 65 percent. Now we do not see people getting married only in the months of November, December, January and February. Now people are getting married in months like July and April as well which are not so popular among Indians for getting married. We already have a booking for these two months. Also, I believe

auspicious dates are important and have always been dominant but I will say they are not absolute. Also, our clientele is basically domestic. They wish to get married in a royal place. For such people Udaipur is more suitable. I would say there has been a relevant increase in the number of weddings in Udaipur and in The Leela, Udaipur.”

YOUNG COUPLES TODAY ARE INCREASINGLY PICKING WEDDING DATES BASED MORE ON PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS LIKE WORK SCHEDULES AND HOLIDAYS. THEY CHOOSE AUSPICIOUS DATES LESS THAN THE NORM. THIS AUGURS WELL FOR BOTH THE INDUSTRY AS WELL AS THE GUEST. HOTELS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PICK UP BUSINESS DURING LEAN PERIODS AND THE GUEST BENEFITS BY GETTING BETTER DEALS. IN THIS ERA OF INCREASING INVENTORY IN MOST DESTINATIONS AND THE RESULTING STIFF COMPETITION, IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR HOTELIERS TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER AND AGREE ON PRICING AND DISCOUNTING THRESHOLDS.