BOTT DESK
How was the year 2022 in terms of business for the property? What kind of occupancies did you register?
2022 has been the year of strong revival and recovery for the hospitality and the travel sectors. At Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla, the year kick-started with growth in the domestic segment with a positive trend for staycation packages, curated food festivals and residential weddings. Inbound tourism picked up its pace in the second half of the year with guests travelling from Middle Eastern, American and European countries for work & leisure. The average occupancy at our hotel has been between 85-90 % in the last one year. We were able to not only meet our revenue targets but exceed them, securing record-breaking numbers for the financial year.
Was the business more from MICE / Weddings or normal leisure traffic?
While MICE and Weddings have always been our key drivers for business growth, we witnessed immense growth in the leisure segment. This can be credited to revamped in-house experiences that added to the charm of our staycation packages. We curated experiential culinary events and also introduced a range of Ayurvedic Therapies at our wellness sanctuary-Spazzo. We have launched Soulful Suppers- LIVE singing element at our restaurants to add to the entertainment quotient. Our focus on curating tailor-made experiences for our leisure guests helped us carve our way through the segment.
What is unique about Crowne Plaza Okhla New Delhi that makes it special and different from the rest?
Located in the heart of the national capital, Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla offers integrated hospitality for business and leisure travelers. We are proud to share that the hotel features in the Top 10 hotels in Delhi-NCR on Trip Advisor’s Travellers Choice Ranking based on guest feedback.
While excellent connectivity and state-of-the-art infrastructure remains our forte, we enable a successful work and life blend for our guests. Our unique in-house experiential includes regional &-international culinary fests (Travelling Dim sums, Dilli 6 Food Festival, Silk Route Trails, Around The Globe Carnival, Jashn E Lucknow fest & many more), local dining experiences, sight-seeing options, interactive cookery classes with the chefs, wellness experiences & much more. Our hotel is located close to popular tourist spots such as Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, Tughlakabad Fort, Akshardham Temple, Humayun Tomb and Okhla Bird Sanctuary, making us a preferred choice for travelers.
What is going to be your strategy for 2023? Do you have a figure or plan in mind?
Inbound Tourism will be one of the major focus areas for the year 2023. Keeping this in mind, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) showcased a powerful presence at The Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB 2023)-India’s leading business networking platform for Inbound Tourism. We connected with foreign tour operators from 55+ countries and other relevant attendees to explore future collaboration opportunities.
MICE and Weddings will continue to be our prime focus areas in the coming year, along with restaurants & bars playing the catalyst for non-resident footfall. We are planning to launch a new food and beverage outlet and introducing refreshed wedding festivity experiences. We are revamping multiple areas of our hotel for an overall enhancement of look and appeal.
How soon do you think you will be able to go back to the 2019 figures?
With the hospitality and travel industry witnessing a spectacular revival, we are thrilled to share that we have already surpassed the 2019 figures as far as Total Revenue (TORE) is concerned. Our average Daily Rate (ADR) and Occupancies are witnessing a positive trend. In fact, our hotel achieved the highest revenue since the inception of the hotel in the last quarter, setting a pace for the upcoming year.
What special facilities do you offer for those seeking weddings/event venues on your property?
Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla boasts a banqueting space of 8500 Sq. ft at its premises. Our guests can host events or meetings in one of the 11 indoor and 2 outdoor flexible venues with the expertise of a dedicated Crowne Plaza® Meetings Director. Our mesmerizing venues, team of culinary maestros, event managers and carefully selected vendor panel ensure enchanting events and weddings at our hotel.
Our meeting spaces consist of excellent state-of-the-art infrastructure and flexible venues for our guests along with ‘Theme Breaks’ for a wholesome experience. For weddings, we have curated traditional experiences such as Pheras by the poolside, Vedi under the stars, Sajan Koth Thali dining experience and many more tailor-made to the guest’s preferences. We have a strong hold on the Outdoor Catering segment as well.
Can you share some unique f&b offerings at the property? You also keep doing few food festivals – what is the response you garner from them?
Restaurants and bars have always been our catalyst to driving non-resident traction to our hotel. We recently concluded 13th edition of our signature food festival –Dilli 6, which witnessed record-breaking trends as far as revenue and footfall is concerned. We are known for hosting experiential culinary events with unique dining experiences across regional and international cuisines. A few of the recent culinary events include Travelling Dimsums, Jashn E Lucknow Food Festival, Around The World Food Carnival, Silk Route Trails and many more. All these events garnered positive feedbacks from our patrons and media alike. We have re-launched our Dip & Dine Sunday Brunches; a refreshing take on quintessential brunches this summer. This year, we shall focus on innovative events such as Kitchen/ Bar Takeover, Secret Suppers, Interactive classes and more to keep our patrons craving for more.
Is there any more information that you would like to share with us?
IHG Hotels and Resort made it to the coveted list of ‘Great Place To Work’ by Great Place To Work Institute India for the year 2023-24.
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