Evolve Back formerly known as Orange County, is an established chain of luxury resorts in India that are presented with a thematic representation of the local history and its natural surroundings. The resort chain is widely popular and enjoys immense brand equity among patrons in India and overseas alike. They are currently present in three locations viz. Kamalapura Palace in Hampi, Kuruba Safari Lodge in Kabini and Chikkana Halli Estate in Coorg, which are all geographically diverse regions allowing guests to experience nature in its purity. Jose Ramapuram – Director Marketing, Evolve Back in an exclusive chat with BOTT shares more about the property.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
A brand name takes a lot of time in gaining recognition. Why was there a brand name change here?
‘The House of Ramapuram’ were planters by tradition and diversified into the hospitality business in 1994 by setting up a small resort in their 100-year-old, 300-acre Chikkana Halli Estate in Coorg. What came naturally to us was to share our way of life and extend the planter’s tradition of warm hospitality with our primarily urban guests. As we prepare to expand the locational footprint of our resorts to other parts of India, Africa and Asia, we realised that we needed a universal name that was inspired by our ‘Spirit of the land’ philosophy.
The Orange County name was chosen by the House of Ramapuram for our first resort at Coorg, in memory of the captivating fragrance and flavor of this wonderful fruit which was, not so long ago was an integral part of the spirit of Coorg. The name Orange County, crafted specifically for the resort in Coorg, was not conveying the ‘Spirit of the land’ character of our new resorts – Kuruba Tribal Village themed resort at Kabini and the Vijayanagara Palace themed resort at Hampi.
Moreover, we found that in the global tourism markets, the brand name ‘Orange County’ had a very strong association with a county in California, USA. Today, as we prepare to expand our presence across the globe, we have found the need to rename ourselves to reflect our spirit. This is where ‘Evolve Back’ comes in place. While Evolve Back has evolved over the years, our spirit has remained the same.
Has the brand name change affected the business in any way? What steps are you taking to gain back that recognition?
Evolve Back is widely popular and enjoys immense brand equity among patrons in India and overseas alike. Testimony to this quality is our occupancy rate which stands at 70 per cent, way above the industry average.
Our properties present a quaint and opulent quality in the resorts. Committed to maintaining a high standard of luxury, we at Evolve Back ensure several distinctive qualities such as personalised attention, utmost privacy, peace and quiet, an authentic local experience in enchanting locales.
Nothing has changed besides, just the name. The journey with Evolve Back is still the same mystical trip down the roads of history and culture. Despite the name change, the ownership, management, and operations or the company are still under the ownership of Orange County Resorts & Hotels Ltd.
Please let us know your business expansion plans – both in India and globally?
We are planning to expand our footprint over the coming years, during which we expect to open four new properties across India, Africa and Asia. We are looking at a palace themed resort at the medieval town of Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, which will mark the foray of Evolve Back outside Karnataka. Also, we will be opening a resort at Kumta in Uttara Kannada district over an area of 30 acres, which will be themed on a local fishing village. In the interim, a property each in an African and an Asian country are being planned. All the said properties integrate architectural elements of their destinations, making the setup all the more sustainable and authentic at the same time, complemented by luxurious amenities.
Where do you see the brand 5 years from now?
Our focus is on building a discerning luxury segment. We are dedicated to providing exquisite holiday experiences that promote the purity of nature and culture of the local land. We get a lot of client referrals as a result of happy patrons who have stayed in our properties. In fact this has been our primary channel for new visitors. However, we do invite trade and travel media for experiential visits when we have any special activities or promotions. In fact our overall approach has been quite subtle. We also participate in national as well as international travel trade fairs and road shows on a need basis. With the profusion of online portals and platforms, this has become another key avenue of engaging with our target audience regularly of late.
