Inside Banquets
Marriott’s Banquet USP: Pricing

Charmaine Fernz - Mumbai

Theatre-style seats in banquet rooms

Banqueting plays an important role for any property, this is true especially for five-stars where innovation and customer retention play an important role. In banqueting, the J W Marriott claims that it has an edge over competitors because its offers customers multiple options. Though an international chain, all banquet areas in the property have Indian names, starting with the Grand Ballroom - Grand Sangam - that can be divided into three sections - Yamuna, Ganga and Saraswati. The Junior Ballroom has been divided into two sections, where there is more of a natural surrounding. In addition, there are also two large terraces. Where capacities are concerned each would vary as per the shape, but, in general it would range from 70 to even 1,500 people for a social event.

The U-style theatre in the Grand Ballroom can accommodate 700 people. This would differ for a sit down, wherein it would be around 400. Then there is the pre-function space, which works well for a conference due to its flexibility and a lot of space.

Says Hans-Georg Rohrbein, general manager, J W Marriott, “The most attractive feature of our property is the salt water pool. The area is exclusive and premium since natural surroundings just dominate the scene. This area is given out exclusively and where capacity is concerned the less, the better.”

So, how does JW Marriott’s banqueting stand out from the rest?
“We lay a lot of emphasis on the setting of any function, be it a wedding, conference, seminar, launch party etc. Every setting is unique. To cite an example, take a coffee break during a conference, we would have variations in the buffets, food served and even the service. There are times we even have live kitchens to break the monotony. All this is done to enhance our customer satisfaction thereby resulting in repeat customers,” he adds.

Banqueting is not all, the business centre is equally unique. The sections within the business centre are named after flowers ie. Hibiscus, Marigold, Jasmine and Gulmohar. With an area of 1,549 square feet, the Centre offers all facilities for a corporate. “To keep up with the times, we even outsource the audio-visual equipment,” he added.
With banquets come F&B and that is given special focus, especially the cuisine. He added, “We offer a variety of cuisine ranging from Indian traditional food that is prepared by our chef Jolly Singh to Italian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Western and the likes. We also offer a mix and match cuisine, which is something we can boast about.

This is possible due to our wide network. So, if we need a particular recipe, we can get it through the mail and prepare it out here. This makes our cuisine special.”

Are there any unique features of banqueting?
Pat comes the reply, “We abide by the concept of plated dinners that follows a very strict regime where service is concerned. Staff are trained well in advance since coordination and an eye for detail plays a very important role in this concept. Though new to the Indian market, plated dinners are a known concept worldover. In this service, every course, right from the appetiser to the salads, soups, entrees etc. has to be well coordinated since the serving time has to be precise. This concept involves a lot of expertise.”

Weddings form an important aspect of the banquet section. And keeping with the trend, receptions are a big
success. “We do not allow the complete ceremony but emphasise on the reception. As it is known, of late the Marriott has played host to a number of celebrity functions. We have a dedicated team for these weddings. Today’s generation want more trendy celebrations with a lot of stress on presentation and designs.”

He added, “We use a lot of flowers creating a very natural surrounding. Even, where the pricing is concerned, we always work with the respective parties to see what suits them best. However, the main draw is our F&B pricing, since we actually price our cuisine against local restaurants. This is done to retain customer satisfaction and create an experience to remember.”

Layout of Marriott's banqueting facilities