‘The Claridges Has Never Focussed On Its Sales Team’

Renu Kapoor was recently appointed vice president - sales & marketing, The Claridges Hotels & Resorts. In her conversation with Neeti Chopra, she speaks about her plans for the group.

EH&C: What initiatives have been undertaken since you’ve joined The Claridges group?

Renu Kapoor: My focus has been on strengthening the sales team, getting right kind of sales personnel who have intrinsic passion for the product and who will be able to project the product in the market the way we want them to.

Could you elaborate on the forthcoming strategies of the group?

Till now, the hotel has been concentrating more on leisure and very less focus on corporate business. The hotel needs to have a right blend of both and at the same time look at up-market groups. This is the strategy that the group is going to adopt from this inbound season. This inbound season we are going to have two sets of tariff - one for the old wing, which is still not renovated and the other for the new wing that will be ready. We are planning to increase the ARR to Rs 8000. We also plan to have a proper revenue management system before October. The long-term strategy is to work with selected corporate and tour operators.

What are the group's expansion and renovation plans?

The Claridges has plans to expand in both the domestic and international markets. We are targeting Bangalore and Kolkata for new properties. We have acquired Searock in Mumbai, which is currently being run under the same name as earlier. We are looking at international affiliation for this property. Starting December this year, the property will undergo renovation as we plan to position it as an up-market 5-star deluxe hotel. Unfortunately, The Claridges New Delhi has not taken advantage of its location or its USP. By October 2006 when the product will be completely renovated, we are optimistic about achieving 100 per cent occupancy. Currently, the hotel is renovating its 56-odd rooms. The hotel used to have 160 rooms but we are planning to reduce the count to 131. About 40 per cent of the accommodation here is going to be suites.

What are the shortcomings that The Claridges need to overcome in order to be a front-runner in the hospitality arena?

The Claridges has never focussed on its sales team, due to which it has not been able to capture the market effectively. The hotel receives 60 per cent of business from groups and 40 per cent from corporates, which is not contracted corporate business, but on adhoc basis. Because of this, the hotel was not able to do well during the last inbound season when every hotel in Delhi was booming.