Diwali, one of India’s biggest festivals, is just around the corner and hotels are gearing up for the festivities. We ask spokespersons of select hotels what guests can look forward to during the grand celebrations, how business fares during this season, and how aggressive promotions get to gain an edge over competition.
Narendra Prabhu
General Manager
Signature Club Resort
Spreading smiles
Diwali is an auspicious time for everyone, be it individuals or hotels. The resort is fully lit with diyas and lights that illuminate the whole place. Flower decorations, traditional attire, a special menu that includes food from different parts of India, and a gift in each room wishing our customers a happy Diwali are some of the detailed arrangements we take care of.
Good for business
Most people celebrate Diwali with their loved ones. Should it fall closer to a weekend, people are able to plan their weekend escapade and soak in the serene atmosphere that a resort can offer. Although our resort is situated on the outskirts, it isn’t too far from the city. Even if the festival falls during a weekday, people could still plan a short getaway to spend some quality time with family and friends during the festivities. Considering these factors, this season tends to light up business.
Digital marketing to drive business
During the festive season, aggressive marketing is done through various channels to tap into the potential market of those looking to unwind. To make it more exciting, places such as ours always offer sublime hospitality services and various additional facilities to ensure guests are well looked after. One of the main forms of reaching out to customers is through digital media. Offering special discount rates on rooms if booked much in advance, running campaigns and promotional offers, etc., all are part of this form of marketing. We also encourage guests and people to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali with lights and sweets, and say no to firecrackers as well as noise and pollution.
Devraj Halder
General Manager – Operations (North)
The Fern Hotels & Resorts
With Diwali come weddings
Diwali is preceded by the Rajasthan International Folk Festival, a major cultural and traditional event in Jodhpur that attracts people from all over the world. With the backdrop of the majestic Mehrangarh Fort, it is an excellent experience and an event of a lifetime. It is also Polo season in the city and elite gentry throng the various facilities to take part or be part of the energetic and vibrant sporting event. Diwali also attracts guests from Gujarat, Saurashtra and other neighbouring regions, and the city of Jodhpur is bustling with activity.
The Fern Residency Jodhpur takes advantage of its towering façade and displays attractive perimeter lighting which is visible from around the city. The guests experience a traditional welcome, folk presentations, and decorative camel-cart at the porch. There is exquisite tandoori chai and special packages for city tours are also available which guests can take advantage of. The wedding season also kicks off during Diwali, and The Fern Residency offers contemporary and one-stop solutions right from bridal make-up to a plethora of F&B offerings and activities with excellent banqueting facilities.
A high-demand season
The Diwali season is a high-demand season and the hotel looks forward to optimising on its revenues. We also look forward to guests experiencing the variety of cuisines we offer and make full use of our F&B facilities, in turn maximising our revenues.
Guests are the ambassadors
The festive season provides a great opportunity for brand visibility and we make special efforts to showcase seamless services, traditions, activities, food festivals, rooftop barbecues, artists, artisans, and musicians. The idea is to have a Fern ambassador in every guest.
Festivities unite all
We have an activity menu prepared in advance and guests are completely engaged with something or the other. The team at the hotel celebrates with the guests and we light diyas together. We also organise various rangoli and mehendi competitions, dandiya/DJ nights, etc. We encourage guests to wear traditional attire and have photographers around so guests can take back some memories.
Suman Gahlot
General Manager
Aloft New Delhi Aerocity
Going all out
This being the first Diwali for us, celebrations are in full swing. Our teams are excited to make the festival special for our guests. We have planned special offerings and wish to celebrate the new beginnings with a festive decor and traditional delicacies.
Slight lull in business
There would be a significant decline in demand due to drop in travel during the festival, however, the catering and F&B space do offer huge opportunities and will more than make up for drop in room sales; we are geared up for the same.
A dynamic strategy
Our marketing strategy involves a dynamic strategy of informing the market about our various offerings as curated exclusively for guests and patrons. Word of mouth also goes a long way in creating the required awareness amongst the city clientele and those residing outside, but planning a visit.
Ravi Khubchandani
General Manager
Novotel Hyderabad Airport Hotel
Looking forward to the festivities
We are positive that the festive season this year will be good for business, and all our teams are gearing up for it. On one hand, our operations team is working towards ensuring that the team is energetic and well-rested and on the other, the sales, marketing and development vertical is closing the last legs of discussion to cater to corporate groups that are scheduled around this festive time. We are also in the process of curating special events so that both our teams and guests celebrate the festive spirit and ring in a successful last-quarter.
Diwali spells good for business
Diwali, for Novotel Hyderabad Airport, has always been a pleasant season both in terms of business and weather. Many families love to take up their mini-breaks as children have holidays. Additionally, many corporates organise their annual meet-ups, team outings, workshops, etc. Thus, we are fairly packed this time around. Also, immediately after the festive season, we start gearing up for the mega wedding season.
Starting off early
Our strategy around this time is to focus more on families seeking mini breaks. We commence with activities and events a few weeks before Diwali, showcasing the family-friendly features of the hotel, like the sports arena, swimming pool, scenic views, etc. We also take the opportunity to curate some special festive and rejuvenating events with our patrons, such as our AccorPlus members and Le Club AccorHotels members. Our digital channels also synchronise accordingly.
Milind Patil
General Manager
The Fern Residency, Udaipur
Mixing packages with attractive rates
Udaipur’s hospitality industry has been booming over the years. Overall, it sees a healthy trend with rising ARRs and overnights in Udaipur. During Diwali, which is technically a mini vacation in India, we see tremendous influx of domestic tourism due to the rising popularity of Udaipur as a holiday/getaway destination. To drive more traffic during this season, we will come up with curated packages at competitive rates.
Inviting weddings
Destination weddings are the new fad and have gained momentum with elite families from across the country considering Udaipur as a prime destination for organising weddings. This year, Diwali is in the month of November, which is also a month packed with auspicious dates, so our marketing focus will also be to target the wedding segment.
