Hyatt Hotels has over 10,000 rooms across 52 properties in India and is a major international player in the hospitality landscape of India. Like any other big player in this space, Hyatt also has a robust pipeline and big targets for India and the region.
“We hope to double our footprint in India over the next five to six years,” said Kadambini Mittal, regional VP – commercial (India & Southwest Asia) of Hyatt at the outset. She feels that while the current market position and the future pipeline gives them a lot of reasons to cheer about, it is important for the brand to consolidate its position by converting every guest into a loyal guest.
Therefore, whatever the company does in the market has only one agenda and mission—to drive loyalty and shore up the World of Hyatt loyalty base.
“Our World of Hyatt loyalty programme is well received in India,” she added.
Mittal also spoke extensively about how they reward their customers, especially the MICE and wedding organisers, to build stickiness and loyalty for the brand.
“We have rolled out a very successful campaign to drive MICE business. We felt that this segment is something which we really need to continue focusing on as it will definitely help in driving the total revenue,” she said explaining the objective behind the ‘Hyatt Superstar’ programme for MICE and wedding planners.
“It’s a first of its kind reward programme to recognise the invaluable contribution of MICE and wedding planners. We call it celebrating planners and celebrating legends,” she said.
According to the Hyatt Superstar programme, MICE organisers and wedding planners who use any three hotels of Hyatt between March 15 and October 31 and their billing is average Rs 1. 5 cr in the selected hotels, they are eligible to win World of Hyatt loyalty rewards ranging between 1 million to 3 million.
Mittal also spoke about the position of a ‘Celebration Manager’ that they have created within MICE properties who works as a one-point contact for everything associated with the events.
“The celebration manager works as a bridge between the wedding customers and the operations team of the hotel to make sure there are real time solutions to all kinds of queries,” she said.
Talking about their portfolio of hotels, especially ‘big box’ developments, Mittal said that they enjoy a clear edge over other players. She mentioned Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Grand Hyatt Goa, Grand Hyatt Kochi, Grand Hyatt Gurgaon, Hyatt Regency Jaipur, Hyatt Regency Dehradun, Hyatt Regency Delhi and Andaz New Delhi Aerocity.
“These are all really big boxes and have lavish event spaces. And we just feel we really have an edge in terms of real MICE infrastructure,” she stated.
Sharing details about expansion, she said that they are “nimble and flexible” in their approach and have brands to fit in any location based on the customer demand and needs of the market.
She said that brands like Hyatt Place have gone into markets where customers have been craving for ‘branded experiences;. She highlighted cities like Bodh Gaya, Bharuch, Haridwar where Hyatt Place brand has made inroads.
“We are now opening Hyatt Place in Mitlapur. So, we are entering the smaller towns where we feel there is a potential and there is a customer base which is looking for a branded hotel experience,” she mentioned.
Hyatt Hotels’ is looking to add five to siz new hotels in 2025 in India. Sharing the details of some of the big ticket openings expected this year, Mittal said that they will be adding another Grand Hyatt in Jaipur this year. There are two Hyatt Regency hotels expected to join the portfolio at Kasauli and in Malayattoor, Kerala.
When asked about technology investments to improve customer experience, she said that they are continuously upgrading their technology not only to improve customer experience but also to improve operational efficiencies.
“We are exploring the use of intelligent virtual assistants to communicate with the guests to suggest services and also other personalised ideas,” she said.
