Thank you Hotel Investment Today, for publishing this interview with the CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). Readers may choose to read the content at their leisure, but at its core, the takeaways are refreshing! The success of the group has a lot to do with 'Tajness' which is possibly built in their staff's DNA, but my comments are more in support of the group's intention to not close their eyes towards asset ownership as well as increase the depth of brands/positioning, that real estate developers can choose from. Legacy Indian hospitality brands such as Taj (IHCL), Oberoi Hotels (EIH Ltd) and ITC had gradually lost out to international brands such as Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton etc. when it came to signing on new assets in Indian cities, primarily due to the depth of (brand) positioning that international operators offered developers. International operators generally had a brand that could 'fit' into certain construction cost per key that owners shelled out (and return expectations, possibly) - this was not always an upscale or a luxury positioning where Taj, ITC and Oberoi would historically operate, but could cater to the mid-scale and budget travelers too. Shareholder pressure, RE ownership regulations and risk management dictated that international brands expand using an 'asset lite' approach, and soon such brands grew to have significant presence in a 'cost-conscious' (read lower $ ADR) market, like India. It brings in management or franchise fees, fair enough, but does it add as much value as it might have done, had ownership of assets been involved? Owning an asset in a city that has robust fundamentals, does make a lot of sense for one's balance sheet. IHCL's CEO is of the perspective that it does make sense to own, as well as manage. He doesn't outrightly reject the ownership question, which one can understand, given the financial muscle of the Group and its Parent Co. This is a welcome remark, specially when most established operators, nowadays, prefer not to take development exposure. Happy reading! #rsm #rsmuae #hotels #hotelinvestment #hospitalityindustry #realestateinvestments #realestate #assetmanagement #hotelmanagement #hoteldevelopment #ceo #ceoinsights #riskmanagement
Exciting insights into the hospitality industry's dynamics and the evolving approach to asset ownership. 🌟
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9moMarket expansion is possible only through the asset light route globally for any hotel company across brands. Taj has the unique advantage of being a strong regional player within the India market and growth has been only in the last few years with an asset light model. The next few years will be interesting to view the positioning of domestic brands against the international brands in India with rapid infrastructure growth and economic indicators.