The Hindu Business Line : Taj's biz buzz

FORTY-TWO-INCH plasma televisions in all its rooms, imported $500 ergonomic chairs, contemporary L-shaped work stations, steam baths instead of a traditional bath tub, new F&B concepts, well-equipped banquet halls with good sound and lighting systems and much more. Jyoti Narang, Chief Operating Officer, Taj Business Hotels, says that to create a brand differentiation, a hotel chain has to "over-deliver."

And Taj Business Hotels, says Narang, is working in that direction. The group is on a massive revamp spree of its business hotels and is investing close to Rs 50 crore in renovating its hotels in Chennai (Taj Connemara), Bangalore (Taj Residency), Pune (Taj Blue Diamond) and Mumbai (Taj President). "We want to build a brand with a buzz. We are trying to pre-empt the needs of the travellers of tomorrow and offer services which are beyond his expectations," says Narang.

The renovation spans a gamut of areas which include providing greater comforts in the room, offering a combination of cuisines at their restaurants and also trying new concepts such as a pastry shop-cum-bookstore and so on.

"We realised that the business traveller today is used to more luxuries at home now than earlier, and expects the same in his hotel room also. He is also travelling much more now than before, and the thrill of staying in a hotel is no longer there. All that he wants to do after getting into his room is relax and de-stress. Therefore, in the first phase of our renovation exercise, we decided to concentrate on doing up the rooms," she says.

"We decided to install 42-inch plasma televisions in all our rooms and also have a range of DVDs on offer so that the guest feels the room is an extension of his home. Similarly, as de-stressing is the mantra today, we decided to do away with bathtubs in the bathrooms and install steam bath units. At the same time we also decided to focus on customised services such as offering a choice of mattresses and so on," she adds.

Narang claims that Taj's ability to provide customised services enables the brand to stand apart from the competition . "We track the needs of our regular guests and try to cater to them each time they stay with us."

Apart from renovating the rooms, the group also plans to redo its executive lounges. "In addition to the complimentary breakfast and a free drink that we offer, we also plan to set up massage chairs, a small library, and a bar where the guests can fix their own drink."

However, K. Jaishankar, Strategic Business Unit Head of the pharmaceutical division of GlaxoSmithkline, says that the group needs to review its customer relationship management tools. "I am a gold card member of Taj's Inner Circle programme, but I have not yet experienced any differentiated value additions. My Inner Circle statement is yet to update the points I have accumulated over my last eight stays at their properties. They have no clue about it despite my telling them the location and the duration of stay at those properties."

However, Jaishankar agrees that in terms of hospitality and comforts, Taj Business Hotels definitely score over many international chains worldwide. Responding to this, Narang says that it is unlikely that such an error can happen. "If an Inner Circle member gives his membership number at the time of billing, the computer automatically updates the details."

New F&B concepts

On the F&B front, the group, says Narang, has kicked off a series of new concepts. "Unlike earlier, when we concentrated on offering a single cuisine at our speciality restaurants, our focus now would be on combination cuisine, cuisine from a particular continent."

As part of this strategy, the group recently unveiled Hip Asia in Taj Connemara, Chennai, which is a speciality Asian restaurant featuring Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Teppanyaki cuisine. Similarly, in Taj Residency, Bangalore, the group is planning a European speciality restaurant. Narang says that each of these restaurants would be stand-alone, as different cities have different needs. "In Chennai, for instance, there is a demand for spicy Asian food, whereas Bangalore has a more international profile. Moreover, the city also doesn't have a good European restaurant. We found a gap here and decided to tap it."

While lounge bars seem to be the in thing today, Taj is trying to position its bars as `high energy bars.' "Lounge bars appeal to youngsters, but we wanted to appeal to the crowd between 18 and 80 years of age. We are also going to offer a quiet area in our bars to enable people to entertain their business guests." The group unveiled its first `high energy' bar, Distil, at Taj Connemara, Chennai recently. Narang says that the group plans to launch four such bars in future at its various properties.

The other area which the group plans to focus on is the pastry shop which is going to be clubbed with a bookshop, enabling guests to snack on a pastry or a croissant as they browse through a newspaper or a magazine.

A hotelier, however, feels that what matters to a business traveller is personal and efficient service rather than exotic food and fancy restaurants. He says that the Taj group has to ensure that it keeps its prices under check. "It is seen that with every add-on facility, prices get pushed at most of the Taj group hotels. High-energy bars and exquisite restaurants are mostly for the local guests and generally do not attract the business traveller whose average stay is less than 24 hours in any city. Business travellers do entertain, but entertainment is not their sole purpose. A business traveller likes to be recognised and cared for, and at times lavish display of care at a huge hidden cost makes guests move to smaller hotels which are cosy and more personal," he adds.

Defending the group's pricing strategy, Narang says that the Taj Business Hotels are better value for money than many other business hotel groups. "Our product is affordable and is at the same time contemporary with an Indian overtone."

The next phase of the group's expansion programme, says Narang, would be to revamp the beauty and wellness services offered at its properties.

Apart from renovation, the group also plans to set up new business hotels. "We are setting up properties in Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai and are also scouting for land in Gurgaon."

Narang says that the group's goal is to make Taj Business Hotels a "brand with a buzz."

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