Q. Is the wedding market a big part of this? Yes, a big part. We have bespoke wedding programmes for the Ritz-Carlton, St Regis and W in particular. It’s not just inbound, but outbound as well—many Indians look at our properties in Thailand, even as far as Australia, to host destination weddings. It’s an important part of our food and beverage revenue.
Q. How is the Indian customer different from the Chinese or other APAC travellers? Indians have a different view of luxury, which comes out of a rich culture of hospitality here. But travellers are now also breaking away from that, which lends us huge opportunity. As in China, luxury here is decided by 33-year-olds in America, it is by 55-year-olds. Our brands have to keep evolving to what younger luxury customers want in India.
Q. What challenges have you had in India? We’re launching new brands in India, so it takes some work to establish them. We’re starting to educate the market on what a Ritz-Carlton stands for that a St Regis is about New York-style glamour.
Q. What trends will define luxury hospitality in the 2020s? Being able to create experiences that are transformational. There’s a big sustainable element that you’ll see hotels doing more—luxury customers expect and demand that. And the experiences must be locally relevant… it can’t be based on what’s happening in Washington, where our head office is.
First Published: Dec 16, 2019, 13:31
Subscribe Now