Chander Baljee, CMD, Royal Orchid and Regenta Hotels: With the onset of summer, we only expect travellers’ graph to go upwards, especially in our hill properties

Catering to both business and leisure travellers, Regenta Resort & Spa, Mashobra, near Shimla boasts an old world charm and offers new-age convenience. Chander Baljee, CMD, Royal Orchid and Regenta Hotels, tells Suchitra C of WOH News that the focus of the property, as well as of the group, is on overall experience with a tailored approach to address travellers’ needs. in the coming months and years, we will completely overhaul our offerings to cater to the ever-changing needs and wants of our guests.

What is the unique proposition of Regenta Resort & Spa, Mashobra considering there are choices galore in the Shimla vicinity?

Before launching Regenta Resort, Mashobra, we had researched a lot and identified the preferences of travellers coming to both Shimla and Mashobra. We took all the learnings from this exercise and created a product that eventually became among the best in this vicinity. What helped us stand out from the competition is the unique combination of our location, offering unrestricted views of the mountains and the overall experiences which are tailored to guests’ needs.

How is the business doing in terms of occupancy and ARR for the group, in the last couple of months, considering people are preferring to travelling to places that are less populated?

Covid-19 left a heavy dent on the entire hospitality industry. The silver lining, however, is that the prevailing international travel restrictions will nudge tourists – who generally prefer holidaying abroad – to travel to domestic destinations. As the industry has slowly started limping back to normalcy, we have seen our occupancy levels steadily increasing along with the ARR. The fact that guests now prefer off-beat locations that are not crowded has helped our resort business incrementally.

Where do you see the graph of hospitality moving with the onset of the peak season (for hills) this year?

Ever since the travel restrictions were lifted last year, we have seen an uptick in travellers coming into leisure properties across our portfolio. The same has been seen at Regenta Resort & Spa, Mashobra. With the onset of summer, we only expect the graph to go upwards, especially for our properties located in the hills.

Every hospitality unit is taking precautions to offer customers the best suitable stay. What are the critical measures undertaken to meet the demands of the new normal?

Safety of guests and employees has always been of paramount importance to us. Across the group, we’ve created service, safety, and cleanliness standards according to WHO, state and national guidelines. Some of the additional precautionary measures adopted are: checking the temperature of our guests, ensuring they wear masks and following social distancing protocols at all times.

Mashobra is a destination liked by many, but how do you plan to market your property in the current stiff competitive scenario?

Not only is our property away from the chaos of cities, but it also provides wellness and spa services that truly take away the stress of dealing with the ‘New Normal’. Guests also enjoy a range of outdoor activities perfect for groups or family weekend getaways.

Regenta Resorts are famous for state-of-the-art architecture and are different from regular concrete buildings; instead, our homely cottages are made to give perfect environment to unwind and rejuvenate. Private balconies in the cottages add to the privacy that guests need to enjoy their personal space. Our property speaks for itself in terms of location and amenities – and makes us stand out for the positive reviews from guests and our faithful customers.

What is your mantra of success for the property, staff morale, and customer satisfaction?

Demand for experiential travel is on the rise, and in the case of travellers to Mashobra, it is no different. A recent global survey showed that Gen X and millennials accounted for 68% of the leisure travel market in 2019. This goes to show that the travel preferences of millennials will shape the future of the leisure travel industry in the years to come. We have started working in this direction, and in the coming months and years, we will completely overhaul our offerings to cater to the ever-changing needs and wants of our guests.

Staff morale has always been high in our group. Even during Covid-19, we kept our staff engaged through staff training, multiskilling programmes and other employee engagement activities.