Newstrack

Ghai Enterprises firms up hospitality foray

Aims for concurrent banqueting and hotel expansions

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

The Ghai Enterprises has firmed up its hospitality ambitions, opting for a twin model of growth, with plans afoot to launch its five-star hotel chain (average capacity of 100 rooms), which could also potentially be named Mayfair Hotels, in addition to setting-up more Mayfair Room units. Express Hospitality had reported earlier on its planned hospitality foray (issue dated September 1-15, 2006).

While Mayfair Hospitality COO, Srinidhi Rao, did not confirm the brand name of the new hotel chain, he revealed that Mayfair was one of the names being considered. The Intercontinental Hotel on Marine Drive, owned by the same company, will not be affected by this development. The company is also looking at dedicated bakery operations.

"The objective," Rao said, "is to create an integrated facility that offers customised solutions, rather than just offer vanilla banqueting services. Our in-house hospitality culture seeks to offer services that embody all elements of banqueting, some of which in terms of costs may soon outstrip the mainstay of food and beverage, these chiefly being the audio-visual."

Rao said that Mayfair Hospitality had shortlisted contractors for a variety of banquet-related services under its ambit. Also, interestingly, the management has identified chefs who enjoy a captive popularity within communities, instead of celebrity chefs. An in-house team of three will take care of the ancillaries.

"The twin model will serve us well, as both will contribute to each other's business. We are aiming to identify and recognise clientele that see value in the fact that we focus holistically on banquets, and are creating a sophisticated product, whereas hotels have banquets as merely one of their services. Restaurants, however, will not be part of our current or future units, as restaurants do not focus on banqueting, and the model is essentially one that dilutes the given business' core service," he observed.

The company will add to its existing portfolio three stand alone banqueting facilities in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi, with three more in the aforementioned cities and two more in Bangalore and Ahmedabad respectively, the smallest of which will measure 12,000 square feet.