GM Speak

Catching the MICE

Le Royal Meridien, Mumbai has just turned seven. It is planning to achieve a new look and targeting MICE. So what does Stephane Fabregoul, general manager of the hotel feel about the MICE segment? By Dinkar Farwaha

"The potential of the industry can be judged by the fact that inspite of so many projects coming up in the recent past in the country, the demand for hotel rooms still far exceeds the supply," says Stephane Fabregoul, general manager, Le Royal Meridien. As far as the Mumbai market is concerned, he feels that though the city is showing a lot of promise. At the same time there is a lot of catching up to do as far as the leisure market in the city is concerned. "Mumbai, for long has been a gateway city rather then being a tourist city. We need to develop the leisure market in the city," he adds. Great opportunities lie in lower market as well, Fabregoul further adds, "There is a huge gap between five-star and lower segment in the country. If someone wants to get good service but is not willing or able to pay such a high rate, then options for him are very limited. I therefore feel there is a great potential for the three-stars and the economy sector in the country."

MICE segment in the country needs to developed and Fabregoul is of the opinion that there is a huge opportunity for the same in the country and developing infrastructure is the only way for growth. Citing Mumbai as an example, he says, "There are lots of conference sectors and exhibition conventions coming up in the city but what we lack is the infrastructure. The need of the hour is to develop an infrastructure to support it. Only then will the MICE market grow." So how does he see the future of standalone hotels in the country, Fabregoul replies, "If you want to optimise it's always better to be a part of a brand." He continues, "I think that it would be very difficult for the stand alone hotels to survive in such competitive market scenario."

Fabregoul has been associated with the Le Meridien hotels for 14 years and has recently joined Le Royal Meridien, Mumbai. He is very satisfied with the way things are moving. He says, "We have a good occupancy (93 per cent), fine ARR (Rs 8,000) and an efficient sales and marketing team. My role is primarily to maintain what we have done." "Right from the kitchen steward to the house men to the head of departments (HODs), I want to interact with everyone in my hotel as I believe to create a healthy environment. I will focus on quality. Ultimately we would want to move to another level," he concludes.