Spotlight

Cashing in on art

Hotel and restaurant chains are integrating art with their products and adding value to their brands by developing museums. By Dinkar Farwaha

The relationship between the hospitality industry and art is a long-standing one. Many a hotels and restaurants have invested in various forms of art either to raise the elegance quotient or to get an image makeover.

The Imperial, a museum hotel in New Delhi, has been recognised globally as a promoter of art for more than seven decades now. Recently, Kamat hotels India converted Fort Jadhav Garh in Pune into a museum hotel. The museum in the hotel called 'Aai' consists of artefacts that the group's executive chairman and MD, Vithal Kamat, has collected over the last four decades. "The museum is dedicated to all mothers," informs Kamat.

Kamat Hotels (India) has acquired five more forts and plans to convert them into museum hotels. New York-based Hampshire Hotels & Resorts too plans to convert Gobindgarh Fort in Amritsar to a seven-star heritage hotel cum museum which would showcase the history of the Punjabi culture and tradition.

The newfound urge to promote art and heritage through their properties is not restricted to hotels; even restaurants are going all out and promoting their brands through museums. Homegrown fast food chain Nirula's has recently dedicated an entire museum to ice creams in New Delhi. It showcases the journey of ice cream across various nations, a picture gallery, some interesting facts about the frozen treat, ice cream poetry and the process and procedures involved in manufacturing the ice cream.

Signature touch

So, what is driving these hotel and restaurant chains to design their product and promote it in this fashion? One thing is clear though, these initiatives are not aimed to generate revenue. Both, the ice cream museum as well as 'Aai' allow free entry to visitors. Says Sameer Kuckreja, CEO and managing director of Nirula's, "Presently the museum is only open for schools and we offer free visits for school children by appointment." This suggests that the creation of museums is a branding exercise.

As Kuckreja puts it, "Nirula's has been synonymous with ice creams since the 1970s. We produce over 15,000 litres of ice cream daily at our manufacturing plant. With such strong bond between the brand and the product, we decided to dedicate an entire museum to ice creams."

On the other hand, Kamat believes that while his childhood passion to collect artefacts inspired him to build a museum, what ultimately led to the birth of 'Aai' in Jadhavgadh was the need to create an attraction in the area for visitors. Besides building a brand image, museums can also attract visitors and draw them towards the hotel.

Museums can add value to the property as well. When it comes to art, hotels are known to be extravagant buyers and willing to improve their décor. This can also be seen as a value addition to the gallery of exhibits that hotels usually house.