30 Minute Interview

'Secondary cities haven't suffered as much'

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts recently held its first Hyatt Fair India 2009 in three metros of the country in an attempt to strengthen its existing relations and build new ones. Thierry Bertin, VP (Sales & Marketing), Hyatt International South West Asia, speaks about the initiative, its focus areas and upcoming projects in the region. By Chetan Kapoor

What are your expectations from this initiative?

The Hyatt Fair India initiative is the first time we brought Indian hotels together with our international properties from Dubai, Hong Kong, Kathmandu and Bali and visiting Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. In difficult times, it is important to stay in touch, show a bit more presence and listen to our partners even more. This is true particularly for a country like India that is so diverse and such initiatives only help bridge the differences. We expect to meet over 500 partners by the end of it.

How has the downturn affected the chain?

There has been a downturn worldwide and we are no different. What is important is that we are still here because investments aren't made overnight. One has to manage the present and not ignore what is coming next. Fortunately for us, there have been no (project) cancellations in and around this region and we are still confident in the long-term. There has been a slowdown in China, and we have lots of projects coming up in the Middle East such as opening of the Park Hyatt Jeddah next month, followed by Hyatt at Capital Centre in Abu Dhabi. In India, we have three-four properties coming up next year as well. The Indian economy is less affected because of the conservative way of doing things, in addition to the recently concluded elections which is a sign of reinforced stability.

We have also observed that secondary cities haven't suffered as much. In case of Germany, a lot of people have been travelling locally. Even in Dubai, business hotels have suffered more than beach hotels. This shows that people want to travel and take their vacations.

What will be your focus for the Indian market, more so with the Commonwealth Games next year?

Building relationship will be our primary focus this year. We did a similar thing in the Middle East where we sat down with partners and developed new packages and solutions. In India, we met with Jet Airways, American Express as they too share the same concerns. We have normal tactical offers and have also reinforced our Gold Passport loyalty scheme, which is a global initiative by offering more benefits to users. During the Commonwealth Games, we will show our hospitality and are working with foreign ministries to make it a success.