'It's Service With An Eco Touch'

The first hospitality project of South India real estate giant Ceebros - the Raintree is creating waves in India and international circles for its unique sense of style, eco-friendly practices and service. Geoff Magee, CEO, The Raintree in conversation with Nithya Kamakshi highlights the USP of the property and the group's future plans. Excerpts

From real estate to hotels, what prompted this drastic shift?

A shift for a realtor into hospitality is a natural transition, especially given the equity and credibility that Ceebros has built over the last three decades in the south. So this was a planned move with sound groundwork rather than a drastic shift. We are currently working towards an Ecotel certification for our first hotel and have hired an environmental officer to follow the strict norms pertaining to the classification.

Where will the Raintree brand get its funding from? What is the investment structure?

The funding has been entirely done from internal sources. The budget for the upcoming projects is still in its nascent stage and it is difficult at this juncture to reveal anything.

How do you aim to position your property amidst the overcrowding industry?

The Raintree is an original Ceebros brand and all hotels and resorts that we develop will be branded so, irrespective of whether or not we enter into international management contracts. Although we are open to such synergies. Looking at the market dynamics today, it makes sense for established brands to consider dual properties. Although this is our main strategy for Chennai, we want to serve different niches and demands in different cities.

According to Ceebros, a mix of four-star, budget and service apartments is ideal. For instance, our second hotel will come up on Mount Road, centrally located on Chennai's main road, which points towards the mid-market profile like a four-star deluxe. Our approach is to let the market realities for the given locations determine the positioning of the hotel.

Similarly, the Raintree property is contemporary, new age and trendy and we have branded it as a business class hotel.

How do you foresee the concept of Ecotel developing in the country?

The culture of Ecotel is bound to grow with the increasing focus on the environment. Today, there are more hotels looking at the prospect of going eco-friendly. The industry has already seen a mammoth change in the way it functions and the concept of Ecotel is expected to be an answer for the various ecological problems. As far as Ceebros is concerned, we practice the '3R' theory; reduce, reuse and recycle.

What about future expansions and projects?

We are coming up with two more properties in Chennai on Mount Road and near the airport. Ceebros' expansion could also potentially include a resort in Mahabalipuram and a hotel in Coimbatore. This is keeping with the recent trend of property developers tapping the hospitality sector like the Rahejas and more recently Oberoi Constructions. The Ceebros approach, unlike its counterparts in the Indian western region is quite different. We are keen on having international hotel management firms operating our hotels while we concentrate on building them.