Jewel of the Aravallis

Devi Garh Palace presents a perfect juxtaposition of the traditional with the contemporary in a luxury setting. Vinit Chhabra, its general manager, in conversation with Neeti Mehra speaks of its journey so far

Vinit Chhabra GM Devi Garh Palace

In the early 80s, the tiny outpost of Delwara, located on the outskirts of Udaipur, seemed an unlikely setting for a luxury hotel. But the 250 year old fort palace christened Devi Garh, proved to be as resilient as the resolve of Lekha Poddar and her son Anupam Poddar who had acquired it and transformed it completely. Since then, the resort has earned quiet fame for its understated luxury. Articulating the reason for its popularity is its general manager, Vinit Chhabra, "Devi Garh has a unique identity. It is a destination that has been created." It has its own niche, he explains. Devi Garh Palace, a luxury boutique property, doesn't directly compete with the luxury hotel battalion in the city, it rather complements them. The property satiates the guest's need of a break from the hustle bustle of Udaipur, yet offers a wide repertoire of activities to keep him involved.

People parables

Chhabra, who was part of the pre-opening team a decade ago, joined as the executive housekeeper and worked his way up the ranks. "It has been a great learning experience. I have grown with Devi Garh and the company," he says of his experience with Boutique Hotels (India), the owning company. He credits the property's success to the near 200 strong team. Many from the pre-opening team are still with the company. At the same time, Devi Garh isn’t immune to attrition. "The maximum attrition takes place in the executive and the supervisory cadre," he says. He adds that due to a comprehensive training system the company is able to mitigate the effects of the churn. These include an 18-month management and operational training program for supervisory and executive level positions, an industrial training program that is supplemented with regular in-house training programs, all overseen by the quality and assurance training manager. Also to raise the bar for service, he introduced the six-sigma approach in services to offer the best quality at lowest costs.

Building the brand

Launched as a 23 suites property, Devi Garh gained popularity through the most effective marketing tool - word of mouth publicity. A slew of awards lauding the design and ambience raised its international visibility. In 2001, the group consolidated its efforts by getting a sales and marketing team in place and started attending international tourism trade fairs. Only recently it inked an affiliation with Preferred Boutique hotels and also became a part of the Virtuoso network - a leading leisure travel network, to increase its international exposure. Speaking on becoming a part of the Preferred Group, he said, "It was a conscious decision. We didn't want to be another hotel being added on to another similar company's huge Indian property portfolio."

Challenges and opportunities

A heritage property, owing to the vastness of scale and proportion, poses great challenges to hoteliers. The modest inventory size is deceptive since the room sizes are nothing less than 45 square meters. Wide open spaces, and walls that scale over 30 meters of the pristine white property pose their own housekeeping challenges. Multiple dining venues are serviced by a single central kitchen. All these factors point to a higher staff to guest ratio. "The work in a heritage property is nearly double of that of other properties," he says.

The company is investing heavily into technology for security. Currently they have a three-tier security structure that starts at the highway with multiple gates and check points. They decided to install CCTV cameras and metal detectors and have already put into place hand held detectors. Also on the anvil is an x-ray machine after they complete assessment of cost implications.

The unique location of the hotel in the heart of the village affords it an unusual opportunity for contributing to the betterment of the people. Through the Nagrik Vikas Manch - a citizens' forum, it is involved in improving sanitation and garbage disposal systems as well as improving the livelihood of its youth. The guests are also encouraged to donate to these causes, adds Chhabra.

Market deconstruction

The biggest international source markets for leisure to Devi Garh are the UK and the US, followed by France, Australia and a few European countries. However, domestic tourists also form a reasonable chunk, he informs. "Almost 30-35 per cent of our traffic constitutes the domestic traveller, primarily from Gujarat, given the region's proximity to Udaipur," he mentions. He recommends a minimum stay of two days at the property. "We have an itinerary to fill up three nights, and seven nights also," he says, given that a guest can indulge in the Delwara village walk, mountain climbing, camel and horse rides, visits to Ranakpur, Nathdwara, Kumbalgarh, etc as well as utilise the pool, spa and other in-house facilities.

Speaking on the MICE market, Chhabra says that large MICE movements to the city have been limited due to the paucity of rooms in the luxury space, with majority hotels having a maximum of 70-room keys. But the market for high-end conferences does exist, with corporates from Mumbai and Delhi leading. Other money spinners are destination weddings as well as product launches. With the entry of new hotels, MICE will play a bigger role in Udaipur, he mentions. Leela's debut along with the entry of the Radisson Plaza Resort & Spa that will add to the banqueting space and room inventory, and will ultimately will alter the market dynamics. "Most hotels, including ours, can host conferences for upto 50 pax in the off season, but in winters due to pleasant weather conditions we can host bigger gatherings," says Chhabra.

Planning ahead

How has the current scenario affected them? "The year 2001 was worse. We had recently launched and the 9/11 attacks had tremendously affected the market. But after 2004 the market picked, a boom that lasted till last year," he said. It was the Lehman Brothers collapse that signalled the derailment of the world economy and a collapse of tourism too. "We have ended 23 per cent less than our budgeted revenues," he says, but is more concerned for this year. Says Chhabra, "Recession makes people defer their plans. This is a tourist destination and we are completely dependent on people to travel."

Devigarh has already experienced a near 20 per cent price correction; though he feels the scenario will improve over the next two years. "The average occupancy hasn't crossed 55-60 per cent in the last three years," he says of the occupancies in the area.

While Chhabra comments that it's too early to predict how the summer season pans out, the focus is clearly on domestic tourism. They are bringing out packages and targeting the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Baroda, Surat and Ahmedabad through their sales office as well as through internet, a medium that has been one of the top three revenue grossers for the company. "We will use the website more effectively," he says. Trade show participation such as the recently concluded GITB in Jaipur, WTM, ALTM and ITB is part of their plan too.

Speaking of challenges for the market, he says, India needs to be sold holistically as a destination, without which all tourism providers will be eating from the same pie. Measures such as infrastructure, single tariffs, an ease in issuance of visas are needed. "We are growing but not at the speed of Thailand and China," says Chabbra. He points out that despite the Incredible India campaign which has helped to an extent, we still lag behind Asian competition.

Trend alert

Grandeur has made its debut in the luxury segment. "Personalisation of services as well as being anticipatory of needs is essential," he says. Rooms not less than 40 square meters, luxury toiletries, LCD televisions etc are just some of the facets of a luxury hotel. "We have come a long way," he says of their transition from the year they opened their doors. "Our emphasis on services will always be there," he says, adding that they will incorporate additional services such as butler services.

Speaking of technology, he says, it should be used to enhance the guest experience but it can never replace human touch. "People always want to speak to a person and put a face behind a person," he says.

The group is expanding its portfolio. "Boutique Hotels plans to build more properties. We already have a land bank in Kerala, Jaipur and Andaman and Nicobar Islands," says Chhabra. In Jaipur a boutique property is already underway. Scheduled to open in 2010, it will combine the architecture of Rajasthan yet offer contemporary facilities, says Chhabra. "Everyday is a new day with new learning and new challenges," he says, in conclusion.