With growing progression in travel & tourism sector—M!CE, Weddings & Events segment is going to witness significant growth in 2023, points out Manish Dayya.
MT Bureau
From ideas to innovation, what gets you most excited about 2023?
I am thrilled about the possibilities that this year brings for innovation and creativity in the hospitality industry. The ever-changing landscape of the industry offers numerous opportunities to differentiate our hotel from the competition by introducing new and exciting features that cater to the evolving needs of our guests. At Sofitel Mumbai BKC, we believe that French luxury is always modern and understated which is stylish, chic and sophisticated and the destination Mumbai really is the heart for such experiential stays even while on business travel. One of our main goals this year is to further enhance the guest experience by leveraging technology to deliver personalized services through our Cousu main service culture.
Another area of focus for us in 2023 is sustainability. We recognize the importance of minimizing our carbon footprint and preserving our environment for future generations. Our goal is to keep evolving and implementing sustainable practices throughout our hotel operations and every touch point including our ongoing efforts to reducing food waste, using eco-friendly products and incorporating energy-efficient systems, among others.
Are big M!CE groups back? How has past two years impacted needs & demands of corporates?
Yes, M!CE has increased majorly owing to the pending travel by the corporates since last year. With the continued surge in demand and pending incentive groups, hotel has seen M!CE business that are higher rated and demand more personalisation with anticipated service. Demand is not restricted to weekdays anymore, there are groups happening on weekends as well, majorly due to space availability. Also, numerous conferences which would traditionally take place in international destinations have now chosen Mumbai as a destination owing to the new convention centre in BKC, Mumbai.
Our magnifique meeting experts at Sofitel Mumbai BKC always are on hand to ensure magnifique experiences and smallest details are tailormade to perfection and help cater to the M!CE needs.
Any business travel trends that you would like to highlight for 2023?
The current travel and corporate demand has witnessed and crossed all the milestones and benchmarks of the past and Mumbai airport being the busiest airport is testimony to that based on the intelligence reports available. The ongoing trends of short booking lead time continues to be the demand driver.
Corporates are concerned about jump in hotel rates? Can we expect rates to cool off anytime soon?
Mumbai has challenge of demand and supply. The corporate rates have been stagnant and growing at snail’s pace for past couple of years and we have only seen the rates rationalising in current scenario.
