Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore, which completed it’s third year of operations in 2014, has seen a strong acceptance of the Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts brand in India. The response has encouraged the company to set up their second property in the market in Kochi, slated to be open by the end of this year. This information was provided by Vinesh Gupta, General Manager, Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore. The Kochi property, he added, will feature 220 rooms and will be a mix use establishment, with five floors of office complex.
According to Gupta, Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore saw a good start to 2015 with healthy business from conferences and fairs, especially owing to the air show that took place in close proximity. The property was also chosen by the Ministry of Defence to set up a 25,000 square foot restaurant area inside the air show premises, giving the hotel a great opportunity to build visibility and credibility, Gupta added.
“Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore is well known among the locals and has made a name for itself as one of the first true blue Swiss hospitality brands. We have made small changes to the F&B offering to set us apart. The brand also aims to permeate into the local environment, so we have tried to give the feel of Bengaluru as the Graden City in our décor as well,” Gupta said.
The property welcomes a 55:45 ratio of international:domestic guests, the latter consisting largely of business flowing in from Bengaluru’s IT and BPO sectors, as well as defence and defence related business. Gupta informed that the property aims to tap more MICE, especially during the summer period from industries such as pharma and buying houses. The property features 15,000 sq.m. of banquet space for MICE, and even hosts the occasional social function.
Speaking about the international clientele, Gupta added that, apart from the traditional European market, Middle East is a major source for the hotel as the brand is well known there. There is also a growing interest from USA, which has encouraged Mövenpick to set up a sales office there. The Far East and South East Asia are other markets of interest for the property.
With the Kochi property being added to Mövenpick’s India portfolio, Gupta expects the brand to come together under a single umbrella to promote the hotels further in the Indian market. “Once the Kochi property is functional, Mövenpick plans to integrate the Delhi and Mumbai offices to cover the market more strongly to increase visibility and attract more domestic corporates and tourists. The marketing budgets will double and the brand will start planning partnerships with airlines and travel giants for promotions across India v/s the city specific strategies being followed so far,” Gupta revealed.
