Odisha based hotel chain Swosti Group has announced plans to introduce three new properties in Odisha. Presently, the group owns and operates four properties, two in Bhubaneswar and one each in in Chilika and Gopalpur.
Speaking about the expansion plans, JK Mohanty, CMD, Swosti Group said, “We have land in Puri, Satpara and Bhitarkanika. These are all fairly big in scale. These properties are in pipeline and within four years we will be adding two properties. Bhitarkanika and Satpara will be eco-tourism projects. Puri currently is witnessing 100 per cent occupancy in all the hotels throughout the year. So, we are looking to put up a hotel with 200 rooms in Puri. We are also considering the asset light model for growth. We are also exploring such opportunities within Odisha and outside the state as well.”
Last year, the group introduced the Swosti Chilika Resort, which is currently notching the highest ARR in the state. The resort has also become popular for destination weddings.
Speaking about the overall hospitality trend in Odisha Mohanty said, “The hotel industry in Odisha has been doing very well since last one year. There has been 25 per cent increase in the occupancy in the state. Almost all hotels are doing up to 70 to 80 per cent occupancy year round. Swosti has been doing well. We have got a much better response than what we have expected especially for the Swosti Chilika Resort. It has become a MICE as well as a wedding destination. We have seen people from Mumbai, Jharkhand, Kolkata, etc.. We have already got a series of bookings for the coming season.”
The group is presently welcoming the domestic travellers; to further increase awareness Swosti is promoting the property digitally for international markets. “We have already sold 70 per cent of our inventory for October to January. Within a year, we have organised 12 destination weddings and before March 2019, we expect another 12 weddings to happen. Major source market currently is the domestic market. We are already doing digital marketing internationally. We get a lot of queries from Dubai and Middle East and a section of the travel trade from Germany have already explored our property and have started promoting it.”
Odisha is currently facing a shortage of inventory. The state is organising high profile sporting events like the Hockey World Cup and earlier organised the Asian Championships.
Speaking about the importance of such events Mohanty said, “Our goal has always been to make Odisha a leading tourist destination in the country. We want to educate the people and spread awareness about the destination. This will automatically increase the numbers to the state. Hockey World Cup is a big opportunity for Bhubaneswar to be recognised globally. A lot of publicity will go around. Both our properties are entirely booked by the Hockey teams during the games. Asian Championships was very well conducted and Swosti was judged as the best property for services by the organising committee. The state Government wants to make Bhubaneswar the sports capital of the county. We require atleast 5,000 rooms more in Odisha currently.”
