Sarova Hotels & Resorts plans to expand its footprint across key Indian cities

Sarova Hotels & Resorts marks its 50th anniversary this year, celebrating a legacy of delivering unparalleled hospitality. During her recent visit to India, Mita Vohra, Board Director of Sarova Hotels & Resorts, spoke to T3, sharing insights on the Indian market’s response and the brand’s strategy for the future.

Importance of India & Strategy

The Indian market has been crucial for many years. We were the first from Kenya to enter, effectively opening it up for Kenya. In the past three years, we’ve taken our efforts to a new level in terms of marketing strategies, the events we participate in, and the frequency of our engagements. Our roadshows have been focused on educating customers about our product, and the response has been extremely rewarding.

We held a convention for the OTOAI and conducted our own roadshows. We also have substantial data regarding which cities are performing well/underperforming. This year, we decided to host a significant event in Mumbai. Being our 50th year, it was especially important for us to make a notable impact here. Our roadshows are data-driven, and we base our decisions on this information.

For the future, we have plans to visit several cities. We’ve already targeted key markets like Ahmedabad and Bangalore and are gaining strength in certain markets. For our next phase, we have a clear plan in place. But we’re just trying to put everything in place properly before we announce the specific markets we will target.

Expansion Roadmap

During COVID period, we undertook a renovation of Sarova Panafric, updating 100 rooms. We are now developing a stunning rooftop hub and renovating the main restaurant, which will offer a variety of dining experiences. We also have the White Sands Hotel, a beach resort with 337 rooms and suites, which has undergone extensive upgrades. Additionally, we’ve expanded our portfolio with Sarova Maiyan, a new property in the Mount Kenya region.

We’ve completely revamped our Maasai Mara property, featuring luxurious tents and private club lounge area. Access to this lounge is exclusive to guests staying in club tents, offers butler service, dining options, and more. Next year, we have a lot lined up in the pipeline, focusing on renovations including one in Lake Nakuru National Park and another at Sarova Shaba.

Weddings at Sarova

We have hosted numerous destination weddings, particularly at Whitesands beach resort, with primarily European clients. Our strong banqueting team manages the state banquets and major events in Kenya. We have ability to take guests into the national park and organize exquisite banquets for MICE events or weddings.

Nowadays people prefer their own planners, which is fully accepted by us. We’ve also invested in technology that will assist wedding planners, will be implemented next year. This technology allows to see exactly what the entire venue will look like, making it an invaluable tool for both conferences and conventions, as well as for weddings.