Xandari Resorts, part of the Muthoot Leisure & Hospitality Services, is planning to expand into newer international territories. Presently, the group owns and manages three properties in Kerala and one in Costa Rica.
“We do plan to expand more within the country and outside. At present, we are more focused on investments outside country due to the lacklustre response from the state and central government on seriously promoting the hospitality industry as a critical area of investment for the economy,” George Muthoot George, Managing Director, Xandari Resorts said adding that the group is looking to expand in Central America, Africa and Europe. “We are looking at growing inorganically in these markets and hope to see our brand of hospitality expand in destinations that promote or want to promote sustainable tourism. Our investments are geared accordingly and we look forward to ensuring that our travellers enjoy the responsible tourism that Xandari promotes in each destination.”
The brand is looking to open up resorts in destinations with a focus on sustainable tourism. The group also plans to create newer brands, but Xandari will be their focus brand. “Presently, we are focused on the Xandari brand. We are also working on few other brands which currently are in a development phase. These brands would address a growing market in emerging economies. Given the possibility of expansion and growth in this sector we do see ourselves in a very distinct brand niche that would be more focused on sustainability and local community oriented. We do not wish to get into a large scale expansion that competes in number of rooms with other brands, as we aim to be more experiential in our approach to our travellers while ensuring we respect the carrying capacity of each destination,” he added.
Currently, Xandari Resorts is not looking at the MICE segment. The group is eyeing to tap the niche experiential weddings segment. George added, “We are promoting smaller yet more experiential wedding/engagement venues at our destinations that will help our travellers take back positive memories of their experience while ensuring that the local communities also benefit from the same. These weddings are usually much smaller and focused on close-knit family members and friends, as this ensures that the experience is one that can be cherished.”
