STRATEGY For a hotelier who believes in celebrating the ethos of a destination through his property, Manvendra Singh Shekhawat, managing director, Suryagarh has worked out a unique strategy for his existing and upcoming hotel projects. By Sudipta Dev
Ancient inspirations, modern soul M
anvendra Singh Shekhawat, managing director, Suryagarh is a hotelier who has formulated an interesting strategy for his hotel group. His vision is to get into territories which are unexplored and celebrate the ethos of the land through the property – from the food and architecture to the many fascinating experiences that the destination can offer. “We want to capitalise on the experiences that are already existing in these remote places, accentuate it a bit to offer them to people who are 'global bohemian travellers',” says Shekhawat. His target clientele are people who have been there, done that and a luxury hotel is no longer aspirational for this segment. These are the people who are willing to travel to different outposts of the country attracted by off-beat experiences. The two operating properties are - Laxmi Niwas Palace in
Bikaner and Suryagarh in Jaisalmer, while Narendra Bhavan in Bikaner is the upcoming project. “Our hotels reinterpret the history or present it the way it is to our guests,” states Shekhawat. There are two segments – experiential hotels like Suryagarh and Laxmi Nivas, and those for the 100 dollar clientele like Narendra Bhavan. The latter is also residential and experiential but has more inventory. All hotels will have a separate design identity - Suryagarh is a reinterpretation of history, but has a modern soul. Narendra Bhavan (the budget category), was the residence of Maharaja Narendra Singh, and has a unique design philosophy. "It was the residence of the last Maharaja of Bikaner which we have taken and converted into a heritage hotel. We have also picked up a fort in central Rajasthan, which in the future we plan to convert into a boutique hotel. All our hotels come with superlative
comforts but the focus will always be on the experiences,” mentions Shekhawat. Next in the pipeline is upgrading the services and renovation of Laxmi Niwas Palace. Plans in next five-ten years include growing extensively in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. “Madhya Pradesh is still unexplored but there is great cultural value, same with Rajasthan, if
you leave the major cities Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, then you will discover pockets where destinations can be developed,” asserts Shekhawat. He points out that the existing properties are a mix of heritage and new hotels. For example, Suryagarh is a new structure. It is designed like a fort, which blends with the landscape. “Forts were always barren lands, rising of out nowhere. We learn from our past, we are deep rooted with our culture, however we see what is relevant today. Our properties do not overburden you with the heritage tag,” he adds. The service is also not too traditional. “I feel a hotel is a community of likeminded people - it's a place of gentlemen for gentlemen. The relationship is pretty much how you would feel when you come to my house as a guest,” asserts Shekhawat. The strategy is to differentiate the properties through the
experiences that are offered, for example exploring the countryside on a segway. Then there are unique dining experiences like scotch and cigar breakfast at a place called Khaba Fort. Guests are taken to the place before the crack of dawn and served scotch and cigars. When the sun rises they can see the ruins of a 350 year old village with 100-200 peacocks which appear in the morning. There is also the Chudail Trail in the evening,, which is quite popular. Jaisalmer, believes Shekhawat, is an under-marketed place, which deserves a lot more. “I am always on a constant search for locations like Jaisalmer, which have been on the mind map and have great substance in terms of a product but nobody has gone and established a hotel. I want to go to offbeat destinations where I can capitalise on the experiential value of the destination,” he affirms.
27 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013