Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
Eco Hotels is being promoted as the world’s first carbon neutral premium value hotel company. The company has two brands – ‘The Eco’ and ‘‘Ecolodge’, both for travellers with a green consciousness. “Having started the concept hotel in Kochi in 2012, Eco Hotels is currently targeting to be in Hyderabad, Bhopal and Pune. We also run Ecolodge in Kochi and potentially in the near future in Bengaluru and Nagpur. We look to add five-six properties under the Eco Hotels banner through leasing models in 2016-17, and aim to reach 10,000 rooms by 2023,” said Jay Krishnan, CEO, Eco Hotels. The company is also targeting Tier I cities in its expansion strategy.
For expansion, the company is looking at conversions as well as greenfield projects. “We believe that 30 to 40 per cent of our projects will be conversions in the long run,” stated Krishnan. He is happy with the response from small hotel owners. “As a concept, Eco Hotels is a one-of-its kind model that combines economy with ecology, giving birth to a hybrid brand of hospitality,” said Krishnan. He explained that the Enterprise, Build, Operate and Trade (EBOT) model offers a true start and operational experience to deliver an efficiently managed property that will help maximise and sustain operating profits. “We cater to multiple stakeholders, which include the customer, the owner, the staff and the environment. We would also provide administrative services which include incorporation of the special purpose vehicle (SPV), annual audit and other statutory compliance. With the power of our intelligent reservations system and the efficiencies of our revenue management strategies, every property is proactively managed to maximise profitability,” he
commented.
Eco Hotels follows many green practices without compromising on the experience of the traveller. “Eco Hotels’ rooms are built with maximum comfort for the traveller including elements that are not seen in Indian hotels yet. ‘The Eco’ is a budget three-star hotel, offering luxurious facilities supporting sustainable living. Use of various environmentally-sound technologies allows us to maintain low cost and create a symbiotic cycle of efficiency. Whereas ‘Ecolodge’ is a limited-service budget brand which targets value-seeking customers of all kinds,” added Krishnan.