Indore’s largest hotel, Radisson Blu Hotel Indore, in many ways represents the city – from great food to a vibrant environment. Rahul Joshi, GM, Radisson Blu Hotel Indore shares what makes his property so unique By Sudipta Dev
Indore, popularly referred to as the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, is a city that has created a unique identity because of its thriving social scenario and excellent food culture. The city’s biggest hotel, Radisson Blu Hotel Indore, that started operations six years ago, has grown with the industry. For its new general manager, Rahul Joshi, both the city and the immense potential of the hospitality business he foresees here, have been a pleasant surprise. “I have worked in Delhi, Goa, Jaipur, Agra, Pune and have been out of India for a while. I really did not know what to expect from Indore. When you talk about the hospitality sector, you kind of don’t see Indore much on that map. Indore has offered me many pleasant surprises. It has been great.”
Joshi started his career in 1994 and has been associated with the Carlson hotels for a long time. “In between I had gone way from Carlson, and it has been a homecoming for me. With Carlson, the brand is so fantastic that you do not take time to return and get adjusted,” he says. Pointing out that he is one of those general managers who did have formal hotel management education, he adds, “I am very proud to say that I’ve come up from the ranks. Every day is a new learning.”
Visitor profile
Radisson Blu has the largest rooms inventory in the city including a significant number of suites. Elaborating on the guest profile, Joshi remarks, “We cater to a niche market when it comes to the city of Indore. From hospitality perspective, the city caters to business travellers and comparatively lesser to tourists. Tourism which is happening as of now is more to do with religious tourism, though Indore and surroundings have much to offer, Madhya Pradesh has much to offer. That’s where we see the potential. Yes, there are challenges in terms of infrastructure which is coming up now. But basically as of now, the guests come for business purpose to Indore.” He adds that in specific months and on specific days the city attracts domestic Indian tourists. More than 90 per cent of time they come for religious reasons which they combine with some heritage sites.
Indore is still to see much of MICE movement. The hotel has impressive banqueting facilities which are perfect for large conferences. Joshi states, “We are a forward looking brand, the hotel has been built keeping in mind the potential and the growth that we have experienced. There is potential in both social and corporate segments. So far the social business is already there. There is a huge expanse as far as the social business is concerned – from the kind of requirement guests have and their budget. MICE is growing at a very fast pace. A lot of day meetings (non-residential) happen; even in the corporate world people want to get away from the usual environments, and the kind of sophistication in terms of audio visual and backup that we provide is not available everywhere.”
The property is patronised by high end corporates. The property has a capacity of hosting meetings from 10 people to 500 people, while corporate dinners for 1,000 people can be hosted. “We did not design the hotel for a couple of years, we knew the potential of the market and fortunately the market has given us those returns. The occupancy of our conference hall is high, and there is more scope for growth. The kind of growth that we have seen is fantastic and we look forward to taking it further,” affirms Joshi.
Reminding that the requirements of the social functions are completely different from the corporates, Joshi mentions, “We have a team for events that is subdivided into corporates and social. They are anticipating the needs of the clients in both areas. For social events there is a large variety in terms of themes, care, the food, etc.”
Asserting that occupancy is not a criteria that can be compared in isolation, he says, “It is satisfactory. The city is growing and when you look at the potential, it is huge. My effort is on that direction, what can we get more out of that potential. There are industrial belts in the area which are being supported and revived by the government. Industries like automobile, pharma are growing and IT is the next big thing that will happen.”
Foodie’s delight
Indore is a foodie’s delight. People here love their food and they have been appreciative of the offerings at the property. The hotel has an all day dining – a multi cuisine restaurant; a traditional Indian restaurant and a Chinese restaurant. “All the restaurants have done well and have been appreciated by the locals and resident guests. The success of a restaurant depends a lot on local patrons. Only if they like the food and environs, will they come again and again. We understand the local populace and have been focused in terms of our offerings which suits their taste buds. We have done some innovative things here. The Chinese food is very authentic, which is really appreciated. All the F&B outlets have live music in evenings,” informs Joshi.
Radisson Blu Hotel Indore is one of the few hotels in India with a rooftop swimming pool and jacuzzi. The property opened six years ago and a big part of the team has been there since the pre-opening time. “Human resources is the focus area for us as a group and it has yielded results. With the team being around for a while, the whole delivery becomes easier in terms of quality and understanding, and consistency. Lot of success that we have, the credit goes to them,” concludes Joshi.