The Montcalm Luxury Hotels is an independent upscale hotel group in London. Honoured with the NRI Foundation Excellence Award by the Govt of India in 2015, Ramesh Arora, MD, The Montcalm Luxury Hotels highlights the group’s hospitality focus. By Sudipta Dev
Brief background of your hospitality ventures. Any key milestones?
I am very passionate about hospitality and have been in the hospitality business for last 40 years and worked in five continents experiencing all culture of different nations. My major milestones are opening new ventures in various places (UAE, Bahrain and London). I have always believed in the Indian philosophy of ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ and have implemented this attitude in both my personal and professional life. I am a strong believer in Indian values and have always taken my Indian culture to places wherever I have travelled.
What differentiates brand Montcalm in London’s hospitality market?
Our USP vis-à-vis other luxury hotel brands in UK is our personalised and excellent customer care. Every one of our Montcalm Luxury Hotel offers guests the height of indulgence and relaxation combined with outstanding facilities and exceptional service. We have always been proud of our consistent and impeccable service standards leading to guest satisfaction which has strengthened our position in the market.
What kind of focus do you have on India as a source market?
India is a very important market for us as Indian outbound market is a rising force with a mega potential to travel abroad. Now Indians are moving beyond budget accommodation to experience luxury and we have a range of products to cater to Indian market. In addition, we offer a range of customised services specifically for our Indian guests, from Indian cuisine to Indian TV channels. We also have staff of Indian origin well versed with various Indian languages to take care of our guests. During WTM, we offer complimentary transfer from our hotels to WTM venue for our Indian guests. We have recently launched ‘Handy’ in all our Montcalm and Park Grand London Hotels that enable guests to make free unlimited international including India and local calls along with accessing 3G data for internet.
Have you observed any interesting trends in terms of profile and preferences of Indian travellers?
Indians visit London for both business and leisure. A very interesting trend I have observed is that Indians love to visit Hyde Park to breathe fresh air.
What are your future plans for the company? Are there any plans of opening a hotel in India?
We are an ever expanding group with three exclusive brands in London – Shaftesbury Hotels, Park Grand London Hotels and Montcalm Luxury Hotels. Since its inception in 2000, Shaftesbury has been investing in under-performing properties and successfully converting them into exclusive accommodations of high standards. In a span of 15 years, the brand has 22 properties, which can be classified as ‘contemporary’ even by London boutique standards. Recently we have opened our sixth Montcalm hotel – The Royal London House in Finsbury Square, London. The 253-bedroom hotel marks a remarkable transformation of an imposing mid-century office building into a stylish five star property with uniquely striking views of London’s City skyline. In future we have some more projects in pipeline in London. We do have plans to enter the Indian market and will be doing so at the right time.