Hotel Talk

ITC Grand Central leaves a mark

In a span of three years ITC Grand Central has left a mark on Mumbai's hotel scene

ETW staff - Mumbai

Three years ago when the ITC group decided to build a hotel in the old mill lands of Mumbai, it was considered a risk. Today, all skeptics have taken a backseat considering the success the hotel has seen, so much so that quite a few other international hotel brands are following the success story of ITC hotel The Grand Central to set up hotels in the new central district of Mumbai. V Prakash, sales and marketing manager of ITC Grand Central, while describing the success to the Canary Wharf near London, remarks that the once dilapidated shipping docks are now a successful business hub. "It has always been about teamwork at all levels - be it operations support or the sales level, which is the key attribute to a hotel'ssuccess."

He adds that the hotel was built keeping in mind the rich colonial heritage of the city of Mumbai, hence architectural styles are inspired by the neo-gothic structures of Mumbai. The long tower of the hotel is inspired by the Rajabhoy Towers located within the University of Mumbai's old campus. Within the hotel itself, various elements of the hotel have been designed to give an old world feel, elaborates Prakash. The lounge, Frederick's Lounge is named after Frederick William Stevens, architect of the Victoria Terminus in Mumbai. Even the coffee shop, Hornby's Pavillion is dedicated to William Hornby the governor in Mumbai. "We will be soon launching a campaign which will reiterate the sense of the old world charm," says Prakash. "What makes us truly successful is our commitment to the relationships that we build with our guests," he adds. To maintain such relationships the ITC group has established customised value propositions, for both long stay guests and regular customers.

ITC hotel The Grand Central is part of the Starwood ITC franchise tie-up. While the hotel was once a Sheraton, now it has been upgraded to the Luxury Collection. "It is a good marriage since due to the quality of service we truly offer is unique and deserving of the term luxury," says Prakash. Apart from ITC Grand Central, ITC Maurya in Delhi, ITC Maratha in Mumbai, ITC Sonar Bangla in Kolkata, ITC Windsor in Bengaluru, ITC Kakatiya in Hyderabad and ITC Mughal in Agra were also upgraded to the Luxury Collection. This also gives the hotel leverage reaching out to a larger client base, this includes both guests and operators. "Our aim at creating relationships is not just limited to the guests but also our operators who are also crucial in brining in more business." ITC as a group provides a special loyalty programme even for bookers called the Welcomlink that helps build a personal connection with the bookers. "At the hotel we try to take this concept a notch above," adds Prakash.

"We have just begun our journey, we are just three years old, and after having made a mark now it is all about sustaining it," concludes Prakash.