‘Multiple big brands want to have us onboard:’ Aahana Resort’s Tripathis

NEW DELHI: Indian hospitality seems to have come a full circle in the last six years. If post Covid reopening saw “flight to brands” — when many standalone hotels in India chose to onboard big hospitality brands to get footfalls and give a sense of safety to guests — now the reverse has also started happening. Big brands are chasing niche Indian hotels, often standalone properties, that have created a strong name for themselves and have emerged as crowd-pullers.

“A number of big global brands are in touch with us to have us onboard. We are evaluating the same. We created a virtual oasis out of wilderness and are in the midst if a significant capex to offer an even more experiential stay for our guests,” said Kamal Tripathi, promoter of Aahana Forest Resort in Jim Corbett. After a major rebranding last year, Aahana earlier this month opened Spa L’Occitane. The Tripathi family-run resort spread over 13.5 acres is adding 33 rooms and villas to its currently 66-key property and is adding a ballroom.

The investment makes perfect business sense. Post Covid, domestic tourist has become the mainstay for Indian travel industry as international inbound is yet to return to 2019 levels. The US-Iran war has led to fewer — and more expensive — flight options globally in general and to the west in particular.

“We are now seeing much younger guests who stay for much longer than earlier. The travel trend has changed completely in India and we are seeing that. Today’s guest wants a more experiential and curated stay in all aspects,” said Kamal Tripathi’s daughters Avni and Ayu who are playing a key role in the evolution of Aahana.

“In 2005 when our father acquired this land, it was barren with hardly any trees. We remember coming from our schools in Nainital every weekend and planting saplings. Today this place is full of green trees that attract birds,” they said.

The new Dehradun highway is expected to give a boost to travel from Delhi NCR and hotels in the area are expecting a surge in footfalls going ahead. This explains the chase by some leading global brands for high end properties in places like Jim Corbett. For owners of standalone Indian properties, tying up with a big brand is an emotional decision. To take care of this aspect, many big hospitality chains now retain the original brand when adding their name to it.

“We recognise the great work done by families in creating niche properties and offer them to expand their footprint through tie-ups with us as that will offer a wider reach. There are multiple instances of single well known hotels tying up with big brands and then going on to have multiple co-branded properties,” said a leading hotelier of a big chain.
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