Hospitality is a Serious Business at InterGlobe Hotels

InterGlobe Hotels was launched in 2004 as a joint venture between InterGlobe Enterprises and Accor Asia Pacific to develop the ‘ibis’ brand as a quality mid-market product, sensing a significant void in this space. In the first five years, they successfully opened seven hotels across seven different cities, and since then, the pace has only accelerated. The two partners share mutual trust and a vision to transform the hospitality sector through an efficient development and operation model.

INTRODUCTION

• The expertise of the two organisations, renowned for their unmatched reputation, created the right platform to meet the evolving needs & aspirations of the Indian consumer.
• The joint venture now has a very well-diversified portfolio of 30 hotels, spread across different SPVs, including 28 operational (23 ibis & ibis styles hotels, 4 Novotels, 1 Pullman) and 2 under-construction hotels (1 ibis and 1 Novotel) under the JV. These cumulatively offer over 6,000 rooms across 14 cities in the country, making InterGlobe Hotels one of the key leaders in the this segment of the hospitality industry.
• Presently, our network spans 14 cities, encompassing both business and leisure destinations. These include New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Pune, Nashik, Jaipur, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Coimbatore, and Thane.

VISION AND STRATEGY

• Our purpose is to offer world-class experiences to our guests by creating innovative, efficient, and top-quality hotels through a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and ownership. We believe in challenging conventional norms, and this approach has helped us establish a unique brand that is recognized for its creativity and fresh perspectives.
• Throughout our 19-year history (the JV started in 2004), we have achieved numerous firsts. We followed a strategy that was different from conventional wisdom and focused on greenfield projects. Through our brand ‘ibis’, we have stayed true to our original philosophy of providing high-quality experience at great value for money, aimed at the young, discerning Indian traveller.
• We, like the rest of the InterGlobe group, has a strong commitment to compliance. It’s in our DNA. The implemented procedures guarantee meticulous adherence to compliance standards, as we consistently maintain a zero-tolerance approach towards any compliance delays.
• Our product is designed to cater to a diverse audience, including families, seniors, couples, solo travellers and the younger demographics on the go.

DESIGN

We have transformed India’s mid-market hotel segment by anticipating and effectively adapting to the industry’s explosive growth and transformation. When the first hotel, – ibis Gurgaon, was launched in 2008, it challenged the status quo, and other players turned around and took notice. Our effective use of space, cookie-cutter design of rooms, pod bathrooms, and well-designed public spaces were game changers for the industry and have positioned the group as a frontrunner in hotel design and development.

• Our new-gen hotels are designed functionally and aesthetically to provide all essential facilities to offer an exceptional, first-rate experience to our guests. We partner with the best international interior and architectural design firms to deliver modern designs in chic and lively public areas of our hotels, combining western aesthetics with Indian elements. Design is conceptualised keeping the modern traveller in mind, with spaces that are more fluid and offer a warm look and feel.
• Our fittings, fixtures, furniture, acoustics, etc. are constantly improved to keep up with trends and stay relevant. For instance, we have added curated libraries to our latest designs and started promoting emerging Indian artists by investing in and displaying their art at our new hotels. This appeals to millennials and Gen Z alike, as well as business and leisure travellers. Through the art initiative, we aim to promote and support artistic talent and raise awareness of India’s thriving art scene among hotel guests and patrons.
• Additionally, across all our properties, we offer modern, vibrant, and spacious back-of-house (BOH) spaces to create a welcoming environment and provide a range of amenities tailored to meet the needs of young hotel staff, thereby fostering higher levels of engagement.

CONTINUOUS INNOVATION

• Our approach revolves around ensuring that our business is future-ready, with a continual emphasis on innovation and the implementation of cutting-edge technology. One of our key core values is Future Mindedness; our innovative methodologies have led to new industry standards in ‘cost-to-build’ and ‘time-to-build’ in our product segment. Our efforts here are complemented by strong execution and operational excellence to provide best-in-class service experiences.
• Regular product reviews are conducted to ensure that our offerings are fresh, modern, and aligned with market demands.
• I Innovation requires transparency, and hence information flow and open communication are crucial. Through various forums and cross-functional committees, the focus is on resolving key business issues, which fosters ownership and commitment. We also have committees and groups dedicated to innovation and new ideas. During challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, these committees developed various innovative ideas to generate ancillary revenues. Consequently, when the hospitality industry experienced a resurgence after the challenges of COVID-19, our hotels exhibited significantly faster growth and recovery compared to the overall market.

CULTURE

• Our culture places strong emphasis on agility, encouraging employees to adapt quickly to change. It fosters an environment where employees are inspired to take ownership of their projects and initiatives, and the leadership team supports this by providing them with the autonomy to drive their tasks and take pride in their work.
• Transparency and involvement are ensured via regular interactions with the leadership team via town hall meetings, open forums, and one-on-one sessions. Innovation seminars and brainstorming sessions are often organised to promote creativity.
• Employees are encouraged to contribute their ideas and suggestions during regular strategy discussions, which look at long-term objectives and market trends. We support employees in learning new skills, foster a culture of learning, and advance both physical and mental wellness through a variety of training programs, workshops, and online courses.
• InterGlobe Hotels is dedicated to undertaking endeavours that benefit all by promoting gender equality at the workplace, supporting the local community through upliftment programmes and solidarity projects, and striving for the highest level of employee engagement.

SUSTAINABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION & OPERATIONS

• The concept of sustainability is ingrained in our culture. We acknowledge the evolving demands of our customers and are dedicated to implementing sustainable development practices in both the construction and day-to-day operations of our hotels.
• Sustainability begins at the site selection and project planning stage and continues until the hotel opening stage and even beyond in our daily operations. One important factor we consider when choosing a location is the site’s proximity to public transport. Additionally, all design layouts are planned with stringent compliance practices for building norms to ensure development control and avoid any negative impact on the physical infrastructure.
• We also look at site preservation measures, aiming to preserve 10% of the current topography and vegetation and retain 50% of the site contour. We additionally examine methods for mitigating soil erosion, such as employing barricades and sprinklers to control dust and constructing an on-site sedimentation tank to manage sediment.
• Building design is closely coordinated with architects, MEP and green building consultants to incorporate sustainable design features. This includes conducting energy simulations, sun-path analysis, BIM review, and lighting analysis. The goal is to create a complete passive building envelope design, including the selection of facade materials and glazing, resulting in an annual energy savings of more than 2%.  By implementing these strategies, we help decrease the carbon footprint of our buildings.
• In one of our upcoming hotels, we are using technology for energy reduction in the ventilation and air-conditioning systems. To enhance air quality, we are retrofitting the ventilation systems in our properties with high capability air filters and our buildings are specifically designed to include elements that result in an annual energy cost reduction of more than 8%-10%.
• We have also been conferred with the IGBC award under the category of ‘Pioneer in large scale adoption of green buildings in the hospitality sector in India’ and our hotel in Navi Mumbai is India’s first IGBC gold-rated hotel to be retrofit to IGBC requirements.

Some of the initiatives implemented in our portfolio include:

During Construction

• IGBC certified Gold rated hotel constructions.
• Dry walls used (low carbon footprints)
• Promoting Sustainable building – Natural lights in Meeting Rooms & Restaurant
• Usage of Solar Energy for day-to-day operations and lighting of periphery

OPERATIONS

• Elimination of single use plastic from guest interface area.



• Implementation of water bottling plant across portfolio for drinking water.
• Energy efficient equipment implemented across networks (variable frequency drive), electric kitchens that minimize carbon emissions.
• Implementation of EV charging stations at our hotels (50% of our portfolio to be covered by end of 2023).
• Efficient use of energy and resources via new technological tools for energy monitoring.
• Healthy & Sustainable food Charter – Consume local and seasonal products.
• Food Waste management.

MANAGING OUR ASSETS

• We opened our first hotel back in 2008 and the properties need continuous upgrades and maintenance.  Hence an asset management system was developed to manage our growing assets and volumes. This involves close collaboration with our joint venture partners and operators to ensure alignment towards the common goal of fostering a thriving business.



• Efficiently planning renovations using a robust displacement analysis is a crucial task undertaken regularly. This enables us to renovate a building within a ninety-day timeframe, demonstrating the strength and efficiency of our processes.
• Consistent with our forward-thinking approach, we consistently maintain a business plan that is regularly amended and updated to accurately assess where we stand as an organization in terms of value creation. Our planning methodology remains adaptable and open to frequent evaluations and helps us to swiftly adjust our tactics in response to changing circumstances.
• We have successfully tested and are now implementing a new Energy Control Building Management System which would help our team identify operational energy conservation methods based on data analytics.
• An interactive property management system has been successfully deployed, connecting critical departments and guest interfaces to simplify operations. This system enables centralised monitoring and review of progress, ensuring a consistent allocation of staff members, even during periods of high occupancy.
• We are transforming/revamping the whole revenue management system with a comprehensive single platform with a dynamic pricing solution for room rates, additional sales channels, credit management, and price listing across different OTAs.

SALES & MARKETING

• While we have many distribution channels, our efforts have always been to maximize direct bookings and try to connect with our guests and end users. We aim to leverage our loyalty base and explore technology, focused public segment campaigns to grow this segment.
• We prioritise integrating cutting-edge technologies in various operations, including cloud-based property management, e-audits, revenue management, and centralised finance and procurement. We can use data more intelligently and detect consumer behaviour changes with these new technologies. Enabling the business to better adapt its marketing strategies to customers, an essential aspect post-COVID-19.
• Our most recent brand campaign “Vibe is at ibis” was launched at the beginning of the year, and the second phase of that is currently underway. The guest response has been very positive. Through our target campaigns, we have the opportunity to offer the best rates, F&B options, and promote our health and safety measures, which are some of the key priotrties for tarvllers today.