Hyatt lines up ambitious push in India with 6 brands

Hospitality major has 21 hotels in India, eyes small towns

Things are rolling fast in India for Hyatt, a leading name in the global hospitality industry. The company is keen on spreading its base not just in metros, but across smaller towns as well. Hyatt will be launching its sixth brand ‘Hyatt Andaz’ in New Delhi by 2016. 

This year, two Hyatt Regency hotels are in line for inauguration at Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. This follows the recent of launch of 'Hyatt Place' at Hinjewadi, Pune in January 2015.

Hyatt considers India among its top three growth markets globally and is very optimistic about the region’s economic future, according to Eric Brun, Vice President (Brands), Hyatt Hotels and Resorts (Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southwest Asia). Currently, there are 21 Hyatt hotels in India, representing five brands — Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, and Hyatt Place.

Travel, work, relax‘Tailor-made services’ is the buzz phrase and the hospitality sector is picking up on the requirements of young working professionals like never before. In an effort to offer a seamless interface between work and personal life for young, frequent business travellers, the Hyatt has laid a special focus on its brand ‘Hyatt Place’. The ‘Hyatt Place’, caters to professionals between the age group of 25 and 54, who are frequent travellers on work, are tech savvy, available for communication over emails 24x7, and whose work and personal lives frequently overlap.

At present, there are three Hyatt Places in India. In fact, the first Hyatt Place in the country was launched in Karnataka (in Hampi) in 2012. The fourth one will be inaugurated soon at Whitefield in Bengaluru.

The third Hyatt Place property is at Gurgaon. Several more Hyatt Place hotels are on the anvil in the country, Eric Brun said. The Hyatt Place brand was launched in 2006. The place focuses on guests who seek style at an affordable price.

‘Glocal’ featuresSome of the features of Hyatt Place hotels in India include spacious guestrooms with the ‘Cozy Corner’, free Wi-Fi throughout, 24x7 Gallery Menu, an ‘Odds & Ends’ feature offering to guests, items that they may have forgotten, fresh food around the clock, and a comfortable place to work outside the guestroom.

There are over 200 Hyatt Place Hotels across United States, Armenia, China, Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates.Everywhere, the Hyatt Place seeks to offer unique, customised features for guests.
 The property at Al Rigga, Dubai, provides one such instance. The property is located in the heart of Deira — Dubai’s historic district, situated near the Dubai airport.
Competing with the best of the brands in Dubai, the year-old Hyatt Place, Al Rigga seeks to stand apart by offering local customisations as an add-on to its unique features.

In addition to the standard features of Hyatt Place, the hotel at Al Rigga offers studio apartments to families who want to spend a relaxed weekend. Depending on the number, even apartments with features of a single bedroom house, are available.
Speaking about their hotel, Vishal Mehra, GM, Hyatt Place Dubai, Al Rigga, said: “Hyatt Place’s motto is 'Welcome to a Different Place' and this mantra runs through the whole of the property...” As of September 30, 2014, the company's worldwide portfolio consisted of 573 properties in 48 countries, as per the statistics provided by the company.

(This reporter was at Hyatt Place, Al Rigga, Dubai, on an invitation by Hyatt )