Suman Prasad
While Unlock 1.0 came as a new dawn for every business, big or small in India, the hotels and restaurants had to wait a little more. The hotels meticulously planned a host of stringent safety measures to welcome their guests and win back their trust even before the government put down various guidelines for the hotels to adhere to. One such property is The Ritz Carlton Bangalore, where the team was on their toes, preparing for the resumption of services from the word go.
Looking at this preparedness, it does not come as a surprise that The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore recently won the “2019 Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Excellence Award” for being the best, globally. They were ranked by the guests for delivering exceptional service.
“We were focused on pampering our long-stay guests, ensuring they are looked after and all their needs are catered to their preferences. We have also meticulously evolved the standard of operations with the implementation of the sanitization and safety protocols with the Marriott International Commitment to Clean program. This encompassed training and re-training of the team across areas on the new protocols, safety and sanitization measures,” said Amitabh Rai, General Manager at The Ritz Carlton Bangalore.
Rai was also recently recognised with The Marriott International APEC 2019 GM Award for Sales Leadership. “It is an honor to achieve milestone victories such as these with a talented and committed team,” said Rai on the win.
The new normal calls for innovation in experiences and the team at Ritz have done exactly that. They have redefined the luxury dining with “99 Pop-Up Restaurants” at their Bangalore property. “We offer exclusivity and security as our guests dine in the comfort and privacy of a Ritz-Carlton guest room,” says Rai. They have over 13 menu options catering to a range of cuisines. “We have already seen a healthy response with guests celebrating their special occasions with us. The menus and payment modes are accessed with QR codes to ensure contact-less dining. The staycation offers that include staying, breakfast and dining are also receiving a healthy response,” adds Rai.
The Ritz-Carlton is curating experiences to establish Bangalore as a leisure destination, collaborating with their partners to engage guests with exciting experiences like early morning breakfast cycling tours of the city, a foray into traditional looms to witness the intricate weaving of the famed Mysore silk sarees by artisans, a day tour to the vineyards for exclusive wine and cheese tasting sessions, or a heritage visit to the Tipu Sultan Summer Palace amongst others.
Weddings are in the offing in the month of July with the guest list now restricted to 50. “We have pivoted towards creating virtual site inspection videos to showcase the unique assets of the hotel, which are uploaded on our official YouTube and social media channels, to allow guests to enliven a virtual walkthrough experience,” informs Rai.
Putting together such a meticulous effort in these testing times is certainly not easy. Talking about what keeps the team together, Rai concludes, “These times call for a focus on bonding and being supportive to each other in the work environment. Creating and inspiring a positive outlook, while innovating together to curate evolved experiences that we can offer to our guests is important to keep the ball rolling at all times, even if the pace is slower.”