In March 2020, Pune-based Panchshil Realty’s cluster of Marriott International hotels, including The Ritz-Carlton, Pune, JW Marriott Pune, Marriott Suites Pune and Courtyard by Marriott Pune Hinjewadi, rolled out the Marriott Bonvoy on Wheels in the city. This delivery service made luxurious and healthy dining possible at home and eventually became the most successful non-room revenue option for the properties during a highly challenging period.
Manto Alpatt, Assistant Director-F&B, The Ritz Carlton, Pune shed some light on why these experiences were a hit amongst customers. Just picture this – a chauffeur-driven sanitised luxury car delivers signature dishes and beverages completely contact-free at a customer’s doorstep. A Sunday family brunch arrives in an exclusively packaged box at home. The hotel’s chefs and bartenders are ready to whip up dishes and make drinks of a guest’s choice in their living room while the latter safely socialise with a small group.
“Our luxury and full service brands went the extra mile to offer an unforgettable and royal experience to guests where innovation became a buzzword in terms of the overall ambience and services on offer,” Alpatt added. “We tweaked priorities, plans and campaigns for the year and marketing took the forefront to educate out guests on the safely executed tailored experiences they could enjoy in the comfort of their homes.”
This new business model has opened the doors for The Ritz Carlton Pune hotels to continue leveraging its existing, and often underutilised, F&B assets like food delivery. And this status quo is set to become a mainstay in its business plans. After all, a meal today is not merely about the dishes served, but more about savouring the culinary experience that accompanies it.
With the prevalent third wave courtesy the Omicron COVID-19 variant, WFH and entertain from home has become the governing lifestyle for many people. This has compelled hotels to offer F&B packages that can meet these evolved customer needs where guests can appreciate the little luxuries in life within the comfort of their homes.
Taking a cue from this trend and to stay competitive, The Ritz Carlton, Pune leaned in heavily on digitisation, technology and data. “We also ensured that we traced and followed increasingly digital-first habits of consumers,” Alpatt added.
The Ritz Carlton, Pune continues to mould itself and devise ways to create extraordinary F&B experiences. It has extended partnerships with key market influencers and integrated these associations into Marriott Bonvoy’s platform in phases across food delivery, payment, loyalty and rewards, as well as advertising. It enabled the hotel to serve a growing pool of customers who are increasingly transacting online.
The luxury property continues to roll out unique experiences for seasonal activities, festivals and events, like the Indian Premier League. “From special celebrations menus to a chance to go live on social media channels with their favourite player, our hotels curated unforgettable experiences that came only with a Marriott Bonvoy membership,” he proudly claimed.
After adopting digital keys, QR codes and menus during the pandemic, The Ritz Carlton, Pune evaluated other smart technological aspects to differentiate and communicate with its guests and patrons. “We optimised our communication quality and efficiency and also utilised the data we accumulated during the crisis to effectively and securely ‘speak’ with our guests. Through this all, we kept in mind the fact that privacy and data security are a critical consideration in a data-driven future,” he stated.
Alpatt is unfazed by the competition posed by cloud kitchens, which have now become a global phenomenon. This is because the brand prefers to invest in the sustainability of its own operations to retain a dedicated customer base, consistency and quality. “We choose to take forward deliveries through our own distribution channel and through food aggregators to ensure wholesome meals, global flavours, sustainable packaging and customised epicurean experiences,” he pointed out.
