We want to be a leading luxury wellbeing retreat: Gavin deSouza, hoteldealers.in

  • Vijaylakshmi by Vijaylakshmi
  • 5 months ago
  • Business
  • 0


Gavin deSouza, managing director of Writer Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd, which owns and operates Dharana by Shillim retreat.

The wellness hospitality industry in India is far more specialised than the rest of the industry. It may have been one of the reasons that Dharana at Shillim retreat decided to break away from a chain and go solo. Sourcespoke to Gavin deSouza, managing director of Writer Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd, the company that owns and operates the luxury wellness retreat.

“I think the reason we actually parted ways with the operator was primarily because we felt that in order to meet the vision mission, and the core values of the brand Dharana, we really need it to be independent,” deSouza said, adding, “It also reflects our commitment to wellbeing, learning and conservation —which are the core values of the brand.”

He said that as owners they were always very involved in the operations of the property and the learnings that they got from a brand association was more standardisation (they have their own SoPs as well) and the use of technology in running the facilities.

“A wellbeing retreat actually operates a little differently from conventional hospitality. Our SoPs have always been very different from a conventional hotel. They have been more suited to our environment that we operate in Shillim, which is dispersed over 2500 acres. I think as wellness to treat the entire service design—right from pre-arrival to the whole the aspect of medical interventions, the GDPR compliance, our food concepts, procurement standards, and even post-departure follow ups, is very differentiated,” he said.

The company has been extensively researching the target group for wellness, which deSouza felt was slightly different from general hospitality which helped them make the informed decision to go independent.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Dharana by Shillim is spread over 2500 square acres of the western ghats near the city of Pune.

" />
Dharana by Shillim is spread over 2500 square acres of the western ghats near the city of Pune.

“Our pursuit is really to educate the guests who’ve come and stayed with us in the past that we have undergone a transformation. And our complete focus now is really on wellbeing programs. So we would encourage guests coming in for bed and breakfast to really come in for a complete experience because that’s really the end goal.” he said.

They were looking for guests who are staying longer for five nights upwards, all the way to 21 or even, 28 nights, even coming once or twice a year—becoming advocates of the brand and recommending their friends and families to come back to experience the programs on offer, he added.

“Everything that we’re building is kind of built to fit—from our bookings to our sales strategy to the technology we use, is all to attract this particular TG. We do obviously have the capability to expand the footprint of the brand. Which would obviously be a long term aspiration, but currently, we really want to demonstrate the strength of the brand and what differentiates Dharana from any other wellness retreat in the country and globally. We really want to be a leading luxury wellbeing retreat,” deSouza concluded.

    <!–

  • Updated On Jun 10, 2024 at 12:00 PM IST
  • –>

  • Published On Jun 10, 2024 at 12:00 PM IST
  • <!–

  • 2 min read
  • –>

Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals

Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis.

Download .App

  • Get Realtime updates
  • Save your favourite articles

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==


Scan to download App
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==



Source

Join The Discussion

Compare listings

Compare
Verified by MonsterInsights