Nivedita Avasthi, General Manager, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Talks About The Promise And Dedication Of The Newly Inaugurated Holiday Inn Dhaka City Center To Take Bangladesh’s Hospitality Sector To New Heights
General Manager
IHG Hotels & Resorts
As a veteran professional, how do you think the Bangladeshi hospitality industry differs from its peers in South Asia?
Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka are well-known tourist destinations in South Asia. Therefore, they have diverse offerings for both leisure and business guests. Currently, where other South Asian peers are catering to a balanced mix of leisure and corporate travellers, the Bangladesh market is totally dominated by corporate inflow. Over the last few decades, Bangladesh has developed a fantastic corporate hospitality culture with world-class amenities. In my opinion, Bangladesh is a lovely nation with a rich heritage and culture to boast about. It has the fastest growing economy in South Asia and has enormous business and expansion potential.
In Bangladesh, most guests are business travellers rather than tourists. How does that affect the way you design your services?
Anticipating guest needs and customising services accordingly are key success factors to excellence in hospitality. A business traveller needs efficiency in interactions and seamless connectivity. A smart, well-equipped room with aesthetic decor, a terrific spread of breakfast, modern fitness facilities, and a place to relax and rejuvenate in the evening sum up the requirements of a corporate traveller. Holiday Inn delivers all this and much more, always with a smile!
Holiday Inn Dhaka City Centre has been attracting a significant number of domestic patrons since its soft opening.
THE SCENIC POOL ON THE ROOFTOP ALONG WITH A FITNESS CENTRE WITH A BREATHTAKING VIEW OF THE CITY HAS DEFINITELY BECOME THE MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR GUESTS’ STAY AT THE HOLIDAY INN.
What have been the hotel’s biggest strengths? What have been some of the challenges?
Holiday Inn is globally the most popular brand known for its unique service style creating memorable stays for families and business guests alike. Being the first Holiday Inn in Bangladesh, it was a destination to experience for the domestic patrons and the attraction was a natural phenomenon. Once in the hotel, the opulent, state of the art décor imprints a memorable first impression. The impression only gets stronger with the unmatched service delivered by my young and eager-to-serve team, the exotic delicacies from nations across the world and, above all, our ability to form a genuine connection. The scenic pool on the rooftop along with a fitness centre with a breathtaking view of the city has definitely become the major highlights of our guests’ stay at the Holiday Inn.
IHG is one of the leaders in incorporating sustainability practices in the global hospitality industry. What does the term IHG Green Engage Hotel imply?
At IHGâ, part of creating Great Hotels Guests Loveâ, is designing, building and running more sustainable hotels. We know that more and more of our guests want a greener hotel experience and that’s why we have made it easier for you to choose hotels that match your sustainable values with regard to the environment, the community and the society where you are staying. As part of our responsible business culture, all hotels follow a structured carbon footprint reduction program that ensures we are giving back what we are taking. It continuously follows and evolves activities to contribute to the cause.
What more can we expect from Holiday Inn Dhaka City Centre in the coming years?
A genuine smile straight from the heart is what will remain consistent with the Holiday Inn, irrespective of the number of years. With the robust IHG structure, we are confident to stand tall in the face of business uncertainties arising time and again due to the pandemic. In line with the corporate market showing green shoots, we are also unfolding our offers in a phased manner and grabbing our fair share of the business. At the Holiday Inn, the Dhaka market shall soon experience ‘ SHARDUL’ – a stylish English pub with a central bar, dance and panoramic city view. That’s the upcoming sensation but there is more to follow.
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