14-15_ttg_lux_diary Q&A 27/2/09 16:54 Page 15
What was thE hotEl scEnE
likE in India back thEn?
It was very stuffy, dominated by big five-star
brands that were very traditional. What I
wanted to do was break that mould and
Q&A
pioneer the concept of a hotel that was
more contemporary, one which young
people would want to visit. This was a novel
concept back then, no-one was doing it.
How did you managE to
Establish thE Brand?
We concentrated on the three properties we
already had in Calcutta, Delhi and Chennai,
and gradually began to expand across India.
We knew what we wanted to do and a lot of it
PRIYA PAUL was about communicating this to people in
Priya Paul, chairman of Park Hotels, was the domestic and international markets.
thrust into running her father’s company
after he was killed by terrorists in 1990, while How has thE markEt bEEn Do you havE any plans to
visiting his tea plantation in Assam. Here she sincE thE Mumbai attacks? opEn a propErty in thE UK?
explains to Adam Coulter how she steered Room revenues have dropped by about Not at the moment. The world economy
the group into one of the most successful 20-25% and it’s hard to predict when this has collapsed in the last few months so we
hotel chains in India will pick up. India does still have strong local are going to concentrate on our projects in
demand so we are concentrating our efforts India. We may look at opening new hotels
How did you introducE on this sector with marketing, offering in India and possibly some nearby countries
thE boutiquE hotEl free room nights and working with the when the economy starts to pick up.
concEpt to India? government on various local initiatives.
About 20 years ago, we were a very small But it’s going to be a long haul. What’s nExt For Park HotEls?
company and we needed to find a way to We have a new 280-room hotel opening in
compete with the other hotel groups in How do you stimulatE Hyderabad later this year. I describe it as a
India, and it seemed that boutique hotels dEmand in thE UK? modern palace and I’m working with 12
could be our niche. Also, I had studied in The UK is a very important source market designers, local and international, to
Boston and often visited New York around for us and as our properties are members of make sure the design reflects the region.
the time that Ian Schrager was pioneering Design Hotels, we work under that brand. We We also have a boat and cruiser, Absara,
the concept of the boutique or design hotel, exhibit at all the major trade shows including launching in Kerala. It will cruise the lake
and was inspired. WTM, ITB and luxury fairs. but be moored at a resort at night.
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visit www.sellingsandals.co.uk
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