‘Courtyard by Marriott Nashik is passionate about serving the needs of travellers everywhere’

Nashik, the wine capital of India, has recently welcomed the 113-room Courtyard by Marriott Nashik, which is the first international property to come up in the city. The sprawling new hotel offers four flexible meeting and event venues, comprising of 5,188 square feet of fully equipped indoor and outdoor spaces, which are conducive to business and celebrations. The property which opened its doors during the pandemic is now observing healthy footfall and local support. Asmita Mukherjee spoke with Amol More, Hotel Manager, Courtyard by Marriott Nashik to understand his plans to position the property as a place of choice in Nashik.

How has your journey been with Courtyard by Marriott Nashik?

My journey with Marriott hotels began 18 years ago in operation. My passion to travel and work in exotic locations brought me to Nashik. Courtyard by Marriott Nashik is one of the very few hotels in the world which opened its doors during the pandemic and we are constantly observing a healthy number of footfalls and a lot of local support. As a hotel we have come a long way, maintaining a comfortable and safe environment with the highest level of hygiene standards for our guests and staff.

Kindly brief us on the USP of Courtyard by Marriott, Nashik.

Courtyard by Marriott Nashik marks the brand’s 19th opening in the South Asia region. The property is the first international hotel to open in the wine capital of India and is also the first Courtyard Marriott to open in a tier-2 market.

The brand forayed into the tier-2 market, owing to the evolving consumer lifestyle and emergence of desire for class and luxury and fine experiential attitude brewing in the markets beyond the metros.

What are your plans for the property?

The hotel is geared up with an array of offerings beyond its uber-luxurious rooms, which provides a great stay and comfortable atmosphere. House of Gourmet, which is our all-day dining restaurant, is soon to start a seven-day different themed buffet. Bakes and Brew, which is our exquisite patisserie-deli, boasts a selection of exotic freshly baked homemade bread, sandwiches, cakes, pastries, lavish breakfast dishes and festive treats from all around the world, and it will soon plan to start midnight menu when the government restrictions are subsided.

The hotel is also getting ready to launch its futuristic rooftop bar, Club Strato, where speciality cocktails are on the menu, showcasing panoramic views of Nashik.

Who are your target customers?

With the ongoing increase of demand in the domestic travel market, Nashik has received a lot of preference from leisure travellers and trailblazers. Courtyard by Marriott Nashik is passionate about empowering its guests and serving the needs of travellers everywhere, no matter the purpose of their trip. The convenient location of the hotel also helps to get substantial patronage from corporate travellers, whether it is a long haul or an overnight stay.

Are you planning to position the hotel as a business traveller’s choice of stay? What is your strategy to attract the business traveller segment?

Everything we do at our hotel supports corporate travellers so that they can pursue their personal and professional passions. Our hotel is equipped with many such offerings whether one wants to spark creativity by booking for business events in the modern meeting rooms or recharge in modern, well-appointed accommodations that offer a tranquil retreat. As the city experiences mushrooming of corporate travel, we are constantly on the lookout for tailor-made rate offers for every corporate travelling to Nashik.

How do you plan to promote the property?

In this era of virtual meetings and social media representation, we rely strongly on curating memorable experiences for every guest who walks in through our hotel door. Our guests are our biggest ambassadors. Social media marketing remains our absolute focus as we intend to innovate with exciting new offers. As a fairly new hotel, we have kept a reasonable budget on marketing as we want to create awareness in our source markets.

How does the property fit in with the overall Marriott Group’s strategy?

Courtyard by Marriott Nashik is the first Courtyard Marriott to open its door in a tier-2 market. The key reason for tier-2 and to a certain extent even tier-3 cities becoming lucrative for Marriott are that they are cost-effective markets with low competition. As the mindset of the consumer is evolving towards quality and a better experience, these markets are playing an important role to expand the Marriott brand awareness and loyalty in these diverse settings. Nashik is fortunate to have Mumbai, Pune and Surat in close proximity where Marriott has a great loyalty base. The property fits perfectly for this as it is an impeccable representation of Marriott vision.

asmita.mukherjee@saffronsynergies.in