46 HOTELSCAPES • May 2014 ◗ MICE Celebrated hotels which hold upscale weddings Amit Modi Vice President, The Grand, New Delhi “I n today’s time and generation families do not want conventional weddings. They want their weddings to be grand and exclusive. The planning starts months in advance in order to organise a hassle-free event with elaborate arrangements. In India, where customs, rituals and colours are so luring, everybody wants to splurge more than ever on their wedding. Some families plan to have a royal destination wedding and some desire a wedding in a luxurious environment of a five star hotel where they get the feel of the hotel pool and lawns to do various events. Irrespective of any downturn, wedding remains a stable business, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime event in India. Due to huge and multiple options, to hold various events at different locations, we get a clientele which wants a combination of destination, royal, lifestyle and luxurious wedding. Most of our clients prefer to shift with their families and friends to our hotel and organise events in our various venues on all three to four days. In fact we host a lot of international weddings where clients want a taste of India in their celebrations.” Amit Modi Vice President, The Grand, New Delhi Most of our clients prefer to shift with their families and friends to our hotel. ,, Siddharth Savkur General Manager Alila Diwa Goa Today’s guest is very well informed, has experienced the best. ,, Siddharth Savkur General Manager Alila Diwa Goa “G oa has always been India’s premier choice for destination weddings. Thankfully, the allure of the state has only increased in recent years with more couples choosing to tie the knot here. In their response, service providers in the state have stepped up with attractive offerings and packages at different price points. Alila Diwa Goa has made strong inroads into the destination wedding segment ever since we opened four years ago, and we continue to innovate based on trends and feedback. Today’s guest is very well informed, has experienced the best the world has to offer and is usually very clear about her requirements. Young couples today are increasingly picking wedding dates based more on practical considerations like work schedules and holidays. They choose auspicious dates less than the norm. This augurs well for both the industry as well as the guest. Hotels have the opportunity to pick up business during lean periods and the guest benefits by getting better deals. In this era of increasing inventory in most destinations and the resulting stiff competition, it is imperative for hoteliers to communicate with each other and agree on pricing and discounting thresholds.” Some hotels in India are famous for conducting the country’s most lavish weddings, where they provide tailor-made services to the clients, while taking care of the every minute need. HotelScapes talks to spokespersons of some of these hotels where the most luxurious weddings take place, asking them about how weddings are adding to their business and what customers look forward to today.