Premium stay or discount deals? From vacation homes, wellness retreats to road trips!

Several surveys have indicated that people are ready to pay a premium for their safety. Image: SaffronStays-Harmony Deolali

Dreaming of a road trip or an Ayurveda wellness retreat in a picturesque lush green scenic spot? Good news! 2021 offers a perfect opportunity for Indian travellers to step out from their homes! Be it a staycation, workcation or even better a short family vacation, there are plenty of travel and accommodation options to choose from. But wondering how to start planning your travel schedule in a way that syncs with your budget too?

Premium stay or discount deals?

In that light, while safety is top priority, travellers are now keen to make use of discount deals and offers before they decide where to stay. Several surveys have indicated that people are ready to pay a premium for their safety. However, in India, the affordable stay segment has been continuously growing and the trend is likely to see further uptick throughout the year.

Speaking exclusively to Financial Express Online, SaffronStays founder Devendra Parulekar explains, “If we were to compare our 2019 number of new users to that in 2020 once the unlock began, we saw a 115% jump. These numbers shot up due to the change in the way people looked at private villas; when compared to hotels, they are now considered safer due to the constant sanitisation, enough gap between two bookings to sanitise a space and the certainty in knowing that there are no outsiders. Add to this, you have the whole space to yourself. Most of these villas are drive-to-distances from Mumbai and Pune.”

He further adds, “While at the start, we saw families opting for it, the demand has now expanded to celebrations and corporates too. People now want to have celebrations against naturally picturesque backdrops, and we provide end-to-end services for that. Pre-COVID, vacation homes were at an awareness stage; post-COVID, they have graduated as the preferred choice for all reasons. The demand for them is here to stay.”

For the travel and hospitality segment, this marks an opportunity to reiterate the significance of sustainable and leisurely stays with added benefits for guests and a renewed commitment to offer special packages to win the confidence of guests.

As several travel-based surveys have indicated time and again, investing in technology such as enabling contactless bookings, hospitality services and more enhances a guest’s satisfaction and therefore, becomes a business smart decision to make operations more agile and seamless. These innovations also enable hoteliers to roll out enticing offers that offer multiple add-ons and benefits to guests.

We have put together a list of interesting premium leisure travel options that are rolling out unique stay offers with added benefits to guests:

Taj Wellness Retreats

Given that wellness tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism segments of the global tourism ecosystem. Further, it is pegged to grow by 2022 at an average annual rate of 7.5%, as per a report by Global Wellness Institute. Strengthening India’s position as a global hub for wellness, Taj Wellness Retreats offers guests with curated itineraries spanning wellness, yoga, meditation, relaxation therapies and more. Keeping the focus on rejuvenation of mind, body and soul, the time-honoured techniques of signature Jiva treatments are available at Taj Bekal, Taj Malabar Cochin and Taj Green Coves.

Given how the pandemic paved the way for people to suffer emotional stress and chronic fatigue, the Taj Wellness Retreats have been designed to help guests to find the perfect balance through the medium of Ayurveda and holistic well-being. Guests also have the option of choosing a 3-nights package deal for the Wellness Retreat or a 14 nights Ayurveda Panchakarma retreat.

Accor’s new lifestyle loyalty program ALL

Accor, a global leading hospitality group, has recently announced up to 30% off on dining experiences and stays for members of its new lifestyle loyalty programme ALL – Accor Live Limitless. This comes along with complimentary breakfast spanning all of its participating region wide properties till 11 May 2021. This offer is for ALL members when they place their bookings before 31st March 2021 online or with the hotel and the offer remains valid till 11 March 2021. Members can further benefit as they will earn points on all purchases.

According to Kerrie Hannaford, VP-Commercial, Accor India and South Asia, there is ‘overdue, pent up demand’ as people want to enjoy relaxed family vacations after having been staying at home for several months. Highlighting that ALL members can now use the ACCOR 30 per cent discount for stay as well as dining experiences, Hannaford observed that all hygiene protocols and safety norms are being practised throughout their properties so that guests can enjoy their stay in a hassle-free manner.

Radisson’s ‘India Road Trip’ – Details

For travellers who have missed enjoying road trip adventures, Radisson Hotels has rolled out the red carpet, or rather the ‘India Road Trip’.

Benefits include free daily breakfast, a set lunch or dinner for two persons, drinks for two guests per night, early check-ins and late check outs. Added to this, Radisson Reward members can avail an additional 10 percent discount. The offer will be applicable for all stays that are booked till June 30, 2021.

Guests have around 26 circuits to choose from this curated list. For guests who want to get started planning, there are three categories of drivable circuits to opt for spanning 14 short distance routes, 7 medium distance routes and 5 long distance routes.

Highlighting the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol, Zubin Saxena, MD & Vice President Operations, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group terms this ‘the perfect choice for a safe and enjoyable family experience.”

Noor Mahal’s ‘Rang Barse’ celebrations

Ushering in the joyous spirit of ‘Holi’, Karnal’s iconic palace hotel ‘Noor Mahal’ is hosting Holi celebrations from 28th March 2021 to 29th March 2021. Spanning more than 10 acres and with 16 luxury-embedded banquet halls, the hotel positions itself as an ideal venue for MICE events, meetings, weddings, corporate events and off sites. Royal luxury experience, contemporary state-of-the-art amenities and the opportunity to experience Karnal’s rich local heritage and rustic locale is a part of the hotel’s offerings for guests. Adding to this, the hotel hosts ‘The 7th Heaven Spa’ which offers a variety of pampering treatments and relaxation options, special couple retreats, hydrotherapies and more. For those who want to enjoy more pampering, Noor’s Makeover Studio presents celebrity hair artist and award winning make up expert Tarun Kapoor.

From Wellness Treats to Road Trips and more, travellers have plenty of options to choose from this year.

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