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The Serai makes foray into experiential holidays with adventure sports
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Saturday, 16 February, 2013, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
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fiogf49gjkf0d The Serai, a hill station hospitality major which comes under the umbrella of Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts (a subsidiary of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd), has now stormed into the experiential holiday space.
The Serai, which has properties in three locations (Chikmagalur, Kabini and Bandipur), now offers adventure tourism. It organises several outdoor attractions like kayaking, rural tourism, cycling trails, white-water rafting and coral boat ride.
“The idea behind introducing these activities is to ensure that our guests do not just come to stay and dine, but they return with an experience as well,” Venkatesh M, director, Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts, told F&B News in an e-mail interaction.
“We realised the need to keep our guests engaged at any given time during their stay. The revenue is not the priority for these activities, but safety and experience are what matters. A content and satisfied guest is the drive behind all our objectives and product offerings,” he added.
The Serai belongs to the leisure luxury category, which is still nascent. The scope and the opportunity in this segment are tremendous. It is expected to generate growth in the future with guests having high expectations from this product category.
All three properties of The Serai are connected intrinsically, with each having a host of services to offer. For instance, the Chikmagalur property is set amidst 80 acres of coffee plantation and the district is known as the coffee capital of India. A range of signature coffee treatments are provided in our spas across the resorts. The UNESCO-deemed World Heritage sites, Belur and Halebidu, are located close by.
The Serai Kabini is on the waterfront and offers safaris and nature trails. The Serai Bandipur property is located close to the Bandipur National Forest with wildlife sighting. Wildlife lovers and outdoor enthusiasts would prefer Kabini or Bandipur because of the safaris, nature hikes and water sports on the river Kabini. For those opting a getaway to relax, then Chikmagalur is ideal.
There are multi-cuisine restaurants with a range of local delicacies. The menu also includes Jain options.
The locations of Kabini and Bandipur came under The Serai umbrella when Cicada Resorts was taken over in 2008. An investment of Rs 20 crore was made post-acquisition of Cicada Resorts. “Since there has been a constant perseverance to match to the standards of The Serai Chikmagalur,” he said.
“The global slowdown has not impacted sales to the extent that we were expecting. The period is challenging, but nevertheless it has thrown a number of opportunities in developing the products and increasing the expectations that customers,” said Venkatesh.
“Both foreign and domestic travellers frequent the three locations. There is considerable interest in taking bullock-cart rides and village tours and getting to know the local culture and folklore. The core strategy to increase sales is to ensure every guest is content,” said Venkatesh.
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