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As the demand for luxury short-term vacation rentals increases in India, The Leela looks to leverage its established presence in the luxury hospitality sector to capture a larger share of this market.
Bulbul Dhawan
Indian hospitality chain The Leela has announced the launch of Ark by the Leela, its “ultra-luxury villa” collection. The collection was launched at Leela Palace Udaipur and is positioned by the hotel chain as a ‘hyper-personalized palace within a palace’. The hotel chain plans to introduce more Arq by The Leela collections across its portfolio.
The villas are aimed at catering to ultra-wealthy and elite guests. Although not quite the same as a vacation rental, the villas are designed to ensure the guest’s family has privacy and a special space within the grounds of The Leela Palace Udaipur. These villas have their own swimming pool and private outdoor space.
Skift Research’s report on short-term rentals in India this year suggests that India’s short-term rental industry could grow into a $3 billion market by 2033. Amit Damani, co-founder of luxury villa rental brand StayVista, said in an interview with Skift: Indian travelers are looking for privacy and luxury, which is why they are moving toward luxury villas.
He also said there is a trust gap when it comes to alternative accommodation, which can be addressed by creating a brand in the space.
The launch of Villa Collection comes a month after The Leela’s parent company Schroth Bangalore filed for a $599 million (Rs. 50 billion) IPO. This was the largest IPO ever in the Indian hotel industry. The company aims to pay down debt through a public offering and capitalize on demand for luxury accommodation.
The Leela plans to add eight hotels to its current portfolio of 12 operating properties by 2028. It is also expected to expand into areas such as wildlife and heritage tourism, in line with widespread demand for experiential tourism in luxury travel.
Air India to operate Vistara aircraft after merger
Air India will operate Vistara aircraft after the merger of the two airlines on November 12. The airline said these flights will be identified by a special four-digit Air India flight code starting with ‘2’: Vistara’s UK flight 955 between Delhi and Mumbai will be identified as AI 2955.
This is done to facilitate the booking process for customers on the combined Air India website. Air India also stated that routes and schedules operated by Vistara will continue. The in-flight experience, including the menu and cabin crew, will remain the same.
Additionally, members of Vistara’s loyalty program ‘Club Vistara’ will be migrated to Air India’s Flying Returns programme. The combined loyalty program will be rebranded as ‘Maharaja Club’.
Ahead of the merger, Air India will begin daily direct flights between Bangalore and London Heathrow Airport from October 27. This will enable all three Air India hubs to have direct connectivity to London Heathrow Airport, the airline said. These new flights will replace Air India’s current Bengaluru to London Gatwick route.
India’s aviation sector needs $170 billion investment
India’s aviation industry will need more than $170 billion in investment to support the transport boom by 2030, according to credit rating agency S&P Global. Most of this investment will go toward new aircraft and airport upgrades and development.
The agency said India’s aviation sector is under-penetrated, noting that although India has a larger population than China, its air transport capacity is less than one-third that of China. He further said that Indian airlines and airports are expected to spend “significantly” on expanding capacity over the next five years.
Most of the spending is expected to be financed by debt, but higher revenues are expected to support the increase in borrowing.
Skyscanner launches new in-app marketplace
Travel metasearch engine Skyscanner is preparing to launch a new marketplace offering a range of additional services within its app, Skift’s Peden Doma Bhutia reports. This feature integrates options such as ground transportation, visa services, and travel-related information into the app. Skyscanner CEO John Mangelers said it would become a one-stop shop for travelers.
Skyscanner is looking to expand its presence in India. “India is among our top 10 revenue-generating markets, along with the US, Brazil, Japan, France, Germany and South Korea. We believe India has the potential to become one of our top 3 markets soon. ” said the CEO.
Radisson Hotel Group has introduced Braille menus across all its properties in India. This initiative is being undertaken in partnership with Young Indians of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Some properties have also introduced scannable audio QR codes so guests can hear menu options at their own pace. The initiative will be rolled out to other properties in the chain in the future.
Diwali trip in India
According to data shared by online travel agency Cleartrip, nearly 40% of Diwali travel bookings from October 26 to November 4 were made in the first 15 days of October. Bookings from Mumbai have increased, but airfares have remained roughly the same. Goa saw a nearly 5% jump in bookings from Mumbai, while airfares fell by 0.23% compared to last year.
Air routes like Bangalore to Delhi, Mumbai to Delhi, Hyderabad to Delhi and Bangalore to Mumbai are among the most booked routes this season.
Overseas, Denpasar in Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia saw the biggest increases in bookings compared to last year, according to the data. Apart from that, bookings are also increasing in Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore, Phuket, Colombo and Abu Dhabi.
