Interview with Amruda Nair, Joint Managing Director & CEO
- What is the AIANA brand about? Please explain your service philosophy.
Aiana means eternal blossom in the ancient language of Sanskrit. It is also a place of refuge or retreat. Those two powerful, evocative images have been our inspiration. We've blended them to create a unique vision of contemporary living and global hospitality at Aiana Hotels & Resorts.
Aiana has been created in response to the needs of tomorrow’s traveler. We call it ‘Hospitality 2.0’. Every aspect of the brand – from its intuitive service and local inspired design to its engaging operating philosophy is geared to exceed the expectations of a new generation of savvy travelers. Our guest will be the global traveler who is a smart user of technology, environmentally and socially conscious, and expects exceptional value. We aim to cater to the growing demand of this segment for value added offerings in the upper upscale hospitality segment. We are looking at achieving a positioning into that niche market because we can offer a slightly more consistent product offering across multiple locations.
- Can you elaborate on the project – number of rooms, facilities, capital expenditure, etc?
The project, ‘Aiana Suites and Residences, Doha’, will be located in the prestigious central business district of West Bay. The district itself is surrounded by embassies and government offices, with attractions like the Majestic Corniche Promenade and the famous City Centre Mall being a short walk away. The location is ideal and will also catch the eye of tourists and future residents of Doha, as the Hamad International Airport is a mere 25 minutes away. Currently under construction, the project will consist of 180 keys with sea-facing and city views, and will measure between 73 sq. m to 250 sq. m.
What this property offers in terms of uniqueness to this region, is that it meets all the requirements for contemporary living and includes some India-inspired facilities such as a specialty Indian restaurant and modern Indian spa concept, in addition to a fitness center and pool. I am confident about the unique appeal of the Aiana concept and we are currently focused on creating top of mind recall for hotel owners and real estate companies who want to diversify into the hospitality sector. This process would eventually see us adding more properties by the end of the decade.
- Why did you choose Doha for your venture? Which country do you think is more favorable for the hospitality sector in this region and why?
Qatar is indeed fast emerging as a preferred destination for organizing key industry events across diverse industry sectors. In fact Qatar’s tourism strategy seeks to triple the number of business events tourists by 2030, thereby contributing at least half of the country’s revenue from tourism spending. From an infrastructure perspective as well, Qatar has now created a capacity of 70,000 sq.mt including world class venues such as QNCC and the recently opened Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. I chose to be in Qatar because to me it represented a great place to be based out of in order to operate on a global scale. I believe the investment going into achieving the 4 million visitor mark under the country’s National Tourism Strategy makes it is good time to establish a base here. The well-diversified hospitality offering as per the strategic goal to establish Qatar as a “World-class hub with deep cultural roots” will help appeal to multiple market segments from cultural tourism and family travel from other GCC countries to sports fans from international source markets.
- Please share your latest and most exciting news with our readers.
At Aiana Hotels and Resorts, our vision is to evolve as a global hospitality brand and establish presence across key geographies in Middle East, India and Asia Pacific. Following the signing of agreement between H.E. Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of Al Sawari Holding and Al Faisal Holdings, we have signed up eight properties across Middle East and India. This fast expansion of our property portfolio is a clear reflection of the increasing uptake of Aiana’s Unique ‘Hospitality 2.0’ Concept.
- When is the Aiana Doha Residences expected to be open?
The Aiana Suites and Residences, Doha’ is expected to be open by the second quarter of 2017.
Categories: