The HSMAI India Commercial Strategy Conference (CSC) 2024, held on July 26th at The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences, was an extraordinary convergence of industry leaders, innovative thinkers, and passionate professionals from the hospitality sector.
The event, which featured a day-long power-packed agenda, delivered a series of insightful sessions, engaging panel discussions, and valuable networking opportunities.
The conference kicked off with lighting of the ceremonial lamp by the HSMAI India Board followed by a warm welcome from Jackie Douglas, President of HSMAI Asia Pacific. This set the tone for a day dedicated to knowledge sharing and industry advancement.
Key Insights from CSC 2024:
- Shaurab Kapadia, Google: Indian travellers are exploring more and staying longer, prompting hotels to focus on loyalty programs to sustain growth.
- Siddhartha Butalia, Air India Express: Experiences are the strongest proposition in travel; to remain relevant in the future, we must prioritize creating memorable experiences.
- Rajat Wahi, Sr. Advisor: The hospitality industry is witnessing emerging trends such as green hospitality, data-driven decision-making, and the growing adoption of UPI payments in India.
- Nikhil Sharma, Radisson Hotel Group: The growth of smaller cities and the rising aspirations of small-town citizens are key factors driving current travel trends in India.
- Sarel Nair, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL): Ancillary revenues, including the monetization of hotel spaces and signature celebrations, are becoming increasingly significant in the hospitality sector.
- CS Ramachandran, Preferred Hotels & Resorts: AI enhances customer experiences by analysing real-time data to personalize content and interactions, fostering deeper connections with brands and increasing guest satisfaction. Starting with small Proof of Concepts (POCs) and using the ICE (Impact, Confidence, Ease) scoring method for comparison ensures a strategic and effective approach to AI implementation.
- Puneet Mahindroo, Rev-Mantra: Technology is rapidly transforming the industry, with AI playing a pivotal role in optimizing restaurant revenue.
- Panel Discussion – The Power of Storytelling in Hospitality: Sentiment analysis and storytelling have become essential tools for enhancing customer engagement and building stronger connections.
The conference concluded with a panel discussion on “Building Strong and Sustainable Relationships Between Hotels and Technology Providers,” moderated by Geetika Jain from RHG.
This session emphasized the critical role of technology in optimizing hotel operations and enhancing guest experiences.
The event was made possible with the support of HSMAI’s esteemed sponsors Cendyn, Cvent & Lighthouse and media partner Today’s Traveller.
The event closed with a vote of thanks to the HSMAI India Board, speakers, panellists, and attendees for making CSC 2024 a remarkable success.
About HSMAI
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue.
HSMAI provides resources for sales professionals to fuel sales in their organisations, including articles, white papers, conference presentations, and templates. It assists in inspiring marketing by accessing presentations from HSMAI Strategy Conferences, insights from industry marketing leaders, and marketing templates for job descriptions, budgets and more. HSMAI offers invaluable resources to optimize revenue, from HSMAI’s Revenue Optimization Conference (ROC) presentations to expert articles, & revenue management templates for job descriptions, forecasting, budgeting and more.
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