We are soon going to launch a Ginger Hotel in Margao: Vincent Ramos

Recently Taj Exotica Resort & Spa in Benaulim was featured as one of the ‘Top 5 Best Resort Hotels in India’ at Travel + Leisure’s Annual World’s Best Awards 2018. For Vincent Ramos, General Manager of Taj Exotica and also Area Director-Goa of The Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), this is a yet another feather in his cap. The Goan spoke to Ramos on his achievement.

| OCTOBER 15, 2018, 04:22 AM IST

the goan I network


Q: What does it mean for Taj Exotica Resort & Spa to be adjudged as one of ‘Top 5 Best Resort Hotels in India’ at Travel + Leisure’s Annual World’s Best Awards 2018?   

Vincent Ramos: The other four properties, which won the award in the category, are really high-end luxury. Two of them are palaces and the other two are villas run by The Oberoi. If Taj Exotica is the fifth property in this category, it only means that we are a really luxury resort.   

Moreover, it is also a testimony to the fact that Goa is a high-end destination because Taj Exotica is in the state. This really helps in strengthening Goa’s brand as a destination, especially when few people are saying that Goa is a cheap place to travel to. I also want to reiterate that Taj Exotica is the only property in Goa, which won this award and it clearly establishes that it is the best resort in the state.   

Q: This is not the first time that a property has won an award when you are its GM. When you were GM of Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, the property was ranked Number 1 in Trip Advisor’s ‘Top 10 Traveller’s Choice Hotels in the World – 2016’. What is the recipe of your success?   

VR: I have seen that people in my line of business give a lot of importance to service. I, on the other hand, give a lot of importance to food & culture. At all our properties, we have platter of very good food and of varied cuisines like Goan, Rajasthani, Gujarati and etc. In fact, we have sent our chefs to even learn Japanese cuisine. I think food can make or break a hotel.   

Moreover, I think it’s the warmth we have in our culture. Due to our upbringing, we speak very good English. When you compare the GMs of Indian hotels with the GMs of hotels in Thailand or Vietnam, you would realise that in those countries GMs don’t speak very good English.  Communication is very important in this industry. Also the hospitality we have in our Indian culture, they may not be having in their culture. In nutshell, it is the combination of hospitality and communication, which does the trick for us. At the same time, it is my strong belief that India should be on the map of tourism when Goa is on the map.   

Q: Recently, IHCL started Ginger Hotel in Dona Paula, which is in affordable segment. Taj being a luxury brand, could you tell us about the strategy for your foray in the affordable segment?   

VR: We have a new M.D. (managing director) for Ginger and he is making all efforts to ensure that Ginger is the best in its segment. By December, you will see a great story unfolding at our Ginger  brand. We are very clear that Ginger is going to be the benchmark in lean luxury segment. We are also going to have a new logo for Ginger very soon. By starting Ginger properties in Goa, we wanted to send a message that we are not only in luxury segment, but we want to cater to tourists in all  segments.    

Q: You have several other properties in Goa like Taj Fort Aguada Beach Resort, Taj Holiday Village Resort, Taj Vivanta and Taj Exotica. What are your plans for them?   

VR: We are very clear that these should be world class properties. We want to be the best in our class. Through these hotels, we want to make Goa and India proud. We are scaling up at a fast pace.  Very soon, we are going to launch a Ginger Hotel in Margao as well. We have huge ambition, as we are going to add more properties in future in Goa. And, right now, we have seven properties in the  state.   

Q: Some observers say that the number of Indian tourists is increasing at a much faster rate than the number of foreign tourists. Do you think it can affect Goa’s image as a travel destination?   

VR: This is a wrong notion to believe in. In the US, the American people keep on travelling to other parts of the US. Likewise, we should be happy when Indians travel within India. Moreover, these days, Indian tourists are even spending more money than foreign tourists. We have a great tourism story in Goa and it’s a great trend when Indians want to visit other parts of India.     

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