NEW DELHI: One of the four “Grande Dames” of the East — Delhi’s The Imperial — has “broken every single record in its 88-year-old history of room occupancies”. The 235-key property has consistently seen 96% occupancy (43 suites & 192 rooms) over the last six months, the longest at a stretch for such high numbers, The Imperial senior EVP Louis Sailer told TOI.While the management did not talk about average room rates, the same across Delhi are also at all-time highs with the daily tariff at Imperial ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 33,000 (for different categories of rooms to Rs 77,000 to Rs 7.7 lakh for the suites, according to the hotel website.
“The previous best occupancy and tariffs was seen in 2008 just before the global economic meltdown. The patrons of our property are predominantly leisure international travellers and boards of leading MNCs of which NRIs comprise about 30%. Post Covid we saw international inbound resume from June 2023. In the last six months we have exceeded the pre-pandemic level of guest numbers and broken every single record of our room occupancy,” Sailer, a seasoned Austrian hotelier who has worked across several top hotels in India joined The Imperial in May 2022, said.
The pandemic saw domestic travellers sustain most nation’s travel industry, be it airlines or hotels. India was no exception and the Covid time saw the emergence of the desi tourist as the high paying one within the country also, as opposed to being among the biggest spenders when abroad.
Now all hotels are wooing the Indian tourist, including The Imperial also for which international inbound has been the mainstay so far. “Domestic travellers & patrons for our rooms and food & beverage areas are of utmost importance and priority for us. We are going to curate a lot of experiences for them. Our domestic guests are now much higher than pre-2020 levels,” Sailer, who is known for building bespoke customer satisfaction-oriented entities, said.
Sailer, whose business card says “while in India, one must visit the Taj Mahal and stay at The Imperial,” has managed and operated some of the finest hotels in Germany, Japan, Singapore, China, London, California, Hawaii, the Caribbean and India.
The Imperial has also seen changes since he took over. “All accommodations experiences have been refined and upgraded, restaurants and bars revamped with brand new outdoor terraces and menu offerings, spa has been upgraded with bespoke offerings whilst a brand-new gym, yoga sanctum, small boutique and executive lounge added. The passionate and dedicated staff members cannot be unnoticed, who love to work at this distinct address in the heart of the capital,” he said.
The other subtle change is the hotel reminiscent of the era of Maharajas and Maharanis, that was inaugurated on what was then Queensway (now Janpath) in 1936 by Lord Willingdon, “now blends rich heritage, exceptional service and modern-day comforts for today’s business and leisure travellers. The hotel has the largest private collection of Indo- European artworks in the world appx 5,500 pieces and has a dedicated team for their restoration and maintenance.”
“The Imperial is a true landmark and one of the Grand Dames of the East. I am delighted to especially return to India for this opportunity to spearhead this historic fabric and craft the hotel’s future legacy, to provide our guests from India and around the world with an indelible experience,” Sailer said.