INDIAN MEDIA CONTINGENT HOSTED AT SOFITEL

SOFITEL Broadbeach is the first to achieve accreditation from its owner Accor Hotel Group for a new service initiative.

Having attained Accor’s Chinese accreditation in November last year, the hotel now aims to better meet the expectations of Indian travellers too.

Leading Queensland’s push for Indian tourists, staff will receive customer service training on how to better understand Indian cultural and religious differences.

The program will also feature Indian dishes in the hotel menu, welcome kits in Hindi, supply suitable adaptor plugs in rooms, television channels and newspapers, as well as stock Indian snacks and drinks in mini bars.

The new standard will ensure specific needs of the country’s growing number of Indian visitors are met, particularly those seeking a luxury Queensland experience.

Hotel general manager Marcus Hanna says offering the highest standards to Indian guests is a plus for the entire industry.

“Over the next few years India is set to become our second-fastest growing market, with some predicting 500,000 visitors per year by the end of the decade, so this kind of proactive approach is of the utmost importance,” he says.

“Indian travellers currently represent a significant and growing future tourism trend in Australia, thus it’s imperative to offer the most enhanced experience possible for the repeat visitation grew by 39 per cent in 2011.

“The Gold Coast is already an increasingly popular destination for Indian travellers and given that the first Sofitel Mumbai opened in India this month, our brand awareness will only increase with that market over the coming year.”

In association with Tourism Queensland and Tourism Australia, Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach recently hosted an Indian media group welcoming premium titles including India Business magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, The Times and Telegraph India.

“International press and industry visits like this to showcase the region remain important, and will be even better supported by our new Indian accreditation and sensibilities to Indian travellers,” says Hanna.

Accor is the first hotel group to introduce the optimum service standards initiative for both Chinese and Indian guests to its network that hosts large numbers of guests from these countries.