FHRAI Magazine - Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations ...

[ GM Canvas ]For a city like Agra which isworld famous, it is a challengeto manage a property that offerswhat the city is known for, whilesimultaneously adding a unique twistto its offerings. Wyndham Grand Agrahas tried every bit to be different in thisrespect and has approached the taskaggressively. Dilawar S. Nindra, GeneralManager of the hotel developed andimplemented standards for both styleand quality and has put them to use inthe hotel’s operations.The property, which is spread over18 acres of land has been positionedinnovatively. According to him,Wyndham Grand Agra is a masterpieceof architecture built on the ‘MughalTheme’ with world class royal amenities.“The property has a massive spread witha splendid display of terraced lawns,colourful musical fountains and antiqueinteriors that will take the guests back tothe era of Mughal emperors and royalty.It is a hotel which will give culturalexperience along with a true sense ofhospitality. Our mission is to give ourguests a true value-for-money stay andmake ourselves a landmark in this city,”Nindra says.The property began its operationson November 19, 2010 under the name‘Orient Taj’ and later on October 1,2011 it tied-up with Wyndham GrandAgra to start its new journey. “Post oursoft opening the business started comingin from day one as the inventory in Agrais small. We started attracting touristswith its palatial look which the guestscrave for and wish to stay in,” he adds.The property is consistentlymaintaining the standards of a leisurecity while simultaneously positioningitself as a business hotel. He says,“Wyndham Grand Agra is primarily aleisure property and our approach willalways be to make our guests enjoy theirstay here.”The Heritage CityNindra says, “Agra is a very populartourist destination. It is home to the TajMahal, one of the Seven Wonders ofthe World. The architectural splendoursof the mausoleum, the fort and palacescontribute in making the city a leadingdestination for tourists. This helps thehotel to immediately connect to thetourists as well.”The city is growing and taking itsstature higher on the tourism map.“Agra is experiencing huge footfall asit is a favourite sightseeing destinationfor foreigners. The hospitality industryin this heritage city is transformingitself by working towards improvement.Rising competition and the fight toposition itself at the top in terms ofleading tourism numbers, is a new foundenergy. The leaders of this industry arediscovering new ideas and innovativetactics for successful hospitality productsand services that would take the dreamahead and also make every day for itsguests memorable,” observes Nindra.In order to reach the top, Agra hasbeen taking numerous steps to becomea sound tourism oriented city. He hastaken note of a few things which willtake the city in a completely differentdirection. He says, “Certain steps takenby the administration here will go a longway in making Agra even more beautiful.There have been improvements in theinfrastructure like the tourism police,which is one of the best ways to projectthat the job of securing tourists is takenvery seriously; has given confidence tothe tourists to explore Agra without anyinhibitions and pre-conceived notions.Further, cleanliness in and around TajMahal have been maintained well, whichis a very good area with whatever limitedresources are its disposal.”Lastly, he says, I would add that theTourism Guild of Agra as an activeassociation helps in boosting newdevelopments in tourism and hospitalityof this city.Visit FHRAI Website: www.fhrai.comFHRAI Magazine february 2012 39