Hospitality Trends: How Indian Hotels Are Leading the Change

In an exclusive interaction with Adlin Pertishya Jebaraj, correspondent of Homes India Magazine, Rayan Aranha, Vice President – Hospitality at Brigade Group, emphasizes that India's hospitality landscape is sustainably redefining luxury. He describes sustainability trends that include water restoration efforts, responsible local sourcing, artificial intelligence-based energy efficiency, and green-certified buildings.

Rayan Aranha exemplifies professionalism through his strategic leadership, operational excellence, and focus on innovation in hospitality. With over twenty years of experience, Rayan possesses a results-oriented mindset while applying a thorough understanding of brand standards and guest experience. 

How do you see the balance of luxury and eco-consciousness driving consumer demand in the current market?

I have observed a transformation in some of the properties where travellers would desire responsibility based indulgence. Regardless of it being curated local journeys or sustainable design, it is expected that comfort should go hand in hand with conscience. This is evident in some of the five-star hotels, where luxury is combined with such initiatives as plant-based cuisine, electric vehicle stations, and spice gardens, free of pesticides.

In what ways are Indian hotels working with suppliers, travel operators, and local communities to support sustainability goals?

Hotels in India are also engaging in collaboration with local suppliers and entrepreneurs in the local community. The hospitality industry is turning into an inclusive industry in terms of sourcing organic food, the use of biodegradable room facilities, and so forth.

As an example, the Lake Restoration Partnership at the front of Sheraton Grand Bangalore on Brigade Gateway will re-introduce water bodies, compensate the usage of hotel water, and enhance biodiversity. It is a project that is likely to replenish more than 10,000 KL of water-carrying capacity each year. This not only supports our water positivity agenda, but it also brings upliftment to communities around it.

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How do hotels address the unique challenge of retrofitting older properties to meet sustainability requirements?

The retrofitting of older hotels is a challenge, as well as an opportunity. Hotels can pursue it with incremental innovation such as intelligent HVAC systems, solar retrofits, water efficient fixtures, and waste separation units that fit well into old buildings.

How are digital solutions, IoT, and AI enabling smarter energy and water management in hotels?

Technology is allowing us to proact, and it is the core of our sustainability strategy. In the hotels, we have, or are implementing, paperless and plasticless methods by using cloud-based property management systems, mobile key entries, and digital menus. Such digital solutions do not only bring about efficiency in operations but also increase the experience of the guests.

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What is a "future-ready sustainable hotel" in India, in the next 5 years?

The future hotel in India will be climate-regardless, society incorporated, and digitally clever. It will be run on renewable power, provide zero-waste service, and will have environmentally-friendly materials used in its construction.

The roadmap to this vision has some milestones such as the in-house bottling of water to eradicate the use of single-use plastic, which is already in use in virtually all our hotels. As well sensor based fixtures, low flow toilets and HVAC optimization in terms of resource efficiency. We integrate the culture, such as the bird-themed interiors of our Ibis Styles Mysuru, which is an interpretation of the local heritage and biodiversity.

All of the new developments are being integrated with green building certifications and ESG-aligned operations. In all our future hotels, we will strive to incorporate sustainability in every stratum of design, operation, and experience of our guests.