Club Mahindra undergoes rebranding

Mumbai-based company, which is part of $16.2-bn Mahindra Group, will also add at least 1,000 rooms until end of next financial year

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts (MHRIL), the country's largest vacation ownership company, has unveiled a fresh brand identity for its flagship brand Club Mahindra.

The Mumbai-based company, which part of the $16.2 billion Mahindra Group, will also add at least 1,000 rooms until the end of the next financial year, senior executives of the company stated.

Club Mahindra's new brand identity, designed by UK-based creative director Daren Cook, features a symbol made up of four hearts coming together in shades of blue, yellow, orange and green.

Anand Mahindra, chairman, Mahindra Group, said, "When we launched Club Mahindra in 1996, the concept of vacation ownership was not only viewed with skepticism but was also relatively nascent in India. The fact that we are India's leading vacation ownership company with over 1,60,000 members is a clear validation of its success and this fresh new brand identity reflects its renewed focus on delivering the best vacations to its members across the country".

The time share company presently has around 2,500 rooms across 41 resorts in India and overseas. It refused to share investment details for future expansion but said that it spent on an average Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore per room during its recent expansion.

The debt-free company intends to fund the expansion program entirely through internal accruals. Last financial year MHRIL reported a n operating income of Rs 702 crore, which was a rise of 13% as compared to Rs 622 crore posted in 2011-12.

MHRIL follows a asset-heavy strategy as about 70% of its properties are owned by the company. It is expected that the company will continue to operate in the ownership pattern. New products targeting the family space will be unveiled by the end of the year.

Further, international expansion in also on the anvil. After signing deals in Dubai and Bangkok, the company is looking at Sri Lanka and Malaysia for setting up properties. the company is targeting locations which are favourably connected by low cost airlines and frequented by Indian nationals.

An average of 82-83% occupancy was seen last year as against 89-90% occupancy the year before. The dip was mainly on account of new properties being added to the inventory, officials said. The company is targeting membership to grow to 220,000 by end of next year. About 17,000 new members were added last year.