Taj Decided To Categorise Group Hotels 2 Years Back: Panjabi

Camellia Panjabi, senior vice-president and director on the board of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), has stated that the decision to categorise the Taj group's various hotels on the basis of services offered by them was taken two years back.

All Taj group hotels are managed by IHCL.

In a rejoinder to a report which appeared in Monday's edition of the Business Standard, Panjabi has stated that "the whole process of branding communications strategy began two years ago and is coming to completion and fruition shortly".

The Business Standard report stated that in its first major decision since R K Krishna Kumar and S Ramakrishnan took over as managing director and deputy managing director of IHCL, respectively, the company

management had decided to group its hotels into different categories like luxury, leisure and economy.

The report further stated that the product differentiation exercise had already started and was expected to be complete by the beginning of the next financial year.

The group, it had added, was also planning a major advertisement campaign next year to enhance its image.

The Business Standard report was based on a briefing by a senior Tata official associated with the group's marketing activities.

In her statement, Panjabi has stated that "not only have the hotels been grouped, but renovations programme of Rs 850 crore was carried out to bring hotel properties on a par.

They were technically upgraded in terms of better telephone exchanges, better business centres, better health clubs and a new package of accommodations called the Taj Club floors in the luxury hotels".

Panjabi further states that even in the case of leisure hotels, a large number of rooms have been renovated at the key properties of the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, and the Fort Aguada and Taj Holiday Village, Goa.

"We had also decided to create a much better marketing communication programme and we requested our advertising agency Rediffusion last year to bring in the best international creative talent to undertake this for us. This talent has now arrived and begun the process."

Panjabi also states that in early 1997, IHCL requested Wally Ollins, which is working on the corporate identity programme for the Tatas, to review its branding and suggest improvements. "A considerable amount of work has been done till now," she added.