Hospitality business beginning to recover with foreign guests’ return

Dhaka : During the recent nationwide political unrest and student protests, many foreign guests left from Uttara's popular hospitality property Hansa, as they flew out of the country over safety concerns, bringing the hotel's occupancy down to 10 per cent only. However, as the country's situation has gotten back to normal, it has revived the return of foreign guests.

M A Kalam Talukdar, General Manager of Hansa, said this while talking to The Bangladesh Monitor at his office in the capital recently.

He mentioned, the hotel's occupancy has increased to 40 per cent now and will increase further in the coming days, once travel alerts issued by other countries are lifted.

Prior to the recent unrest, the hotel has always enjoyed over 80 per cent occupancy on average, claimed the General Manager.

Of the hotel's guest mix, 90 per cent are foreigners, working in several projects of Bangladesh, while 10 per cent are local business travellers from Chattogram and Sylhet, among other destinations outside Dhaka.

The hotel serves plenty of Chinese travellers as well as Japanese, mentioned Talukdar, adding, surprisingly, even amid the unrest, not all foreign guests left, helping the hotel prevent itself from facing a loss.

To attract more travellers during this temporary crisis period, Hansa is offering competitive packages with special rates, discounts, happy hours, perks and benefits across rooms, food and beverage, spa and other facilities or services.

One of the leading corporate hotels in Uttara, Hansa features 75 fully furnished rooms across five categories, two food and beverage outlets serving multicuisine delicacies, a rooftop swimming pool-one-of-a-kind in Uttara-featuring warm water and scenic panoramic city views, and a state-of-the-art spa, among others.

Of the rooms, the Business Class rooms and Suites are quite popular choices among guests, said Talukdar. The latter is very popular among long-staying guests, as it offers guests a washing machine, an induction stove, and all other cooking and living facilities.

One of the unique features of the rooms are the heavenly beds of Elements by Westin, informed Talukdar.

It may be mentioned here, the Business Class rooms and Suites usually cost USD 90 and USD  140 respectively. On top of it, the hotel is currently offering discounts, stressed the General Manager.

Furthermore, at the signature dining outlet, the hotel offers buffet breakfast every day and buffet dinner on weekends, served by an expert chef.

There are also private dining facilities for intimate gatherings while for bigger gatherings, the hotel features a banquet venue with a total capacity of 150, said Talukdar.

Offering five-star equivalent service, Hansa stands tall with 40 per cent share in Uttara's hospitality market, claimed the General Manager.

The hotel has been occupying the number one spot on Tripadvisor among all the hotels in Uttara for several consecutive years, he further added.

Furthermore, the hotel offers complimentary airport pick and drop, protocol and valet services.

Loyalty programme is also available for guests at the hotel, offering membership privileges as well as exciting perks and benefits.

As part of further plans, the hotel aims to expand its banquet venue and make the brand Hansa even bigger, concluded Talukdar.