The brainchild of London-based lawyer, Anup Shah, and also his maiden hospitality project, Resort Rio Goa has established itself as one of the leading MICE and wedding venues in north Goa in a short span of five years By Rituparna Chatterjee
The word ‘Rio’ meaning ‘river’ in Spanish or Portuguese has been aptly used to name Resort Rio Goa which nestles on the banks of the river Baga in Arpora. Best known for its Mughal architecture, this 10 acre five-star luxury deluxe spa resort, has been rated as one of the best five star hotels in Goa based on its hospitality, service, convenient location to major attractions namely Goa’s famous night markets and renowned beaches, among others. Since Resort Rio Goa’s inception in 2010, Jalsa one of the resort’s specialty restaurants and Zaara Spa, its luxury spa, have won the TripAdvisor award for excellence for three consecutive years. In these five years, this 154-room resort has also been able to establish itself as a successful MICE and wedding venue in north Goa for it boasts of one of the largest conference venues in the region with a conference hall of approximately 4700 sq ft, accommodating upto 450 persons in theatre style and upto 250 in banquet style. The conference hall can also be divided into three separate rooms to accommodate smaller events and conferences – 150 pax in theatre style in each of the three separate conference rooms, 30 pax in U style, 60 pax in classroom style and 150 pax in cluster. “Our focus is on the wedding and MICE segment which contributes 50 per cent to our hotel revenue at any given month,” proudly declares Anup Shah, managing director, Resort Rio Goa. Another major focus for the resort has been to extensively tap the domestic market from Mumbai, Gujarat and New Delhi apart from receiving a share of Goa’s international travellers from Europe, Russia, etc. “We have been receiving international tourists from Europe majorly along with few Russians as well. During March there were Iranian charters coming in. However, the domestic market is increasing with the middle class and millennials travelling frequently to Goa,” points out Tirthram Arondekar, chief financial officer, Resort Rio Goa.
Bold beginning
Resort Rio Goa is the first hospitality project for Shah. From being born in Kenya to studying law in London, Shah’s decision to open a resort in Goa was the outcome of his accidental landing in Goa while travelling to Mexico. Impressed by the destination, he went on to purchase a villa in the destination. “I have been a corporate lawyer in London all my life and had no experience in developing or constructing properties. The most difficult part initially was establishing the right team of architects, builders, interior designers, engineers and project managers. Another major issue was marketing and getting our resort occupied to stop the cash drain since by this time we had hired most of the staff and there were days when we did not have a single room occupancy. It was a challenge but we were determined to make an operational profit in our very first year which I am glad to say we did,” reminisces Shah adding that presently the resort has been witnessing 70 per cent occupancy in summers and 90 per cent during winters. The room inventory has also been increased from 84 to 154. The rooms are available across five different categories – Royal Suites, Luxury Deluxe, Cozy Rooms, Junior Suite and, three and four Bedroom Luxury Villas.
For it to generate profits and compete in the Goa hospitality market, the resort’s strategy has been to offer its five star amenities at an affordable price. “We are not a branded resort and hence we offer our facilities at 25 per cent less the price than established five star brands like Leela, Taj, etc. However, we have increased the price over the years. For instance, from Rs 4500 per night in 2010 we have gone up to Rs 11500 per night. Also our revenue turnover has increased from Rs seven crore in the first year to Rs 25 crore this year,” reveals Arondekar. Plans are also underway to expand the brand within Goa and take it to Maharashtra. Phase two of Resort Rio Goa, a 60 room Rio Royale will be opening in October this year and will be located in close proximity to the existing one. In 2016, a 25 room Rio Boutique will be opening four km away from Panaji. Two other properties have been planned in Mapusa, north Goa and Malvan, Sindhudurg. “We have purchased lands in Mapusa and Malvan, but the planning for the properties there will take time since we are presently busy with the development of Rio Royale and Rio Boutique,” mentions Arondekar adding that the Mapusa property will be a Rio Convention Centre with 250 rooms and a capacity of host 1000-1500 pax.
Food feast
Resort Rio Goa’s F&B outlets have been a major USP for the brand contributing more than 50 per cent towards the hotel’s revenue. The resort has five F&B outlets – Pickled Mango, an all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant; Mamma Mia, an Italian restaurant; Jalsa, a pure vegetarian restaurant; Rio Café Bar, a 24×7 lounge bar; and Aagor, poolside barbeque and grill. “Traditionally we were expecting F&B to contribute 40 per cent but we have managed to get more than 50 per cent because of the success of our banquets. We have also been standing strongly because of Jalsa, where we offer authentic Rajasthani and Gujarati cuisines,” says Sunil Mathai, director of F&B, Resort Rio Goa, adding that, “For F&B to be successful, you need to feel the pulse of the customer, customise according to their needs, give them value for money and out of the world hospitality.”
Innovation has also been driving its F&B success story, opines Chef Kapil Kumar, executive sous chef, Resort Rio Goa. He adds, “We have introduced molecular cuisine in Pickled Mango for our international guests. We will later be introducing it in Mamma Mia as well. At Rio Royale, we will be introducing a tasting menu, a soft launch of which would be held at Mamma Mia.”
Rejuvenating effect
The resort’s spa, Zaara The Luxury Spa, offers ayurvedic and western curative and rejuvenative treatments. The spa also offers a variety of treatments to meet its guests’ specific needs such as customised herbal remedies, therapeutic massages, relaxing oil treatments, among others. It also provides preventive and curative treatments for different chronic diseases and conditions including diabetes, arthritis, stress, migraine, high blood pressure, skin diseases, bone disorders, allergies, hair problems, obesity, high cholesterol, acne, dandruff, weight loss, etc. The spa comes equipped with eight treatment rooms including three couple rooms, one Thai room and four single rooms (two offering ayurvedic treatments and two western treatments). Additionally, it also has a wellness centre and a salon.
“We have two well qualified, experienced, in-house ayurvedic and wellness doctors and professionally trained staff. Our doctors have specialised in acupuncture, cupping treatment, etc. We also focus a lot on training and retraining our staff like training them in different SOPs like maintaining rooms, communication skills, and retraining them on the latesttreatments which are added on a yearly basis into our brochure,” mentions Suvidha Nanodkar, spa manager, Resort Rio Goa. The spa has been receiving almost an equal share of domestic and international clients along with the local populace who mainly come to avail the salon facilities. “Around five per cent locals come for our spa, among which mostly opt for the salon. The luxury aroma therapy is the most popular treatment since it involves medium pressure and full body massage,” she states adding that a summer camp is being organised for guests from April 10-May 10 to train them on several self-defense techniques like kung-fu, tai chi, etc.