Motiongate Dubai - A New Theme Park On The Block

Theme parks are amusement parks that are planned loosely around a significant idea or theme. These parks are divided into various sections that use diverse elements to convey to visitors that they are in a specific place or time, or also to tell a unique story. Walt Disney and Disneyland are the first names that comes into the mind as the first theme parks in the world  in Florida and California. They are rated among the largest and most visited themed amusement parks in the world.  

A theme park is a place with attractions made up of rides. They have a combination of different types of rides, clubbed with retail, restaurants and other entertainment outlets. Several are themed to a specific area; there is water parks, parks modeled after toys, parks modeled after movies or types of movies, usually adventure or action. Theme parks target an interesting mix of audience that includes adults, teenagers and children.

Riding high on the popularity, it comes as no surprise that MOTIONGATE was launched in Dubai. Dubai is recognized as a world-class vacation destination and the latest attraction offering luxury resorts, amazing food, out of the world experience for adventure and relaxation, world class infrastructure and a shopping haven. Dubai offers something for everyone to enjoy.

Motiongate is one of the newest and most exciting theme parks in Dubai. The park is part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the Dh13.2 billion project at Jebel Ali. It is a Hollywood and Bollywood inspired theme park located in Dubai Parks and Resorts. It showcases themed areas and attractions best-in-branded entertainment from three of the largest and most successful motion picture studios in Hollywood – DreamWorks Animation, Columbia Pictures and Lionsgate and opened in December 16, 2016.

At Bollywood Park, the rides and attractions are inspired by popular Bollywood classics, including Don, Sholay and Lagaan. This is the world’s first amusement venue which is themed around Bollywood movies and fascinating Indian culture. The main attraction is the 850-seater Rajmahal theatre that exclusively hosts the region’s first Bollywood Broadway-style musical extravaganza. One can also experience live shows, where the visitors can enjoy stunt shows and performances depicting blockbusters like Dabangg.

A lot of research had gone into designing the Bollywood theme park wherein the consideration was not only for the Indian Patrons but also taking into account the popularity that the Bollywood stars have across the globe. They have picked the biggest stars of Bollywood like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. The fact that Bollywood is very much male centralized in reflection in the park as well, it has a scope of expansion and likely to have more attractions with more leading ladies’ themed attractions.

By:

Surya Teja

Student, INLEAD

Sustainability in Hotels

What is that impacts the business, what is it required to be done by a hotel to the front runner, what is it that others are doing right and you are not able to identify it and lastly how can a hotel achieve a balance between the invested amount and returns. These are questions that are constantly challenging and will continue to do so. There has been a growing awareness among hoteliers and investors to figure issues that is impacting the sustainability of hotels.

Sustainability is crucial for any entrepreneur. It has been observed that guest remain loyal to brands that offer incredible experience, while the other hotels whose services are considered mediocre loose out in creating an impressive impression thereby not having bankable guest whom they can rely on for business. So let’s in a small way look at strategies that can be induced by hotels to be sustainable.

Being Available

The managers of the hotel are crucial to the success of the hotel. They have to be out there, reaching out to guests, interacting with them, finding about their stay, issues or any short comings. What usually happens is that the General Managers are so busy with mails, meetings and fortified wooden doors. To know the guest better, they have to be accessible. Guest love this, they appreciate the fact that the manager has taken out time. Of course they don’t want them to be hovering around, it’s reassuring for them that you are accessible. This is also reflected in social media travel and blogging sites where they leave positive comments and testimonials.

Market it Right

Individual hotels and hotel groups should be extremely competitive in their marketing efforts. The website definitely has to be eye catching but at the same time should use engaging headlines and illustrations on the landing page. Hotels should identify the target clientele right, and use that create content. Hotels use a lot of data analytics to get repeat guests.

Digital Marketing

In a survey conducted by Global Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI), guest priorities differ by region, culture and country. Location so far has been regarded globally as the primary factor that determines hotel choice, price and past experience comes next. It’s a digital age; hoteliers will have to design innovative strategies for online visibility, content engagement, ROI tracking and user experience. Mobile search seems to be the strength of digital marketing. The hotels website has to be optimized for mobile search and should be compatible to all mobile devices.

Being Disabled – Friendly

Most of the hotels today are inclined towards catering to the needs of the differently abled. India and Indian hospitality industry still has a long way to go before being completely inclusive, but there is a significant change in this direction. Hotels today have ramps; signage’s and rooms to accommodate the differently abled. This segment is not fully explored and remains untapped by the hospitality industry.

“Sustainability is increasingly seen as a prominent factor in hospitality decision-making, but is not yet fully embedded in business thinking”

By:
Ms. Bindu Menon
Sr. Faculty, INLEAD 

No frills: are economy hotels taking the center stage today?

Travelling has become a global phenomenon and has contributed to the rise of economy/budget hotels globally. The growing popularity of budget accommodation brands have led to many of the luxury brands including the same in their brand portfolio. The budget brands offer value, ease and suppleness within the realms of affordability. It’s an understood fact that economic liberalization is gaining momentum and with that business travel has increased in leaps and bounds. While there’s a rise in the disposable income of the middle income groups, the interest within the same segment for travel has also contributed to the upsurge of economy sized hotel.

It's not only airlines which are cashing in on the 'no-frills' model but hotels as well. According to the Indian Association of Tour Operator's (IATO), in India, there are around 1,285 budget hotels with a 51,000 room keys. Owing to the growing response, hospitality players are now intensifying their operations in the budget category.

According to HVS International, a hotel consultancy, economy/ budget hotels have great prospective across the country. What works better or could be considered successful would if the hotel has a brand affiliation or a unique USP to survive. Queries for branded budget hotel in India are growing by 179% year on year as compared to just 36% year on year growth in standalone budget hotel queries.  Budget hotel queries already account for 35% of total accommodation searches and a large share of 47% of search queries are for the brands providing budget hotel inventory online.

So, does staying at budget/economy hotels mean that one has to compromise on quality; of course not the hotels cut out on certain services, but not at the cost of quality. Budget hotels scale down certain non-essential services to reduce cost. One of the reasons for this sudden demand is the demand for accommodation in tier I, II and III cities and also their low operational cost. No frills hotels are for those who look for clean rooms, comfortable surroundings and hygienic washrooms. They also offer the regulars such as laundry, Wi-Fi, multi cuisine restaurants etc. other facilities or services required will be provided at extra cost. They attract students, business traveler, corporate on a slab system and at times airlines. They are quite popular in the domestic market and also have a demand from inbound traffic too.

Budget hotels have a promising market, but needs to focus more on a quality and personalization driven approach. The hotels to a large extent are able to achieve this because they have lesser number of rooms which helps them offer personalized services. Getting guest feedback will also help in improvising on service standards. Branded hotels or chain segments in this category are able to also generate brand loyalty and repeat business.

- Ms. Bindu Menon, Sr. Faculty, INLEAD