"It is Possible to be Sustainable and Luxurious." - Sonu Shivdasani, Founder and CEO of Soneva
Wednesday 2nd of September 2020
"It is Possible to be Sustainable and Luxurious." - Sonu Shivdasani, Founder and CEO of Soneva
The global pandemic, COVID-19, has got the whole world falling apart, with the tourism industries taking some of the major blows. Maldives is a country that more or less depends on tourism as its major source of income and thus, this small nation has been shook the most by the pandemic.
An exclusive interview by Travel Weekly with Sonu Shivdasani, Founder and CEO of Soneva resorts, reveals how the Luxe resort chain is picking itself back together after being severed by the pandemic.
The CEO revealed that the occupancy rates were at around 30-35% which is significantly lower than usual, but is hoping for an amazing October, as Soneva Fushi has allegedly double on the books than what it had at the same time last year.
Although some redundancies and paycuts had to be made, thankfully, with some guests staying at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani for most of the year, further redundancies were not done.
As for marketing strategy, the CEO mentioned that the culture at Soneva is very dynamic and innovative and hence, the change to virtual was done quickly and efficiently. They particularly focused on personalized content for different stakeholder groups and retained their contracts with all the PR agencies and sales representatives, as they believe being in contact with guests and partners is crucial.
Shivdasani highlighted that although the resort was interested in buyouts, a lot of those interests were damaged by countries restricting travel even after the Maldives borders were open.
Shivdasani believes that luxury travel will be the first sector to bounce back and feels that they are in a good position since they offer guests a COVID-19 test on arrival and departure, so guests can have a reassured stay.
He also strongly believes that with hygiene being the baseline at all resorts now, wellness needs to be emphasized more with as always, sustainability being the key. He believes that it is possible to be sustainable and luxurious, and sustainability can be a profit center if done in the right way.