Sterling Holiday Resorts Announces ELDP Program in partnership with Indian School of Hospitality

July 2024, Sterling Holiday Resorts, India's leading leisure hospitality brand announces its Emerging Leaders’ Development Program, powered by knowledge partners Indian School of Hospitality (ISH). 

Sterling Holidays, a pioneer in holiday segment across India, signed an MOU with the Indian School of Hospitality (ISH) – a premier institute for hospitality education in India. The strategic aim of this partnership is to elevate the skills and talents of the professionals at Sterling, by offering ISH’s globally recognized curriculums, innovative learning methods, and expert mentoring from industry leaders. Overall, the initiative is to help foster young talent and prepare future leaders to support Sterling’s growth plans in the country.

Sterling’s Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP), a 12-month initiative, will now feature a 4-month campus immersion program powered by ISH. This program will focus on key areas such as Customer-Focused Marketing Strategies, Personal and Organisational Leadership, Financial Business Acumen, Hotel Revenue Management and Distribution Strategy, Hotel Asset Management, Digital Age Marketing Strategies, and Leadership in the World of AI.

''The Emerging Leaders Development Program is a testament to ISH's commitment to empower the future leaders of the hospitality industry and drive positive change and excellence in the segment. The initiative will deliver comprehensive training and promote critical thinking, leadership skills and innovation to ensure that the participants excel in their roles as General Managers,'' said Mr Dilip Puri, Founder & Executive Chairman, Indian School of Hospitality.

“At Sterling we are dedicated to the culture of nurturing and growing internal talents. My own journey here is a testament to this, starting from Head of Revenue and Sales to Business Development and now as a CEO & MD.  With the benefits of a sought-after curriculum offered by the industry stalwarts at ISH, we aim to reinforce this philosophy with an expert touch” said Mr. Vikram Lalvani, CEO & MD, Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited.

ISH is a part of Sommet Education’s global network of 18 campuses across 8 countries, which includes the preeminent Les Roches, École Ducasse, and Glion brands. The institutions' students benefit from global articulation pathways, strong industry associations, and the strong alumni networks of Sommet.

Sterling Adds To Its Kerala Footprint With A Romantic Getaway In Vythiri

• 7th Resort in Kerala and 2nd in Wayanad as part of Sterling’s expansion plans

• Ideal destination for Couples, Family Vacationers, Reunions and Nature Enthusiasts

Sterling Holiday Resorts, India's leading leisure hospitality brand, announced the opening of its new resort in Vythiri, Wayanad. This is Sterling’s 2nd resort in the bustling tourist destination of Wayanad, adding to its existing resort at Sultan Bathery. With this, Sterling’s portfolio in God’s Own Country extends to seven.

Nestled amidst a lush 4.5-acre green landscape with 27 beautifully furnished suites and cottages, the main attraction of Sterling Vythiri Wayanad is the tranquil rivulet of the Kabini river flowing through the resort. An awe-inspiring 80 ft giant bamboo thicket and a restored Russian army truck provide unique selfie-spots in the property.

Within a 2-hour drive from Calicut International Airport, and 1 ¼ hour drive from Sterling Wayanad, the resort is ideal as a romantic getaway for couples, newlyweds or nature enthusiasts on a quiet escapade. A stay at Sterling Vythiri Wayanad can help one indulge in much needed ‘me-time’ with soul-pampering activities. Breathtaking sunrise and sunset views, immersive bird-watching trails or a gentle cycling trip around the resort will help one simply unwind.

Spring Valley – the multi-cuisine restaurant promises exotic Moplah / Malabari cuisine along with select Indian and global favourites. Chemmeen kudampuliyittathu, Malabari peralan and Veg mappas promise to offer food enthusiasts a gastronomic journey across Kerala’s rich cuisines all at one destination.

Other nearby attractions include the captivating Manjappara View Point, offering picturesque sights, boating in the scenic Pookode Lake, exploring the glass bridge of Thollayiram Kandi, and visiting the unique Seetha temple at Pulpally, the only one of its kind in India. For adventure-seekers, there are options like bamboo rafting at Kuruvadweep, thrilling trekking adventures on the Chembra Peak, and much more to explore.

Speaking on the launch of the resort, Mr. Vikram Lalvani, MD and CEO of Sterling Holiday said, “This is our 7th resort in Kerala and our portfolio includes: hill stations, lake side, jungle, pilgrimage and drive-to destinations. There is a surging tourism demand for Kerala that we would like to tap and we are planning to further expand our presence with more resorts across the state.”

On the occasion, Mr. Jose Mathew, Director EVM Group said, “We are sure that our Vythiri resort will form a nice circuit with the existing Sterling Wayanad resort making it an ideal 5-day holiday for our guests to enjoy the natural beauty and rich culture that Wayanad has to offer. We are delighted to join hands with Sterling to present a world-class hospitality experience to our esteemed guests.”

Sterling Vythiri Wayanad is currently open for bookings on – www.sterlingholidays.com

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New Opening | Sterling Holiday Resorts expands into 5 new destinations

The company will continue to expand using an asset-light model of taking up resorts on management contracts.

Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited announced expansion into five new destinations located in different regions in the country. This is in line with the brand’s aggressive strategy to double its room inventory to 5,000 by the year 2025. With the addition of these new resorts, Sterling’s inventory will move to 2,400 rooms in 38 destinations.

The hospitality company is opening resorts at Alleppey in Kerala; Gir in Gujarat; Kalimpong in West Bengal; Madurai and Tiruvannamalai in Tamilnadu. The resort in Alleppey has 58 rooms and suites spread across 14 acres. The unique resort in Gir is spread across 7 acres and is within a mango orchard. Sterling’s Kalimpong resort will be its second offering in West Bengal after Darjeeling.

“Our new locations along with our existing network is aimed at meeting the multiple holiday needs of the Indian customer – from leisure holidays in the hills, beaches, waterfronts and jungles to quick-breaks in drive-to destinations, to visiting heritage locations and pilgrimage destinations,” Ramesh Ramanathan, CMD, Sterling Holiday Resorts said.

In the recent past, Sterling Holiday Resorts reported their Q1 FY22 results with gross revenue of 4,159 lakhs, which is a 129 percent y-o-y growth over the same quarter last year. The revenue reported from resorts rose to INR 1,438 lakhs in Q1 FY22 from 632 lakhs in Q1 FY21, while the revenue reported from memberships rose to 2,721 lakhs in Q1 FY22 from 1,182 lakhs in Q1 FY21.

Sterling aims to continue its aggressive expansion plans and come up with more resorts across the country. It will continue to expand using an asset-light model of taking up resorts on Management Contract.
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NEWS | Sterling Holiday Resorts standalone revenue increase by 13%; aims for 10 new resorts by 2022

Sterling Holiday Resorts continues its positive trend, records positive PBT for Q4 FY 20-21 amidst the pandemic.

Sterling Holiday Resorts Ltd. has recorded a positive PBT (Profit Before Tax) for Q4 FY 20-21 amidst the pandemic with a standalone revenue of INR 97 crore in Q4 FY 20-21 compared to INR 61 crore in Q4 FY 19-20 with a 58 percent increase compared to Q4 FY 19-20.

Resort occupancy dropped marginally from 57 percent to 54 percent but room nights grew 6 percent and combined with an 8 percent increase in Average Room Rate (ARR), resulted in resort revenues increasing by 13 percent. Sterling Palm Bliss, Rishikesh, was added to the resort bouquet during the quarter. Membership volumes grew by 20 percent with the introduction of the 10-year Vantage membership in Q3 FY 20-21.

Sterling is looking at an aggressive expansion plan and aims to double its inventory from the current 2,400+ rooms to 5,000 rooms by 2025. In line with this, over the last one year, Sterling has opened resorts in Guruvayur, Thekkady and Rishikesh. Currently, the company has several locations on an active search like Mysore, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Varanasi and Coorg and also exploring options near Mumbai and along the coasts of Orissa. In the course of 2021 and 2022, Sterling aims to add around 10 resorts with 500+ keys.

“Our radically different approach to the business that was implemented after the pandemic struck has helped the company report a positive PBT growth in Q4 2021. We implemented new strategies on our membership business aimed at increasing productivity while keeping a control on the Fixed costs through a number of cost-saving initiatives,” Ramesh Ramanathan, CMD, Sterling Holiday Resorts commented.

The leisure holiday and vacation ownership brand has introduced Sterling Vantage – a membership that is targeted at the Millennials who are a large target segment for holidays. It is a 10-year membership and is lighter on the pocket with attractive payment options and has helped build membership acquisition in these times.

The company have also introduced a number of sub-brands within the resorts and these provide unique services for the guests while increasing the revenue-generating opportunities within the resort.

“Sterling ‘Subuthi’ Spas across most of our resorts, Sterling LOCAL – our locally themed resto-bars have been well received by our guests. Special offers for Drive-to holidays, Staycation offers, an Anytime Holiday card that enables guests to buy now and holiday anytime in the coming year as per their convenience – have helped us gain traction with our guests.

We have introduced Sterling CARES – our comprehensive hygiene and sanitation program in association with Apollo Clinics. This has strengthened the confidence of our guests and we have been receiving strong reviews from them. We are also actively working on a vaccination for our employees to ensure a safe environment for our guests,” Ramanathan added.

The hospitality company has seen a drastic change in booking trends in the last couple of months. In the latter part of 2020 and even up until January 2021, the tourism industry was just beginning to pick up with guests opting to take quick breaks at drive-to destinations within 5 to 10 hours driving distance from their place of residence.

Travel restrictions were partially lifted in many states except for Kerala and Maharashtra, and Sterling witnessed a critical mass traveling from nearby cities especially to destinations like Mussoorie, Manali, Nainital, Corbett, Mt. Abu, Jaipur Kodaikanal, Yelagiri and Ooty.

“The second wave of the pandemic has created a deep impact on the industry, with most resorts being shut down due to the lockdowns and restrictions. But we are beginning to receive some inquiries as people anticipate the end of the lockdowns. While inquiries are still very low for June and July, we are receiving bookings and wedding inquiries from August onwards,” Ramanathan informed.

As the vaccination drive intensifies and once a majority of the population gets vaccinated, Ramanathan is hopeful of the states lifting travel restrictions, and the confidence of the people going up. “We are hopeful for an encouraging revival of the industry in the second half of the Financial Year 2021-22,” he commented

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