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Postcard Hotels Bets Boutique Luxury Can Scale Globally
Postcard Hotels is an Indian company that runs small, expensive luxury hotels.
It has hotels in unusual places such as mountains, tea estates, beaches and wildlife areas.
Its founder, Kapil Chopra, wants the company to become as famous worldwide as Aman or Six Senses.
Guests pay a lot to stay there, and many rooms are filled.
This suggests that people may already value the Postcard name, not just the locations.
However, experts say hotel owners may not earn much money unless more rooms are occupied.
They also warn that growing too quickly could make the hotels feel ordinary or less personal.
Chopra hopes Indian travellers will choose Postcard hotels when they visit countries such as Thailand or France.
The company must show that it can provide the same special experience in every destination.
Postcard Hotels operates 12 properties, with 30 more opened or under construction in its pipeline.
Founder Kapil Chopra aims to build an Indian luxury brand comparable to Aman or Six Senses.
The company reports average daily rates near Rs 49,000 and occupancy above 70 per cent.
Experts say Postcard’s premium pricing indicates brand value but warn that property-owner returns may remain limited.
Postcard’s main challenge will be preserving its distinctive service and intimate experience as it expands in India and overseas.
- Who
- Kapil Chopra and Postcard Hotels, with views from JLL and HVS Anarock experts.
- What
- Postcard Hotels is expanding its boutique luxury portfolio and seeking to become a global luxury brand from India.
- Where
- Its properties and pipeline span India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, with possible future expansion to places such as Bangkok, Phuket and Paris.
- When
- The company launched in late 2018; seven additional hotels are expected to open over the next seven months.
- Why
- Chopra wants to fill what he describes as a gap in Indian luxury hospitality and serve affluent Indian travellers domestically and abroad.
Growth and Brand Potential
Scale and Profitability Risks
Does premium pricing prove brand value?
Growth and Brand Potential
Postcard’s ability to charge 20 to 30 per cent more than comparable hotels across several properties suggests it has developed genuine brand equity, according to JLL’s Gaurav Sharma.
Scale and Profitability Risks
Some of the premium may result from the properties’ unusual locations and the limited availability of comparable hotels nearby.
Can boutique luxury expand successfully?
Growth and Brand Potential
Kapil Chopra argues that quality and scale can coexist, and believes India could support many more Postcard mountain resorts.
Scale and Profitability Risks
HVS Anarock’s Akash Datta warns that the systems and infrastructure supporting the brand promise must grow comprehensively or the guest experience could deteriorate.
Are the economics attractive?
Growth and Brand Potential
Postcard says its hotels can cover running costs at about 20 per cent occupancy, while high rates and occupancy produce strong RevPAR.
Scale and Profitability Risks
JLL says a small luxury hotel generally needs 30 to 40 per cent occupancy before the owner’s return becomes attractive; at 20 per cent, the owner may only cover costs.
Key facts
- Current properties
- Postcard Hotels operates 12 hotels.
- Development pipeline
- Seven hotels are due to open within seven months and 23 more are under construction, making 42 hotels including the existing portfolio and pipeline.
- Average daily rate
- The group reports an average daily rate of nearly Rs 49,000.
- Occupancy
- Postcard reports occupancy above 70 per cent.
- Estimated RevPAR
- At the reported occupancy and average rate, RevPAR is approximately Rs 35,000.
- Reported assets under management
- Kapil Chopra says the company has approximately $800 million in assets under management.
- Luxury market trend
- Luxury hotels represented about 12 per cent of newly signed room inventory in India last year, according to JLL.
Quotes
Kapil Chopra
Founder of Postcard Hotels and former president of The Oberoi Group
“As they look to build scale, the infrastructure that delivers that brand promise should be developed comprehensively as well.”
firstpost.com
“If there is a Postcard in Phuket or Bangkok or Paris, my customers will follow the Postcard.”
firstpost.com
Sources
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