The global hotel brand Miiro is about to open a property in Paris. Interview with Neena Gupta CEO of Miiro hotel who shares with us the ambitions for the brand. Followed by a tour of the soon to open property with Mickael Meunier, General manager of the Grand Hôtel Cayré.
Could you introduce me to the group and how hospitality is being implemented into that larger group?
Neena Gupta, Miiro: I work for the company called Interglobe Enterprises, a family-owned company started in 1989. It's more than three decades old, very focused on travel, aviation, and transportation. Initially, we acted as agents for bringing international carriers into the country. Since then, we have become the largest travel and hospitality conglomerate in India. We are present at every touchpoint of the travel journey, from booking a ticket to boarding and disembarking the plane. We manage all IT interventions for travelers. We also have the largest plane order in aviation history with Airbus, owning 1300 planes. We've built our business from scratch, focusing on brand building without acquiring existing businesses.
For better understanding from the European perspective, where do you stand compared to IHCL?
Neena Gupta, Miiro: We're not as big as them now, but we are the largest capital of non-self-managed hotels in India. We have 30 hotels in a joint venture with Accor, managing brands like ibis, Novotel, and Pullman. We own 30 assets in collaboration with Accor and manage 59 more with them. We've built brands in aviation and travel services but have traditionally been managed by third parties in hospitality. In 2017, we decided to externalize our capital, focusing on geographical diversification. We began investing in hospitality, starting with high-yielding assets. Our first acquisition was the Sheraton at Schiphol Airport in 2018, a 407-room hotel. After a major refurbishment, it became one of the best Sheraton hotels globally.
Why did you decide to remain a Sheraton after the renovation?
Neena Gupta, Miiro: It's a large asset requiring a specific business model, primarily transient corporate business with short stays. It had a long-term contract until 2036, so we couldn't...
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