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Raviz Group continues to expand networks

The Raviz Group, an ancillary of the RP Group of Companies, continues to widely expand its footprint in the hospitality industry with its portfolio of resorts and hotels in the UAE and India.

Led by chairman Dr Ravi Pillai, who is listed by Forbes as one of India’s richest, the group showcased its products at the Arabian Travel Market in a bid to meet others in the industry, promote its image and expand networks.

Manoj Padhi, general manager of the hospitality division at Hotel Versailles and Raviz Center Point Hotel in Dubai, said: “We’re promoting two facets at the ATM this year — our destination management company known as Discovery Travel and Tourism, and our hotels in India — the WelcomHotel Raviz in Kollam, WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu, The Leela Kovalam, as well as our two hotels Dubai — Hotel Versailles in Al Rigga and Raviz Center Point Hotel in Bur Dubai, which is set to open its doors shortly.”

The group is also involved in a wide spectrum of interests ranging from construction, trading and turnkey project management to healthcare, education as well as mining in Australia. “Our chairman is a man who has worked his way up from scratch, and he has slowly but surely grown.”

The Raviz brand symbolises luxury with high-quality guest services backed-up with the latest in in-room technology. One of its latest additions in Dubai is the upper market four-star Raviz Center Point Hotel. “If you look in terms of decor, design and cuisine, we aim to match up to five-star hotels but we’ve kept it at a price level that is more realistic. Dubai is growing to be very expensive, and our target is to establish a place where the pricing is much more reasonable yet gives better quality services,” said Padhi.

Raviz resorts maintain international standards and enjoy an occupancy rate of about 80 to 90 per cent around the year, notably in Dubai. It aims to stay ahead of competition and is constantly involved in enhancing its services.

Executive chef Robin G. Gomes has been involved in raising the standards of culinary creations with his 35 years of experience in the UAE. Now the vice-president of the Junior Development at the Emirates Culinary Guild, he aims to reel in new concepts to the food and beverage wing of Raviz hospitality.

Its sister associate Discovery Travel and Tourism holds a strong forte in destination management offering packages across India, Sri Lanka and South-east Asia, said general manager Ramesh Patnaik. “Our strongest market is in India, where we deal with close to 300-plus agents, with 40 on a day-to-day basis. We’re now looking at new destinations such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea and the Philippines. We’re coming up with new projects, and we’re hoping to follow footsteps of Dubai World Expo 2020. The world may go ‘topsy-turvy’, but tourism will never die. It’s a growing industry, and Dubai has got a lot of potential. Expo 2020 has given everyone a target to meet, and we aim to achieve accordingly.”

Asish S. Nair, vice-president of the RP Group of Companies, said: “All our hotels have a tagline ‘Raviz’. Raviz is the epitome or the personification of the hospitality side of Dr Ravi Pillai. Every hotel has got a touch of ‘Raviz’ in it.”

He added that the RP Group of Companies, while looking at Expo 2020 as a promising wave, plans to open a 280-room Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dubai Marina in 2016.

— farhana@khaleejtimes.com