• Brand building: Taj opened in 1903 and remained a single hotel until 73; its leaders established the distinctive “Tajness” culture and service from the heart. Ginger was revamped 6, 7 years ago and is now the only brand in India with more than 100 hotels in operation; Chhatwal said brands are built in their early stages.
• Luxury evolution: Traditional features such as room size and amenities are now givens, while travelers increasingly seek experiences, food tourism and spiritual tourism. He estimated 100 million people in India have access to real luxury hospitality, another 400 million to upscale or upper-upscale offerings moving toward luxury, and 500, 700 million are aspiring.
• Food tourism: Chhatwal sees major potential and said the time has come to export Indian cuisines. Bombay Brasserie at Taj hotels is helping build awareness, while Qmin—launched as home delivery during COVID and now used for Ginger all-day dining—is driving change for Ginger.
• Inbound travel: He cited safety perceptions and last-mile connectivity as barriers, alongside a need to revive marketing such as the Incredible India campaign; infrastructure improvements and India hosting next year’s WTTC Global Summit could help. International arrivals have a 10-year CAGR of 3.9%, versus 11.6 for domestic travel, and almost 50% of the 22 million people arriving in India are Indian diaspora.