Goa: Your haute cuisine meal is on the way

TNN | Jul 5, 2020, 08.19 AM IST

PANAJI: Goa may finally have rolled out the red carpet for tourists, but with everyone hesitant to venture out, five-star resorts in the state are experimenting with new ideas and revenue streams. From encouraging drive-cations to delivering gourmet food to people’s doorsteps, hotels are doing their best to adapt to the post-Covid travel sector.

After a three-month lockdown brought on by the pandemic disrupted the state’s tourism sector, nearly all leading names in Goa’s hospitality sector have jumped onto the online food delivery bandwagon. Aside from starting their own home delivery service, five-star resorts have also tied up with app-based services.

DoubleTree by Hilton has partnered with an app-based delivery service to deliver food around the state capital. “Our restaurant Comida is available on the app,” a hotel official said. “The menu has been tweaked for the changing times, as we also had to drop a few items that are unavailable in the current situation.”

Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), which operates Taj Hotels, has also started home delivery from their à la carte menu while also offering catering services for birthday parties and anniversaries. “We have extended our signature hospitality to guests by introducing takeaways and home delivery,” said area director for IHCL and general manager, Taj hotel and convention centre, Vincent Ramos.

According to Goa Tourism, 169 hotels have been allowed to host guests while also following all protocols. The SOP for hotels was released on July 3, a day after the state government officially allowed resorts to open up. “It will take some time to show an impact on arrivals,” said Goa Airport director Gagan Malik.

The SOP for hotels was released on July 3, a day after the state government officially allowed resorts to open up. “It will take some time to show an impact on arrivals,” said Goa Airport director Gagan Malik. “The improvement in arrivals should reflect in a week’s time, but it is definitely going to have a positive impact.”

Meanwhile, understanding the apprehensions surrounding air travel, IHCL is encouraging guests to drive down to Goa under the drive-cation campaign. The group has several properties in Goa and is encouraging guests to drive to any of its resorts or homestays. “Many of our clients will be happier to drive down to the hotels because people are skeptical about taking flights. Our reservation teams are reaching out to guests who had shown interest.”

Given the present uncertainty, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa has delayed its opening till July 16. The beach-front resort also plans to piggyback on app-based delivery services to serve customers.

Officially, most resorts limit home delivery services to a 5-8 km radius around the resort and require a minimum order size, but sometimes, even this has been left to the discretion of the manager.

“We have a menu called doit-yourself. Guests can go through the order and make their own meal,” said F&B manager at Taj Vivanta Panaji, Soujesh Mon PC. “Most customers are those who used to come here regularly. This initiative has got a good response from the Goa market.”