Bangalore also known as Bengaluru is rated as one of the fastest growing cities in India. The phenomenal growth of Bangalore is influenced by growing businesses, bustling trade and commerce, vibrant culture, good infrastructure, amazing weather and most importantly progressive & enterprising people.
Yes, people from all walks of life from students, teachers, doctors, professionals in various fields, engineers, scientists, architects, traders, artists, musicians, skilled workers, army and Airforce personnel, Civil services, entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals contribute to the rapid growth of this fabulous city.
This phenomenal growth has led to travel in and out of our city. Besides great connectivity of roads and trains, Kempe Gowda International airport is the pride of Bangalore with its 2 fabulous terminals and fantastic road connectivity to the heart of the city. Besides this Bangalore has a fantastic Metro network that connect the most important zones of the City. The 2 metro lines have a connectivity of 74 kms. Its interesting to note that many businesses, malls and luxury hotels have sprung up near the Metro stations
Where do travellers stay when they come to Bangalore ?
Interestingly, the hospitality industry has evolved so much that there is an amazing choice as to where and what type of accommodation that you might want to choose to live in. The choice may vary from a budget hotel in Bangalore to a premium Hotel in the suburbs, from a Homestay to a serviced apartment in Bangalore.
There is a growing demand for good quality education for all levels and Bangalore meets the needs from kindergarten, high school and College’s. Bangalore is also the centre for higher levels of education for graduate studies in all fields. Besides these including research and development in the fields of Science and Technology.
Many people from different parts of the country come to Bangalore for Education for a few months to a few years and require accommodation from mid-term to long-term. Aspiring graduates and students often need a place to stay outside the University campus as not all education universities and institutes have accommodation facilities for their students. Besides Hostels and Co-living spaces, many students prefer to stay in city accommodations, local homestays or apartments by sharing rooms and enjoying common facilities. This also gives them flexibility of having access to a kitchen which may be private or shared. Most apartments usually let out as empty spaces with basic Kitchen and wardrobe facilities besides attached / shared bathrooms. In such a scenario it’s up to the students to pool in resources and furnish the apartment usually by hiring furniture for the duration of their stay.
Student accommodations for peaceful study
Students pursuing advanced studies with a higher budget usually prefer studio apartments, serviced Studios or premium serviced apartments that take care of managing the apartment including housekeeping and provide breakfast and dinner depending on the arrangement.
The student enjoys many advantages in this kind of a setup including visits by relatives or parents and stay that the management usually allows. These serviced studios also have kitchenette facilities with all the cooking equipment that allows for basic cooking. Laundry facilities & washing machines are also provided. In a scenario like this the student does not have to invest on anything as its all taken care of by the management and included in the monthly or daily rental.
Students on a smaller budget prefer to stay in budget hotels or other kinds of economical accommodation that provides for multiple beds in a room with or without an attached bathroom. A locker space or a private cupboard with a writing desk is usually provided. This concept has evolved into co-Living spaces and many of them have sprung up in various parts of Bangalore including a very popular central area called Indiranagar. Indiranagar has the best pubs Café’s and restaurants besides premium stays and luxury accommodation’s
Health Tourism is one of the strong points of Bangalore city.
Health & wellness are one of the important reasons why people come to Bangalore. From Speciality & allopathic based hospitals, Ayurvedic clinics, naturopathy and fitness to IVF treatment centre’s are mushrooming in every part of the city. World class hospitals & Diagnostic centres are also integral to the push in health tourism. Again patients and their relatives who come to Bangalore for short and long term treatment prefer to stay in premium serviced apartments with good facilities.
Define the number of days, the number of people travelling and the budget that you have along with location and you can easily figure out the kind of rooms and the quality of stay whether it is a serviced apartment or a homestay or premium stays, Bangalore has it all !!
Considering this Corporate Guests and visiting professionals find this very convenient and have a range of facilities to choose from. There are also many such Suite rooms and Service apartments in Indiranagar Bangalore which have a unique set of facilities for short and very long stays catering to corporate guests, visiting professionals, couples / families in transition from other cities. A combination of comfort rooms, studio apartments with kitchenettes, One bedroom apartments with Kitchen and 2 Bedroom apartment fully fitted out and equipped , with housekeeping services, F & B and other facilities giving the guest’s immense choice for their stay in Bangalore.
Recently a friend of mine wanted her elderly parents to stay in Indiranagar, Bangalore as they were going to meet their good old friends who reside in Indiranagar and did not want them to commute long distance.
After some thought, I opened a few of my OTA apps and searched in other categories besides hotels and did come up with lots of interesting results !
Searching for accommodation that ranges from long stay to short stay I used various search engines that incorporated studio apartments for rental and studio rooms near me.
Satisfied with the results that search engines and hospitality OTA’s came up with,
I made it a point to call up a few shortlisted hospitality establishments including service apartments to figure out certain details specific to their needs and stay including distance from the nearest metro station and most importantly if the facility has wheelchair access for the physically challenged. This is almost a critical criterion when dealing with Guests who are senior citizens. Access to the nearby hospital must also be swift in case of any emergency.
Another important criteria for the guest is the location of the facility and the parking facility it offers to its guests. Many guests want to stay in the CBD or near the CBD in areas like Richmond town, Indiranagar or Koramangala so the access is central to their workplace.
Others may want to stay in a quite residential place with lots of trees and parks and Defence Colony and Indiranagar fit the bill.
Facilities of a hotel, flexibility of serviced apartment suites and warmth of a homestay
This is a unique concept that a few hospitality establishments are adopting. The unique thing about this idea is to personalise the stay of the Guest and customise their experience especially for a Guest who is staying for a longer time say 15 days to a month.
There are serviced apartments and hotels that claim to offer a boutique experience to the guest, however most of them are cosmetic in nature. In a high-quality homestay or hotel or serviced suite, the Guest needs to experience genuine warmth irrespective his or her status. This is only possible once the staff interacting with the guest, understands the temperament and needs of the Guest.
In a good hospitality environment, its often important to go beyond standard protocol – the approach is not just to impress with a smile but to serve with a grace and sincerity.
This is a skill that’s not just natural but needs to be acquired by training and motivation. Well known establishments in hospitality do spend a lot of time and resources in training their staff and personnel in cultivating these soft but essential skills besides their normal duties.
To conclude this, these are exciting times for travellers & Guests in terms of the Guests receiving the best of the facilities within his or her budget due to aggressive competition among hotels and serviced apartments. On a similar note exciting times for hospitality establishments experiencing higher occupancy rates than ever to stay focussed, dedicated to Guest services, innovative and competitive without losing their warmth and human touch.