Pandemic has created renewed interest towards hotels and resorts, 2021 has been a 'recovery year': Hotelier Souvagya Mohapatra

New Delhi [India], December 29 (ANI/GIPR): The year 2021 has been a recovery year for the hotel sector across the world. All through the year, the sector has shown resilience by navigating through uncertainty, adapting to an ever-changing environment, and persevering through the ups and downs on the rocky path to recovery.

Though the hospitality industry has faced a rather prolonged pandemic of over a year-and-a-half plus, it is all set to bounce back and expects a bright future ahead. Strangely enough, it has been the pandemic that has created a renewed interest for the people towards hotels and resorts. We have been delighted to witness this resurgent interest. I believe we will see that interest even further going forward, said Veteran hotelier Souvagya Mohapatra who has been appointed recently as the Managing Director for Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts which is an Indian Ocean hospitality group for India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan.

According to Mr Mohapatra, Business people are ready to shelve Zoom and have face-to-face business meetings again. Tourism continues to pick up with winter. A more complete recovery will require the comeback of the lodging industry's big profit centre of business travel.

Technology adoption was moving fast before the pandemic. As much as operational efficiencies, a host of new and added capabilities has been key to touchless transactions necessary for guest and staff safety and safety compliance. These solutions increasingly are table stakes for success in hospitality today and in the post-pandemic future.

The hospitality industry has a way to go before it completely emerges from the woods, but its position is far more promising than it was this time in 2020 and even in the early part of 2021. Its ongoing recovery will hinge on the ability to counter the known and unknown challenges along the way.

Souvagya Mohapatra has contributed to the industry through his involvement in reputed organisations and national associations. He has been an Executive Committee member of The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) from 2014 to 2021.

He is serving as the Chairman, Eastern Region Tourism Committee - Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), from 2019. He also served as Co-Chair of the Tourism Subcommittee - Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2018-19 and 2019-2020 for the development of Tourism in Eastern India. Both these positions were dedicated for the development of Tourism in Eastern India.

Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts is a dynamic and fast-growing Indian Ocean Hotels & Resorts group registered office in Singapore and corporate office in the Maldives.

Atmosphere's first property, Atmosphere Kanifushi, opened its doors in December 2013. The group opened its second property, OBLU by Atmosphere at Helengeli, in November 2015; followed by their flagship Lifestyle Luxury sub-brand, OZEN by Atmosphere, in July 2016; and then OBLU Select at Sangeli, which opened in July 2018. The newest addition to the portfolio, VARU by Atmosphere, opened in October 2019. Atmosphere Group is also adding two more properties in Maldives and two properties in Sri Lanka.

This story is provided by GIPR. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GIPR)