Trance Group, headed by Vijay Veer Singh, who was formerly with IHCL in senior-most capacities, is the man behind this enterprise. Here, he is in conversation, sharing his start, the success so far, and future growth plans.
MD & CEO, Trance International Hotels and Resorts Pvt. Ltd.
Start of this venture, why and with what aim: As I retired after 40 years tenure with the Taj Group of Hotels as COO for Vivanta by Taj and Taj Premium Hotels in 2015, I was getting several offers as CEO in UAE and some in India. Both my sons vehemently opposed my continuing working in different organizations and insisted that we start something of our own. While on a family trip to South Africa we deliberated and decided to open our own Hotel Management Company and registered the brand “Trance International Hotels and Resorts Private Limited”. We wanted to provide professional services to upscale Hotels as we felt there is a niche of professional management in this segment.
The Story so far: Trance has taken small steps and we now have 7 properties under our management from Hyderabad to Goa and from Rajasthan to Orissa. We have been involved with some bespoke consultancy projects with Wellness Centre’s, such as Nimba and Pema, chain of hotels such as Pride Hotels and Clarks Shiraz, exclusive palaces, forts like Raj Mahal Palace, Jaipur and Fateh Collection, Udaipur. We have also been involved with wilderness projects in Kenya, Lonavala, Kaziranga, etc.
Trance has created a niche in the core competencies of managing bespoke resorts and wellness centres. Some of these projects have been awarded and recognized, like the Anahata Retreat which has been rated as the 8th Best Wellness Retreat.
The Philosophy: It is our endeavor to be selective while selecting projects with like-minded owners who have some understanding of the Hospitality Industry. We not only work towards revenue generation but specialize in cost management from the start of the project to later operating the unit.
Going Forward: We envisage a study growth in the coming years in our forthcoming opportunities in Masai Mara, Kenya; Lonavala; Chikmangalur; five key destinations of Heritage Hotels in Rajasthan. We have projects lined up in Bhutan, Sawantwadi- North Maharashtra, Telangana, among others.
Trance as of now specializes in providing high class management operations, as we have some of the best professionals with wide experiences in companies like The Taj, ITC, etc. These projects are ably headed by Suryaveer Singh, Executive Director with a background of École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and international experience in Hoteliering from Four Seasons, who is backed up with a young and energetic team.
A Professional team:
Suryaveer Singh – Operations – A graduate of École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, Suryaveer has worked in various capacities across geographies around the world for some of the best luxury hotel brands. After intensive training at acclaimed properties such as the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, Taj Exotica Maldives and the Beau Rivage Palace Lausanne. A firm believer in continuously evolving his skill-set, he received training from renowned Spanish cocktail makers and became well versed with cutting edge trends in the world of mixology as well.
Vishwaveer Singh – Business Development/Interiors – A graduate of Cardiff University, UK, Vishwaveer started his career as a banker with HSBC’s Premier Division before moving onto publishing when he joined You & I Magazine in Hyderabad as one of their founding editors. In 2009 he moved base to Mumbai and joined HELLO! India, a joint venture between BBC and BCCL under their magazine division WWM. During his seven years in Mumbai, Vishwaveer also authored a biography for Penguin Book’s Shobhaa De watermark, apart from freelancing for publications like Deccan Chronicle and People Magazine. Though not a trained hotelier, he worked briefly with Marriott, Thistle Hotels and Jurys Hotels during his time in the United Kingdom.
Rohinton Commissariat – Sales & Marketing: Has over thirty-five years of experience in Brand Strategy and Architecture, Brand Management, Marketing, Communications, Customer Experience, Product Management and Sales. He has worked in leadership roles and helped build admired brands like Taj Hotels, Travelocity, Ceat Tyres, Mahindra, Godrej Soaps and Mercedes India. Lately he was the Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Commerce India, which represents Sabre Hospitality, the world’s leading travel Technology Company, in India. At the Taj, as Director Marketing, Rohinton led the company’s Brand Architecture project which revamped the iconic, century old brand and created a new eco-system for brands like Vivanta by Taj and The Gateway Hotel. .
Hitesh Asija – General Manager, Coordination: A seasoned hospitality and business operations professional with over 18 years of experience in the industry. Known for his decisive leadership and customer-focused approach, he upholds the highest standards of professionalism in both internal and external environments
Pawan Rana – Executive Chef: Tenacious, result oriented professional, with 25 years of quality and rich experience with Taj Group of Hotels: Taj Bekal, Taj Gurgaon and Taj Dwarka, New Delhi. He is currently working with Trance Greenfields Resort & Convention Centre, Hyderabad. He received Gold Medal in the Chef Guild of Lanka Culinary Competition Art in 2007, Silver S.T.A.R.S in Taj Samudra, Sri Lanka and Bronze Medal in Chef Guild of Lanka Culinary Art Competition in 2005. He is a celebrity Chef on cookery demonstration on TV channels and social media.
Dilip Sathe – SPA Leader & Wellness Expert: With a stellar career spanning over four decades in the health and wellness industry, Dilip Sathe has established himself as a renowned Spa Leader and an expert in holistic health and wellness. His extensive experience working with IHCL, in various roles including Health Club Manager and Spa Leader, has led him to serve in prestigious positions in India, South Africa, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, London, and Dubai.
Philosophy of Growth – We do not plan to simply grow by selecting hotels which do not match with our philosophy. As mentioned earlier, we will be concentrating on resorts, wellness retreats and city hotels having 50-100 rooms. We shall keep on endeavouring to provide hotel consultancy for unique projects, both national and international. We would slowly plan to move from an operating company to owning company in the coming years. We intend to strengthen our Head Office which is in Hyderabad with a Centralized Reservations and Sales & Marketing Office.
