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Friday, 15 September, 2017, 17 : 41 PM [IST]
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‘The journey of Evolve Back will be the same mystical trip down the roads of history and culture’
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The House of Ramapuram, promoters of The Orange County Resorts, as
part of taking their eco-friendly and community based resorts concept
beyond the borders of Karnataka in India and also beyond India, has
taken a new brand name, Evolve Back. Notwithstanding the renaming, the
promoters assert that they will continue to uphold the time tested ethos
and philosophy embedded in the ‘spirit of the land’. Jose Ramapuram, Director-Marketing, Evolve Back Luxury Resorts in an interaction with
P Krishna Kumar elucidate the reasons behind the renaming, future
expansion, investment challenges in the eco-resort space, etc. |
Q What made you rebrand Orange County, a well-established
resort brand, as Evolve Back Luxury Resorts? What is
the significance of this rebranding in the future journey of the
company?
We, The House of Ramapuram, are planters by tradition, diversified
into the hospitality business in 1994 by setting up a small resort
in their 100-year-old, 300-acre ChikkanaHalli Estate in Coorg.
What came naturally to us was to share our way of life and warm
hospitality with our primarily urban guests. As we are prepared to
expand the locational footprint of our resorts to other parts of India,
Africa and Asia, we felt we need a universal name that was inspired
by our ‘Spirit of the land’ philosophy.
The Orange County name was chosen for our first resort at Coorg,
in memory of the captivating fragrance and flavour of this wonderful
fruit which was, not long ago, part of the spirit of Coorg.
Being crafted specifically for our resort in Coorg, it was not
conveying the ‘Spirit of the land’ character of our new resorts –
Kuruba Tribal Village themed resort at Kabini and the Vijayanagara
Palace themed resort at Hampi.
Moreover, we found that in the global tourism markets, the brand
name ‘Orange County’ had a very strong association with a county
in California, USA.
Today, as we prepare to expand the locational footprint further in
India, and to Africa and Asia, we realised the need to rename the
brand to reflect our ‘Spirit of the land’ spirit but with a universal
appeal. That’s how we arrived at a more appropriate name ‘Evolve
Back’.
Q The core of Orange County has been your commitment to
sustainable and responsible luxury. What significant changes
the rebranding would bring to that core or what additional aspect
you would stress upon in Evolve Back?
‘Evolve Back’ is the new brand name given to the same ‘Spirit of the
land’ experience which we strive to immerse all of our guests in. It
is inspired by the past when the air, land and all of nature was pure,
hospitality was from the heart, life was simple, nice and peaceful,
culture was of the land and food was from the goodness of nature.
Evolve Back is the signature style of delivering all these with the best
in comforts and luxuries.
In short, nothing has changed besides, just the name. The journey
with Evolve Back will be the same mystical trip down the roads
of history and culture. Despite the name change, the ownership,
management, and operations or the company are still under the
ownership of Orange County Resorts & Hotels Ltd.
Q Since the rebranding coincides with the launch of your new
property in Hampi, how would the brand ethos be reflecting
in that property? How your latest resort in Hampi is different from
the other two resorts?
Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace in Hampi is inspired by the grandeur
and magnificence of the 14th Century Vijayanagara Empire and
is located 4 kilometres
from the historic ruins
of Hampi. Kamalapura
Palace complements its
surrounding by adding to its
beauty and splendour, while
enthralling its guests with its
luxurious offerings.
The Evolve Back property
in all its resplendence is a
glorious tribute to the hey
days of the Vijayanagara
empire. The entire project
has been designed after
spending many months with
the locals and in studying
the history of the region.
Special care has been taken
to weave in the cultural
and traditional aspects of Hampi into the architecture, the theme,
the interiors and other aspects of Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace.
Visitors to the property will get to soak in a slice of history though
the myriad elements that make a play for one’s senses during their
stay.
Q You have recently announced your plans to go scouting for
properties outside Karnataka in India as well as to overseas
destinations in Asia and Africa. Could you share your future
investment plans and timelines for these developments?
Evolve Back is looking to expand over the next three years, during
which we expect to open four new properties across India and
abroad. The investment for the expansion is estimated to be around
INR 112 crore. This entire investment amount is planned to be raised
with a mix of internal accruals and debt.
We are looking to tap the new-found interest among people for
experiential travel, especially at untapped destinations. We usually
avoid overcrowded destinations, and scout for those un-spoilt
markets where we sense the potential to grow — not just for us, but
also for the destination.
We will be developing a resort at Kumta in North Karnataka
district over an area of 30 acres with an investment of INR 50 crore.
This resort is planned to be themed on a local fishing village. We
are also looking at a palace-themed resort at the medieval town of
Mandu in Madhya Pradesh.
This property is expected to
see an investment of INR 35
crore.
In the interim, a property
each in African and an Asian
country are being planned.
Q What are the
challenges investors
in eco-resorts face in India
considering it requires
comparatively large land
area at ecologically sensitive
and fragile locations?
The biggest challenge we
face is in acquiring land in
these locations. Land in
many parts of India is largely
fragmented and furthermore we will need to acquire the land from
multiple individuals. The next challenge is in getting the required
clearances for the project from multiple departments and signatories.
Environmental laws are typically very rigid and hence take a lot of
time and effort to comply with all the requirements.
In addition to this, because of the vast distances between locations,
basic services such as electricity and water are typically hard to come
by. In fact, most of the basic infrastructure that we take for granted,
is missing or inadequate and needs to be developed from scratch.
All this is not only extremely time consuming causing unnecessary
delays but also ends up escalating costs as a result.
krishna.kumar@saffronsynergies.in
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