A hotelier who thrives on customer loyalty.
In making purchase decisions, customers are influenced by three factors: (1) Marketing communications in various media such as television ads, print ads, and public relations; (2) Opinions of their friends and family; and (3) Their own personal knowledge about certain brands based on past experiences. In the age dominated by digital marketing, customers have become highly dependent on the opinions of others. In many cases, others’ words outweigh personal preference.
What is one of the strongest customer advocacy tools in this digital marketing age? Isn’t it Google Reviews? Don’t we immediately google an organization and check their reviews to form an opinion? When you string search ‘Kamalini Kutir’, you would notice an impressive 500 reviews with a rating of 4.5. We are talking about a cosy, serene, blissful resort in Velha taluka, owned and managed by its young and unassuming owner Saurabh Takalkar. Saurabh is a hotel management graduate with prior experience with marquee hospitality brands like Radisson, Deccan Rendezvous, Le Meridian, and Orchid Hotels. He took up management of a resort in Kolhapur for a year, and has also managed a resort called Ved Farms for five years.
Kamalini Kutir was setup in 2003 by Saurabh’s mother Mrs. Archana Takalkar with wholehearted support and guidance from her husband Mr. Viraj Takalkar. Mr. Viraj is a veteran entrepreneur with 35 years of experience in the engineering field. Having laid the business’ firm foundation, Mr. Viraj now acts as the lighthouse. Day-to-day management of the resort is done by Saurabh, ably supported by his wife Pranjali.
The name ‘Kamalini’ means a small lotus. The resort has been named after Saurabh’s grandparents’ names, Kamalakar and Nalini. They have a small lotus garden at Kamalini which adds to the beauty of the resort. Located on the banks of Kanandi river, with proximity to Torna and Rajgad forts, the resort offers a perfect getaway option.
They say a 5% increase in loyal customers can produce 95% increase in profits. Businesses obsess around sales and take existing customers for granted. Majority of customers visit your website or your brick-and-mortar location only once. All the marketing effort and money that is spent on driving traffic to your business results in most customers only giving you one shot. It can cost five times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one.
Kamalini Kutir thrives on loyal customers. Only 15-20% of their clients at any point are completely new. Everyone else is repeat clientele. This talks volumes about how well Saurabh and his family members have cultivated a healthy community of repeat customers. Customers keep coming back for their incredible hospitality, mouth-watering Maharashtrian cuisine, and of course the tastefully done and maintained resort with rich and varied facilities.
As a related diversification, Saurabh has ventured into catering services. He has also acquired a new land near Kamalini Kutir on which he plans to open another resort. Saurabh loves reading and is passionate about cars. He regularly undertakes road trips along with his better half.
The ecommerce boom has threatened most of the sectors; finance, retail, travel, publishing, and so on. However there is no ‘online’ vacation option. If you need to rejuvenate yourself, you need to be physically present along with your loved ones. This makes Saurabh’s sector unassailable from the digital tsunami and Saurabh will definitely leverage this natural protection.
Website : www.kamalinikutir.com
Email : saurabhtakalkar@gmail.com
Add comment