Despite operating a group of safari properties in Africa, Rajakarier admits he is scared of animals, something he?s not previously admitted to his team.
They have built a huge wellness facility ... we would offer the range [of spa services] starting from pampering to true wellness ... there is also a marina, diving centre, a reef conservation centre.
In terms of guest experience, we would offer from spa to diving to everything. So again it differentiates our brand within the region and its going to be another trophy asset for us from a management perspective.”
There are also plans for the first Anantara in Africa — a major milestone for the group, which already has experience in the continent thanks to the acquisition of the Elewana Collection safari properties in Tanzania and Kenya.
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“MHG has entered into a strategic partnership with a Dubai-based company with the intention to rebrand a resort in Mozambique to Anantara later this year, with the potential for more properties in Africa going forward,” says Rajakarier, with Hotelier having to remain tight-lipped on the partner company until it is formally announced later this month.
But it’s not just the Anantara brand growing; there are six Avani hotels in the pipeline and two Elewana properties planned for Kenya, as well as plans to expand Oaks, currently at 43 properties, and the recently acquired Per Aquum, for which there is a hotel underway in Abu Dhabi.
With regard to Middle Eastern growth, Rajakarier says the group is establishing the GCC as one of its core regions. “We started with Abu Dhabi, then Dubai, we are going to Oman, and looking at KSA, Sharjah. We would like to establish ourselves in the UAE like we have in Asia,” he says.
He adds that one route to expansion could be complexed properties, combining brands and offering owners maximum benefit. Indeed, as an owner itself, MHG approaches its projects from this perspective, with deal maker Rajakarier adamant that this is a critical factor in the group’s success.
He says he gets involved with owners early, with himself or William Heinecke, CEO and chairman of MINT, donning the hat of the guest and walking their sites “quite a few times during the construction period”.
“From a brand perspective there is a lot of scope for Oaks as a serviced apartment brand,” asserts Rajakarier, “It’s a limited service brand so the profit margins are high and also from an ownership perspective, you can have a hotel, a serviced apartment, a five-star hotel, a four-star hotel, but the whole back engine will be driven by one team, which works very well, especially in this region where some of your overheads can be very high.
“We understand the owners because our interests are aligned. Owners want to maximise profit, they want to grow their asset value, they want to establish their asset within the marketplace as high-end, therefore, not only having profits every year but growing the asset year-on-year is important and that is one thing we do quite well.
We have to be the best in class and that’s one of our key strengths, we say wherever we go, we want to have the best Thai restaurant, the best spa, these are some of the values we bring to the hotels,” he says.
There is one issue, that challenges MHG’s growth plans, and perhaps is Rajakarier’s greatest concern for the industry generally. “If you ask me where I lose sleep, [it’s over] what we call the war on talent.
Today, because there are so many hotels opening, and so few people, everyone is fighting for talent. People make the brand special and “what gets measured gets managed” – I always state this. Today there is a war on talent, therefore we have to attract, develop and sustain talent for the future success of the company,” he says.
So, what’s his advice for aspiring hoteliers looking to join MHG on its journey? Having passion, commitment, ownership and the drive to “make the impossible possible” are attributes he says anyone looking to succeed in the business of hotels needs to have.
Where making deals is concerned, Rajakarier is blunt: “Always have a solution to any problem and have a clear vision of how to kill the enemy!”
As this CEO says, if winning is not an option, neither is losing.
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