Hyatt sees weddings soar, goes musical with ‘Perfectly Yours’

Kadmbini Mittal, Regional Vice President – Commercial, India and Southwest Asia, tells Gokul Krishnamoorthy that wedding revenues saw a 200 pc rise in 2023 (over 2019). She explains how a brand campaign backed by delivering the promised experience on ground drove growth.

“We put ourselves in your shoes to put the ‘you’ in your wedding,” said hospitality major Hyatt in a marketing campaign themed ‘Perfectly Yours’ launched in late 2022. 'Perfectly Yours 2.0' launched recently takes the musical route to woo modern Indian couples who seek a personalised wedding experience. A trilogy of three films in music video format tells the story of a young man and woman who meet at someone else’s wedding, fall in love and plan their own. 

The campaign provides a wider canvas for the brand to showcase events in Indian weddings such as the mehendi, sangeet, wedding rituals and family reunions.  

Kadmbini Mittal, Regional Vice President – Commercial, India and Southwest Asia, Hyatt, notes that ‘Perfectly Yours’ was rooted in the insight that there are lots of things which the family has to go through and manage when it comes to a wedding. The intent was to reassure guests that they can leave the execution of the wedding to Hyatt. She also reveals that wedding revenues for the brand in 2023 saw 200 pc growth over 2019, and 50 pc over 2022.

“The emphasis was on putting ‘you’ in your wedding. It's all about you. Beyond the campaign, we also try to tailor make for each wedding. We even introduced the role of a celebration manager. S/he is a one point of contact for the wedding guest. S/he's like your trusted advisor on what can be done and what needs to be done, what are the special things we can do based on what you are looking at,” she adds.

While it’s a buoyant time for the hospitality industry, the weddings space is growing at 25 to 30 pc annually, estimates Mittal. For Hyatt, the wedding  revenue has grown at a faster clip, she affirms. 

“We saw a huge opportunity in this segment. And based on that, we focused on this segment. We sat down and understood the consumer behaviour, understood what was required, when we launched this campaign. And it's not just the campaign. The entire set of offerings at the hotel also changed with the campaign. And that has elicited good responses,” explains Mittal.

The current leg of the campaign is very different from where it started. There’s a rationale to the musical route, notes the spokesperson.

“Indian weddings cannot be complete without music. Music has a very important role. And while it's musical, we also thought through the whole journey. The first song is on how the couple meet at a friend's wedding, the second is about their engagement and what the hotel team is doing to ensure that they have a great experience. The final part is on the wedding. The films show how the hotel team in collaboration with the wedding guest is making it so memorable. It is also about the dream wedding, with the core of the campaign again on how the Hyatt teams put the ‘you’ in each phase,” she elaborates.
 
Destination Weddings Rising 

Destination weddings are a sizeable part of the wedding business for Hyatt today, says Mittal. While the brand’s key wedding hotels in tourist-favourite locations like Jaipur, Kochi and Goa continue to attract destination weddings, there is a change in trend with even properties in Delhi and Gurgaon being picked for such events. 

We all accept that the wedding business will never see a recession. Those who want to get married will get married. The size may reduce or whatever, but weddings will happen ---- Kadmbini Mittal

“Probably what has happened is that people have started getting the extended families together, booking 100 or 120 rooms. That makes it convenient because no one is running around to different locations as one would in a non-residential wedding,” she reasons.

She welcomes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to Indians to host weddings in India, adding that local hospitality professionals’ understanding of customs and nuances will help create better experiences. 

Among trends, it is increasingly the bride and groom who are involved in decisions related to the wedding today along with their families, observes Mittal.
 
“What we have also seen is, Gen Y and Gen Z have become very conscious now about the sustainability part. When we talk about weddings, there's a lot of big bang that happens. But  they are conscious about sustainability, which is great. They are also conscious about keeping it very experiential,” she notes.

Another rising trend is couples wanting their entire families – pets included – to be part of the wedding festivities.  

Mittal explains, “They feel their pets are also part of the family, which is rightfully so. A lot of them prefer to get their pets for the wedding. We have done something very unique; we host pet friendly weddings as well. Most of our properties are pet friendly, and we have taken it a step ahead and said that even in weddings, you can get your pets.”

Luxury Travel Grows 

A big shift that has been witnessed post Covid is a rise in luxury travel, according to the Hyatt official.  

“Before the pandemic, the maximum number of holidays one would take would be two. We have noticed that the number of holidays everyone is taking has increased to at least three or four. Another thing we have seen is that experiential travel has really picked up. They want to go for luxury experiences. They don't want to compromise,” she notes.

Mittal cedes that Hyatt may have been perceived as a largely business hospitality chain four or five years ago, but with the number of properties it has opened in resort destinations, that has changed.

Weddings are only helping with the balance. Within weddings, there are other shifts being witnessed as well. While there was a time when weddings would happen only on auspicious dates, and it still holds for 90 to 95 pc of people, now people are willing to make an exception based on convenience, notes the spokesperson.

“We all accept that the wedding business will never see a recession. Those who want to get married will get married. The size may reduce or whatever, but weddings will happen,” surmises Mittal.