Sterling Holiday Resorts is one the India largest holiday lifestyle company that is independently managed subsidiary of Thomas Cook India.  The group has been around since 1986 across 33 holiday destinations and have more than 2200 rooms.  Sterling started operations in India and brought in fresh approach to holidaying when they started off.  After over 30 years, they have thought of bringing in more changes to delight the traveller experience.  They want every traveller to have a different holiday experience (#HolidayDifferently).  Recently, Sterling Holidays hosted Bloggers Meet with couple of top executives of the organization sharing insight – Dr. Pasha Acharya (CMO) and Anand Ramachandran (COO).

Highlights

Holidaying across the globe has changed tremendously over the past few years.  Travelers are not just looking for great rooms and facilities, but want to have one-of-a-kind experience.  The team at Sterling has been researching the market for over 2 years and came up with few findings.

• Travelers in India are looking for more theme based holidays – Food, Culture, Wildlife, Nature, Adventure and others.
• Steady increase in holiday destinations and travellers in India.  Apart from families, people holiday as part of reunions and celebrating knowing people across social media platforms.
• Increase in the percentage of people traveling for short gateways by 35-50%.
• Travelers are looking for more Immersive holidays – Curated Experiences & Discoveries.

Some of the points mentioned above are redefining holiday landscape.  Sterling Holidays have taken up the challenge and brought about changes.

Approach

A large organization cannot bring in changes very easily.  It will require multiple people to agree and loads of research needs to be done to sustain the brand image.  Sterling Holidays has come out with the changes under various propositions.

Sterling Discoveries

Offer unique experiences at every resort that will ensure that traveller always holiday differently.  To make it more clear, they share unique offering at some of their resorts.

• Sun, Sand & Grill at Sterling Puri – Travelers can enjoy sweeping views of the coast while indulging in a magnificent barbeque spread prepared by chef.
• Star Gazing at Sterling Corbett – Cosy tents and endless skies which will make anyone feel one with the universe.
• Tea Trail at Sterling Darjeeling – Trails across tea estates, understanding what goes into a cup of aromatic tea and taste some of the finest tea from the region.  The resort also offers best of views of Kanchenjunga as its located at Darjeeling’s highest point.

Apart from the resorts mentioned above, they also shared unique offering at some of the relatively unknown holiday destinations.

• Kufri – Scintillating Summers and Snowy Winters.
• Dindi – Situated along the river ‘Godavari’, it resembles backwaters found in Kerala.

The Logo

When there is a major change being brought about by a Travel Company, it is necessary to also change the logo.  The change in case of Sterling was focussed on Youthfulness, Minimalistic, Contemporary & Dynamic.

The beads in the new logo, signify the burst in adrenaline that every individual experiences.  This usually lets us do something away from the ordinary/mundane.

The pinwheel symbolises People, Experiences and Places, which are the key brand pillar.

Colors used in the logo have been identified to align with the pillars of the brand.

• Royal Purple, the dominant colour stands of rich experiences and discoveries.
• Warm Red, embodies desire and passion, representing the people.
• Bright Yellow represents the energy of diverse places.

Swirls in the logo represent the dynamism.

It is simply amazing to know the thought-flows that goes behind coming up with a brilliant logo.   People reading this will start to appreciate and believe in the brand value proposition.

Sterling Mascot

A new ‘Discovery Mascot’ by named ‘Rajarex’ which will help people discovery different activities and experiences.  Though the Dinosaur is ferocious & carnivorous, they have made it look cute, naughty and inquisitive.  This looks so sweet that kids and adults will love it.

Unexpected Surprises

India is a diverse country with plenty of festivities and celebrations happenings throughout the year. There might be many more special days celebrated across the globe that we are not aware.

At Sterling Holiday, they have identified 100 days special days which will surprise the travellers.  These days would not be the festival days but would be something unique that Sterling offers its visitors. This will leave a lasting impression in the mind of people visiting and have cherished memories.

This shows that Sterling, as a resort is constantly thinking of way to keep the traveller happy.  I have not personally come across any resort taking this approach. These activities will significantly increase the repetition of holiday seekers to Sterling Holidays & Resorts.

Travel Insurance

This is one of the stand-out feature that will insurance travelers from the start of the journey until they reach back home.  I have not heard of any Holiday & Resort company providing this kind of feature.

Overall Experience

It was a great opportunity to hear CMO and COO of Sterling Holiday & Resort speak with so much of passion and enthusiasm.  Kudos to team of Sterling for identifying some great holiday destination and finding out the unique offering around the place. The idea of providing Travel Insurance is unique which makes traveller very secure.  I am looking to visit one of the Sterling Properties as my next holiday destination.

References

Sterling Holidays
http://www.sterlingholidays.com/

Sterling – Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Holiday_Resorts_(India)_Limited

Sterling Advantage
http://www.sterlingholidays.com/?utm_source=blogarticle&utm_medium=Thrillo&utm_campaign=BBM_12Jan