Abstract:  Covid – 19 has been an unprecedented black swan event in the last century witnessed by mankind. It has impacted the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the globe and impacting the global economy across all sectors and more importantly making the travel and tourism sector more vulnerable. India story is no different and India’s travel and tourism sector was the most affected sector. Organizations across the Hospitality sector demonstrated resilience and responded with their mitigating strategies to survive the crisis and remain sustainable.

The case in discussion is about the new market entry strategy by India Hotels Company Limited (IHCL)into Home Stay Segment and how the new branded offering remained relevant during pandemic and in the post pandemic world has continued to be relevant and become even more significant with the change in travel psychology and needs.

The case addresses the nuances of the newer emerging needs and priorities of travelers and how IHCL - South Asia’s largest hospitality focused enterprise diversified it’s brand-scape into homestay segment and amã Stays & Trails becoming the 1st branded Home Stay offering in India by any hospitality chain. The case deliberates on the business model as well as the business results emphasizing on the impact of stakeholder management.

Learning Objectives

By participating in this case discussions, the participant will be able to understand the following topics

Business Strategy – Growth Strategies, Portfolio Diversification, Asset Utilization, Scale, Simplify, Synergize, Entry Strategy, Competition Intelligence, Organic and Inorganic growth.

Emergent Strategy

Strategy Tools – PESTLE Analysis, Porter’s 5 Forces Model, SWOT Analysis - – Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats along with Strategic Advantages Strategic Challenges and Strategic Objectives

Risk Mitigating Strategy – Covid – 19 and the challenges posed to the Travel and Tourism sector, Emerging Trends, Impact of Consumer Choices

Stakeholder Management – Entrepreneurship Management, Startup Ecosystem, Traveler Management

Operations Management – Trusted Brand, Safety & Hygiene, Hub & Spoke Operating Model