IHG Hotels inks pact with MSME forum
Jointly they have launched a portal namely SME Business Edge, a one stop virtual platform for small and mid-sized companies, to look into their hotel requirements during a commercial visit
image for illustrative purpose
New Delhi: British multinational hospitality group IHG Hotels and Resorts, India, has announced collaboration with MSME Business Forum India in a bid to promote travel amongst small and medium enterprises in India. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the two groups which allow SME enterprises to undertake travel throughout the country, and some parts of the world, and avail discounts and other hospitality offerings by IHG hotels.
On launching the joint collaboration, Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) told BizzBuzz, "This is first such collaboration in India of a major hotel brands with the SME groups. The idea is to give an opportunity to the recovering small and medium industries to undertake travel to different parts for commercial purpose. SME, historically, has been the backbone of the economy. And initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat have built the momentum for these businesses to grow."
MSME Business Forum, in a partnership with the hotel company, has launched a portal namely SME Business Edge, a one stop virtual platform for small and mid-sized companies, to look into their hotel requirements during a commercial visit. All the registered organisation on the portal will be able to avail hotel discounts, 15 percent for IHG hotels in India and 10 percent of IHG hotels outside the country.
The move is expected to increase the commercial travel within the SME sector, a segment which was largely impacted due to the pandemic and its consequences. Similarly, tourism and hospitality sector, too, took a major hit due to pandemic induced lockdowns and restrictions.
According to MSME Business Forum India, the collaboration is expected to benefit 15,000 MSME businesses in India which are a member of the association. The association entered into a talk of collaboration with IHG in August last year, 3 months after the government launched Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. IHG Hotels India will also be looking into possible entrance to Tier2 and Tier 3 cities with the expansion of its customer service. The company's Managing Director Jain told BizzBuzz that such a collaboration can further pave the way for other sectors such as health and agriculture segment to engage with them for a similar set-up. "SME Business Edge will have some amazing offerings, the specialised discounts and the upgradation and facilities you will get, is what I call an impact. When a SME Business Edge member travels abroad and they stay somewhere, this initiative will be contributing to them. So, members can avail discounts not just on the official trips, but also for their personal tours," said Ravi Nandan Sinha, Director of Development, MSME Business Forum India.
