Q & A With Faiz Rashid, Director, Jehan Numa Group of Hotels

He dwells upon the family's entry into the hospitality business and the uniqueness of its flagship property.

As part of the erstwhile royal family of Bhopal, to what point can the family history be traced?

Dost Mohammad Khan (1660–1726), a Pashtun soldier in the Mughal army, travelled from Afghanistan to Bhopal in the 17th century. However, for us, Bhopal's identity is linked to the begums who ruled for over 100 years and made Bhopal unique in comparison to other princely states in the country.

 How did your family get into hospitality?

It started when my father and uncle wanted to showcase their family legacy to the world and  thus converted Jehan Numa Palace into a heritage hotel. We (as a family) were into breeding horses and were looking at an alternative business. We had these properties that we wanted to restore. It was very tough to be able to maintain these properties without a fixed income coming into them, especially as they were falling apart. The best way to do that was hospitality. We started with about 16 rooms and gradually have expanded over the years to 100 rooms.

What were the challenges in converting Jehan Numa Palace to a hotel?

It was in a very bad way since it had been rented out to different organisations before it became a hotel. The building existed, but we just rented it out since no one (from the family) was living in it. The family was living in the house next door. We got an architect to restore the main section first. Over the years we have renovated the palace and changed things around. That's how it all began. All the office rooms were converted into rooms. The mango tree area used to be an open garden restaurant.

The initial design, by an English architect, was inspired by houses he had seen in England. The style is similar to that of The Imperial Hotel in Delhi. Some of the extensions came later, and we maintained the architectural style of the original.

An offering fairly unique to the palace is the horses that guests can ride. How does this distinguish Jehan Numa?

In the family, the love for horses (runs deep), so we have incorporated them into our hospitality offerings. The family has a legacy of breeding horses at the Bhopal Stud, which was established in 1939 by Rashid uz-Zafar Khan, and mainly catered to racecourses in Mumbai and Pune. Incidentally, while the horses—four currently at the Palace—are in Bhopal for the summer, they are usually stationed at Reni Pani, where guests can take them on rides in the forest.
 

Why did the group decide to venture into wildlife tourism?

The family has always enjoyed the great outdoors, particularly around Bhopal. We got into wildlife lodges with Reni Pani at Satpura. It was not a very popular sanctuary, but we wanted to showcase experiences within the park. Reni Pani and Satpura worked really well with our model because it's the only park that allows us to conduct different activities and experiences.

Despite its remarkable legacy and scenic geography, Bhopal is not seen as a leisure destination. How can that change?

I feel this beautiful city should be a leisure destination. Whoever travels to the city falls in love with it. People don't understand Bhopal. They don't know where it is. It is a problem when you try to market it. But word of mouth from guests and travellers to the city attracts more travellers. Madhya Pradesh Tourism has also not really marketed Bhopal. They have got a lot of funds and budgets. They have to decide who they are going to cater to, and then focus continuously for four or five years on that segment to get the returns.

How do you view increasing competition from other hospitality players?

We are happy to see other hotels come up because they will help us market the city. You need more hands to get the leisure market going. The other crucial part of leisure travel is events, including weddings. So unless there is enough room inventory, events and weddings won’t be hosted here. To stand out in a crowded space, we are trying to carve a niche for ourselves with high-end leisure travellers, by focusing on experiences, unlike other hotels opening up with massive banquet halls. We are focusing on guests enjoying and appreciating Bhopal's legacy.

Q & A with Aly Rashid, Director and Field Naturalist, Jehan Numa Wilderness

He tells us how Reni Pani Jungle Lodge brings alive the magic of Satpura National Park.

Indian hospitality is on an unprecedented expansion spree, and heritage properties are on the radar of all the major players in the sector. Have you been approached?

Yes, a lot of chains have approached us. However, we do not want to go down that route. Our guests appreciate us for the personal touches we incorporate in the experience. We want to maintain the mood and the legacy.

What makes Satpura National Park stand out from the other parks in the region?

Satpura is one of the largest parks in central India. And because it's so large, there are mountains, there are forests, and there are rivers. It boasts a very diverse landscape and that brings about diversity of wildlife. I have explored the park since childhood. It is quite rewarding to see a park that didn't boast of much wildlife initially and was home to a lot of villages within the sanctuary, has now caught up and is regarded as a premium park.

Reni Pani was the group’s first foray into wildlife tourism. How did that happen? How is the experience different here?

When we started the Reni Pani Jungle Lodge in 2009, it was focused on experiencing the diversity of the forest, with river safaris, walking trails and birding. Satpura has a very diverse landscape and that brings about a diversity of wildlife. Because it's large, tourism is also spread out. When they started tourism here 15 years ago, we were one of the pioneering lodges. At that time, the forest department wanted a unique model because other parks such as Kanha and Bandhavgarh were known for tiger sightings, unlike here. So, how do we sell or invite tourists without too many tiger sightings? That's why they offered other activities such as boating, canoeing, and walking for a different visitor experience. People know that if you want to see a tiger, there are several parks. But if you want to walk in the core area, Satpura is the only one in central India. However, increasing tiger numbers have meant that walking in the core zone is no longer permitted.

Compared to Madhya Pradesh’s best-known national parks—Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh and Panna, Satpura flies relatively under the radar. Was that a challenge or an advantage?

Tourism is spread out; there's no mad rush. You get to see great sightings, which now include tigers, leopards, wild dogs, and sloth bears. Apart from the jeep safari, you can do the boat safari, the canoe safari, the walking safari (yes, you can walk in parts of the buffer zone now, a total no-no in most national parks in India) and the night safari. During the last census tabulated, the park had 65 tigers. I think two years down the line we will have close to 80 to 85 because the numbers have grown in two years; tiger sightings have picked up.

What are some of the challenges for wildlife tourism in the area?

Right now, we have bottlenecks here as 20% of the park is open to tourism. We think that an actually bigger area should be open with lesser footfall. Right now, in most parks, you experience a lot of jeeps in a certain area and resultant bottlenecking. People from the villages at the entry gates are employed and benefit. However, 80% of villages all around the park do not benefit from tourism or employment. Forty villages have been moved out of Satpura in the last 20 years. None of the relocated villages have settled near the tourism gates. We want people from relocated villages to be employed in the lodges. It would be a better model, and more sustainable too. The excitement also lies in exploring a new destination. When we set this up, no one knew about Satpura. Our newest resort, Bori, was in an almost unknown place. As a first mover, we have a successful business model. I think other operators and we too should look at newer parks rather than going to the saturated parks. Staffing is not as much of a challenge as we employ locally and are lucky to have Jehan Numa Palace, from where senior staff come to train. But things like electricity are still a huge issue. We are running a generator for almost 12 to 14 hours a day sometimes. We get the electricity but the voltage is too low to run our equipment. Unfortunately, solar power is not an option here. We have a lot of forest cover and very little open ground.

What is the concept of the lodge?

It is a conservation-driven operation. We try to be as low impact as possible to the environment, as close to nature as possible. Most of our staff is from within a five-kilometre radius. Tourism plays a big role in conservation because it contributes to the local communities. We don't have to actually actively do conservation management, but by employing locals, by being the eyes and ears of the forest, and by bringing revenue to the park where tourism can be a vital contributor to conservation. When you look ahead, there seems to be an interest in wildlife tourism domestically.

Are you looking to expand wildlife lodges?

We are looking to grow. We are looking at one or two locations and soon hopefully we will zero in on one. We also have wildlife tours and are looking to do more guided wildlife holidays within India under Just Nature Expeditions.