MICE driven business

HICC is described as South Asia’s first purpose-built convention facility, offering more than 66,000 sq ft of pillar-free space and seats up to 6,000 delegates in a single hall—divisible and backed by breakout rooms, pre-function areas and rigging systems, and even retractable seating—suggest that configurations may vary by event.

It is, however, the imbalance between rooms and delegates that shapes the local market. “I’ve got only 300 rooms, and we do events with numbers between 2,000 and 10,000 pax, causing an overflow”, informs Cherian.

This overflow often benefits nearby hotels such as the Trident, Westin and ITC, giving them a stake in the campus’s calendar. “They are also anxious about the HITEX renovation schedule, which will see major areas close down for nearly six months in 2027,” he explains.

NHCC is positioned towards guests seeking access to MICE. From expos to conferences, HITEX, also managed by Accor, offers 4 versatile halls along with 5,000 Sq.M outdoor lawns, complemented by an expansive 35,000 Sq.M of paved event space and open grounds.

The pandemic reset

The pandemic hit MICE travel hard. Large international associations once booked five to seven years ahead. “We had almost 300 crores worth of cancellations”, says Cherian. By the time he took over the hotel in 2023, lead times had shrunk to between six months and a year. Staff numbers were cut to match the falling demand.

NHCC responded by taking its sales effort abroad, attending major international trade shows in Frankfurt, Barcelona and Australia. “First you have to sell India, then you have to sell Hyderabad,” says Cherian, adding that “foreign buyers still carry dated perceptions of the country, and visa friction continues to limit inbound travel”.

Recovery came sooner than expected, but from a different source. “In 2023, we did almost 25-27 per cent more business than 2019,” says Cherian, referring to what the industry regards as India’s best year for hotels. International business, once 20-25 per cent of the mix, was still close to zero. “It’s all from India, for India”, he explained.

What fills the hall

Beyond conferences, the campus draws big weddings, which Cherian says account for roughly 25 per cent of business within the events segment. The hotel is the only five-star international brand in the city offering this much pillar-free space, where setups can be extravagant. Cherian cites a wedding with a decor budget nearing ₹2 crore, including about ₹1 crore of flowers.

Newer segments include gaming tournaments. The hotel hosted an event of about 500 gamers with 200-300 gaming stations and a large live-results screen. Cherian credits Hyderabad’s audio-visual vendors and a local gaming college for supporting such events. He also sees the city’s central location and Bengaluru’s traffic situation as advantages for concerts and large gatherings shifting to Hyderabad.

The city of Nizams also has an institutional edge. “Hyderabad is the only city which has got an international convention bureau,” Cherian informs, referring to the Hyderabad Convention’s Visitors Bureau, set up about two decades ago through a partnership among the airport operator GMR, the convention centre and the Telangana government. Rival venues such as Jio World in Mumbai, the JECC in Jaipur and Delhi’s redeveloped convention centre are competing for the same national and international bookings.

Sustainability as a sales tool

The hotel’s environmental programme is positioned as a commercial advantage as much as a cost measure. Its rooftop solar plant has 1,818 panels across 48,904 sq ft and a capacity of 1,000 kWp. According to the hotel, the ₹2.6 crore investment saves ₹1.17 crore a year and offsets about half of HICC’s electricity use. The hotel also holds a Green Key certification renewed for 2025.

NHCC was the first hotel in the region to adopt atmospheric water generation, using units from O by Aria Life Water that extract and remineralise water from humidity. Food waste is tracked with Orbisk technology, which scans discarded items and helps chefs size buffets to occupancy.

Corporate buyers increasingly seek proof. Many multinationals carry ESG mandates, and for large conferences, panel teams arrive with checklists. “We have the technology, we have the data, and we can just send it to them, helping them make a decision in our favour,” Cherian added.

He applies the same logic to staff-facing systems. “You want to leave minimal scope for human intervention and error, which is why we regularly upgrade training for staff in using these technologies,” he says.

Staff, the ageing asset and the renovation

Attrition was another problem that Cherian had to address initially. “It stood at 58 per cent when I joined and has since fallen to about 18 per cent, well below the industry range”, he adds. “It’s not the money but the importance that they get, that sense of belonging,” he says. 

The hotel does not offer a butler service but frequently assigns staff to personally handle small groups of guests through an “own your guest” system. The property’s physical age remains an issue. The campus is 20 years old, and rates are comparable to those of renovated rivals.

The hotel has so far compensated for this with room amenities, elevated F&B offerings, including Chef pop-ups, aimed at repeat guests. It is currently building a multi-level car park for 720 cars, the biggest in Southern India, with about 40,000 sq ft per floor. It is expected to be ready by early 2027.

There is now a phased renovation planned for the hotel, targeting completion by the end of December 2027. About half the rooms will be offline at any time, while HICC will face roughly six months of disruption due to renovation of the convention centre facilities.

“Everything except the walls will be replaced, so it should be state-of-the-art for at least the next decade,” Cherian signs off.