Rising Star: Akanksha Lamba of The Postcard Hotel wants to cater to the growing demand for smaller, boutique properties

The co-founder and senior Vice President of the luxury boutique hotel company tells us about the changing notions of bespoke travel among Indians, the need for immersive, out-of-the-box experiences, and consciously betting on destinations that are off the beaten track  

Akanksha Lamba knows the business of luxury. Having spent over 15 years of her career with The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts in various leadership positions, the opportunity to work on a new brand that was immersed in experiential-led hospitality, was one that was hard to decline. It’s also how she joined hands with Kapil Chopra, seasoned hotelier and former president of The Oberoi Group along with co-founders Raman Bansal and Anirudh Kandpal to launch The Postcard Hotel in December 2018, starting with flagship properties in Goa. 

When The Postcard Hotel had launched, it flipped the idea of what luxury boutique hospitality should look like. The brand did away with fixed check-in and check-out timings at their properties as well as the ubiquitous breakfast buffet. Instead, guests could order breakfast to their room at any time of the day, enjoying local fare in the comfort of their dwellings. It’s one of the reasons why the brand has found favour with a growing base of discerning Indian travellers looking for bespoke experiences rooted in personalisation. 

From starting off with setting up properties in distinct locations in Goa, the brand has grown to have a presence in other parts of the country, including Udupi in Karnataka, Gir in Gujarat, Kochi in Kerala, and internationally with two properties in Sri Lanka and Bhutan. The idea, Lamba says, is to be present in destinations that appeal to the new breed of Indian travellers. “We want to open newer destinations that Indians also want to travel to,” she says. 

Now, the 40-year-old co-founder and senior Vice President at The Postcard Hotel, is caught up with the opening of eight new properties in the coming year, one of which is the much-anticipated Postcard in Ranthambore, Rajasthan. The sprawling rooms are said to be priced at nearly ₹ 1.95 lakh per night, making it one of the most expensive tariffs in the country. The Postcard Hotel’s average room rate is about ₹ 26,000.  

“There is a common misconception that small equates boutique and that a 10-room property can be dubbed as a boutique hotel. That’s not the case,” explains Lamba. “Boutique often means luxury and it’s what Indian travellers are willing to spend their money on, for such intimate experiences.”

Lamba adds that when they started, they first looked at hospitality brands that inspired them. “We’re inspired by the design language and hospitality of Aman Hotels, Six Senses, and One & Only. According to us, these brands have changed the notion of luxury travel,” she shares. 

The company initially raised seed capital of around ₹ 20 crore to launch operations in 2018, from UAE-based VC fund Small Ventures and Titan Capital. Now, Postcard is gearing up for more openings in different locations across India, as well as internationally. It also picked several awards along the way, the most recent being the title of ‘world’s leading emerging boutique hotel brand 2023’ and the ‘world’s leading boutique beach hotel 2023’—for its picturesque beachfront property, The Postcard on the Arabian Sea, Karnataka—at the World Travel Awards in Dubai. 

Edited excerpts from the conversation with Lamba: 

Tell us a little about the evolution of The Postcard Hotel? How has the market changed since 2018? 

Back in 2004, when I was working with The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, guests from abroad would typically make up about 90-95 per cent of the occupancy, while Indians would be a slim figure. At the time, luxury hotels were not catering to the Indian traveller and the majority of their sales strategies were targeted towards foreign guests. It’s taken a while but that trend slowly started shifting around 2015 when we noticed more and more Indian travellers wanting to consume luxury in the domestic market.

I remember coming across a report which stated that Indians were travelling more than ever before, taking about 2.3 billion trips domestically. We thought to ourselves that even if one per cent of this figure comes to small, boutique hotels, it’s going to be a win for us.

We chose to start with Goa because we realised it’s one of the most popular—if not the most visited—destination in the country for Indians. But we wanted to move away from the cliched narrative of Goa solely being a party and beach destination. There are so many hidden pockets in the state just waiting to be discovered.  

What do you think the new-age Indian traveller is looking for?

Our properties are built for people who want to immerse themselves in the destination. And I think Indians are really leaning towards that now. We want our hotels to be an insight into the destination. So, we start with the design which is reflective of the region, right down to local, personalised experiences and, more importantly, food. A lot of our guests tell us that they keep coming back just for the F&B experiences at some of our properties. 

While Indians are certainly looking at an education into the destination, at the same time they aren’t demanding opulent and unnecessary luxury. Instead, they’re looking for the quality of sleep, shower, and food, and that all of it should be top-notch.

Is it a conscious decision to choose locations that are off the typical tourist map? 

We have five parameters that we typically look at when deciding on zeroing in on a property. We want to be in the mountains, by the ocean, in a historically significant or beautifully restored palace or state, be in proximity of wildlife reserves/parks and lately, close to tea estates, whisky distilleries, coffee estates and so on. Such destinations are very experiential at the end of the day.

This is what we are doing with our upcoming property in Assam. It’s a beautiful location in the midst of rolling hills and 1,400 acres of tea gardens. The views are gorgeous, there is an elephant corridor that passes through the tea estate, and the property is just 20 minutes away from the airport and a short drive away from Arunachal Pradesh as well. It’s everything guests could want in order to savour the Northeast at one destination. Our property in Karnataka—Postcard on the Arabian Sea in Udupi, is mere metres away from the sea and offers fantastic coastal cuisine.

How many more properties do you have in the pipeline? And how is the brand expanding its footprint? 

We have 23 hotels at various stages of construction at the moment. We’re looking at opening eight hotels next year, including one in Assam, and two more properties in Goa. Our Ranthambore property is going to be quite bespoke with just 15 units that comprise private heated pools, fireplaces in the bathroom and living areas, and views overlooking the distant mountain ranges. We’re also coming up with a property in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh. We’re opening properties in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh at the end of next year and also looking at Mashobra, Himachal Pradesh. We’re in talks to expand internationally as well. 

Tell us a little about the business model? Are you looking at raising more funds? 

We pretty much work on a revenue-share lease model and some of our hotels are under management contract. We work as a hotel-operating company and as such don’t own any assets. However, we do have a property company, so if there is an asset of interest, then that separate company can buy the asset. At the moment, we aren’t looking at raising more capital as we have been profitable on a company level.

We know that there is a clear demand for smaller, luxury hotels. We have a high repeat percentage of guests, with nearly 70 per cent of our bookings being direct. 

What’s next for The Postcard Hotel?

We see ourselves (and want to be) as the fastest-growing luxury hotel brand in the boutique hospitality space. There is a lot more to offer to the Indian traveller, especially with several hotels in the pipeline. We want to expand internationally in Europe, as well as destinations like Scotland and Nepal. For now, there is enough on our plates to keep us busy.

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