The Indian Hotels Company Limited has always been a leader in the hospitality industry. It recently announced that its iconic brand Taj has ranked number one on the list of the strongest Indian brands by Brand Finance in their recently released India 100 2020 report. It has gotten the rare distinction of being ranked the highest across brands in all sectors.
Taj achieved a brand strength index (BSI) score of 90.5 out of 100 and a corresponding elite AAA+ brand strength. The independent business valuation consultancy evaluates the relative strength of brands, based on factors such as marketing investment, familiarity, loyalty, staff satisfaction, and corporate reputation.
As per the report, IHCL’s parent company retains the title of India’s most valuable brand, breaking US$20 billion brand value mark for the first time.
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Speaking about recognition, Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO, Indian Hotels Company said, “We are humbled that Brand Finance has ranked Taj as the nation’s strongest brand. This recognition comes on the back of the relentless pursuit of Aspiration 2022 as South Asia’s most iconic and most profitable hospitality company. Our unique service philosophy, which we refer to as Tajness, emanates from the warmth and caring Taj has stood for over a century. We remain confident of being able to carry the trust of our guests, employees and all our stakeholders with an even stronger commitment.”
IHCL is also a leader when it comes to sustainable hospitality. On June 5 on World Environment Day the company announced that it has the highest number of platinum and gold EarthCheck certified hotels – 11 IHCL Hotels have platinum recognition, 61 have gold and 6 hotels have silver.
EarthCheck is the world’s leading scientific benchmarking and certification group for the tourism and travel industry.
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Dr P.V. Murthy, Executive Vice President & Global Head HR, IHCL, said, “This is a result of IHCL’s unflinching efforts to minimize the impact on the environment. As a Tata company, we believe it is our responsibility to take action for conserving natural resources for future generations. The significant achievement reiterates the group’s firm commitment to sustainable development through adoption of global best practices.”
The group has persistently worked towards optimizing energy, water usage and responsible waste management. In order to certify 78 of its hotels, the group has generated significant savings such as:
Reduced water consumption compared to the previous period by appx. 0.36 million kilolitres, which is equivalent to 150 Olympic sized swimming pools
Minimised waste sent to landfill by 3,600 cubic metres, which is equivalent to 30,000 wheelie bins
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions including appx. 11.2 million kg CO2, comparable to taking 3,500 cars off the road
Saved appx. 72 million mega joules of energy, which is equivalent to powering 3,000 typical 4 person households for a year
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