Over the past few years, Ranthambore has quietly evolved into a hub for experiential travel, it’s no longer just about safaris. Today, the destination is attracting not only wildlife enthusiasts, but also luxury travellers, wedding planners, and corporate groups seeking something beyond the conventional. Soumik Roy has recently taken over as General Manager of Juna Mahal Ranthambore, bringing a renewed focus to the property’s positioning and guest experience. In a conversation with Asmita Mukherjee, Roy shares his immediate priorities, his perspective on Ranthambore’s evolving market, and how Juna Mahal aims to stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape.
What are your immediate priorities as you take over as General Manager at Juna Mahal Ranthambore?
My immediate focus is on strengthening the overall guest experience while aligning the property’s identity as a distinctive luxury lifestyle destination. This includes refining service standards, enhancing F&B offerings, and building a strong, motivated team culture. Simultaneously, I am working towards establishing a clear brand narrative for Juna Mahal that resonates across all guest touchpoints and platforms.
How do you plan to position the property in an increasingly competitive luxury wildlife hospitality market?
Juna Mahal is positioned as a luxury lifestyle property rather than being defined by conventional star classifications. Our focus is on delivering immersive, design-led experiences that combine comfort, character, and individuality. In a competitive wildlife hospitality market, we differentiate ourselves through our unique architecture, curated experiences, and a strong emphasis on personalised stays.
What opportunities do you see in Ranthambore as a destination for high-value leisure and experiential travel?
Ranthambore has evolved significantly in recent years, especially post-COVID. While it was traditionally perceived as a wildlife and tranquillity-driven destination, it is now emerging as a hub for experiential travel, destination weddings, and MICE. This shift presents strong opportunities to attract high-value leisure travellers seeking curated, experience-rich stays beyond safaris.
How will you balance heritage, luxury, and modern guest expectations at the property?
At Juna Mahal, we have thoughtfully designed the property to reflect a balance between heritage and modernity. The heritage wing showcases traditional materials such as choona, mitti, wood, copper, and peetal, inspired by old fort architecture. In contrast, the new wing introduces contemporary textures and artistic elements, creating a distinct yet complementary contrast. This duality allows us to offer guests both authenticity and modern comfort within the same space.
What role will F&B innovation play in enhancing the overall guest experience?
F&B plays a pivotal role in enhancing the overall guest journey at Juna Mahal. We are introducing curated experiences such as floating breakfasts for pool villas, private dining under the stars, balcony and terrace dining, and food sampling for select guests. The bar is being completely reimagined with a focus on speakeasy-style cocktails and refined small plates. Additionally, we are revamping our breakfast presentation, crockery, and poolside dining with a seamless QR-based ordering system, ensuring both convenience and elevated aesthetics.
How do you plan to drive occupancy and RevPAR in a seasonal wildlife destination?
Ranthambore operates as a largely seasonal destination, with approximately six months of peak business. Our strategy focuses on maintaining a strong ADR aligned with or above market benchmarks while optimising occupancy through a mix of OTA-driven business and direct sales. We are also strengthening our presence in the group and agency segment through our sales team, alongside expanding international reach via GDS platforms. For the leaner monsoon period, targeted marketing initiatives are being planned to sustain consistent business flow.
What is your approach to building and retaining high-performing teams in remote leisure locations?
Building a strong team in a remote location requires a hands-on and people-centric approach. At Juna Mahal, we prioritise continuous engagement, regular performance evaluation, and recognition of even small achievements. A motivated team directly translates into better guest experiences. We strongly believe that external guest satisfaction is a reflection of how valued and empowered our internal team feels.
How do you see demand evolving for wildlife and nature-led destinations in India?
The demand for wildlife and nature destinations in India has always existed, but its nature has evolved. Earlier, it was largely driven by photography enthusiasts and individual travellers. Today, it has expanded into a broader experiential segment that includes destination weddings, social celebrations, and MICE. This shift reflects a growing preference for unique, immersive destinations that offer both exclusivity and memorable experiences.
What strategies will you adopt to attract both domestic and international travellers?
Our strategy is focused on strengthening both domestic and international channels through a structured distribution and sales approach. Currently, a significant share of our business comes through OTAs, and we will continue to optimise this channel for domestic travellers. At the same time, our sales team is actively working on increasing group and agency bookings.
For international travellers, we are in the process of expanding our presence through GDS (Global Distribution System) platforms to improve global accessibility and visibility. Additionally, with the growing demand for weddings and MICE in Ranthambore, we aim to tap into these segments to attract a wider mix of both domestic and international guests.
