Australia’s Luxury Escapes sets up Indian HQ

India regional office a year in the making

Australian travel deals company Luxury Escapes has launched its regional headquarters in India, where vast opportunities in the market have prompted heavy investments in optimising its service for mobile.

Mahesh Thota, general manager of the Indian office, shared that prior to the launch, Luxury Escapes already had a strong and growing customer base in the subcontinent. Today the agency has nearly half a million customers in the region, with the number growing by about 30,000 each month.

India regional office a year in the making

Thota added: “When you consider the proximity of amazing destinations like Dubai, Bali, Sri Lanka, Phuket, Maldives, Vietnam, Bangkok, Singapore and Koh Samui, it is clear there is huge untapped potential.”

As the company looks to replicate its results in Australia, where it launched just four years ago, Luxury Escapes’ general manager Blake Hutchison said: “It’s no secret that India leads the world when it comes to accessing the Internet by mobile phones, so we’ve been investing heavily to optimise Luxury Escapes for the mobile experience. Already close to 30 per cent of our sales in this region take place on a mobile phone, and this is increasing month on month.”

Hutchison shared the Indian office has been a year in the making, with the company working to assemble a local team, get the local offering right, and establish relationships with the region’s hotels and resorts.

Thota, for instance, brings with him more than five years of experience at consultancy Accenture, followed by close to five years with Zomato as assistant vice president.

“This past year we’ve spent considerable time getting a deep understanding of what makes the Indian market different to other international regions where Luxury Escapes operates. While much of what we do will remain the same, we have made a number of customisations to match local travel patterns and preferences,” said Hutchison.

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