Skift Take

From the unfulfilled potential of the Incredible India campaign to why all his hotels are pet-friendly, Himmat Anand, founder of the Indian boutique resort chain Tree of Life, spells out some hard truths.

Peden Doma Bhutia

Tree of Life Resorts and Hotels, a boutique property chain from India, has seen impressive growth from just five properties pre-Covid to 13 properties currently, with the 14th property opening next month.

Founder Himmat Anand said he has Covid-19 to thank for this growth, as he believes it helped position his resorts perfectly.

During Covid, the hotel chain registered the best two financial years since opening in 2013. Anand credits this success to having the right product at the right time.

Anand, who had spent five years as the chief operating officer at Kuoni, India's largest inbound operating company at that time, realized that he had hit a career ceiling and decided to embark on his entrepreneurial journey in 2009.

Tree of Life Takes Root

At a time when most hotel companies were focused on opening properties in urban areas, he chose to construct 14 villas on his six-acre estate just 30 minutes from Jaipur airport.

People warned him against it with some even predicting that this was doomed for failure.

With hindsight, Anand believes not being from a hospitality background helped him experiment, even as he admitted, “I've been through the toughest period of my life from 2010 to 2013 trying to put that product on the map.”

But the choice to not be near the city center stood him in good stead almost 10 years later, when post-Covid traveler