The hotel industry is reshaping itself to better align with the habits and expectations of today’s über competitive world and digital-native consumers. One of the ways the hoteliers are adapting to this is by continuously altering the designs of the hotel. This relates to the designs that are focused on interpreting and expressing a property’s unique locale while equally providing experiential elements aimed at setting the individual hotel apart.
In this edition of Insights Success, we take the liberty to introduce you to one such gem of a hotel. Clad in white and cantilevered over a cliff overhanging the beach in Ankola, the Red Earth Hotel, Gokarna is an unusual hotel where elegance and drama find each other to create a place as inventive as it is playful. Deliberately experimental, the hotel takes a bold move on everyday architecture and a praiseworthy attempt of rehabilitating modernism.
A Place to Remember
Only the sloppy and cadjan roof of this hotel is visible from afar, certainly giving out the impression of offering nothing much out of the ordinary. However, the hotel has a flawlessly curated visual, which can be revealed only upon entering it. All of the Red Earth properties are located in spectacular natural settings; be it Redearth Kabini on the banks of the Kabini reservoir, or Red Earth Gokarna set atop a cliff overhanging the pristine Honey Beach in Ankola. Each space offers the guest an escape from the ordinary. Also, the landscape has been painstakingly planned to support biodiversity in all of its properties.
Promoting the essence of the city, being authentic to the local community, luxurious design elements, and customer-centric services are the key elements that make staying in hotels memorable. The Red Earth, Gokarna promises an experience of Mediterranean placidity while equally enabling visitors to indulge in the privacy of the fully equipped guest accommodation.
Here, the experiences are also centered around wellness. Yoga, Meditation and ayurvedic treatments are offered in a serene setting. The hotel also houses pièce de résistance, which offers some of the freshest local & global cuisines that are enjoyed by all palates as well as take care of individual dietary needs.
Both Red Earth properties in Kabini and Tadoba are located near some of the best safari gates in India’s famous tiger reserves offering guests some of the best wildlife viewing experiences. It has in house naturalists at each property leading guests on nature walks. Guests also experience a slice of rural life during these walks. It also includes provisions for, romantic candlelight dinners, barbeques, bullock cart rides, and boat and coracle rides.
Care has been taken to select species that support the local fauna while also being aesthetically appealing for the guests. It offers something to every kind of traveler. Wildlife safaris, bird watching tours, heritage walks, boat rides, Yoga lessons, spa services are just a few of the activities arranged for the guests.
The Modernist Designers
Behind this successful creation is the work and talent of Ravi and Rachel, the Red Earth family; committed to sustainable and conscious tourism. Hence, all the Red Earth property is their home, which they have opened for the discerning travelers.
Ravi and Rachel have selected a very traditional, yet autochthonous, 21st-century style and gave a contemporary update to all their properties. Rachael with her eye for detail has brought all the elements of design to present guests with a truly superlative experience. Starting from food, décor, the exteriors, interiors to the spa, everything one sees in Red Earth has been personally designed, fixed and arranged by Rachel.
Ravi has used his experience in Papua New Guinea as a planter with extensive knowledge of gourmet coffee and tea to educate local villagers about efficient planting/farming methods of which the hotel can now reap fruits from its garden to serve at its restaurants.
A ‘Home’ Away From Home
Whether it is dazzling hotel, excellent service, delightful cuisine, Red Earth has checklisted all the parameters required for an eminently inspiring, beautifully crafted and comfortable stay. The reason behind this is that Red Earth is a boutique property that is owner-driven.
Hence, owners run the property while living on it. Offering a great customer experience is of paramount importance to the owners of this property. To ensure that the greatest level of customer satisfaction is received, Ravi and Rachel pay extra attention to the staff of Red Earth. Each staff member of the Redearth family feels a sense of ownership which drives them to excel in their services. 96% of the staff are locals and have been trained personally by Ravi and Rachel.
The United Nations in 2017, stated that one of the key areas of sustainable tourism is social inclusiveness, employment and poverty reduction. “We at Red Earth believe that creating this sense of inclusivity has been the motivating factor driving our team forward. We have steered clear from the commercially-run style of running a hotel,” states Ms. Rachel.
Close to Nature
Another very distinctive feature of Red Earth is not just the building at picturesque locations, but its blend with nature. It is the sort of thing that could come off gimmicky in less confident hands, but here it feels as natural as anything.
Every Red Earth resort has been built with the utmost concern for the environment. All its buildings have been built sustainably keeping in mind prevailing weather conditions. It is also mindful of following good waste, water and energy management practices across all its properties.
Let us look at the construction details of Red Earth properties that sustain the serenity and calmness of nature while offering a pleasant and great customer experience.
- In Kabini, the hotel’s rammed earth constructions provide excellent protection against extreme climates. This along with the natural grass roofs are excellent at moderating the temperature inside each room thus reducing the energy consumption.
- The Tadoba hotel employs the use of fly ash; a byproduct of pollution from thermal plants in the region, to make bricks. Roofs in Tadoba are made with puff insulated sheets, considerably reducing the ambient temperature.
- The luxury Swiss tents in Grassroots, Wayanad are made specifically for the Western Ghats. Here again, the impact on the natural environment is minimal. The tents provide all the luxuries a guest can want without the large carbon footprint that is common in most luxury stays.
Additionally, the kitchens operate on the farm to table concept, which means that guests get to enjoy fresh wholesome food that is procured locally. In Red Earth Tadoba, the land naturally slopes towards water bodies enabling natural rainwater harvesting. Red Earth also harvests solar power to charge its water heaters. Additionally, hot water timings are restricted to conserve energy. The lighting in all Red Earth resorts is powered by LED bulbs.
Red Earth also takes extra care in managing the waste produced at all the properties. All the waste is segregated and while the organic and kitchen waste is sent to a piggery Red Earth helped set up, all plastic and plastic bottles are collected by a recycler every day. The wet waste is composted with the help of a black soldier fly in collaboration with Mr. Amaresh of Vui Coffee. The fly breaks down the organic substrates, returning the nutrients to the soil.
One of a Kind
When it comes to Red Earth, one would draw blank when asked to imagine something better than a beautiful hotel located in one of the most beautiful spots. The rundown of Red Earth defines a luxury hotel stay at extreme locations. However, Red Earth is not everywhere, though it is on its list. “In 2018, we were invited by the tourism department of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to replicate the Red Earth Kabini, We Chose Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve which is one of our latest destinations. We work our way to more destinations in the years to come,” concludes Mr. Ravi.