From Coorg in 1994 to Botswana in 2021, Jose Ramapuram traces the journey of Evolve Back Resorts, as the homegrown boutique hospitality brand launches its first international property this year. By Rashima Nagpal
T+L India: Congratulations on your first international launch! What led you to choose Botswana?
Jose Ramapuram: That country is the size of France with the population of [Bengaluru’s] Shivaji Nagar, which is about two and a half million. Our property (Evolve Back Gham Dhao Lodge, Central Kalahari, Botswana) is 30,000 acres. It’s a private game reserve. We have a private air strip inside. Our guests fly in from Maun, which has a small airport and is also the nearest town, in north-central Botswana, which is a hub of wildlife tourism. You’ll have to drive around five-six hours through the Kalahari Bush if you’re coming by road.
T+L India: How did your family first venture into hospitality?
Jose Ramapuram: We’re a family of farmers. We’ve had plantations of coffee and rubber all over southern India for 100 years. My father used to say that we must diversify, that we couldn’t put all our eggs in one basket. Hospitality was one of the items for diversification. We’re seven brothers—my eldest brother is 70 and I’m the youngest [at 57]—and we’re in business together. We are originally from Kerala, so we were exposed to what was happening in tourism there in the 1990s. That’s when we thought that Coorg in Karnataka would [also] be a good place, because it did not have a single decent place to stay at the time. We had a property there since 1921. It’s a beautiful property by the side of the [River] Kaveri. So, that’s where we put our first hotel, in 1994.
T+L India: How do you identify a place as an Evolve Back location?
Jose Ramapuram: I head marketing. I travel extensively, so I’m in touch with high-end travel designers from all over the world. In our conversations, I come to know where the potential lies. Other than that, our managing director, my brother George, is an architect. The two of us mostly travel together to check out new places. He’s the dreamer—he will see a place and tell you whether this land works or not. We have a written document for the brand’s architecture, which includes “luxurious resorts at enchanting locales” as one of the key pillars. If the location is not enchanting, we will not put a resort there. It’s a gut feeling.
T+L India: Eco-sensitivity is another part of your brand’s philosophy. How do you make sure you maintain that across properties?
Jose Ramapuram: It’s not one thing you do; this aspect [of eco-sensitivity] has to be in your DNA. We are the first ones, possibly in the world and definitely in India, to completely stop [using] plastic water bottles in our hotels. In 2003, we installed a reverse-osmosis plant in every suite; with the press of a button, you get clean drinking water. We have state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants and biogas plants; we recycle 90 per cent of our waste. If you go to any of our properties, you will find a big hall where segregation happens. Metal, paper, and plastic go for recycling; we only burn sanitary waste, and we have a pit for broken crockery. Our hotels are located in ecologically sensitive areas. We look at three fronts when we say conservation—environment is just one. The second: we promote only local culture. We do not allow any western dance [performances] at our hotels. In Kabini, we’ve arranged for the Kuruba tribe to perform every alternate day. In Coorg, the local Kodavas perform. The architecture is [also] locally inspired. [Evolve Back] Hampi has got a Vijayanagara-style palace; [Evolve Back] Kabini has the Kuruba-village-style architecture; [Evolve Back] Coorg has the Kodava Ainmane style. The third area is local economy. In Karnataka, we have adopted the government school nearest to all three properties, as part of the government’s School Adoption Programme. We have set up computer labs and English reading labs, we provide scholarships, and we also have teachers on our payroll. We have recently built a state-of-the-art preschool in Coorg, which is managed by a Bengaluru-based organisation called Building Blocks
T+L India: How has your business coped with the pandemic?
Jose Ramapuram: Actually, our hotels have done exceedingly well. People in the cities are sick of sitting at home. All our resorts are vast and have fewer than 50 rooms. Kabini has 37, Hampi has 46, Kalahari has nine tents on 30,000 acres; even in Mandu, we’re planning fewer than 40.
T+L India: What are your earliest memories of travel?
Jose Ramapuram: Our house in Coorg is around 150 years old. From the ages of 10 to 15, I spent my school holidays there. Every morning, I’d have breakfast and go to River Kaveri for fishing. The house did not have power—we had a refrigerator that ran on kerosene!
T+L India: What kind of holidays do you like now?
Jose Ramapuram: Of late I travel with my family. I don’t travel to just go sit in a balcony and read a book. We hire a big car from the airport and spend 10-15 days all over the place, staying in authentic homes, experiencing local culture, and eating where the locals eat.
T+L India: Where was your last most memorable holiday?
Jose Ramapuram: One trip I really liked was in Switzerland. We landed in Zurich and hired a car. It was seven of us, including my wife, children, and two nieces. We’d booked a mountain chalet from where you could see Jungfrau. The village had a population of 50. Then we went to Colmar in Alsace, France, where we spent a week eating cheese, sampling wine, etc.
T+L India: What’s next on your radar for Evolve Back?
Jose Ramapuram: Mandu and Bhutan. The design for the Mandu property has been finalised. Bhutan will be right after Mandu; the land is in Paro. We have also acquired land in Karwar, Karnataka—it’s on the beach.
Related: Evolve Back Kuruba Safari Lodge, Kabini: The Perfect Wellness Destination In The Wild
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