By BW Hotelier EREVMAX INTERNATIONAL,-provider of hospitality technology and distribution solutions has appointed Jyoti Kumar Saraf as Chief Financial Officer to spearhead its international financial operations. Saraf joined the company as VP ’ Finance in August this year and has now been promoted as Chief Financial Officer following his exceptional performance over the last few months. He is a highly accomplished finance professional and brings over 22 years of relevant experience across multiple sectors. He will be overseeing all financial management and reporting, including corporate accounting for the company globally. Reuel Ghosh, Founder and CEO, eRevMax commented, ’I am delighted to announce Jyoti’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer for eRevMax International. Jyoti has shown a high level of professionalism, dedication and strong business analytical skills over the last few months in his VP ’ Finance role. He is ideally suited to take on the role of CFO for our global operations. I look forward to continue working with him closely through the many opportunities ahead that will utilize his strong leadership abilities.’ Prior to joining eRevMax, Saraf was associated with Reliance Communications Limited as Assistant Vice President, Finance & Commercial Head. He has also worked with Usha Martin Limited and PricewaterhouseCoopers.-Saraf has completed Chartered Accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
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By BW Hotelier INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS & Resorts has released the Insider Guide to Travelling for Culinary Exploration ’ a celebration of gastronomy that offers a menu of exclusive insights and expert recommendations on the art of dining from across Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA). Featuring in-depth insider knowledge and tips from specialists in the food and beverage industry including renowned chefs and award-winning IHG Culinary Ambassadors, the latest issue is an indispensable handbook for food lovers. A complete guide, it covers top dishes from the region as well as practical information such as food photography tips and a guide of enticing food festivals across the AMEA region. Bruce Ryde, Director Brand Marketing, IHG, Asia, Middle East & Africa said, ’We are extremely proud of the culinary heritage of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and we consider food one of the best ways to explore a new culture, with our latest guide being a gastronomic celebration of some of these unique cultures. ’As a hotel brand that prides itself on curating authentic experiences, we always strive to incorporate local flavours and tastes in our venues. With our signature restaurants and bars providing exceptional dining experiences and our exclusive partnerships with some of the best culinary talents in the world, we’ve tapped into the wealth of knowledge we have to bring food lovers insights into some of the best dining experiences from this diverse region.’ For those interested in eating like a local and discovering the best hidden gems, the Insider Guide for Food points guests in the right direction for a culinary journey down the road less travelled. A preview of these insights are: India: When in Mumbai travellers must take a walk down the streets of Colaba to discover the authentic aromas of chaats, savoury snacks which are typically served at road side stalls. Japan: Starting your day with breakfast at the famous Tsukji Fish Markets in Tokyo makes for a unique experience as you watch the freshest catch being auctioned to the highest local bidders. Middle East: A local staple in Jordan is kunafe, a sugar syrup drenched Levantine cheese pastry with a crumbly orange semolina crust soaked in sweet syrup. Singapore: For a unique Singapore dining experience, take a stroll down to the one of the many locally popular food hawker centres like Maxwell Food Market where you’ll find local favourites like chicken rice, laksa and spicy noodle soup. South Africa: A popular South African snack is bitong, a dried and cured meat jerky snack, using beef, game meat or event ostrich.
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By BW Hotelier STARWOOD HOTELS and Resorts Worldwide has opened 10th Le M-ridien Hotel in India, Le M-ridien Nagpur. Owned by Classic Citi Investments Private Limited, Le M-ridien Nagpur is poised to unlock the destination known internationally as the ’Tiger Capital,’ home to more tiger parks and reserves than any other part of the world. ’The opening of Le M-ridien Nagpur marks a milestone moment for the brand, with ten hotels in India and a robust pipeline in the country,’ said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Le M-ridien Hotels & Resorts. ’Le M-ridien is a brand that speaks to today’s creative and curious-minded travelers, and we look forward to welcoming our global guests and local residents to Le M-ridien Nagpur.’ ’We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts with our third property together,’ said Rajesh Advani, Managing Director, Classic Citi Investments Private Limited. ’We believe Le M-ridien Nagpur will elevate the hospitality landscape of the city and enable guests to experience the rich culture of this destination through our distinct lens and compelling programming.’ Following an extensive renovation, each of the hotel’s 133 modern guestrooms and suites has been artfully designed with classic Indian motifs. The hotel’s sprawling grounds include an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and idyllic spa as well as seven event spaces and meeting rooms that cater to many occasions, from intimate board meetings to larger social functions. At the centre of the hotel is the signature Le M-ridien Hub, the innovative lobby concept, which reflects the brand’s creative spirit through styling elements inspired by coffeehouses, travel and culture. Set to a soundtrack curated by French Bossa Nova band Nouvelle Vague, the Hub’s social seating and a curated library encourages interaction over illy coffee, by day; by night, guests discover Sparkling, a modern twist on Europe’s celebrated aperitif hour. For enriching culinary experiences, guests can indulge in the hotel’s distinctive restaurants and bars. Latest Recipe, the all-day dining venue, offers an evocative mix of international, Asian and local cuisine. Kabab Hut, the Indian specialty restaurant, features a live kitchen where guests can watch skilful chefs prepare Mughal and Awadhi delights. For unwinding, Longitude Bar transforms from a casual coffee house by day to a vibrant bar in the evening, highlighting the brand’s sparkling cocktails.
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By BW Hotelier THE INDIAN Hotels Company Ltd. (Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces) has decided to discontinue its management contract for The Gateway Hotel, Jodhpur (see photo) and The Gateway Hotel, Ummed Ahmedabad. Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces will continue managing the hotels as per previously agreed contractual terms until May 9, 2016. ’The Taj remains fully committed to honoring all its contractual obligations to our stakeholders during this period," said Rakhee Lalvani, Associate Vice President ’ Public Relations, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.
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By BW Hotelier ECOLE HOTELIERE at Lavasa has been certified a Global League Institute by the Great Place to Study Research Institute (GPTS) at the House of Commons, UK. GPTS is an international auditing and recognition firm commissioned by SkillTree Knowledge Consortium. Founded in 2014, Great Place to Study Research Institute is the first international platform that certifies and affiliates colleges with core focus on student satisfaction, surveys, independent review and on-ground audit. GPTS originated in India, established in the UK and now creating a global presence across Asia and the pacific region. ’An institution needs great determination and commitment to apply for a Great Place to Study Certification,’ said Shekhar A Bhattacharjee, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of the Great Place to Study Research Institute. A great institute cannot be defined with only great courses, infrastructure, andragogy and faculty. In the 21st century to assure holistic learning, an institution must focus and ensure right measurement of learning objective, learning outcome, life on campus and the happiness quotient for the students. Nathan Andrews, Director, Ecole Hoteliere at Lavasa, (see photo) said, ’This prestigious certification is not only validation of our adherence to international standards of excellence but a big motivation for us to continually raise the bar higher. I am pleased and honored to receive this certification for Ecole Hoteliere at Lavasa. It is our quest to be the standard bearer in hospitality management education that offers our students an unprecedented advantage.’ Ecole Hoteliere at Lavasa aims to produce the best-in-class professionals, hospitality leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow with the help of unique curriculum, highly specialized learning facilitators and state-of-the-art facilities. With recent strategic tie-ups with IUBH School of Business and Management, Berlin and Rutgers University, New Jersey, Ecole Hoteliere at Lavasa aims to bring a global outlook towards Hospitality Management education in India. Great Place to Study Certification is an emblem of global standards and practices earned by institutions and universities who have a strong focus on student satisfaction practices in the area of learning experience; learning objective and outcome; life on campus and happiness quotient. Today, there are more than 35,000 colleges and universities in India, and only 2 per cent of these institutions represent global standards. Great Place to Study Research Institute is not only recognizing these institutes and universities by certifying excellence, but building a global community to jointly deliver the UG and PG program, joint research, and unlimited exchange program for students.
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By BW Hotelier TRIPADVISOR HAS launched a ’Travel Timeline’ feature for its mobile app that helps travelers conveniently log and share experiences from their trips. Once activated, the feature automatically creates a timeline of the places travelers have visited and the photos they’ve taken at each location, which can be viewed in chronological order or as a route on a map. The timeline is private to the user on their TripAdvisor app, but travelers can edit their timeline and easily share it with family and friends. Adam Medros, Senior Vice President, Global Product, TripAdvisor, said, ’Travel Timeline is a useful and valuable tool for chronicling travel experiences and conveniently capturing moments to remember.’ TripAdvisor not only helps travelers plan and book their trips, but with Travel Timeline we help our community document and share them too. To activate Travel Timeline, users log on to the TripAdvisor mobile app and opt-in to the feature. Once the feature is activated, it will keep a log of the points of interest that the user has visited in a running timeline, and travelers can easily rate and review hotels, restaurants, or attractions they visited. The feature uses the phone’s GPS and motion sensors to predict when the user is visiting somewhere or if they are just passing by. Users may turn Travel Timeline off at any time. Some of the features of Travel Timeline includes customization that is users can curate the timeline and photos. The feature logs activities without an Internet connection, helping travelers avoid data and roaming charges. Each traveler’s timeline and photos remain private to the user unless they choose to share them. Users can share a day in their timelines with family and friends. Travel Timeline will be available through the free TripAdvisor mobile app only on iOS in 28 languages worldwide.
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By BW Hotelier SHORTER FLIGHTS and shorter stays ’ travellers from Asia Pacific are favouring getaways closer to home and within the Asia Pacific region compared with holidays that require long international flights, according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study 2015. The study found similar patterns among their global peers, with an overall decline in the number of travellers choosing to take long-haul flights (9 hours or more) in favour of short-haul flights (4 hours or less). 23 per cent of respondents reported taking long flights on their most recent trip, down from 29 per cent in 2013, while the number of respondents who reported taking shorter flights on their most recent trip rose slightly to 46 per cent from 43 per cent in 2013. On average, global travellers spent seven hours of travelling time on their most recent trip. As well, 64 per cent of travellers who participated in the Study chose to fly economy class on a standard airline. Budget airlines are popular with just one in five (20 per cent) travellers who participated in the study. Time spent at destination The study also shows that, despite being some of the most frequent travellers globally, Asia Pacific respondents are likely to spend the least number of days at a destination. Travellers from Africa and the Middle East are likely to spend an average of 13 days at a destination compared with just eight days for travellers from the Asia Pacific region. Just 35 per cent of Asia Pacific travellers stay at a destination for seven or more nights, below the global average of 48 per cent. For shorter trips and holidays, travellers from Asia Pacific lead globally with 32 per cent staying three to four nights and 11 per cent staying only one to two nights, suggesting a strong preference for short trips close to home. Average trip length Globally, longer stays (seven or more nights) are most popular with affluent travellers (54 per cent), while short one to two night stays are most popular with first-time travellers (11 per cent). In terms of accommodation, in Asia Pacific, hotels and resorts (82 per cent) are by far the most popular holiday stay choice, followed by hostels/guest houses/chalets/B&Bs (18 per cent) and staying at boutiques hotels and staying with friends and relatives, both 12 per cent. What drives leisure travel for Asia Pacific travellers? The top three most popular reasons given for embarking on international leisure travel by Asia Pacific travellers in the Study was ’bonding’ with loved ones (51 per cent), ’to experience cultures’ (40 per cent) and ’indulge’ in good food, shopping, spa treatments and other pleasures/ entertainment (37 per cent). Favourite activities at destination At their destination, Asia Pacific travellers enjoy shopping (68 per cent), followed by visiting local sites (62 per cent) and visiting famous restaurants (50 per cent). In terms of cultural activities, the majority of Asia Pacific respondents say they visit famous local cultural sites, such as national monuments, museums, architecture, and street markets (62 per cent), followed by visiting religious monuments (26 per cent). On the opposite side of the experience spectrum, more than a quarter of Asia Pacific respondents say they shop for luxury items (26 per cent).
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By BW Hotelier MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL has opened its M Live Asia Pacific real-time marketing and brand newsroom Command Center in Hong Kong, which becomes the company’s epicentre of real-time marketing to customers in the region. Marriott first unveiled the M Live concept at its U.S. headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland earlier this year with plans for a global network. The studio brings together all marketing disciplines to track conversations, trends, global performance, marketing campaign performance and brand reputation on social media, while also proactively creating original content based on what is trending or anticipated to trend on social media. With full-time staff able to monitor data displayed on multiple screens within the M Live Asia Pacific real-time marketing and brand newsroom Command Center, Marriott will authentically engage customers as relevant social conversations trend. In addition to responding to social conversations, M Live has created a calendar of topics expected to trend, such as Chinese New Year, the Seoul Marathon, the Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong, and the India Premier Cricket League.- By anticipating what will trend, M Live is able to strategically plan its creative and content strategy with the other marketing and brand disciplines within Marriott International. ’The changing consumer is at the centre of everything we do at Marriott,’ said Anka Twum-Baah, Vice President, Customer Loyalty & Content, Asia Pacific at Marriott International (see photo). ’M Live is another example of how we are putting our marketing in the context of next generation travellers’ lives that is immediate, relevant and authentic. With the opening of the Hong Kong M Live studio and the building out of a network, M Live will help make our new approach to marketing become truly global.’ M Live allows Marriott to not only seize more chances to engage with consumers quickly, but also identify opportunities by brand, by discipline, by market and by channel to create memorable and shareable experiences. To date, M Live has created a number of successful real-time marketing efforts.- For example, capitalizing on the buzz surrounding Dorothy’s stolen ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Marriott Rewards and our Marriott Hotels brand offered one million Marriott Rewards points for information leading to the return of the missing slippers. The team also utilized the New York Marriott Marquis’ Times Square billboard, placed a story in newsweek.com and amplified the content and creative on Marriott Hotels and Marriott Rewards social media channels. The campaign reached 4.5 million people on Twitter and many more on Facebook and Instagram. The M Live Asia Pacific is the first to come on board outside the US. M Live Europe, MidEast and Africa, and Caribbean and Latin America all have planned launches in 2016.- Marriott chose Asia Pacific as the second location because Asia, with 4.4 billion people and approximately 500 million in the emerging middle classes will provide substantial opportunities for tourism growth. And the region’s next generation travellers are among the fastest growing customer segment within the hospitality industry.
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By BW Hotelier SINCLAIRS HOTELS and Resorts announced their half yearly results for the period ended 30th-September, 2015, Sinclairs Hotels’ Total Income increased by 39 per cent to Rs.1,739.54 lakhs (Rs.1,251.67 lakhs).- The Company’s EBIDTA from operations for the half year period increased by 68 per cent to Rs.724.17 lakhs (Rs.430.49 lakhs). The Net Profit for the half year period stood at Rs.327.26 lakhs (Rs.309.94 lakhs) while the Earnings per Share for the period stood at Rs.5.88 (Rs.5.56). Sinclairs Hotels continues to make good progress.- Its 6th-property in Kalimpong, is showing healthy increase in occupancy.- The Company has recently commissioned the 7th-property in its chain, Sinclairs Tourist Resort, Burdwan, which is the only property of its kind in Burdwan, an important destination in West Bengal. Speaking on the occasion, Navin Suchanti, Managing Director, Sinclairs Hotels Ltd (see photo) said, ’In an environment where most hotel companies are struggling with high debts and consequent high interest costs, Sinclairs Hotels performance stands out. It owns and operates seven properties and continues to remain debt free. The half year revenue growth is a reflection of the strong- performance during the year. ’ The company has strong fundamentals and its reserves (excluding revaluation reserves) as at 31st-March, 2015 stood at Rs.6,187.95 lakhs on an equity share capital of Rs.557 lakhs last year.- The Company continues to be debt free.
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