By BW Hotelier SOURAV RAKSHIT has been appointed as the Assistant Director Food & Beverage at Hyatt Regency Chennai. In his new role at Hyatt Regency Chennai, he will be expected to encourage employees to be creative and innovative and challenge and recognize them for their contribution to the success of the operation. He will also be expected to keep himself abreast of the hotel guest feedback, views and ensure that each profit centre is operated in line with maximizing profit while delivering on the brand promise. Rakshit started his career with Hyatt Regency Kolkata in 2002 where he managed most of the outlets in the property. He holds a BSC degree from Calcutta University and a hotel management degree from IHMCT & AN and believes his strength are - team building, communication, inventory management, budgeting, business development, product enhancement, guest satisfaction to name a few. In 2011 he got transferred as an Outlet Manager to Hyatt Regency Mumbai, where he served for a year. In 2012, he joined Hyatt Raipur as the Food & Beverage Manager where he served his last before joining Hyatt Regency Chennai. His core responsibilities at Hyatt Raipur were, ensuring the F&B activities are aligned with the respective corporate strategies, ensuring all employees deliver the brand promise and provide exceptional guest service at all times, analyzing business performance strategically to facilitate, accurate and meaningful forecasting.
Read More
By BW Hotelier RAMENDRA PRATAP Singh has joined Park Plaza Noida as the new General Manager. With over 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Singh began his career with Corbett Riverside Resort and have worked with Chokhi Dhani followed by a stint with Leisure Hotels Limited. Prior to joining Park Plaza Noida, Singh worked with Radisson Blu Hotel Indore in the capacity of Director Sales & Marketing and Executive Assistant Manager. With an enriching experience as this Singh is confident of taking the success of Park Plaza Noida to greater heights.
Read More
By BW Hotelier CENTARA HOTELS & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel group, has announced the promotion of Chris Bailey to Chief Operating Officer from Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Since joining Centara Hotels & Resorts in 2004 as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bailey has played a significant role in the formulation of the effective growth strategy that has propelled the company to the pre-eminent position in the industry it enjoys today. With only eight properties in 2004, Bailey will help to oversee a current portfolio of 70 properties and still growing. With a wealth of experience in travel and destination management, Bailey brings that knowledge and wider industry perspective to his new role. Bailey will oversee Centara operations, sales and marketing, and the organization’s various corporate entities, which are all vital components as the company continues to rapidly expand locally and internationally. ’Centara has provided me with opportunities to continually develop and in my new role, I look forward to new challenges,’ shares Chris Bailey, new COO of Centara Hotels & Resorts. ’I am excited to help lead Centara into a new phase where there are many possibilities to achieve our goals.’
Read More
By BW Hotelier ACCORDING TO data compiled by Ministry of Tourism, 6.33 lakh foreign tourists visited India last month as compared to 5.69 lakh in July 2014 and 5.06 lakh in July 2013. A growth of 11.3 per cent was registered in July 2015 over July 2014. The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during January-July 2015 were 44.78 lakh as compared 42.75 lakh during the same period in 2014. There has been a growth of 4.8 per cent during January-July 2015 over January-July 2014. The percentage share of FTAs in India during July 2015 among the top 15 source countries was highest from USA (16.51 per cent) followed by Bangladesh (16.44 per cent), UK (12.29 per cent), France (3.43 per cent), Sri Lanka (3.36 per cent), Malaysia (3.32 per cent), Canada (2.75 per cent), Germany (2.45 per cent), China (2.33 per cent), Japan (2.25 per cent), Australia (2.21 per cent), Nepal (2.16 per cent), Singapore (1.71 per cent), Oman (1.57 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (1.55 per cent). These top 15 countries account for 74.33 per cent of total FTAs during July 2015. The percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during July 2015 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (27.04 per cent) followed by Mumbai Airport (17.48 per cent), Chennai Airport (10.66 per cent), Haridaspur Land check post (9.38 per cent), Bengaluru Airport (7.32 per cent), Cochin Airport (4.96 per cent), Hyderabad Airport (4.64 per cent), Kolkata Airport (3.88 per cent), Gede Rail (1.78 per cent), Trivandrum Airport (1.67 per cent), Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.40 per cent), Amritsar Airport (0.97 per cent), Ghojadanga Land check post (0.93 per cent) and Attari Wagha Land check post (0.78 per cent). These top 15 ports account for 94.74 per cent of total FTAs during July 2015. The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) during July 2015 were Rs 11,452 crore as compared to Rs 10,336 crore in July 2014 and Rs 8,620 crore in July 2013. FEEs from tourism in January-July 2015 were Rs 71,754 crore as compared with Rs 67,096 crore during the same period last year. Photo caption: Delhi Airport saw 27.04 per cent of foreign tourist arrivals of total July 2015 inflows.
Read More
By Rashmi Pradhan REALISING THE dearth of branded hotels across the country in the mid-market segment, Keshav Baljee, Co-promoter of Royal Orchid Hotels; MD of Spree Hotels ventured into the business of hotel franchise under the brand ’ZiP Rooms’. Keshav Baljee, CEO, ZiP Rooms, in an interaction with BW Hotelier said, ’I realised that several hotels across the country were run by good entrepreneurs but needed some benefits of a chain to generate more profit. Especially since times are tough for most hoteliers, the fact that we could help provide 10-15 per cent extra revenues and save around 20-30 per cent of hoteliers’ costs made it a good win-win proposition for both the parties. This is why we launched ZiP Rooms recently and have grown quite well in the last few months.’ Currently, ZiP Rooms has signed up hotels in 24 cities with over 2000 keys. ’We expect to hit 10,000 rooms in 100 plus cities in the next one year. We are signing mid-market and budget hotels, serviced apartments and resorts. The primary focus is to cover most business and leisure markets as the focus is top 100 markets in India. We are looking for VC funding,’ Baljee informed. Speaking on the cutting edge that ZiP Rooms enjoy over other players in the segment, Baljee said, ’ZiP Rooms is built on the strong hospitality platform we have built in Spree Hospitality. We have built a strong technology platform which can empower independent hoteliers across the country to gain more revenues and save on costs.’ ’ZiP Rooms works on a co-branding and franchise model. We are a soft-brand and a promise of quality to our customers. Our hotels get the benefits of associating with a big chain ’ training and development, procurement assistance, standard operating procedures, recruitment assistance, and even management support if needed. Most importantly we provide a network of sales offices, a mobile app and booking engine which enables the hotel to increase its revenue drastically,’ he added explaining on how the ZiP room model worked. Baljee told us that they are targeting the discerning, value-conscious leisure and business traveler who is looking for good quality standard accommodation across India. The target age group is between 18-35. They aimed to be the most reliable budget hotel brand for frequent travelers in the country. ’We want our brand to be synonymous with rock-solid quality service delivery. We are possibly the only aggregator to be heavily focused on service,’ he said. ZiP Rooms is well connected to the industry and is reaching out to established entrepreneurs to work together. They are seeking long-term relationships with hotels to build a formidable network of hotels across India. According to him, the company audits all their hotels with their brand standards. As long as the hotel meets brand standards, the company then proceeds to the next step of product and service standardisation. ’We are not directly competing with OTAs as we provide a differentiated business model--we see ourselves as a brand that aggregates hotels. As such, our hotels can be listed on the OTA portals as well, as we will distribute the hotels as widely as possible,’ he explained. Compared to others, the advantage that ZiP Rooms has is that they are from within the hospitality industry and understand that rooms ins not the only business. ’We also focus on food and beverage and provide sales and operational assistance there as well. We believe that by partnering with the best hoteliers across India, we can put together the most impressive chain of budget and mid-market hotels across India. Quality is what will allow us to combat our competition!’ he remarked. Baljee sees great potential in his business model. ’The current market size of the digital hotel booking industry is at USD 1 billion, which will increase to around USD 8-10 billion in the next 3-4 years, according to our internal estimates. We believe that we can brand the unbranded hotels across India for mutual benefits, growing to around 10,000 keys across 100 cities in the next one year,’ he concludes. The author is Assistant Editor at BWHotelier.
Read More
By Bikramjit Ray TRIP FACTORY launched its BOGO card, a prepaid travel card aimed at the budget traveller in India. BW Hotelier spoke exclusively to Amit Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO of TripFactory.com (see photo) about the card and what they were trying to achieve with the product offering. ’India is a very large holiday market and there is no platform which addresses all the consumers,’ he began. ’India has two types of holiday markets. There is the experiential, people who know exactly what they want and when they want it. They book holidays in advance on set dates. Then there is a huge population who are aspirational and budget driven,’ he said. The latter was the market, which the BOGO card primarily addresses. ’The BOGO card is meant for that aspirational market for those who do not have the luxury of holidaying when they want because of budgetary constraints,’ he explained. Launched across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, BOGO Cards are prepaid cards that are-cost effective, offer convenience-and provide a hassle free.- he card offers-flexibility to travel 200 days in a year at a fixed price. BOGO Cards can be redeemed for travel 14 days prior to the date of departure for a date that extends up to 12 months from the date of purchase. ’We have partnered with airlines like Jet Airways, Go Air and Tiger Air and locked inventory during the high season periods of July to September and then January to March. We have about 4,000,000 seats behind this products,’ Aggarwal told BW Hotelier. Somebody who is really aspirational. Can buy card and go on a holiday. Pricing begins at Rs 4,999 for a all inclusive airfare, 4 days 3 night stay with breakfast and taxes, for a Goa break for Mumbai to Rs 19,999 for a Dubai trip. ’For that audience who is only aspirational. We are really creating a new segment of holiday travellers,’ he said. The card can be purchased online and holidays can be booked online. It has participation of good branded hotels to ensure a great travel experience, Aggarwal said. ’Once people use our cards and figure out the quality, there will be a huge surge in demand for them,’ he added. Marketing is focussed on the Indian market, but everyone can buy in, even those visiting the country, he said. ’We want to make sure that in the next two or three years we can start to sell billions of dollars worth of holidays,’ he says. Currently the destinations covered are all airport cities in India and the most popular international destinations for Indian tourists in Asia & Middle East like Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh City, Colombo and Kathmandu. The author is Executive Editor of BW Hotelier.
Read More
By BW Hotelier BERGGRUEN HOTELS Pvt. Ltd. which operates in India under the brand, Keys Hotels has appointed Rajeev Thapa as the General Manager of Keys Resort Ronil, Goa. He will be responsible in ensuring smooth functioning of the hotel and building guest relations. Thapa joins Keys Resort Ronil, Goa with rich experience of over 18 years in the hospitality industry. He has worked with well-known hospitality brand such as Taj Hotels, The Leela Hotels, Le Meridien and The Park Hotels. Thapa holds a Diploma in ’Hotel Management and Catering Technology’ from the Institute of Advanced Management, Kolkata and a Diploma in Hospitality Management from American Hotel & Motel Association, Michigan.
Read More
By BW Hotelier AIANA HOTELS & Resorts L.L.C has appointed Murlidhar Rao as Senior Vice President, Operations. A seasoned hospitality professional, Rao joined Aiana Hotels & Resorts with a broad knowledge in the luxury spectrum that complements the brand’s niche positioning and offers a deep knowledge and vision for quality that lends itself to creating a premium lifestyle experience. Rao stated, ’It is a privilege to be a part of a brand with a strong sense of being, honesty and above all innovation. I am here to evoke the true spirit of Aiana Hotels & Resorts and help position it as the brand of choice for the conscious traveller across all destinations.’ Based out of the Qatar Financial Centre in Doha, Qatar, Rao will utilize his 30 years of expertise in hotel operations, project development, renovation, pre-opening processes and owner relations to support the brand’s growth strategy. Rao holds a 1st class Honours Diploma in Hotel Management from Bombay’s Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition and an Honours Certification for Intermediate Level of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). Rao brings with him extensive global hospitality experience ranging from pre-opening luxury resorts in the Maldives and Caribbean, to leading operations across South East Asia, to setting brand standards for a repositioning from mid-market to the premier segment in India across leading luxury hotel brands including Four Seasons, Kempinski, Mandarin Oriental and Alila. His last project was The Sanchaya in Bintan, Indonesia where he was instrumental in positioning the property as one of the best new luxury resorts in the world, garnering a host of industry accolades. Amruda Nair, Joint Managing Director and CEO, Aiana Hotels & Resorts, said, ’It is with great excitement that we welcome Murlidhar to Aiana. Murlidhar’s earnest passion for hospitality, keen eye for detail and extensive experience offers the ideal platform to build upon Aiana’s launch in the Middle East and South Asia. I am confident that Murlidhar is the right fit to lead the charge for defining the brand’s Indian service ethos and creating authentic travel experiences. We look forward to the journey ahead with Murlidhar in the lead to position Aiana as an industry leader for innovation, guest satisfaction and performance.’
Read More
By BW Hotelier FAITH (FEDERATION of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality) has expressed its delight on the announcement of the Government of India to add 36 more countries on e-Visa taking the total number of countries now to 113. Simultaneously, seven more Indian airports have been included in the list of airports where entry by e-Visa is allowed effective August 15 this year. Nakul Anand, Chairman, FAITH & Executive Director, ITC on behalf of all the member associations, complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Tourism Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma and Arun Jaitely, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj for supporting such a visionary step. Sarab Jit Singh, Vice Chairman, FAITH, said, ’Since the beginning of planning for e-Visa FAITH have partnered with the Government. We are extremely happy with the speed at which the Government has moved to implement this otherwise cumbersome process. This intensity shows the Government’s commitment to enhance Indian presence and create leadership in USD 2 trillion global tourism industry. According to FAITH, ’The Indian tourism is estimated to contribute around Rs 7 lakh crores to Indian economy, creating largest number of jobs and earning USD 18 billion plus forex. With this positive step, Indian economy is going to get a leg up on all socio economic parameters from tourism.’
Read More
By BW Hotelier WONDERLA HOLIDAYS Limited, one of the largest operators of amusement parks in India that currently owns and operates amusement parks and resorts declared gross revenue for Q1 ending June 30 for fiscal year 2015-16 at Rs 7465.39 lakh, an increase of 12.80 per cent over corresponding period last financial year (Rs 6615.57 lakh). The Profit After Tax for the Q1 was Rs 2804.16 lakh, an increase of 12.90 per cent over corresponding period last financial year (Rs 2483.47 lakh). The revenue from the two amusement parks ’ Bengaluru and Kochi was Rs 7147.09 lakh for the quarter under review while the revenue from resort was Rs 318.30 lakh. Commenting on the company’s performance Arun K Chittilappilly, Managing Director, Wonderla Holidays Ltd., said, ’We are happy with the revenues that the company has achieved during the first quarter of the financial year. We continue to be optimistic about the performance of both the Bengaluru and the Kochi parks, although there are short term challenges in terms of footfall growth. This is due to the added service tax burden of 14 per cent to our customers from June 1, 2015. We are looking to bring an increase in the footfall by adding never-before-seen mega rides at both the parks. We look forward to commencing operations at the Hyderabad Park in the coming year’ Wonderla Resort has achieved 48 per cent occupancy during the quarter. Construction of Hyderabad Theme park project is going on according to plan and we hope to open the project during Q1 of FY 2017. Wonderla Hyderabad will be the first large-scale tourism project to open after the Formation of Telengana State, he added. Wonderla Holidays Ltd. currently owns and operates two amusement parks under the brand name ’Wonderla’, situated at Kochi and Bengaluru. It also owns and operates a resort besides its amusement park in Bengaluru under the brand name ’Wonderla Resort’, which has been operational since March 2012.
Read More
