By Rashmi Pradhan SVENSKA HOTELS, a collection of boutique hotels, aims to operate 20 hotels by 2020. The company is looking to operate 1000 rooms across the two brands: Svenska Design Hotels and Svenska Select Hotels in the next five years. Speaking exclusively to BW Hotelier, Zia Shiekh, CEO & CMD, Svenska Design Hotels, (see photo) informed, ’We have a target of operating 1,000 rooms across the 20 hotels by 2020. These will be a mix of owned and lease properties. Currently 4 owned and 6 leased properties are in the pipeline. These properties are located at Chandigarh, Kolkata, Delhi and few tier-II locations. With two properties operational in Mumbai and Bengaluru, we are looking at multiple properties in these cities as well. We are a collection of small boutique hotels.’ Talking about the investment, Shiekh said, ’The cost per key for Svenska Design Hotels is Rs 50 lakh whereas the cost per key for Svenska Select Hotels is Rs 25 lakh.’ The overseas travelers contribute one-third of the hotel occupancy. The F&B plays an important role to drive the business. We do get a mix of business and leisure travelers. The business travelers comprise 75% of total occupancy while the leisure travelers are 25%, he added. Speaking about taking up brownfield projects, Shiekh said, ’We are open to undertake brownfield projects but the only hitch is to fit the property as per our brand standards. Therefore, the modus operandi as of now mainly is lease and greenfield projects.’ The Author is Assistant Editor at BW Hotelier.
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By BW Hotelier ACCORDING TO data compiled by STR Global for June 2015, India recorded increases in each of the three key performance metrics: Occupancy (+7.4 per cent to 58.1 per cent), ADR (+0.2 per cent to INR 5,162.58) and RevPAR (+7.6 per cent to INR 2,997.27). According to STR Global analysts, India’s gross domestic product grew significantly during the first quarter of 2015. With a new government in power, the economy in India is showing more stability and a better investment climate. Hotels in the Asia Pacific region experienced nearly flat performance in the three key performance metrics when reported in U.S. dollar constant currency, according to June 2015 data compiled by STR Global. Compared to June 2014, the Asia Pacific region reported a 0.2 per cent decrease in occupancy to 66.2 per cent, a 0.1 per cent drop in average daily rate to USD 102.32 and a 0.3 per cent decline in revenue per available room to USD 67.70. Australia saw a 2.9 per cent increase in occupancy to 70.8 per cent. ADR in the country was up 0.4 per cent to AUD 171.21, and RevPAR rose 3.4 per cent to AUD 121.27. Year-to-date demand growth (+3.1 per cent) in Australia has been outpacing supply growth (+1.6 per cent). The country also shows a 7.8 per cent year-over-year increase in year-to-date group demand. Indonesia saw a double-digit decline in occupancy (-18.6 per cent to 58.7 per cent) and RevPAR (-14.9 per cent to IDR 639,437.92), but the country’s ADR was up 4.6 per cent to IDR 1,088,806.89. STR Global analysts cite government austerity measures as the main reason behind the occupancy drop in Indonesia. Markets such as Jakarta, Bandung and Bali saw demand drop and occupancy fall shortly after the austerity measures were put into practice during the fourth quarter of 2014. South Korea reported declines in the three key performance measurements: occupancy (-33.9 per cent to 49.3 per cent), ADR (-10.8 per cent to KRW 168,882.57) and RevPAR (-41.0 per cent to KRW 83,289.96). Tourism in the country is struggling to recover from the recent MERS outbreak. Beijing, China, experienced increases in the three key performance metrics. Occupancy in the market rose 3.6 per cent to 73.1 per cent; ADR was up 2.0 per cent to CNY 586.45; and RevPAR increased 5.7 per cent to CNY 428.43. Year-to-date demand growth (+5.9 per cent) has been outpacing supply growth (+2.2 per cent) in the market. Beijing also hosted SINO-Dental 2015 and The 11th China International Coal Equipment & Mine Technical Equipment Exhibition (CICEME 2015) during the month. Manila, Philippines, saw a 2.8 per cent decrease in occupancy to 61.6 per cent, but ADR was up 3.4% per cent to PHP 5,709.49, and RevPAR rose 0.5 per cent to PHP 3,514.71. Phuket, Thailand, posted double-digit increases in occupancy (+20.4 per cent to 58.2 per cent) and RevPAR (+14.1 per cent to THB 1,606.08). ADR in the market declined 5.3 per cent to THB 2,757.45.
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By BW Hotelier MAHINDRA HOLIDAYS & Resorts India Limited (MHRIL) announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. The company reported a total income at Rs 231 crores, an increase of 21 per cent YoY in the first Quarter of FY16. The EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) rose 23 per cent YoY at Rs 56 crores. Profit after Tax was increased 23 per cent YoY at Rs 25 crores. During the quarter, the company opened its second property in Munnar with 51 rooms through a greenfield project. Commenting on the results, Arun Nanda, Chairman, MHRIL, said, ’I am pleased to see that the efforts of the new team and the systems and processes put in place earlier, have begun yielding results. This, along with our room inventory addition plan and the government’s thrust on tourism infrastructure, augurs well for the future’. Kavinder Singh, MD & CEO, MHRIL, said, ’Our operating metrics are showing a healthy trend. Additions to our property portfolio are on track. Alongside, member additions are growing at a brisk pace, with 50 per cent increase in Q1 FY16 (YoY). Our referral and digital sales contribution is at 54 per cent (of total sales) indicating growing ’consumer pull’ for our proposition. Our investments in brand building through digital and other media in communicating our core value proposition of delivering 'magical moments' at our 46 exotic resorts in India and abroad to our 186,000 members is beginning to yield results.’
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By BW Hotelier ANYA HOTELS & Resorts has recently appointed Vijay Krishnan V Menon as the General Manager of Anya Hotel Gurgaon. With over 19 years of experience with leading hospitality brands, Menon has proficiency proficient in the fields of Marketing & Sales, Business Planning Processes, Soft & Grand Open Hotels, Room Division Operations, Bar & Nightclub Management, and Revenue Management & Electronic Marketing. His last operational role was as the General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts. He has worked with Hyatt Regency Kolkata, The Park Bangalore, Chennai & Kochi American Express ’ Global Corporate Services, Le Meridien Hotel Bangalore & Resorts and The Oberoi Hotel Mumbai. With exceptional leadership skills, Menon strongly believes that a leader is only as good as his team. He also constantly evaluates local, national and international market trends in Hotel Management and Operations, Designs of Hotels & Resorts, New Nightclubs & Bars Designs & Operations, Marketing & Revenue Management to make sure that the hotel’s management remain competitive and of cutting edge. On his appointment Vijay said, ’I am delighted to be a part of Anya Hotel Gurgaon ’ Member of Design Hotels and would be working on consolidating the business and taking Anya Hotel to the next level.’
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By Rashmi Pradhan THE HOSPITALITY industry is emerging as a lucrative career option for the young generation. Moreover, the F&B segment is being perceived as a promising career option by young entrepreneurs and as mainstream career path. The business session, ’Emerging Career Opportunities for F&B Professionals: It can’t get any better’ witnessed panelist including Arjun Sharma, Chairman, Select Group; Sumeet Yadav, CEO, Nando’s India; Ad Singh, Managing Partner, Olive Bar & Kitchen; Zorawar Kalra, Founder & Managing Director, Massive Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. and Saurabh Khanijo, Director, Welgrow Hotel Concepts. The session was moderated by Samir Kuckreja, Founder & CEO, Tasanaya Hospitality. Speaking about his journey, Kalra said, ’The Indian F&B industry is 24 times bigger than Bollywood.’ It was easy to attract the young talent as I had a legacy built-up by my father Jiggs Kalra. Our attrition rate is low as I believe that pay better and you can get good talent. Retaining a talent is harder than attracting the talent.’ Sharing his experience while setting up and establishing Nando’s in India, Yadav said, ’The supply chain was a challenge. Since Nando’s was a new entrant in the Indian market it was a challenge to get people. Also right kind of people to serve the food in the restaurant is important. Now, the F&B industry is opening up for right reason.’ At Select Group, Sharma said, ’When we started the mall F&B (food court) was 10% of the entire mall space. As the business grew we realized that food court is an integral and important of the mall and that the space needs to be increased.’ Advising the young F&B professionals, Singh said, ’I started my business with a conscious. I would like to advise the young entrepreneurs that in before starting an own firm, work with a company or take up franchise of QSRs. The F&B is increasingly playing an important role and have great opportunities in malls, hospitals etc.’ The Author is Assistant Editor at BW Hotelier. Photo: AD Singh, Managing Partner, Olive Bar & Kitchen speaks during his panel discussion. Photo: Sanjay Sakaria.
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By Rashmi Pradhan THE OBJECTIVE of any business is to establish itself in the market and maximize revenues. At BW Hotelier F&B Conclave & Expo 2015, hoteliers were brought together to discuss on ’Maximizing revenues in a heated market’. Among the panelist were Zubin S Songadwala, General Manager, ITC Maurya; David Hopcroft, General Manager, Le Meridien Gurgaon, Delhi NCR, Ramon Salto, Executive Chef, The Leela Ambience Gurgaon Hotel & Residences and Deepak Khera, Hospitality Doctor. The session was moderated by Vivek Narain, MD, Indomalaya Advisors Pvt. Ltd. The panelist discussed on how the F&B plays an important role in maximizing the business revenue. Speaking on the role of F&B, Songadwala said, ’F&B drives the hotel business. It is important that locals talk about the hotel and that can happen only if they have experienced the hotel restaurants or utilized the banqueting services of the hotel. It is important to expose the services of the hotel to a larger community. There is an exponential growth from banqueting services. Through one window that is one event you can reach out to large audience base.’ Hopcroft said, ’Banqueting is important and contributes hugely to the hotel business. The outside catering market is also growing and it is a great opportunity. As people might not be opting for five-star venues but are open to undertake five-star hotel catering.’ When asked by the Narain on how design adds to the patronage of the hotel, the panelist agreed that a hotel design plays a vital role in attracting the guests. There are separate entries to the hotel lobby and banquet area. The privacy of the hotel guests is well maintained and also the banqueting services are unaffected in case of separate entry points to these well defined segments of the hotel. Khera informed, ’The hotels are designed in such a way that they can outsource their restaurants.’ The Author is Assistant Editor of BW Hotelier. Photo: Zubin S Songadwala, General Manager, ITC Maurya, ponders a point during the panel discussion. Photo: Sanjay Sakaria.
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By Rashmi Pradhan THE PANEL-discussion-on ’Feeding the Millennials: Future of Indian cuisine in an evolving young market’ at BW F&B Conclave and Expo 2015 was moderated by Advaita Kala, Writer and Food Columnist. Among the panelist were Manjit Gill, Corporate Chef, ITC Hotels and President, Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA); Davinder Kumar, President, Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) and Vice President F&B Production, Le Meridien New Delhi; Monish Gujral, Chairman & MD, Moti Mahal; Ravitej Nath, Executive Chef, The Oberoi New Delhi; Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt Ltd. and President, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and Manish Mehrotra, Corporate Chef, (Luxury Dining), Old World Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Millennials or Gen Y term is usually used to refer the set of people with birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. Commenting on Gen Y consumers, Amlani said that this segment has astonishing awareness. They are well travelled and are willing to spend on food. For them food has become a great socializer. Echoing the same sentiments, Chef Gill said, ’People are aware and they know the food.’ Chef Nath opined, ’Give them what they are looking for, give them what they want and they will be your customer forever. There need to be an element of youthfulness in the food.’ Mehrotra said that it is a challenge to feed this generation. He opined that Gen Y don’t go out for Indian food and to get them understand Indian food is difficult. However Amlani believed that ethnic Indian cuisine is emerging. Indian food is so diverse and vast. The consumer now is exploring more and goes into deep to understand the food. Breaking down the kind of consumers in different categories, Gujral said, ’There are three categories of consumers as per the demand for food: (a) comfort food (b) franchisation (c) night food. Chef Kumar said, ’Over the years, food has witnessed a sea change due to technology. Industrialisation has changed the mindset. Nutritious food prepared with twist using the fresh ingredients and creativity can do wonders. Change is the name of game.’ Giving a cautionary statement, Chef Kumar said, ’Don’t forget the roots of a cuisine.’ The author is Assistant Editor at BW Hotelier. Photo: Chef Manish Mehrotra, Corporate Chef (Luxury Dining), Old World Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, making a point during the session. Photo: Sanjay Sakaria.
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By Rashmi Pradhan BW HOTELIER brought together the who’s who of Indian Hospitality at it’s first-ever F&B Conclave and Expo which was held at Le Meridien, New Delhi on July 24, 2015. The event witnessed the stalwarts of the industry sharing their experiences and giving valuable insights on F&B operations. During the business sessions, professionals discussed on issues pertaining to the F&B business, role of technology and innovation, food safety and future of this segment. In addition, the event witnessed exhibitors including Venus Industries, Videocon, Dish TV, Ecole Hotelier Lavasa and Easydiner.com. The event started with the lighting of the traditional lamp by the Chief Guest Chef Davinder Kumar, President, Indian Culinary Forum and Vice President F&B Production, Le Meridien New Delhi and other dignitaries including Anurag Batra, Chairman, BW Businessworld; Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO, BW Communities; Bikramjit Ray, Executive Editor, BW Hotelier and Sourish Bhattacharyya, Consulting Editor, BW Hotelier. The inaugural address was presented by Hemant Oberoi, Consultant, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces (see photo). With over four decades of experience in the hospitality industry especially F&B, Chef Oberoi talked about his knowledge in F&B, shared his experiences and spoke about his long association with the Indian Hotels Company Limited. Chef Oberoi recalled, ’During our times the chefs were not recognised and were never allowed to interact with guests. However the time has changed and now chefs are being recognized globally. Having served the hospitality industry for so long I still feel that I am young since things are changing so fast.’ He urged that in order to survive in the industry constant innovation is paramount. The dignity of a chef needs to be brought up. Chef Oberoi informed, ’Fusion has become a part of our lives. Fusion is not a problem however a chef is required to learn the basics. Create a food/cuisine that is appealing to the customer.’ Chef Oberoi signed off by saying, ’You make a change you will get a change.’ The Author is Assistant Editor at BW Hotelier. Photo: Sanjay Sakaria.
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By BW Hotelier SHASHI BHUWAN Gopal has been appointed as the Pastry Chef at the JW Marriott Chandigarh. With 15 years of professional experience, he brings with him extensive skill and understanding of bakery and confectionery operations. Passionate about his work, he is known for his magic like ability of baking delectable savouries with unmistakable panache. Prior to this, Shashi was working as Pastry Chef at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace from June 2009 to May 2015. He has served the industry in various capacities throughout his tenure as C.D.P. at Novotel hotel Hyderabad, Dessert Chef at Restaurant Rama Roma, Landshut Germany, C.D.P at Renaissance Mumbai, D.C.D.P at Le Royal Meridian Mumbai, D.C.D.P at J.W. Marriott Mumbai and as Commis-1 at Le Royal Meridian Mumbai. A highly creative, detail oriented chef with a strong work ethic, Shashi consistently strives to refine his skill set. He goes by the philosophy that whatever he bakes must strike the right cords with the taste buds of the guests and transport them into a world of enchanting flavours. According to him, each component in a dish must retain an essence of its individuality while seamlessly amalgamating with others to give that perfect flavour which not only touches the senses but the soul of the connoisseur as well. He also pays special attention to the presentation, with each of his offerings looking heavenly and having the capacity to draw anyone towards themselves who happen to look at them even if it’s merely a glance. A specialist in Bakery, Confectionary & Chocolate Carving, he is known to adopt delicacies from different cultures and adopt them according to the Indian sensibilities and tastes. A Commerce Graduate from Ch. Charan Singh University Meerut UP, Shashi served his apprenticeship in Centaur hotel Mumbai from Nov 1996 to Nov 1999 before going on to scale greater heights in his incredible career.
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