By BW Hotelier IN ORDER to promote the state as a leading destination for Ornithologists and bird lovers from all over the world, Goa Tourism aims to undertake massive promotion drive in the State. As a given the fact, that the tiny state has an amazing bird diversity boasting of almost 423 bird species which are available in the State. This is expected to give a big boost for eco and hinterland tourism. Goa Tourism has tied up with the Bird Society of Goa based in Panjim, which is an autonomous society to promote ornithological interest in the State. As a part of this initiative, Goa Tourism will be supporting the Bird Society with a special grant of Rs 10.00 lakhs for publishing a photographic field guide on ’Birds of Goa’ authored by Bikram Grewal and Savio Fonseca. The Bird Society will also help Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) in developing bird trails in the State, and provide information to bird lovers on the GTDC website. Avi-Tourism is expected to attract high-end tourists and bird lovers from all over the world to it’s bird hotspots scattered across the State. Goa is also expected to be prominently featured as a Bird Watchers Paradise on the global map. Records have it that Goa has 4 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified by the Global Program of the Bombay Natural History Society along with Bird Life International ’ UK namely Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and Carambolim lake, in addition to the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. The move is to include three more IBAs namely Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary and Navelim wetlands in Bicholim. Dilip Parulekar, Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Goa, said, ’Goa Tourism has several tourism facets which are big attractions for tourists from far and wide. Avi-Tourism is one of the many highlights that bring Ornithologists and bird lovers to Goa in large numbers. We are very proud to have one more feather in the cap that is taking Goa Tourism’s name to greater heights. ’Birds of Goa’ is a big achievement in this regard and I appreciate the efforts taken by the Bird Society of Goa for scripting and publishing this Bird Guide. The strength of this book lies in its photographs and content. I am confident that Bird Watching Expeditions will get more exciting and enlightening.’ ’Avi-Tourism has attracted attention in recent years as an environmentally-friendly activity,’said Nilesh Cabral, Chairman, GTDC. ’Goa also has great potential for avi-tourism tourism than is currently being realized,’ he said pointing out to success stories of other countries where bird watching is a potentially lucrative and growing market. Goa offers the perfect setting for ornithologists and bird watchers which would include fanatics for the highly specialized ones and those who are into it as a hobby. October to February offers a wide spectra of birds with migratory birds invading Goa’s wetland hotspots for the season. Photo: A Vigors Sunbird photographed in St Inez Creek Goa.-
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By BW Hotelier SHANGRI-LA, Bengaluru has appointed Vivek Srinivasan as Director. He has a Bachelor’s Degree and Diploma in Hotel Management and holds a Certification as a corporate executive trainee from Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. He also possesses a Degree in Strategic Human Resources Practices from Cornell University. Srinivasan will provide strategic planning, direction and administration of the human resources function for the hotel, including staffing and recruitment, recognition and motivation, benefits, compensation and payroll, and in the promotion of the company’s culture through its vision, mission and guiding principles. With over 14 years of experience in human resources, training and hotel operations, he started his career at The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur as part of the pre-opening pioneer team in 2001. His journey with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts started in 2008, when he joined the company’s flagship resort, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives as human resources manager during its pre-opening phase. In 2011, he held a post at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu. He was then transferred to Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi in 2012 as Director of Human Resources and helped streamline the group’s labour productivity in the Middle East region. In 2014, he relocated to India to be part of the pre-opening team at Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru.
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By BW Hotelier ASHOK INSTITUTE of Hospitality and Tourism Management (AIH&TM), a hospitality training institute under the HRD Division of India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC) has formalized collaboration with the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT), under the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, to offer a Three year Bachelors of Science (B.Sc.) course in Hospitality and Hotel Administration. The first intake of students for the program was hosted in an induction session organized by the institute at The Ashok hotel, New Delhi yesterday. Present on the occasion were Umang Narula, Chairman and Managing Director, ITDC; Piyush Tiwari, Director (Commercial & Marketing), ITDC; Anup K Chatterji, General Manager, HRD & Principal (AIH&TM); Ram Bilash Meena, CVO, ITDC and P.K. Agarwal, Vice President Finance, ITDC, amongst other renowned dignitaries. This new initiative brings together AIH&TM’s expertise as a leader in providing professional training in hospitality and tourism, and NCHMCT’s significant excellence and on the ground experience in hospitality and tourism sector. Under the new program, students will learn from expert faculty and a wide pool of industry professionals, while getting hands-on experience in an international setting, and gain valuable insight about the cultural and business perspectives of the sector. While addressing the excited pool of students and parents on a rather cheerful note, Narula stated, ’This induction reminds me of my first day to college, the excitement for that uncertain which can be witnessed here right now. AIH&TM, as the premier institute in hospitality and tourism sector has excellent record of producing world class talent in servicing industry, examples of which can be seen leading some of the top hotel and restaurant chains in the country and abroad.’ Chatterji will lead as the principal of AIH&TM, drawing upon his experience of more than 28 years in hospitality and tourism industry. Speaking on the occasion, he said, ’The program will offer a well-rounded hospitality management education. Industry projects will be an important component of the program, and students will complete an internship in hospitality and related service industry.’ Adding to the merits of the program, he further stated, ’Our institute has always attracted students from all over the country. By offering a bachelors degree with NCHMCT, we can continue to enhance the global presence of the HHA degree and attract some of country’s most talented students to the program.’ The new program launched in affiliation with the NCHMCT will be part of the ITDC initiatives, aiming to provide innovative, dependable and value for money solutions to the needs of tourism development. As the prime mover in the progressive development, promotion and expansion of tourism, AIH&TM is presently handling multi-dimensional activities including hospitality related training for in-house and outside agencies. Other courses provided by AIH&TM include the Bachelors in International Hospitality Business Management, Training in Travel agency & Hospitality Management, Hotel Reception & Reservation, Housekeeping & Interior Decoration, Restaurant Service, Cookery, Bakery & Confectionary. Also provided are the one year Diploma Courses in Food Production and Management, Food & Beverage Operations, Housekeeping and Maintenance, Front Office Operations, Bakery & Confectionary.
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By BW Hotelier ITC- HOTEL’S flagship property, ITC Maurya was awarded- the ’Best Business Hotel’ at the 4th Annual Lonely Planet Magazine Travel- Awards 2015. The winner was selected through an online readers’ poll-conducted’? by’? the’? magazine.- The- awards- recognise- the- best- travel experiences,- service- providers,- the- preferred- places- to- stay and the destinations Indians most love to visit. ’What is really special about the Lonely Planet award is that it is chosen through- an- independent- poll,- by- the readers themselves; a testimony of their- endorsement- of ITC Hotels’ brand of service excellence based on the guiding’? premise’? of- our- ethos- of- ’Responsible- Luxury’’,- said- Zubin Songadwala, General Manager, ITC Maurya.
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By BW Hotelier CONCEPT HOSPITALITY Pvt. Ltd. has signed a management agreement with Howard Hotels Ltd to manage its existing 86 room hotel, The Howard Plaza in Agra.- As per the agreement, the hotel will now be named as Howard Plaza The Fern-Agra under CG Hotels & Resorts The Fern brand. Commenting on the agreement Param Kannampilly, Chairman and Managing Director, Concept Hospitality, said, ’We are happy to add this landmark property into our bouquet of hotels. Our aim is to actively expand and manage Fern Hotels & Resorts across the country. Howard Plaza The Fern-Agra, will provide our guests an unparalled hospitality experience right at the heart of the city.’ Talking about the agreement, N N Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Howard Hotels Ltd, said ’’We look forward for a long term association with the Fern Group and are happy with the new development and bringing a strong brand which will give a great experience to our guests.’’ Howard Plaza is a premium hotel situated at the center of the tourist zone and is located within walking distance from the historic, Taj Mahal.- A landmark property, the hotel has always been the favorite spot for its patrons who enjoy the connectivity and central location of the hotel. Howard Plaza, Agra has been a beckon of hospitality for over two decades offering the best in class services. In Photo:-N N Mittal, Chairman and MD of Howard Hotels (Left) with Param Kannampilly, Chairman and Managing Director, Concept Hospitality.
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By BW Hotelier THIS FRIDAY, the first-ever BW Hotelier F&B Conclave and Expo 2015, a unique gathering exclusively aimed at F&B decision-makers of starred hotels, will be held at the Sovereign Hall, Le Meridien, Windsor Place, New Delhi-from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm. The event will feature professional discussions on issues of relevance to the food and beverage business, best industry practices will also be shared. The conclave will also feature master classes presided over by the leaders of the profession. pitch sessions by vendors to introduce new products and food and beverage ingredients with five audience segments critical to their business ’ Operations Directors, F&B Managers, Beverage Managers, Banqueting Managers and Kitchen Ops Managers. In this festival of ideas, hospitality industry stalwarts will be joined by the young stars of the industry and together, they will share their valuable insights on issues that matter to F&B professionals. Issues to be discussed in depth at the BW Hotelier F&B Conclave 2015 include: (1) Feeding the Millennials: Restaurant concepts that will define the emerging marketplace. (2) Incredible India Cuisines: How can we turn our national wealth into a global asset? (3) Imagination & Innovation: The Future of Progessive Indian Cuisine. (4) Towards Energy Efficient Kitchens: New ideas, new technologies. What’s new and hot? (5) Maximising Revenues: Strategies to stay ahead in the overheated marketplace. This is the first-of-its-kind opportunity for food and beverage professionals to gather together to debate and discuss the future of their business, and for vendors to reach out to their key audiences. Join it, sponsor it, be present in it, and make history. Eminent participants in the event include Dilip Puri, Managing Director (India) and Regional Vice-President (South Asia), Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Hemant Oberoi, Culinary Icon and Consultant, The Taj Group; Gaggan Anand, Chef-Owner of Gaggan’s Bangkok, World’s No. 10 and Asia No. 1 restaurant; Yateendra Sinh, CEO, Lausanne Hospitality Group; Atul Kochhar, Chef-Owner of Michelin-starred Benaras in London; Soumya Goswami, Exec. Director, Culinary Operations, Melco Crown Entertainment, Macau; Gautam Anand, Vice-President, Operations, Planning and Pre-Opening Services, ITC Hotels, and Editorial Director, WelcomZest; Manjit Gill, Corporate Chef, ITC Hotels AND Vir Sanghvi, Chief Editor and Lead Critic, Eazy Diner; Eminent Print and TV Journalist. Registration for delegates are open and delegates can also register and pay by cash, card of cheque at the event itself. Photo: The Le Meridien, Windsor Place, New Delhi.-
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By BW Hotelier FOR THE first time, mobile has overtaken desktop bookings contributing to 53 per cent of overall domestic-hotel bookings (last year mobile hotel bookings were 29 per cent of overall bookings). According to customer transaction data available with MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel portal. According to the company, hotel-booking on the move via mobile devices reached an inflection point in June. This was fueled largely by last-minute bookings, with nearly 80 per cent -of bookings made just upto a week before travel. This trend is especially stronger for nearby and drivable destinations compared to those accessed via flights or rail. Check-ins over long weekends drive a 2x spike, reflecting how last-minute bookings are also fueling weekend getaways. Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and CEO-India, MakeMyTrip, said, ’Mobile has clearly hit an inflection-point by overtaking desktop in hotel-bookings for June. While Advance Purchase (AP) trends on desktop bookings have not changed compared to last year, the majority of hotel bookings on mobile continue to be for shorter AP. Almost 80-per cent of mobile bookings are for check-ins up to a week in advance, 61 per cent -for last-minute bookings (up to 2 days in advance) and a whopping 32 per cent -for same-day hotel bookings. However, a closer look will show that there is a slow but steady shift in consumer habit of booking on mobiles. Travellers are now using their mobiles to book hotels with a longer advance booking period.’ He added, ’The 7-day AP contributed to 82 per cent bookings on mobile last year (compared to 78 per cent -in FY 2014-2015), 48-hour AP contributed to 70 per cent bookings in 2014 (compared to 61 per cent -in 2014-2015) and same-day bookings fell from 40 per cent to 32 per cent this year. This is a positive development, since it shows customer confidence and comfort in transacting on the platform, and is an outcome of the value that we provide to the customer on the device of their choice.’ The biggest beneficiaries of changing customer behavior have been small and budget-property owners in Tier III towns which have shown the highest year-on-year (YoY) growth in mobile bookings. The platform has brought the long-tail of hotels onto the ecosystem thereby driving value for all stakeholders. ’ Highest gainers in online hotel bookings: Landsdowne, Khajjiar, Yelagiri, Alibaug and Ganpatiphule ’ Highest gainers in online hotel bookings (metros & non-metro cities): Chandigarh, Nagpur, Vishakhapatnam, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Hyderabad, Varanasi and Lucknow
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By BW Hotelier THE ASSOCIATION of hotel concierges, Les Clefs d'Or, awarded Biswajit Chakraborty, General Manager, Sofitel Mumbai BKC with the International Honorary Membership to UICH (Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hotels). This is the highest recognition for members of the organisation focused on providing excellence in hotel industry. Chakraborty received the award from Edwin Saldanha, Zone Director Asia and James Ridenour, General Secretary - Les Clefs d'Or International. Receiving the honour for the continuous support and patronage to the concierge community, Chakraborty said, ’It is wonderful to receive this appreciation. I have been associated with the Les Clefs d’Or India for number of years now and have seen the contribution the society has made in recognizing the efforts put in by the concierge community. I am honoured with this recognition and will always continue to be an integral support for this society.’ Established in India in 1998, Concierge Association of India, the members of Les Clefs d'Or International endeavours at improving and maintaining the quality of service provided by the concierge staff in their hotels and to ensure that this little appreciated profession is given the recognition it deserves. Bestowed with the famed Crossed Golden Keys, the association encompasses over 44 countries with over 5,000 members worldwide with strict admission policies. Sofitel Mumbai BKC has been associated with the organisation and their representatives Sachin Singh was elected as the Assistant General Secretary for organization during the bi-annual elections for the term 2015 ’ 2017, while Mahadev Ingale was inducted into Les Clefs d’Or Indiain July this year. Photo:-Edwin Saldanha, Zone Director Asia (left) and James Ridenour General Secretary - Les Clefs d'Or International, (right) hands over the honourary membership to Biswajit Chakraborty (centre).
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By Ajay Khanna I HAVE-just taken over as the president of the Hotel and Restaurant Manufacturers’ Association of India (HOTREMAI). It's been a long road and I am happy to be in this position. I started by company Eagle Forgings in around 1986 which is close to now 30 years. We were one of the first people to start imports and it’s been a long journey. Those days’ imports were difficult. Products were not made in India hotels were importing. There were no such things as faxes, SMS, emails. So getting foreign equipment into India in the correct way at the correct price was our vision. We tied up with some of the best companies abroad. We started our business and tried to run it professionally for the last 30 years. The company's name is Eagle Forgings and I think we have made a name for ourselves mainly in the business of supplying equipment and servicing the customer which is one of our main goals. I came into HOTREMAI about 25 years ago. R Kumar and Nirmal Khandelwal, both founder members, introduced me to the organisation. We met on a flight and they told me that they had started this association and it was to bring the manufacturers together, bring the importer, the suppliers together and make a professional organisation so that they could represent them professionally with the government and with hoteliers and run an association which works towards promoting this business and also handling grievances wherever needed. Since joining 25 years ago, I have worked through the exhibition committee, the membership committee, Joint Secretary, Secretary, North India President, Senior Vice President and finally I have made it to the President's seat which I am very happy to be. I think that HOTREMAI has come a very long way since Mr Kumar's and Mr Khandelwal's vision way back in the late 80s and I think we have really tried very hard to promote this business. Primarily HOTREMAI used to look after exhibitions, promotions, magazines, building exhibitions, negotiating with exhibitors, getting good rates, good locations and professionalising exhibitions. One of the main exhibitions we take part in is Ahaar. It started out as a small food show and with the support of HOTREMAI and some others has become an international level show mainly for equipment. My vision for HOTREMAI is that I need to take it to the next level. We need to work on Make in India. We need to liaison with the government. We need to discuss with other organisations, we need to find ways in promoting manufacturers and traders. Professionalising the system. Making it more transparent. and trying to take things further. Maybe bring in International fairs, maybe take our fairs international. After all, Indian manufacturers have become world class. There isn't any part of the world where they cannot promote their products. It's going to be a long task. It’s a difficult task specially to do with the powers that be. Government is not easy to move but I think with persistent efforts and with a good team it can be done. We have a fantastic team this year and I think we really need to promote internationally to become one of the strongest countries and associations selling equipment around the world. Similar to what the car industry has done. One is subsidy. It’s a very dirty word these days. Subsidies are required at the initial stages. The problems are that it’s not easy to get. But to promote industry, to promote manufacturers, government has to assist. See China. The Chinese government provides low-cost land, low-cost finance and a lot of single point clearance, easy support, and excellent support. Look what China has done. A lot of our companies do sourcing in China. I think that has to stop. I think manufacturing in India has to begin. I am fully for bringing in components which are technologically advanced and we may not have the technical base to make in India. I think to bring in equipment, to bring in certain component, bring in know how is acceptable. Eventually products have to be made in India for India as well as for exports. There is a lot of talk about putting restrictions on imports. That is one way of doing it, but I think support to the industry is better. One of the biggest problems in India is cost of land, cost of finance and regularising the employees. Employee education to me is a huge factor. Productivity of an employee in Europe or China is much higher than in India. The professionalism of working, the want to work and produce something and the desire to get a result is much higher. These are a few things that must be done in India by the private sector and the government together to promote productivity and make in India. The Author is President of HOTREMAI. As told to Bikramjit Ray
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