By BW Hotelier THOMAS COOK (India) Ltd. along with Travel Corporation (India) Limited (TCI), its wholly owned subsidiary, formally completed the process of acquisition of 100 per cent shareholding of Kuoni Travel (India) Private Limited from the Kuoni Group, on December 16, 2015. With this, Thomas Cook India completes the acquisition process of Kuoni Group’s Travel businesses across both India and Hong Kong. In addition to the current brands of Thomas Cook and TCI, the acquisition will allow Thomas Cook India Group the usage of the SOTC brand (including SITA) in perpetuity, the Kuoni brand in India for 12 months and in Hong Kong for five years. Commenting on the acquisition, Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, (see photo) said, "We have successfully completed the closure process for the acquisition of Kuoni Travel across India and Hong Kong; this gives us significant synergies across the entire spectrum of travel services, including, Inbound, MICE, Outbound and Domestic, as also Corporate Travel. As part of our strategic intent of a larger Asia play, we had taken the first step with our acquisition of Luxe Asia in Sri Lanka, and Kuoni Hong Kong is now a reiteration of our intent.’ Menon added, ’The acquisition of Kuoni India ’ ably led by the Management Team under Rajeev Wagle and Dipak Deva- represents strong businesses and brands that we plan to leverage for customers of both Kuoni and Thomas Cook India, and we welcome aboard all our colleagues at Kuoni India."
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By BW Hotelier INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS Group (IHG) has signed a management agreement with Radius Developers to rebrand an existing 93-room hotel in Terminal 3 of India’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Currently operating as Eaton Smart ’ New Delhi Airport Transit Hotel, this was India’s first hotel to open in the transit area of an airport terminal. The rebranding of this hotel to Holiday Inn Express New Delhi International Airport Terminal 3 at the end of this year will mark the entry of the brand into New Delhi. Shantha de Silva, Head of South West Asia, IHG, said, ’We always look for the right partner to grow our brands with and are delighted to be working with Radius Developers to launch our Holiday Inn Express brand at a great location in New Delhi. We see a real opportunity to draw transit guests into our hotel with our Holiday Inn Express brand offering and look forward to delivering great guest experiences to even more people when the expansion of the new terminal is complete.’ Ujjval Desai, Director, Radius Developers, said, ’As the hotel is located in the heart of India’s busiest aviation hub, it is important for us to have the right brand offering transit guests exactly what they need ’ a fuss-free, convenient stay and great night’s sleep ’ before they take off the next day. IHG has had great success with Holiday Inn Express which is now one of the fastest growing hotel brands in the world, and we look forward to working with them to draw more guests through our doors when the hotel opens later this year.’ Forty million passengers pass through the airport each year and this is projected to more than double following the completion of the expansion programme by 2030. Guests staying at the hotel will have a range of food and beverage options available to them at both the domestic and international terminal. The hotel will also feature the brand's signature Great Room where guests can dine and interact with each other during their stay, and a spa to relax in their downtime.
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By Rashmi Pradhan IN ORDER to offer a simplified and hassle free online charter booking, Baron Aviation has launched BookMyCharters, an advanced and user friendly online platform to book a private jet in less than 60 seconds. BookMyCharters is a unique and innovative offering for online charter booking that enables customers to transact on a real time basis. Currently, the platform has got its acceptance from more than 12 operators who have listed over 40 Aircraft covering 149 airports till date with five more operators and 10 Aircrafts in pipeline to be listed by the end of month. The technology behind the platform is proprietary and patents for this innovation have been filed. Rajeev Wadhwa, Chairman and CEO, Baron Aviation, (see photo) said, ’Behind the simple and user friendly customer interface is a robust proprietary technology platform that automates several manual processes and crunches multiple variables through our advanced algorithms to reduce the entire process of searching and quoting an aircraft to less than a minute.’ According to Wadhwa, ’Aggregation of aircraft inventory and their neutrality towards all aircraft owners will help to evolve BookMyCharters as an integrated market place that will bring Indian charter industry to the global canvas with far more credibility, faith, transparency and service quality that will match global standards.’ BookMyCharters is an alternative to the offline model. Currently in an offline model customer gets limited choice of aircraft and it takes anywhere between two hours to 48 hours to generate a quote. With BookMyCharters, the customer can now book a private jet with in as much time and ease as he books a normal commercial airline ticket online. ’BookMyCharters management believes that it will be able to migrate 30-40 per cent of current air charter users to the platform within the first year of its operations. It also expects to grow the existing market by 30 per cent, bringing in new customers especially from non metro cities and international travelers who can now book and pay online. We plan to integrate over 60 per cent of the Indian private aircrafts over next 8-12 weeks,’ added Wadhwa. ’By launching BookMyCharters we want to corporatize the General Aviation industry in India by aggregating Aircraft inventory and consolidating customers and thus bringing in the highest level of professionalism and transparency in Air Charter industry. The total charter market amounts to Rs 1800 crore and is expected to grow to Rs 5,000 crore by 2020,’ stated Wadhwa. BookMyCharters is an aircraft aggregation platform where one window offers widest choice of available aircrafts providing instant quotes and not estimates. It also offers an option to select an aircraft from off base; bookings and payments are made online and booking confirmation can be received instantaneously. BookMyCharters is a globally scalable platform and is geared to address the USD 20 billion global opportunity. The platform is a substitute to high value private jet ownership and is disruptive to most popular current aircraft chartering options like fractional ownership and jet card programs. The company endeavors to be a global player in the air charter market and reach out to mature markets like America and Europe and emerging markets like Africa in the coming years, either directly or by engaging partnerships with local players.
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By BW Hotelier ACCORDING TO monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) compiled by Ministry of Tourism, the FTAs during November 2015 were 8.15 lakh as compared to FTAs of 7.65 lakh during November last year and 7.34 lakh in November 2013. There has been a growth of 6.5 per cent in November 2015 over November 2014. FTAs during the period January-November 2015 were 71.03 lakh with a growth of 4.5 per cent, as compared to the FTAs of 67.94 lakh with a growth of 10.5 per cent in January-November 2014 over January-November 2013. The percentage share of FTA in India during November 2015 among the top 15 source countries was highest from USA (15.76 per cent) followed by Bangladesh (12.27 per cent), UK (11.00 per cent), Canada (4.52 per cent), Australia (4.22 per cent), Malaysia (3.43 per cent), Russian Fed. (3.42 per cent), Germany (3.34 per cent), France (2.93 per cent), Sri Lanka (2.89 per cent), China (2.83 per cent), Japan (2.51 per cent), Singapore (2.19 per cent), Nepal (1.77 per cent) and Thailand (1.58 per cent). These top 15 countries account for 74.66 per cent of total FTAs during November 2015. Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism in India during November 2015 were Rs 11,610 crore as compared to Rs 12,988 crore in November 2014 and Rs 11,994 crore in November 2013. The FEEs during November 2015 registered a decline of 10.6 per cent over November 2014 as compared to positive growth of 8.3 per cent in November 2014 over November 2013. FEEs from tourism during January-November 2015 were Rs 1,12,958 crore with a growth of 1.0 per cent as compared to the FEE of Rs 1,11,889 crore with a growth of 15.3 per cent during January-November 2014 over January-November 2013.
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By BW Hotelier THOMAS COOK (India) Ltd., delivered on its aggressive expansion strategy 2015, with a strategic clicks and bricks model to penetrate Tier II & III source markets via its hybrid solution of technology assisted outlets. 33 new consumer centres were set up across the country, including- Amritsar, Ahmednagar, Bareily,- Nellore, Ranchi, Palarivattam, Ludhiana, Valachery, augmenting Thomas Cook’s pan-India distribution reach to 233 locations (including 23 airport counters), supported by a strong partner network of 116 franchise outlets (Gold Circle Partners) and 112 Preferred Sales Agents. Thomas Cook’s internal research has revealed the powerful potential of Middle India: A travel hungry consumer base with a clear need for a trust worthy brand to fulfil their travel aspirations. The Company’s research also reveals that while Indian travelers research online and may buy tickets online, when it comes to complex and expensive transactions like holidays, especially international, they prefer to have a human interface. The McKinsey report reiterates the size and exponential growth of Middle India: currently at 8.8 million households; expected to reach 43.6 million by 2025. Hence, in a strategic move to leverage this untapped market potential, Thomas Cook India’s innovation of leaner, more efficient, technology-assisted outlets was deployed. Thomas Cook’s hybrid technology assisted outlets offer a 3 pronged consumer benefit: 1) Door-step access to a range of holidays and travel related products-services (like foreign exchange, visas, insurance) 2) The reassurance and comfort of a human interface via Thomas Cook’s travel experts 3) Smart technology, ensuring real time access to available inventory coupled with online bookings; equally CRM benefits of seamless customer data for transactions; also tablet apps in key outlets- with critical content like destination info, tour options, day-wise itineraries, visa assistance, etc. Commenting on the strategic expansion, Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., (see photo) said, ’At Thomas Cook India, we foresee significant growth emerging from Middle India and hence were quick to transition to online and online-assisted selling via our focused hybrid omni-channel ’brick and click’ model. Our technology assisted outlets will operate via tablets and mobile apps that enable transactions across the Thomas Cook range of products and services, including domestic and international holidays, flights, hotels, insurance and foreign exchange.’ ’Middle India will continue to be a powerhouse in our success story and our extensive network now offering travel hungry customers enhanced access, convenience and the reassurance of human touch via our Thomas Cook experts, is timed perfectly for our Summer 2016 launch,’ he added.
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By BW Hotelier THE CONSTRUCTION of Indian Culinary Institutes (ICIs) at Tirupati and Noida is all set to begin, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Culinary Institute (ICI) Society and the National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd. (NBCC) at the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), New Delhi. The MoU was signed by Dr. Preeti Srivastava, Joint Secretary & Ex-officio Director, ICI on behalf of ICI Society and Rajendra Chaudhari, Director (Commercial) on behalf of NBCC Ltd. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, MoT and Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, MoT also graced the occasion. Indian Culinary Institute (ICI) at Tirupati with its Northern Regional Chapter at Noida are being set up by the Ministry of Tourism. Foundation Stones for both the Institutes have already been laid. The Govt. of Andhra Pradesh has transferred land measuring 14.21 acres at Tirupati in favour of ICI Society for construction of ICI Tirupati. The main objective of setting up of ICI is to institutionalise a mechanism to support efforts intended to preserve, document, promote and disseminate the Indian Cuisine, meet the sectoral requirement of specialists specific to Indian Cuisine, as also of teachers, and promote Cuisine as a Niche Tourism product. The ICIs are proposed as Institutes of Excellence that will offer structured regular programmes of study specific to culinary arts leading to graduate and post graduate level degrees, promote research and innovation, organize demand driven certificate and diploma courses, document and create data base specific to Indian cuisine and commission studies and survey on cuisine. The need for ICI is felt as the formal education specific to Indian cuisine, a culinary art, with pan-India sweep is conspicuous by its absence. There is no regular credible institutional source at apex level for supply of cuisine specialists to the sector. Also, at present there is no institutional mechanism to document and disseminate information related to cuisine. In India at present, there is dearth of ideal training ground to groom chefs of international standards. To fill this void, the ICIs would provide the appropriate training ground at par with the culinary schools functioning in different parts of the developed world. The edifice to be created would be exclusive and one of its kind at selecting and training the best talent through intensive programmes of one to three years duration. This effort will facilitate building a super-speciality food production work-force to assure positions of Chefs and beyond in the hospitality industry Photo:-The Joint Secretary & Ex-officio Director, ICI Society, Dr. Preeti Srivastava and the Director (Commercial), NBCC Ltd., Rajendra Chaudhari signed a MoU between the Indian Culinary Institute (ICI) Society and the National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd. (NBCC) for construction of Indian Culinary Institutes (ICIs) at Tirupati and Noida, in the presence of the Secretary, MoT, Vinod Zutshi and the Joint Secretary, MoT, Suman Billa in New Delhi.
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By BW Hotelier THE PARK Hotels, have entered into management services and marketing agreement with Moroccan property, Sahara Palace Marrakech. This property opened under the new management effective Sept this year. Sahara Palace Marrakech features splendorous Moorish, Indian and Venetian architecture, is home to 89 guest rooms, 15 luxurious suites, and four exclusive Riads. Priya Paul, Chairperson, The Park Hotels, said on the acquisition, ’We are delighted to be managing this beautiful palace hotel in Morocco. Along with the strong Moroccan accents throughout the property, there are a number of Indian design influences, making the hotel a great fit for us as hoteliers from the subcontinent.’ Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, The Park Hotels, said, ’Sahara Palace Marrakech is our first international hotel. We are excited about managing this beautiful and serene royal palace. It is indeed an exotic escape for business and leisure travelers with secluded retreat and Moroccan sunshine.’ The hotel is set amongst 54 hectares of landscaped gardens, surrounded by tranquil palm trees and olive groves. All rooms and suites enjoy stunning views across the Atlas Mountains, the Palmeraie desert or the properties’ tranquil pool and gardens. Each part of the property has been meticulously crafted with a vivid blend of captivating Moroccan and exotic Indian themes. Built in pure Moroccan architecture, in hues of bronze and orange, the Riads are their own hotels within the Sahara Palace property. Each Riad consists of 36 rooms, including four luxury suites and one family suite, complete with a private outdoor space and gardens. There are four restaurant offerings within the property: Rumi Restaurant, Mantra Restaurant, Bombay Veranda and Menzeh Restaurant. Rumi offers diners a true taste of Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine, using the best local ingredients. The burgundy colored walls are hand polished and wax plastered using the craft Tadlekt, a traditional lime plaster. Set in a vibrant open kitchen, Mantra offers guests Indian and Asian cuisine through a journey of traditional spices. The Bombay Veranda is a unique outside fine dining brassiere, with a Moroccan touch. Menzeh is a more relaxed approach to dining, located by the pool, overlooking the landscaped gardens. Sahara Palace offers two grand and splendid bars; the Jade Room and Bombay Bar. The Jade Room is artistically furnished with opulent high ceilings and two fireplaces, the perfect setting for a high tea experience. Bombay Bar offers a more traditional and Colonial experience, with a lounge and pool tables creating an area to relax and unwind with a cigar in hand. The Sahara Palace offers the ultimate destination to relax and rejuvenate in a beautiful Moroccan setting, with a luxurious 3800 sq mtr spa. The spa features an indoor heated pool, 14 treatment rooms, as well as two impressive Turkish Hammam baths. The hotel also features a Techno gym cardio-training room and a Yoga temple. Photo: The Sahara Palace Marrakech.
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By BW Hotelier ZIPROOMS, PROMOTED by Spree Hotels promoter Keshav Baljee (see photo), announced today that it has reached the milestone of 100 hotels under its technology enabled franchising model. ZipRooms is now present in most leisure and business locations across the country, offering budget and mid-market travellers a standardized, quality assured hotel or serviced apartment stay. Commenting on the achievement Ziprooms founder and CEO Mr. Keshav Baljee said, ’We are extremely proud of achieving this-milestone-of 100 hotels, pleased to have associated with some of the finest hoteliers across the country. With over 50 cities across India, we are trying to build India’s most reliable chain of budget hotels.’- ZipRooms also announced three new segments in which its hotels are now categorised based on their facilities and amenities. The ZipRooms Luxury collections are hotels in the 3 star category. The ZipRooms Comfort collection are budget hotels in the 1 and 2 star category. The ZipRooms apartment collection is the newly launched category, with serviced apartments and serviced guest houses. With these three categories, ZipRooms can now cater to a wider spectrum of corporate and individual travellers’ demands. With this 100th addition, ZipRooms is now present in nearly 50 cities across India, with over 3000 rooms in its franchise portfolio.
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