By Sourish Bhattacharyya WITH HIS recent elevation as Managing Director of Landbase India Limited, Anand Rao, General Manager, ITC Grand Bharat, now presides over a 300-acre estate in the lap of the Aravallis where peacocks come home to roost. On this vast green stretch, the 104 suites of the showpiece ITC hotel that Rao heads sprawl across 14.5 acres and on the rest of the land sits the Classic Golf & Country Club, Jack Nicklaus’s first South Asian championship course divided into three nine-hole sections. Yet, Rao has an unbelievably lean staff of 190-200 people, of whom just 70 are on the permanent staff, managing not only the 100 suites (the four presidential suites are nearing completion), but also four food and beverage destinations, a 30,000-square-foot spa, and a plush convention zone that has already caught the fancy of corporate houses and families scouting for suitable addresses to host niche weddings. How does Rao staff this lean machine that manages ITC Grand Bharat like clockwork? As he explained to me during a guided tour of the property, Rao draws on his third role in the organisation ’ yes, his third hat is that of General Manager, Learning Services, ITC Hotels, which makes him the boss of the ITC Hospitality Management Institute (ITC-HMI), Manesar ’ to manage the luxury resort almost entirely with the help of the students under his charge. It is an operation run by two batches of ITC-HMI students ’ the juniors who perform the nuts-and-bolts tasks and the seniors who double as assistant managers ’ and they report to their respective department heads, many of whom are teachers of their institute who have been assigned to the hotel so that they can brush up their rusty real-world hoteliering skills. For the students, it is an unsurpassable work experience; for Rao, it is a way to keep his staffing costs and the number of permanent employees low, as he taps the passion of students, which more than anything makes up for their lack of experience. With an in-house talent pool, getting to run the resort may not be as much of a challenge for Rao as filling up the 100 suites and, eventually, the four presidential villas nearing completion. The 800-square-foot suites, each of which opens either on to a private dip pool, or leads up to a terrace, today command an average room rate of Rs 25,000 a night, which makes Rao’s task doubly daunting. To achieve desirable occupancies, Rao’s team is tapping ’a varied portfolio of segments’. To these different markets, the resort is being sold as a golfing destination, a wellness getaway, or a venue for corporate retreats and even niche wedding receptions. Rao will also target another important segment, which is increasingly attracting the attention of hoteliers. It consists of leisure travellers whose idea of a good holiday is a ’staycation’, or a break not very far from their place of residence. ’The layout of ITC Grand Bharat and the range of activities it offers are such that we let our guest set their pace themselves,’ says Rao. ’We believe in ’unhurried luxury’ and that’s what we are giving our guests at ITC Grand Bharat.’ Say ’hello’ to unhurried luxury before you return to the rat race after you leave the gates of the benchmark-setting luxury resort. Sourish Bhattacharyya is Consulting Editor, BW Hotelier.-
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Sourish Bhattacharyya THE Taj Group’s second hotel in Dubai is all set to open in that rapidly mushrooming part of the emirate dominated by the world’s tallest structure, Burj Khalifa, and now better known as the Business Bay. Taj Dubai will be the second Indian hotel to open in the city-state since June 2013, when The Oberoi, a 252-key property with a 31-story office block and the hugely popular Iris bar, announced its arrival in the same neighbourhood, offering the best views of the Burj Khalifa. It is also in this zone that the twin towers of the JW Marriott Marquis, the world’s tallest hotel boasting of 1,600-plus rooms and 13 F&B locations, loom into Dubai’s ever-changing skyline. Another neighbour of the hotel is The Dubai Mall, famous for its 1,200 stores, an Olympic-size skating rink and the world’s largest in-mall aquarium. A 296-room hotel, Taj Dubai opens with The Chambers, marking the uber-exclusive club’s first international foray, and seven F&B destinations. These include the all-day restaurant Tesoro, which has a distinguishing glass-and-metal conservatory with an olive tree, and will serve Peruvian cuisine in the evenings. The Elegant Elephant recreates the neighbourhood gastro pub atmosphere with its vintage-style decorations made from repurposed wooded drinks crates. And Bombay Brasserie, the London restaurant and celebrity magnet that the Taj Group has been running since 1982, will bring its brand of Indian fine-dining to Dubai after Taj Cape Town. The newest Taj worldwide, and the second in Dubai after the Taj Palace Hotel in Deira, is headed by Jason Harding, who was with the Armani Hotel at the Burj Khalifa till last year. In an interview with ArabianBusiness.com, Harding said the Taj Group was in talks with investors for potential hotel developments at the Palms (Jumeirah), Jumeirah Lakes and Sheikh Zayed Road. The Taj Group, Harding said, is also eyeing growth outside Dubai ’ notably in Abu Dhabi, Oman, Ras Al Khaimah and Qatar. Harding also hinted that the Taj Group will enter these markets not only with its marquee brand, but also its Taj Exotica (resorts) and Vivanta (four star-plus) lines. Interestingly, The Oberoi is also expanding its Middle Eastern footprint by first opening in Marrakesh (Morocco) in 2016 and then in Ajman’s Al Zorah development on the eastern coastline of the United Arab Emirates, where it proposes to open a 100-room resort on the 12-km waterfront by 2018. With the two Indian rivals in the hospitality space eyeing the Middle East for aggressive expansion, it may well happen that when you land in Dubai for the World Expo in 2020, you may get to enjoy the luxury of checking in at one of a slew of homegrown hotels. Sourish Bhattacharyya is Consulting Editor, BW Hotelier.-
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By Bharat Mitra ORGANIC India started off as a trading company in the earlu 1990s, their aim was to share the wisdom of India and Ayurveda with the world. When they realized the toll which chemical companies and intensive agriculture had inflicted on the Indian farmer, they realized their true purpose’to help start an organic revolution in India. Organic India is not merely a corporate entity it is a living ecosystem in the heart of the corporate world, where everyone is treated with love and respect, and everyone benefits, starting with Mother Earth. The most important essential thing about Organic India is how productive and holistic it can be and how the nature of this ecosystem can nourish everyone involved with it. One of our products which you would find in many hotel rooms as well as airlines (we are in talks with Lufthansa to serve it on their flights), is our tulsi tea. Here I must quote an article by Professor Marc Cohen, Professor of Health Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne Australia: Modern air travel has opened the world. In 2013, over three billion commercial passengers took to the skies. Yet, travelling in a pressurised metal cabin 10km above sea level has its drawbacks. Travellers are subject to a wide range of physical, mental and emotional stresses, from the time they leave home until they arrive at their destination. A review of the hundreds of scientific studies of Ocimum Sanctum, commonly known as Tulsi, or Holy Basil, reveals that Tulsi is the ideal solution. Science supports the ancient wisdom behind Tulsi, and suggests that Tusli is an essential travel companion. Tulsi has a unique combination of antioxidant, anti-infl-ammatory, anti-microbial and other actions that combine to help the body and mind adapt and cope with a wide range of physical, emotional, chemical and infectious stresses. Tulsi’s unique pharmacological activity particularly helps address many issues faced by modern air travellers such as infection, fatigue, thrombosis, anxiety and dealing with restraint, noise, hypoxia, radiation, industrial chemicals and poor sleep. The beneficial effects of Tulsi have been demonstrated in numerous animal experiments and human trials have shown that Tulsi can improve general anxiety and stress scores, relieve symptoms such as forgetfulness and feelings of exhaustion and assist with sexual and sleep problems, according to Dr Cohn’s research. Kicking the travel bugs The Centre for Disease Control in the US currently list over 60 infectious diseases related to travel (wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/ diseases). Travellers are more prone to infections due to greater exposure to different pathogens and the immune suppressant effects of travel stress. Yet, recent research suggests that Tulsi may support the human immune system to fight off infections while at the same time suppressing many bugs. Bharat Mitra is Founder President of Organic India. As told to Bikramjit Ray.
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By Sourish Bhattacharyya AFTER CELEBRATING 20 eventful years, Delhi’s first trattoria-style Italian restaurant with an open kitchen, La Piazza at the 507-room Hyatt Regency, now has a new Chef de Cuisine. Born and raised in the food-rich region of Perugia, Luca Digirolamo comes to the Hyatt Regency after running his own restaurant, Refectorium at La Rocca di Mantignana in Perugia, for five years. As Chef Luca was sharing with us at a La Piazza brunch with journalists on Sunday, March 1, where he got to showcase his signature Tuscan-Umbrian style, Refectorium was a typically Italian mom-and-pop restaurant (his wife managed the front of the house and he ran the kitchen) operating out of a reconditioned ancient Roman villa that later served as a monastery. Refectorium, incidentally, was the name given to the dining room of a monastery. Chef Luca, who brings with him 21 years of work experience and an international stint at the Grand Hyatt Muscat, was last seen with the statuesque Sarah Todd, ex-MasterChef Australia contestant, at his other domain, the banqueting space called the Mansion’s Oval Room, where he had presented an interactive cooking workshop for Delhi-NCR’s food aficionados in the dramatic setting of the glittering theatre kitchens of the Hyatt Regency’s new prized possession. His selection of dishes had then included Middle Age fritters with pan-fried Parma ham glazed with balsamic vinegar, vegetarian sausage, prawn and lemon ravioli with Italian bisque and La Piazza’s signature melting chocolate dessert. This past Sunday, Chef Luca’s unsurpassable onion jam (an unmissable accompaniment to a slice of pecorino on La Piazza’s well-stocked antipasti larder), lamb ossobuco, lobster ravioli and a luscious zabaione with fresh fruit were the conversation starters. They gave us a hint of what to expect from this good-natured chef, who loves to invent dishes and experiment with ingredients, as he goes about re-formatting La Piazza’s menu. Sourish Bhattacharyya is Consulting Editor, BW Hotelier.
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BW Hotelier AS REPORTED earlier by BW Hotelier, the JW Marriott Sahar, in Mumbai is all set for its soft opening this weekend. The hotel, which has a capacity of 585 rooms when fully functional, will see an official launch sometime in April, 2015 according to sources within the company. The core team which launches the property is headed by General Manager Saeid Heidari, Who has been with the group since 2007. He was General Manager of Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel & Marriott Executive Apartments, Mumbai. Abhimanyu Singh joines as Director of Rooms; Ayesha Bhalla as Director of Sales and Marketing; Stephen Dsouza as Director of Food and Beverage and Vivek Bhatt as the Executive Chef. Other key members of the opening team are: Neesha Mohapatra, Director of Human Resource; Shailesh Kumar, Director of Engineering and Manish Aggarwal, Director of Finance and Abhay Singh, Director of Events. They have two speciality chefs, Alfonso Montefusco heads the team at Romano’s while Rungtiwa Sorlae is the Thai speciality chef in JW Caf-. The Hotel is has started taking room reservations from Sunday, March 1.
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BW Hotelier HYATT Hotels launched their free WiFi service in hotels worldwide this February. Guests need to check in to be able to access the service which is available in all lobbies as well as guest rooms. Travelers will be able to access free Wi-Fi on an unlimited number of mobile devices or laptops in Hyatt-branded hotel guest rooms and social spaces. Hotel guests in India use Wi-Fi more than the world average, the Expedia Mobile Survey 2014 says 62 per cent of Indian travelers look at Wi-Fi availability or pricing (like free Wi-Fi versus not having to pay for Wi-Fi) while making their purchase decisions. 43 per cent say complimentary Wi-Fi in guest rooms and public areas is very important when they book a hotel for personal travel. A TripBarometer Mobile and Social survey further put Indians (at 96 per cent) above the global average of 87 per cent for using mobile devices while on holiday. ’Internet connectivity is no longer an amenity. It has become an integral part of travelers’ daily lives and a basic expectation,’ said Kristine Rose, vice president of brands for Hyatt. Expanding free Wi-Fi is part of Hyatt’s ongoing focus to make the guest experience more seamless. Where available, Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond and Platinum tier members will receive a complimentary upgrade to premium Wi-Fi service.
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By BW Hotelier 2015 WILL see a bullish Accor in India. The ibis Delhi Airport, already the largest ibis in India is adding a new wing and expanding its inventory to 465 rooms by the end of this year. The hotel, opened in September 2014, at New Delhi’s Aerocity complex. ’We are encouraged by the successful run we’ve had so far. The ibis Delhi Airport features many firsts for ibis in India, including a heated swimming pool, the new Sweet Bed by ibis-and larger meetings spaces’, said Matthieu Firmin, General Manager, ibis Delhi Airport. Consistent with Accor’s promise of ’Born in France, Made in India’ for all its brands, ibis Delhi Airport also features ’Spice it’, the signature multi-cuisine restaurant which offers the Great Indian Breakfast nonstop from-4 am to 12 noon. This reflects the hotel’s commitment to providing high quality services, customised to the needs of its local clients. Accor plans on opening a Pullman and Novotel combo property at the Aerocity, in addition to the existing ibis, bringing the combined capacity to almost 1,000 rooms in the complex. Ibis represents the international economy hotel brand of Accor. With 11 ibis hotels in India, Accor is bullish on India’s economy and mid-scale segments. In India, Accor has a strong and growing network of 32 hotels across upscale, luxury and budget segments, according to the marketing team which also spoke with BW Hotelier.
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BW Hotelier PRASHANTH Kumar re-joins Accor as General Manager for Accor Advantage Plus, Accor India. Kumar has over 19 years’ experience in the Hospitality industry. Before joining Accor for the second time, he was in Dubai, launching the Strada for MENA brand. Kumar worked for eight years in the US after graduating from the Swiss Hotel Management School in Montreaux, Switzerland. His earlier stint with Accor, from 2007 to 2013 saw him in the role of pre-opening General Manager for Ibis Delhi Airport, General Manager Ibis Gurgaon, Resident Manager Novotel Hyderabad, and part of the pre-opening team of Novotel Auckland Airport. He also had a stint as General Manager at Courtyard by Marriott in Ahmedabad. The Accor Advantage Plus programme covers 11 countries and has 45 offices through the region, employing over 1,200 people. With 350,000 members providing over 1 million room nights to Accor hotels, we focus on innovation in the loyalty, travel and lifestyle market. India operations include Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Gurgaon programs and the Shared Services Hub for the Asia Pacific business with a team of a 150 associates.
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