By Bikramjit Ray VEER VIJAY Singh, (see photo) Chief Operating Officer of Vivanta Hotels and Resorts, spoke exclusively to BW Hotelier about the plans ahead for Vivanta by Taj during the launch of the newest sprawling Vivanta Hotel to open on a seven-acre plot in Dwarka, New Delhi. ’We plan to have 10 more Vivanta Hotels by the end of 2020,’ he told us, these include hotels in as diverse places as Rishikesh, Andaman Islands and Lakshwadeep and internationally in the Middle East and Africa. The most recent openings on the card are one hotel each at Amritsar and Guwahati by the end of 2016. Speaking to BW Hotelier exclusively at the launch of the fourth Vivanta by Taj and the seventh Taj in the National Capital Region (the others Vivanta properties are in Gurgaon, Surajkund and New Delhi), Singh said it was the soft skills of the group hotels, which make them absolute standouts. ’When you differentiate the hotel you get more focussed on whatever you are delivering, the brand standard, the service style. It’s the soft touches which really make a difference,’ he said. This hotel had the ’Kabir’ project an AV experience of Kabir’s work and ’Terra Forma’ an art exhibition as its Vivanta Motifs, reflecting the Vivanta philosophy of hospitality with a difference. Singh was confident that the new Vivanta by Taj in Dwarka was going to be a success within a very short time. A thought, echoed by Anil Malhotra, the General Manager of the hotel, who--when asked about his take on what 2015-2016 looked like’told us, ’We are going to get the largest bite of the pie in Dwarka by the end of the next financial year. ’ He told us that he was banking quite a bit on the MICE and banqueting business as well. ’We already have had a major conference and some large weddings in the hotel,’ he told us. With ARRs in the region of Rs 5500 to Rs 6000, the aim was to raise them to Rs 7000 and aim for occupancies in the region of 60 per cent, we were told by Vikram Berry, Director of Sales told BW Hotelier. The hotel itself, built like a piece of folded earth coloured origami model has 250 rooms all curiously angular like the main building structure. We were impressed by the use of light and the windows that offered fantastic views of the surroundings’since this was not inside the airport zone, some rooms afforded beautiful views of planes landing and taking off’all within the super quiet hotel. The hotel itself was designed by Hong Kong based Research Architecture Design or RAD who already have a number of hotels designed across China and South Korea. The hotel has in the region of 17000 square feet of flexible meeting and event facilities. This includes nine meeting rooms, from small, to large (the ballroom has a 27 feel high ceiling. The conferencing faciliites in the hotel, as expected from a brand new building, has all the bells and whistles built into it. There are two restaurants, the all-day dining restaurant Creo which has a variety of cuisines including, as the team were very proud to point out, a great sushi counter. There is also the Indus Express, which offers food from undivided Punjab. Interestingly the hotel also offers a Blue Line Menu of Delhi street food, in line with the fact that they are at one of the DMRC Blue Line and on Metro land. The hotel also has a bar, Tipple and a Deli, Caramel. The Kitchen team is led by Executive Chef Elangovan Shanmugan. Like all Taj properties, Vivanta Dwarka also have a Jiva Spa on premises. Bikramjit Ray is Executive Editor, BW Hotelier.
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By Hita Gupta ITC HOTELS-walked away with top honours at the first Indian Digital Hospitality Awards 2015. In addition to the coveted Marketer of the Year award, they won awards in two other categories, the silver for the Best Integrated Marketing Campaign and the bronze for the Best Use of Social Media. Speaking on the overall awards, Chairperson of the Jury, Vir Sanghvi said, ’Digital is an exciting area but it is also a new area, it is an area unfortunately many people in the hospitality industry don’t fully understand in India. More people should focus on digital because that is where the future also is.’ In all, there were four gold awards given away at the IDHA 2015. In the category Best Use of Technology, iProspect Communicate2 won the Gold for Cleartrip, for its entry Dynamic Landing Pages. Neemrana Hotels grabbed a gold in the category Best Use of Search. In the category Best Use of Social Media, the gold went to Courtyard by Marriott for 28 Wedding Leads Campaign. Ibis Delhi Airport won a gold for Best Integrated Marketing Campaign. The category Best Use of Search also saw a silver award going to Omnicom Media Group for Hyatt India Flash Sale Offer. In the Best Use of Technology, the silver went to Interactive Avenues for Trident website. The silver in the Best Use of Social Media was awarded to Tonic Media for McDonald’s #UnshareMyFries and the bronze to ITC Hotels. ITC Hotels also won silver for its entry ’35 years of Bukhara’ in the category Best Integrated Marketing Campaign, while the bronze went to Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park. The jury members at the event include Ambrish Gupta, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Knowlarity Communication; Samrat Kakkar, Digital Business Head of Reprise Media; Sandeep Amar, Chief Operating Officer of India.com; Sourish Bhattacharya Consulting Editor, BW Hotelier and Bikramjit Ray, Executive Editor, BW Hotelier. ’Reach of digital is very wide. While some hotels get and other are still struggling, digital can help to get a huge number of customers from a totally different part of the population,’ commented Ray. ’People will be encouraged and enthused by the awards and produce better marketing content in the years to come and awards like this should give an incentive to the hospitality industry to treat digital marketing with more seriousness,’ said Bhattacharya. The hospitality industry has played a significant role in driving the services sector in India, and the advent of digital media has transformed various aspects of the same. Indian Digital Hospitality Conclave will discuss issues and subjects that impact the future of hospitality and related sectors in India. Hita Gupta is Senior Correspondent, Digital Market Asia
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By BW Hotelier SANDEEP VERMA has become the Director of Operations of The Claridges, New Delhi. Verma, has over 18 years of hospitality experience has previously worked with Taj Hotels, Jet Airways (I) Ltd, IndiGo and The Park Hotels. Before joining The Claridges, he was Senior General Manager In-flight Services at SpiceJet Ltd. An alumni of Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Verma in his current role will be assisting the leadership team and ensuring brand standards are maintained thanks to his expertise in the fields of training, process management, financial planning, strategy and operations excellence. He will also be responsible for identifying key drivers in achieving business success.
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Shantanu Jain BW HOTELIER spoke exclusively to Abhishek Azad, Executive Vice President,-Middleby Celfrost Innovation,-who develop, manufacture, market and service equipment for commercial and residential kitchens about-their new products launched in India, this is what he had to tell us. This year the company have launched four new products: The Turbochef 2620, a first vent-less conveyor oven of its kind, which does not need an exhaust and goes into a sleep mode when not cooking. The Houno Combi oven, with android-based controls. A Cold room which can run on invertor and offers savings on utility compared to traditional units. Lastly the Perfect fry ventless fryer that allows users to fry anywhere without leaving any smoke and saving 30 per cent energy. When asked about the latest market trends in the food service industry, Azad said, ’The current trend is towards getting a complete solution under one roof that can optimise capital as well as operating expenses.-The service is clearly a non-negotiable aspect here.’ Speaking on his plans for the year ahead Azad told BW Hotelier that he aims to automate restaurant kitchens in India and establish a full-fledged national network that offers service and culinary support to the industry. ’Our action plan is to automate restaurant kitchens in India using our equipment and live every word of our theme ’one partner many solutions ’.-We want our customers to not only have a quick ROI but also ensure that because of the average life of our equipment-(at least 25 years) they continue to remain profitable for a real long time,’ Azad concluded. Shantanu Jain is Junior Correspondent, BW Hotelier.
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By BW Hotelier THE LEELA Ambience Gurgaon announced details about the second Fiesta Latina--its Latin American cuisines festival to be held from-April 6-19, 2015. The festival offers guests a taste of Latin American cuisine and features Chef Gerardo Vazquez Lugo from Mexico, Chef Juan Pablo De la Torre-of Peru and Chef Carlos Alberto Mardones from Chile. It will also feature the Leela’s own chefs’Ramon Salto, Pablo Moralis and Christian Caberra. The highlights of Fiesta Latina 2015 also include Latin dance performances and live cooking demonstrations by the chefs at the Fisher & Paykel social kitchen in Ambience Mall on April 11th-& 12th, 2015. Speaking on the festival,-Michel Koopman, General Manager, The Leela Ambience Gurgaon-said, ’We are extremely happy to have this festival again in our hotel. It is an opportunity for our guests experience the cuisine, culture and heritage of Latin American countries. We look forward to such opportunities in the future to provide world class experiences to our patrons.’ The festival will also bring together other events, like the Mexican tequila dinner on April 10, Peruvian cooking classes with the celebrity chefs at Zanotta, the hotel’s Italian specialty restaurant, on April 11, Rums paired with authentic Guatemala cuisine on April 16, and a signature Chilean wine dinner on April 17.
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VEMENTS WITHIN the Taj Group continues unabated. We got to hear that Chef Amit Chowdhury has shifted base to Mumbai. Come April 1, 2015, Chowdhury takes over as Executive Chef of Taj Mahal Palace, at Apollo Bunder in Mumbai, according to a source who wished to remain unnamed.
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By Bikramjit Ray THE PREFERRED Hotels & Resorts Group, announced its rebranding at a press meet held in New Delhi. The group has 650 hotels on its portfolio around the world, 30 of which are in India. Lindsey Ueberroth, (see photo left) President and CEO of the company is in town to expand on the groups plans for the subcontinent. Ueberroth spoke to a select group of media persons at the launch of the move from a multi-branded business model to one master brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts. ’In a time when seemingly every hotel company is introducing new brands that target specific demographics, we are doing the opposite by transitioning from a house of brands to a branded house,’ said Ueberroth, at the media launch. Effective immediately, all of the company’s 650 member hotels and resorts are represented by the Preferred Hotels & Resorts brand. Understanding that travelers have different objectives for each individual trip, each property has been aligned with one of five new collections’ Legend, LVX, Lifestyle, Connect, and Preferred Residences ’ which provide a more intuitive way for consumers to search, consider, and book their lodging based on the type of luxury experience they are seeking. ’We are delighted to announce this important milestone for Preferred Hotels &Resorts in India. As we commence a significant phase in the brand’s journey to better create outstanding luxury travel experiences across the world, we are confident that our new collections shall be welcomed by both our member hotels and discerning Indian clientele,’ added Saurabh Rai, (see photo right) Area Managing Director of South Asia and Middle East for Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Preferred Hotels & Resorts began its operations in India in 2002, with the signing of its first member hotel in the country, The Imperial, New Delhi. Today, the brand has a strong presence in the market, featuring strategic relationships with prominent brands such as The Leela Group, ITC Hotels, and Dusit Bird Hotels and a diverse portfolio of 30 member hotels across significant destinations such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa,Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaisalmer, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, and Udaipur. Ueberroth told us, that the plan was to increase their present strength in India of 30 hotels to 45 by the end of 2018. Bikramjit Ray is Executive Editor, BW Hotelier.
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By Bikramjit Ray BILLIONAIRE BINOD Chaudhury (see picture) in an exclusive interview with BW Hotelier discussed his venture into Hospitality with the launch of CG Hotels & Resorts, spread over eight brands with 88 hotels in 63 destinations spread in 11 countries. Chaudhury also told us about his strategic partnership with Fern Hotels and Resorts. CG Hotels and Resorts has taken a strategic investment in Concept Hospitality which owns the Fern Brand in India (Fern Hotels and Resorts, the Fern Residency and the Beacon).- As part of the alliance, the group will be investing approximately Rs 50 crore in promoting the venture. Apart from this, CG Hotels and Resorts will actively invest in assets giving Fern a much broader National and International reach. The group’s vision is to grow to 200 hotels by 2020 and play a dominant role in the hospitality space globally. All this will be achieved through acquisition, last mile funding and management of new assets, Chaudhury told BW Hotelier. Speaking about the merger, Chaudhury, who is Chairman of CG Corp Global said, ’We are glad to announce the strategic alliance with the Concept Hospitality. The Fern Hotels & Resorts is amongst one of the fastest growing hotel brands in India with 1200 rooms and suites under management and another 1500 rooms expected shortly. We also believe in their ’environmentally sensitive hotels’ philosophy and hope to take the brand to lot a number of destinations--in India and abroad.’ CG hotels has several international sales offices which will help promote all hotels (both under its in-house brand Zinc Hospitality and Concept Hospitality) by offering a broader platform and international reach. CG-Corp Global has-a portfolio of complementary businesses comprising over 90 companies and 60 brands that cover over 5 continents and employs more than 6000 employees in around 30 countries. Bikramjit Ray is Executive Editor, BW Hotelier.-
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