Category Archives: Hotels

Cygnett has signed two hotels in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. Cygnett Lite with 41 rooms and Cygnett Inn with 40 rooms are set to open in April and June 2018, respectively. “We are delighted to announce the signing of two hotels in Andhra Pradesh at Vizag – Cygnett Lite 41 keys and Cygnett Inn with 40 keys, a brilliant location, proximity to airport, Cygnett marking our farther foray. Hotel is opening April and June 2018- our success story continues, we are now 27 hotels, 21 cities and 1400 rooms,” says Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & Managing Director, Cygnett Hotels Group. “Cygnett Inn is the budget brand that does not adhere to the “budget” definition in any way except in its prices. It is a full-Service hotel with modern design, next generation in-room technology and helpful staff. The Cygnett Signature quality is uncompromising and exceeding guests’ expectations is always supreme,” he adds.

Park Plaza Kolkata Ballygunge has been re-branded to Radisson Kolkata Ballygunge. Strategically located in the heart of upscale South Kolkata neighbourhood Ballygunge, the hotel is within proximity of the international airport and railway station. Radisson Kolkata Ballygunge has been revitalised with a new look in several areas of the hotels and features upgraded amenities to better serve its discerning guests. “I am glad to welcome our first Radisson hotel in the heart of Kolkata. West Bengal is a key market for us and Kolkata remains a promising destination due to its thriving leisure and business footprint. We appreciate the investment that Mukti Group has made in upgrading this hotel and the trust they have demonstrated in the Radisson brand,” said Raj Rana, chief executive officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “We are excited about re-launching the hotel as Radisson and are confident that the new facilities and services would be greatly appreciated by our guests. We are delighted to be partnering Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group for the repositioning and are looking forward to continued association with them,” said Rajkumar Gupta, chairman, Mukti Group. Radisson Kolkata Ballygunge features 92 well-appointed, spacious and modern rooms across Superior, Business Class, Junior and Executive Suites categories. Equipped with modern amenities, new upholstery, superior bath amenities and colorful art work, the hotel assures a comfortable and enjoyable stay for guests.

Through its upcoming properties in Kochi and Sriperumbudur, AccorHotels will further highlight its focus on catering to the growing base of business and leisure travellers. Jean-Michel Cassé, Chief Operating Officer, India and South Asia, AccorHotels, says, “Mid-segment hotels form a larger percentage of the total room inventory, also accounting for nearly 50 per cent of all the hotel rooms in the country. In this segment, we see a significant demand and supply gap, which we seek to bridge with our Novotel and ibis brands. We see this growing demand as a potential growth engine for the future. Our recent openings in Lucknow, Dwarka, Chennai OMR, Pune and Goa along with upcoming openings in Kochi and Sriperumbudur further highlight our focus to cater to the needs of a diversified growing base of business and leisure travellers alike.” In India, AccorHotels has a network of 46 hotels spanning across nine international brands in 22 cities.

Affirming India to be a major focus area in the Asia Pacific region for AccorHotels, Gaurav Bhushan, Global Chief Development Officer, AccorHotels, reveals that the company is bringing its luxury brands into India this year. “We have a very interesting line up in 2018 for our luxury and leisure hotel brands. Raffles, Fairmont and Banyan Tree are the brands that we are bringing into India. We are very excited about the opportunity. While the mid scale segment is increasing steadily and doing well, there is also a very big opportunity in the luxury, the lifestyle and the leisure space. That is the new frontier from our perspective.” He adds that the company expects to add five hotels with an approximate key count of 1,000-plus rooms to its network in 2018. “We already have 45 operating hotels in India and are actively signing up new hotels. So India is a major focus for us in the Asia Pacific region. And we expect our growth to be very strong and very robust in the next few years,” Bhushan says.

K Raheja Corp’s hospitality company, Chalet Hotels has ambitious growth plans through both greenfield and brownfield acquisitions. Sanjay Sethi, Managing Director & CEO, Chalet Hotels, says, “We have about four hotels under development right now. These will add roughly about 800 more rooms to our current portfolio of 2800-odd rooms. These will take about two to three years to build.” Chalet Hotels currently has about eight hotels, of which seven are owned by Chalet Hotels 100 per cent and operated by Marriott. One out of the eight is run by Chalet Hotels. Speaking about the route that the hotel company will take for growth, Sethi says, “We have ambitious plans. We are looking at acquisition opportunities in the market and we want to grow through both greenfield and brownfield acquisitions.” While charting these plans, Chalet Hotels will stay true to its portfolio which is largely upper, upscale and luxury segments. “Of course we are also looking at upscale assets also. So a couple of developments we are doing are in that segment. We will stay in the upscale and upper upscale because that’s a sweet spot for us. We might do select luxury, or mid-segment hotels as well,” Sethi adds.

Belmond Worldwide together with The Oberoi Mumbai recently organised an Italian Food Festival at the Vetro, Oberoi Mumbai, from January 28 that will go on till February 12. During this festival, Belmond Worldwide also hosted a travel trade event which included cocktails and canapes curated by Chef Roberto Gatto to celebrate the Italian flavours. Executive Chef Roberto Gatto and Executive Chef Attilio Di Fabrizio from Belmond Hotel Cipriani,Venice and Belmond Villa San Michele, Florence respectively were in Mumbai to unveil the best kept secrets of Italian cuisine. Laura Di Bert, PR Director, Belmond Italy, Spain & Portugal said, “I am proud that my chefs are attending the event, as a unique opportunity to deep dive into the Indian world through a mutual interest: food.”

Dusit International recently organised ‘India Roadshow 2018’ as part of its newly-acquired focus on India as a source market for its hotels and resorts. Designed to present Dusit’s ever-growing global portfolio of distinctive properties to the Indian travel trade fraternity, the roadshow featured one-day workshops held in both Mumbai and Bengaluru. B2B sessions along with sessions for wedding planners were also conducted. On both occasions, Dusit executives presented the company’s properties in Thailand, Maldives and Dubai, as well as key openings in 2018 across Bahrain, Bhutan, China, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Dusit International is represented in India by its Global Sales Office in Mumbai, headed by Keshwar Bhagat, Director of Sales. Prachoom Tantiprasertsuk, Vice President Sales, Dusit International, said, “As evidenced by the recent opening of our new Global Sales Office in Mumbai, India is a key market for our international properties, and this roadshow is just one of the ways we are actively promoting our brands and hospitality to Indian travellers. Taking into account our own expansion, which will see our current tally of 27 properties top 80 worldwide within the next four-to-five years, we will be well positioned to leverage the rapid growth of India’s outbound market with a plethora of options for MICE and leisure travellers.”

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts announces the opening of Taurus Sarovar Portico, New Delhi – IGI Airport. Strategically located near the IGI airport, Taurus Sarovar Portico features 83 guestrooms and it is the second hotel opening of the year by Sarovar Hotels after the opening in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The hotel offers state-of-the-art business and conferencing facilities, Fitness Center, Alfa 63 – an all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant, In-Room dining, and meeting rooms. The hotel is owned by Taurus International Projects. Commenting on the opening, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, said, “We are delighted to be consolidating our presence further in the Capital city. The opening of Taurus Sarovar Portico seeks to complement the demand for quality accommodation, especially near the airport both by business & transiting travellers. Our superior banqueting facilities will make meetings and events easier, complemented with our signature Sarovar hospitality, whether it a business get-together or a social occasion.” Sarovar Hotels is targeting to have 100 hotels under its portfolio by 2020. Expected openings in 2018 include hotels in Jaisalmer, Jhansi, Jaipur, Somnath, Dibrugarh, Junagadh, Gorakhpur and Lusaka, Zambia.

Expanding its bouquet of hotels, Fortune Park Hotels launched its 46th hotel in the country, Fortune Park, Haridwar. Located on National Highway 58, this first-class full-service hotel is just 5 km from SIDCUL, the industrial hub, 10 km from Haridwar Railway Station and 12 km from Har Ki Pauri. Fortune Park, Haridwar offers a selection of 48 contemporary rooms, including 30 Standard Rooms, 6 Fortune Club Rooms and 12 Suites. All the rooms are replete with modern amenities including 24 hour room service, satellite LED TV, hi-speed Wi-Fi internet connectivity, electronic safe, mini bar and  hair dryer. Commenting on the launch, Samir MC, Chief Operating Officer, Fortune Park Hotels, said, “We are delighted to partner with the promoters who have reposed their confidence in our brand. We would put in our best to uphold this trust and also look forward to more alliances with the group in the near future. Keeping in mind the rapid strides this city has made during the recent years, we are confident of receiving a good response for this hotel.” The dining choices at the hotel include Orchid, an all-day dining multicuisine restaurant featuring a selection of Indian, Oriental and Continental delicacies and Fortune Deli offering confectionery and delicious breads.  

Garish Oberoi, President, FHRAI, says the hospitality industry has been repeatedly asking for infrastructure status which hasn’t been mentioned this year as well. “Among the positives in the Budget is the Rs. 500 crore allocation for ‘Operation Green’ to promote Farmer Producers Organisations (FPOs), agri-logistics, processing facilities and professional management,” Oberoi adds. He notes that focus on technology is very relevant in this digital age. “The Budget allocated to the Railways to the tune of Rs. 148, 528 crore to build infrastructure, laying tracks, Wi-Fi and CCTVs will help improve them. In tourism 10 prominent tourist sites will be made into national tourist sites. New Greenfield Airports are in the offing and building airport capacities to handle 1 billion trips can give a boost to connectivity. Post demonetisation and GST many hotels have become Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). We still await measures by the government to deal with NPAs. In totality, the Budget is more for the ease of living and not so much the ease of doing business. While the focus on healthcare and education is commendable, the biggest challenges to growth and employment generation are low credit offtake and ease of doing business, neither have been supported by the Budget,” Oberoi says.