Category Archives: Hotels

Marriott International has announced the opening of Courtyard by Marriott Madurai, making it the first Marriott International property in Madurai. Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President- South Asia, Marriott International, said, “Marriott International is elated to debut in the heritage city of Madurai with the Courtyard by Marriott brand. The addition of Courtyard by Marriott Madurai brings the brand’s footprint in India to 16 hotels. Being the third largest city in Tamil Nadu, Madurai promises a lot of potential for travel and tourism sectors with its increased air, road and rail connectivity.” He further added, “The Courtyard brand has been evolving to meet the needs of business and leisure travellers since it was founded 35 years ago. This new hotel in Southern India will be a showcase of the brand’s passion in supporting our guests with both their professional and personal pursuits.” This smart, modern hotel features 86 guestrooms including four exquisite suites that are designed to perfectly balance form and function. Every guestroom features high-speed wireless internet, an LED TV, and a well-appointed work area with comfort lighting and a snug corner that’s suitable for both working and relaxing. The property also houses a fully-equipped fitness center, which allows guests to maintain their fitness schedules, whilst on the road. Guests also have the opportunity to enjoy three tempting dining options at the hotel, along with several other amenities.

Minor Hotels has announced its stake in the Global Hotel Alliance, (GHA). Following this shareholder announcement, Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor Hotels, will now join the GHA Board of Directors. The investment is worth a total of $3.2million, representing a 10 per cent share of the Global Hotel Alliance. First entering with the Anantara brand, Minor Hotels have been longstanding members of the GHA since 2007. As the GHA will enter its 15th year in 2019, Minor Hotels took the opportunity to support the alliance which is currently investing in new CRM and shared technology to build on the success of the Discovery loyalty programme. Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor, commented, “Since joining the GHA in 2007, we have grown and developed our own brands and continue to acquire new ones, and membership of GHA fits well with our multi-brand strategy. GHA has consistently demonstrated the value of global customer reach and a strong CRM and loyalty programme for our hotels, and so we are delighted to be able to take our place as a shareholder in the business, with the opportunity to help guide its growth over the coming years.” He added, “The 13 million Discovery members will produce US$1.7 billion in room revenues in 2018, of which around US$125 million is from customers moving between our member brands. We plan to double those numbers in the next few years, as independent brands look to collaborate with each other to share the common challenge of competing with the ever-consolidating major brands and third party distribution providers.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts expands its portfolio in the Delhi-NCR region with the signing of The Gaurs Sarovar Portico Greater Noida West owned and developed by Gaursons, one of the most eminent real estate brands in North India. The hotel is part of an 18-acre Sports Club and adjoins a sports stadium, giving it a unique locational advantage. Upon completion in mid-2019, The Gaurs Sarovar Portico will offer its guests 72 rooms with all upscale amenities, a specialty restaurant and bar, and a banquet hall and party lawns with a capacity of over 10,000 people. For the wellness enthusiast, the project has a spa, indoor activity area and access to an international fitness centre. Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, said “We are extremely happy to extend our presence further into Delhi NCR. The opening of Sarovar Portico in Greater Noida West seeks to complement the demand for quality accommodation, keeping up with the increasing number of families calling Greater Noida their home. The hotel’s outstanding banquet and conferencing facilities will surely appeal to the corporates in the vicinity.”

The direct contribution of travel and tourism sector — which reflects the net value of output generated by hotels, airlines, travel agents, other passenger transportation services (excluding commuter services), and restaurants and leisure industries directly supported by tourists — was expected to rise 6.9 per cent YoY in 2017, suggests a FICCI-KPMG report. This accounts for 3.3 per cent of the country’s GDP, and is expected to form 3.5 per cent of it by 2027. In accordance with its GDP contribution, the sector contributes significantly to job creation. The sector directly accounts for 5.8 per cent of the total employment in India. Further, the Indian travel and tourism sector is expected to have attracted capital investment of Rs 2,387.7 billion (USD35.2 billion) in 2017 — accounting for 5.7 per cent of the total national investment.

OYO Hotels has appointed Aditya Ghosh as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), India and South Asia, effective December 1, 2018. With an experience of over 21 years, he has been entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing and growing the hotel business in South Asia, including India, Nepal and the other upcoming markets in the region. He will be a thought partner to every OYOpreneur, by enabling a work culture that rewards performance and celebrates diversity and inclusion. Commenting on his appointment, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Group CEO, OYO Hotels and Homes, said, ‘’In the last five years, OYO Hotels and Homes expanded its global footprints to over 500+ cities in seven countries, from Indonesia to the UK, with China and India as home markets. Today, we host guests from around the world in over 12,000 franchised and leased hotels and over 330,000 rooms. Of this, we have over 5500 leased and franchised hotels and over 143,000 rooms in India. This year, we also saw a 3x growth in revenue. As we grow our business, we feel it is essential to continue to invest in building one of the most influential leadership teams and bringing in professionals with an entrepreneurial mindset and from diverse backgrounds that can help lead the next wave of growth at OYO Hotels. With Aditya taking on this mantle for one of our home markets, India and the broader South Asia region, we are confident that he will be able to help OYO Hotels set new benchmarks in the hospitality industry and nurture a high-performing workforce. His business acumen, problem-solving capabilities and customer-centric approach to innovation helped him build an influential brand that is loved by all, makes …

Sarovar Hotels and Resorts expands its portfolio in the Delhi-NCR region, with the signing of a new project The Gaurs Sarovar Portico Greater Noida West. Owned and developed by Gaursons, the hotel is part of an 18-acre sports club and adjoins a sports stadium, giving it a unique locational advantage. Upon completion in mid-2019, The Gaurs Sarovar Portico will offer its guests 72 rooms with all upscale amenities, a specialty restaurant and bar, and a banquet hall and party lawns with a capacity of over 10,000 people. Further, the project comprises a spa, indoor activity area and access to an international fitness centre. Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, said, “We are extremely happy to extend our presence further into Delhi NCR. The opening of Sarovar Portico in Greater Noida West seeks to complement the demand for quality accommodation, keeping up with the increasing number of families calling Greater Noida their home. The hotel’s outstanding banquet and conferencing facilities will surely appeal to the corporates in the vicinity.”

Sarova Hotels & Resorts recently kick-started its four-city workshop in India, starting off with Delhi. Stakeholders, travel agents and policy makers attended the product presentation in the capital. Representatives of the hotel gave a detailed product presentation on the group’s properties across Kenya. After Delhi, the workshop will be held in Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. The delegation also interacted with agents and shared insights on how to promote Sarova Hotels & Game Lodges to Indian leisure travellers and MiCE groups. According to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism on the state of Kenyan tourism in 2017, international arrivals hit 1.47 million in 2017, up from 1.34 million the previous year. The Indian market contributed to 6.2 per cent of these arrivals, as the fourth largest source market; behind the United States of America, United Kingdom and Uganda. “Sarova has been a well-known brand in terms of luxury, cuisine and the quality of services it has to offer for all travel segments be it leisure, MiCE or wedding groups. International arrivals have been on a steady growth since 2015, and the Indian market has been one of the fastest growing source markets. Our four-city roadshow in India gives us a better standing in the industry in tapping into this source market”, says Selina Dima, Travel Trade Manager—Global Sales, Sarova Hotels and Resorts, Kenya. Sarova Hotels has a keen understanding of social and cultural nuances of India that helps them to curate services tailored for guests from the Indian subcontinent.  

ITC Hotels has announced the opening of its 13th luxury hotel in India, ITC Grand Goa, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, formerly known as the Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa, on Arossim beach in Cansaulim, South Goa. Celebrating the spirit of Goa, this 252-keys beach-side, village-styled resort’ s architecture draws inspiration from the Indo-Portuguese vintage and comprises six signature dining options, indoor and outdoor meeting and banquet spaces and Kaya Kalp- The Royal Spa. Speaking on the occasion, Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC said, “With this resort ITC Hotels has expanded its footprint in a globally sought-after leisure destination in Asia. The addition of ITC Grand Goa Resort & Spa to our luxury hotel portfolio further reinforces ITC’s vision to consolidate its portfolio in key business and leisure destinations in the country.” Each of the 252 well-appointed rooms and suites feature private outdoor spaces in the form of a balcony or patio providing picturesque views of the Arabian Sea, lush landscaped gardens, lagoons or the multi-level swimming pool. Underscoring ITC Hotels’ ethos of ‘Responsible Luxury’, ITC Grand Goa Resort & Spa endeavours to showcase the culture and ethos of the destination through unique, enriching experiences reflected in bespoke services, indigenous cuisine and engagements that foster partnerships with local artisans and communities.  

Treebo Hotels has come on board as a preferred hotel brand on Atlas Travels Online platform offering exciting deals to Atlas’s 20,000 agent network. The campaign kick-starts with roadshows for travel agents across the country with Treebo hosting lucky draws where winners get four-days and three-nights stay at Treebo properties. Atlas Travels is running a month-long campaign for its agents network offering 5 per cent cashback for booking Treebo properties through Atlas’s platform. Vikas Mulchandani, Business Head, Treebo Hotels, says, “With Treebo’s widespread reach in more than 80 Indian cities with 400 hotels and Atlas’s large network of travel agent partners, this partnership is just the beginning of many exciting things which can be done together to create value for the guests and travel partners alike. There is a great fit between the two brands where both Treebo and Atlas are committed towards delivering superior service level without compromising on the quality and I truly believe that the two brands coming together provides a great platform for the B2B agents to cater to the customer’s both travel and accommodation needs. I would like to congratulate both the teams and wish all the best for the success for the campaign.” Talking about their relationship with Treebo, Param Sidhu, COO Atlas Travels Online, says, “Our constant endeavor is to bring best deals, bouquet of varieties across the verticals of air, hotels, visa, foreign exchange that we offer to our agents network helping them to expand and grow their business. Our excellent tech and process driven support helps agents and suppliers to transact seamlessly. We are excited about our alliance with Treebo, with whom we are expanding our existing hotel inventory and running a …

Sterling Holiday Resorts is set to launch its latest resort, ‘Sterling Mysore’, thereby increasing its network to 35 resorts across the country. Sterling Mysore will be launched through a management agreement between Sterling Holiday Resorts and Tapovan Projects. The property is located in a peaceful enclave, within easy reach from Mysore city and Mysore Airport. Sterling Mysore features 16 well-appointed guestrooms, 16 one bedroom suites, 16 luxurious suites with private plunge pools and 24 two-bedroom villas with plunge pools. The resort offers amenities such as a 24/7 fitness centre, spa, holiday activity centre, swimming pool and a 200-seater best-in-class conference hall. Multicuisine dining options are available at the all-day dining restaurant, along with a poolside bar for guests to unwind. Speaking on the launch of Sterling Mysore, Ramesh Ramanathan, Managing Director, Sterling Holiday Resorts said, “In line with our strategy of establishing our presence across holiday destinations throughout the country, we are launching Sterling Mysore, shortly. Mysore is at the heart of heritage and cultural experiences and attracts tourists from different parts of the world. This resort will further bolster ‘Brand Sterling’ in providing experiential and immersive holidays to its guests.” Commenting on this partnership, K Sriram, Managing Partner, Tapovan Projects, said, “We are delighted to partner with Sterling and we believe ‘Brand Sterling’ brings immense leisure hospitality expertise, and with this launch we look forward to establishing Sterling Mysore as a premier resort in this vibrant holiday destination.”