Category Archives: Hotels

Galle Fort Hotel, which is Sri Lanka’s most iconic heritage hotel, has opened its doors to tourists once again on 23rd February 2022, after an extensive two-year restoration process. The ultra- luxe boutique property is located inside the UNESCO World Heritage Galle Fort. It’s a Dutch mansion that dates back 300 years and was once a warehouse, which served as the residence of a renowned family of gem merchants during the British era. It was also used as Royal Air Force barracks and even a cricket pitch. The heritage restoration of the Galle Fort Hotel was done, working in line with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Archaeology to ensure that the building’s 300-year-old Dutch walls and facade were conserved as authentically as possible. The revamped Galle Fort Hotel features 11 luxurious suites with varying themes and decor. The Loft Suites have been given an entirely new look inspired by the Dutch East India Company, while the newly introduced Garden Suite draws its theme from the illustrations of a Dutch botanist. The Admiral Cheng Ho Suite features a Chinese-inspired decor, to reflect Galle as a historic crossroads of trade, while the entry- level Garden Room stands out with its massive hand painted wall, commissioned to a local artist. Expert restorers were brought in to work with the antiques, which are seen across the hotel and suites. One of the structural highlights of this property is the stunning Palladian colonnade verandah, which houses the Galle Fort Hotel Bar, with its exclusive selection of gins from across the globe. The adjoining gourmet restaurant is one of the best tables in the Galle Fort and serves up Western fusion cuisine. The architect who has …

Pratima Badhwar, Head – Commercial, Accor India & South Asia, shares that they have a strong pipeline of four openings this year across the region. “For India, we are aiming to reach 70 hotels by 2025. Our well-rounded portfolio of leading hotel brands across the luxury, premium, mid-scale, and economy categories compliments the multi-layered Indian market, while supporting our long-term growth strategy.

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, has revealed its recent business performance, expansion plans and strategic direction for the future, including multiple new hotels, fresh destinations and new brand concepts. This exciting era of growth will help the group reach its long-term goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel operator within five years – a vision that will see it reach a total of 200 hotels and resorts by 2026, up from 88 properties at present, and with approximately half of that growth coming from destinations outside of its native Thailand. Centara has just confirmed that it achieved total revenues of almost THB 1.09 billion (USD 33 million) in Q4 2021, an increase of 54% year-on-year, despite the continued impact of the pandemic. The growth is expected to gain more momentum in 2022 with the acceleration of the global travel and hospitality recovery, which will be supported by the further relaxing of travel restrictions into Thailand, and is buoyed by the resilience and strong performance of Centara’s key international destinations such as the Middle East and the Maldives.

Discover quintessential Dutch elegance in an intricate maze of 25 connecting Golden Age canal houses. After a full renovation, completed in August 2016, this hidden neighbourhood now features: 225 guest rooms & suites, tranquil inner gardens, meeting & event spaces, a garden café, a hotel bar and a restaurant that serves simple yet beautifully crafted dishes. The Pulitzer is a unique blend of up-market, traditional and modern Dutch craftsmanship hidden amongst the city’s iconic canals. The buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries have been carefully restored to combine original, historic canal house components with modern and luxurious aspects. From leading merchants to flamboyant Dutch aristocrats, the former residents of these canal houses lend Pulitzer Amsterdam the opportunity to inspire guests and visitors with its rich character and history. Guests can choose from four distinctive room types and three suite categories, as well as the beautiful romantic Pulitzer Suite. The four exceptional Collector’s Suites with private entrance on the Keizersgracht and breathtaking views over the canals are inspired by the stories of intriguing characters who may have inhabited the canal houses over the years; from a determined art admirer to an eccentric book lover; a music composer and an antique collector. No two rooms are the same; each combines Amsterdam’s rich past with the modern present in an eclectic mix of designs and elements that complement the charm of each individual room. Speaking on this partnership, the Commercial Director, Gladys Camphuijsen, says, “For years we have seen the Indian market as such a great opportunity for the Pulitzer Amsterdam, however we didn’t have the right tools to enter this market. With commencing the relationship with One Rep Global, we feel like we have found the perfect way to …

Westin Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 hotel brands, continues to propel its footprint in India with the opening of The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake. The hotel features 600 guestrooms with views of the Hiranandani skyline. “We are excited to bring the second Westin property to Mumbai. There is an increasing demand for wellness travel and The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake is set to expand the brand’s signature wellbeing offering to locals and global travellers,” said Neeraj Govil, Senior Vice President Operations, Asia Pacific excluding China. “The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake is set to be a part of Marriott International’s portfolio of 127 hotels in India and further compliments our commitment to growth in the region, bringing a diversified portfolio for different types of travellers.”   

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met with Jyotiraditya Scindia, Civil Aviation Minister, representatives from travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors to discuss various banking-related issues. Travel, tourism and hospitality sectors are among the worst hit due to the COVID pandemic. The industry leaders from these sectors have been pitching for financial support from the government.

Tourism is designated as an industry, and as such, it will benefit from government tariffs and levies in accordance with Industry norms. On Wednesday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot presented the state budget for the years 2022-23. According to him, the tourism and hospitality would be recognised as a separate industry in the state. The budget’s main focus was on jobs and healthcare.

Following a competitive review process, Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts has commissioned BRANDit, a specialist in tourism marketing, as its integrated marketing agency in India. The Residence by Cenizaro resort collection, with Maldives and Mauritius at the forefront, will help stakeholders and further enhance the brand’s presence in the India market. BRANDit will fortify Cenizaro’s sales, marketing and PR strategies with a brand-new outlook as part of its mandate. Henry Ngo, Chairman of Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts, said “We are pleased to welcome BRANDit as our new partner in India. We look forward to working with the team to increase visibility for The Residence by Cenizaro portfolio and drive operational growth across different target segments of Leisure, MICE and Celebration. India is a priority market for Cenizaro owing to a vast market size and accessibility to many of our resorts, especially Maldives and Mauritius.”

The #TwosDaySale is being offered for the first time in India at Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park. This open-house event will be held at the hotel on Tuesday, February 22nd from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., when visitors may come and choose from a variety of special offers tailored for the occasion, including room stays, event packages, and restaurant eating specials. A birthday celebration stay on 22/2 for INR 2222 + taxes is one of the many interesting options available. Earn 22,000 IHG Reward Points for events booked on that day, plus buy two get two free buffet lunch coupons and a slew of other deals. These offers can be purchased on that day and used over the next two months.

With many people eager to get back on the road, new research from Bounce finds that the cheapest month to visit Jaipur is March. The study looked at the average nightly cost of a 3* hotel in 70 of the world’s most popular tourist sites, comparing both months of the year and days of the week. Jaipur is the second most cost-effective location in the world, with Dubrovnik, Croatia, in first position and Santiago, Chile, in third.