Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Government of India, said that his department is willing to look at single-window clearances for the hotel industry. He was addressing the hotelier and restaurant community across India via a live webinar conducted by the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI). “Yes, we will look at single-window clearances for licenses and simple online approvals. This can also take care of bureaucracy and corruption,” he said. The minister also responded well to the request for curbing illegal, unlicensed accommodation units in the country, especially those that are listed on OTAs. He said, “We will get this legally examined. There must be an element of registration or licensing that should be brought in for record-keeping purposes. Otherwise there is a risk of health and security. We must examine the legal implications.” The FHRAI team will now draw up specific and substantial ideas and revert to the minister.
Read More »Maha CM hints at concessions for hotel industry
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) that the government is working on re-opening protocols. He said that they would re-open in a phased manner to avoid any backlash. Thackeray also informed that the government is working on certain concessions such as in excise fees to help revive the industry.
Read More »Chennai and Mumbai top performing markets based on RevPAR: HVS ANAROCK
While RevPAR has been low throughout the country, Chennai and Mumbai have been the top performers ( with -83% and -83.3% RevPAR YoY) in May 2020, according to HVS ANAROCK monthly newsletter, H2O.
Read More »Palladium Hotel Group to open 7 properties this month
Palladium Hotel Group has begun its summer season with the opening of seven properties: Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa and Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa (July 3), Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza (July 10), Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife (July 30), Bless Hotel Ibiza (July 10), Agroturismo Sa Talaia (July 8) and Palladium Hotel Costa del Sol (July 16).
Read More »Rare India has unveiled three new initiatives
Rare India has unveiled three new initiatives for sustainable living- RARE Travel Agency Network (RATAN), RARE Influencers Network (RAIN) and Beautiful Planet. The company is also open to partnership with travel agencies to promote a sustainable way of living.
Read More »Sarovar Hotels opens Sarovar Portico, Somnath, its seventh property in Gujarat
Expanding its portfolio in Gujarat to seven hotels, Sarovar Hotels has announced the opening of its latest project in the temple town, Somnath. Sarovar Portico, Somnath is spread in beautiful landscaped terrain and has aesthetically designed Presidential and Royal suites, Studio rooms, superior rooms and executive rooms. Culinary highlights at the hotel include ‘Flavours’ that offers a multi-cuisine menu served with flair. Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, said, “We are delighted to further strengthen our presence in Gujarat; Somnath will be our seventh hotel in the state. This development allows us to establish ourselves in the state more strongly. We look forward to welcoming guests to Sarovar Portico, Somnath and offering them our signature Sarovar hospitality.”
Read More »77% drop in hotel occupancy compared to May 2019: HVS ANAROCK
HVS ANAROCK’S latest monthly newsletter titled ‘Hotels & Hospitality Overview India’ reveals that the hotel occupancy rate in May 2020 witnessed a y-o-y drop of 76.7 per cent compared to the same period last year, making India rank fourth among five key Asian markets, followed by Thailand.
Read More »Jean-Michel Cassé to retire from Accor; Puneet Dhawan now SVP Operations
After serving 3 years as COO- India and South Asia at Accor, Jean-Michel Cassé has announced his retirement from the global hospitality brand. In a farewell letter to its colleagues and partners, Cassé said that his last working day will be July 15. Furthermore, Accor announced the appointment of Puneet Dhawan as Senior Vice President Operations- India & South Asia. Dhawan will take charge from August 1.
Read More »Lords Hotels resume operations
The Lords Hotels and Resorts have resumed operations with heightened precautionary measures and new SOPs in place.
Read More »Despite low occupancy, 71% of GMs will not discount rates by over 20%
In order to understand the pulse of the industry amidst these unprecedented times, HVS ANAROCK conducted an anonymous online survey with Hotel General Managers (GMs) in the last week of April 2020. The survey revealed that despite expecting low occupancies, over 71% of the GMs will not discount their rates by more than 20%. Over 42% GMs believe that occupancy would be close to or higher than 50%, while 46% of the GMs believe that occupancy will remain below 40%. The survey revealed that most GMs expect demand to pick up by Q4 2020.
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