Category Archives: Hotels

In a recent report by HVS, a few suggestions have been made to the government to battle the ongoing crisis which includes Policy support, Monetary support, Fiscal support and Direct support to revive demand. In ‘Fiscal support’, the report recommends to provide a 12-month corporate tax holiday to travel, tourism & hospitality sector. It also suggests to defer all statutory dues such as advance tax, custom duties, exercise duties, PF, bank charges etc at central and state level for 12 months.

The branded segment is expected to witness a revenue loss of US$ 3.55 billion to US$ 4.1 billion in 2020 and the second quarter of the year will be the worst hit, says Mandeep S Lamba, President – South Asia, HVS ANAROCK. “The overall revenue of the Indian hotel sector, including both organised and unorganised segments, is set to decline by anywhere between US$ 8.85 billion to US$ 10 billion, reflecting an erosion of 39-45 per cent compared to the previous year. Hotels will be unable to drive rates and may even seek to attract business at deep discounts,” he adds. With new confirmed cases being reported daily, the penetration of the COVID-19 virus in India has caused mass hysteria, the reverberations of which are expected to continue well into the second quarter of the calendar year 2020.

Cross Hotels & Resorts is hosting an introductory webinar on Friday, March 27 at 3.30 PM for the travel trade fraternity to educate them on the brand and its offerings. Cross Hotels is one of the fastest growing brands in South East Asia with 24 properties across Thailand, Vietnam and Bali. For more information and to register, please contact Harish Chhetri at 9650196521 or email to sales@crosshotelsandresorts.in.

According to a recent report by HVS, the overall Occupancy in branded hotel segment in 2020 is estimated to decline by 16.7-20.5 percentage points over 2019, while ADRs are estimated to decline by 7-8% for the year. As a result RevPAR, will witness a significant decline of 31% to 36.2%. The report also mentions that the hospitality industry is undoubtedly one of the biggest casualties of the COVID-19 outbreak as demand has declined to an all-time low.

Calculating the risk of COVID-19 on the Indian hospitality sector, Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, says, “We were sailing till February just fine but as soon as this pandemic broke irrevocably, our industry was the first one to get hit. For March, the RevPAR of Sarovar has gone down by 50%, April will decline by 100% and for the calendar year 2020, we are anticipating a dip of at least 12-15%. This of course is subject to change according to how situation folds itself in the coming months.”

InterContinental Hotels Group provides a business update in light of the rapidly evolving situation regarding Covid-19.Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer, IHG, said: “At this unprecedented time, our top priority remains the health and wellbeing of our guests, colleagues and partners, and ensuring that in light of such a significant impact on the global economy and, in particular, on the travel industry, we take the right steps to protect the long-term health of our business. Demand for hotels is currently at the lowest levels we’ve ever seen. IHG has a robust business model and the measures we are announcing today to reduce costs and preserve cash give us the capacity to manage the business through this unique environment and to support our owners during this incredibly difficult time. These were not easy choices and we are mindful of the impact these decisions will have on our colleagues and shareholders. However, we believe that these are essential to ensuring that we come out of this as strong as we possibly can and ready to capitalise on what remains an industry with excellent long-term growth potential.”

A recent report by HVS states, it is always difficult to recover rate degradation once demand picks up. The report also explains, “As per research reports, while India was not impacted significantly by SARS, global demand picked up within a month after the SARS epidemic was contained and travel bans were lifted, but hotels that had reduced rates significantly were not able to push their rates later. The industry could witness a similar revival in demand this time as well; over 90% of domestic hotels in China had resumed operations at the end of February 2020, just 2 months after the first Covid-19 case was reported in the country.”

Positioned as a Boutique Experiential hotel featuring 72 well-styled rooms, with an all-Day Diner and a Far Eastern rooftop speciality restaurant & a Café with spacious meetings & event venues, The Hideaway, will also become Leisure Hotels group’s first ever property in NCR region. Vibhas Prasad, Director, Leisure Hotels group said, “We are pleased to open The Hideaway, Greater Noida, a hotel that offers experiential business travel in the heart of the city, and in close proximity to Exhibition Centre and Business & Industrial Hub of Greater Noida. The opening of another business hotel is a significant moment for the group. From well-appointed rooms to the multi-cuisine dining options, all aspects of the hotel have been honed to offer guests unparalleled experiences with our familiar, warm & personalised services.”

Kumud Singh, GM, Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resorts, Greater Noida, says, “Heath and well being is our foremost priority, our team members and all who are visiting our property is our main concern, we are vigorously monitoring novel coronavirus and responding based on the best advice of medical professionals and public health authorities. Safety measures have been followed by the team . Cleaning and disinfection have been thoroughly monitored in all the surfaces which are visibly contaminated with body fluids all potentially contaminated high-contact areas such as bathrooms, door handles, floor, chairs, telephones, grab-rails in corridors and stairwells has been disinfected using disposable cloths,  paper roll and disposable mop heads. All operators have been additional cleaned by using sanitizing sprays and wipes to use on vehicle surfaces during their routes, while hand sanitizer dispensers have to been kept refilled.”  

Suhail Kannampilly, CEO, The Fern Hotels and Resorts, says, “In these uncertain times, I wanted to reach out to you personally about what we are doing here at The Fern Hotels &; Resorts to support you and your travel plans. As the situation around novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we are doing everything we can to ensure your travel safety and provide maximum flexibility.” Safety for guests As it has always been, the safety and security of our guests and team members remains our highest priority. We take great pride in maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene. In response to the coronavirus, we have taken additional measures developed in consultation with global and local public health authorities (including the WHO) to make our cleaning and hygiene protocols even more rigorous: · Our hotel teams are receiving ongoing briefings and enhanced operating protocols. · Front desk have been equipped with infrared thermometers  necessary to check all guests. Travel Flexibility for Guests We remain committed to offering you flexible booking options. Given these unique circumstances we are making additional adjustments to our individual booking policies to give you extra peace of mind: · Government Restrictions. In regions affected by government-issued travel restrictions, we will continue to waive change dates or offer full refunds. · Existing Reservations. All reservations – even those described as ;non-cancellable (“Advanced Purchase”) – that are scheduled for arrival before April 15, 2020, can be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival. · New Reservations. Any reservation you make – even those described as “non-cancellable” (“Advanced Purchase”) – that are booked between today and April 15, 2020, for any arrival …