Category Archives: Hotels

Jukaso Journeys has acquired five properties in Udaipur, Corbett, Manali, Bhimtal and Dharamshala over the last three months. These are Jukaso Sai Palace Udaipur, Jukaso Jim Corbett, Jukaso Seven Heaven Bhimtal, Jukaso Mrikula Cottage Manali and Jukaso Palace Dharamshala. Jukaso Journeys is planning to expand and hence aims to open 15 properties by the end of 2018. Yajush Khanna, CEO, Jukaso Journeys, says, “We are excited about expanding our footprint in Tier-II cities in India with these properties. It is a great opportunity to enter the new market as we are trying to mark our presence in major tourist destinations. We intend to strengthen our upscale brand in the country.” The Jukaso group runs hotels in Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune, Vizag, Varanasi, Dharamsala, Corbett, Mahabaleshwar and Switzerland.

Vivek Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has felicitated Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, who has also assumed the additional charge of Minister of Civil Aviation in a special ceremony organised recently at The Leela Palace New Delhi. Nair commented, “Civil aviation and tourism have to go hand in hand and only then can the industry grow. Now we have a new minister, who is known for his dynamism and we invite him to boost the synergies between the two sectors.” The ceremony saw in attendance the who’s who of the hospitality, tourism and services industry. The stakeholders of the industry put forth their views and suggestions to the minister for his consideration. Prabhu commented, “Today it is a trillion dollar economy knocking at our doors. We have to understand that one has to create concrete plans based upon the larger impact it will have on the common people. With one tourist in India, 15 jobs both direct and indirect can be created.”

One of the key takeaways from the AccorHotels Showcase 2018 was that MiCE is on the rise globally – with multiple events being held internationally, and also in India which is increasingly becoming a chosen destination for MiCE. Furthermore, with globalisation and Indian corporates opening offices around the world, the hospitality industry has seen traction for corporate travel both inbound and outbound. The AccorHotels Showcase 2018 witnessed participation from 35 hotels and resorts from the global network along with 22 hotels from India. The event was the ideal platform to discuss how to work together to benefit from the burgeoning travel market. The delegates were representing India’s topmost travel agents, wholesalers, corporate clients, tourism partners and MiCE organisers in attendance. Arif Patel, Vice President – Sales, Marketing, Distribution & Loyalty, AccorHotels said, “By 2020, Indian outbound travel is estimated to reach 48 million and foreign tourist arrivals is forecasted to cross the 10 million mark. This annual AccorHotels Showcase gives an opportunity for our attendees to engage with AccorHotels’ representatives from around the world to see how best we can work together given the opportunities in the market.” The daylong event in Mumbai on March 21 and Delhi on March 23 was packed with networking sessions where customers discovered the group’s newest offerings and met with hotel representatives from across the region.

Adding another milestone in its fast expanding network, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels debuts in Andhra Pradesh with the opening of Triguna Clarks Inn in Kurnool. With the latest addition, Clarks Inn now boasts of a portfolio of 84 hotel properties, including 44 in operation, spread across 18 states in India and one in Kathmandu, Nepal. Triguna Clarks Inn is strategically located in the city centre in close proximity to city businesses and a 10 minutes’ drive from Kurnool’s historical Konda Reddy Fort. The property boasts of 49 aesthetically designed rooms across different categories to cater to the needs of discerning business as well as leisure travellers. Speaking on the latest addition, Rahul Deb Banerjee, Associate Vice President – Operations, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, said, “This opening marks our first foray in the state of Andhra. Both Kurnool and Andhra present huge opportunity for the hotel sector here because of the state’s fast growing economy as well as a growing tourism sector.” The hotel’s 49 guestrooms are epitomised by their elegant décor and are well equipped with modern and contemporary amenities. Clarks Inn’s signature multi-cuisine restaurant brand ‘The Bridge’ will delight guests with its offering of Indian and international cuisines.

With a strong development pipeline and industry’s and developers’ confidence in its ability to deliver profitable partnership, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels has now set sight to reach the magical figure of 100 hotel properties by the end of 2018. Last year, the group added 13 new hotel and resort properties, including eight operational. Three of the new operational properties have come up in Karnataka at Bagalkot, Mysore and Shimoga. Two properties have opened doors in Madhya Pradesh that include Ujjain and Gwalior. Clarks Inn has also entered the state of Jammu & Kashmir with a property in Srinagar. Besides, the company has also established presence in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and has added a second property in Patna in Bihar. Commenting on the strong growth for the company last year, S N Srivastava, President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, said, “We have seen another year of stellar performance and growth in 2017 with as many 13 new properties signed up and eight new properties that have joined operation. Our total portfolio today stands at 84 hotel properties, including 43 in operation, spread over 18 states in India and one in Nepal.”    

Having inked its first business acquisition, OYO has entered into an agreement with Chennai-based service apartment company, Novascotia Boutique Homes. The acquisition will add to the company’s existing portfolio and reiterate its focus on corporate service. Commenting on the development, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, OYO said, “The acquisition forms an integral part of our inorganic growth plan, in line with our ambition to create quality living spaces and add value to every form of real estate. OYO is poised to deliver 180,000 keys by the end of 2018 and with Novascotia’s strength, we will be adding service apartments to our existing portfolio.” With this acquisition, OYO will bring its distribution, operational, transformational and technological capabilities on board for offering corporate travellers accommodation options. The acquisition will boost OYO’s portfolio by 350 rooms across locations where Novascotia has its footprints. Novascotia has built a portfolio in locations including Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi and Trivandrum. OYO plans to expand these offerings to 12 cities by the end of 2018. These serviced apartments are located in the heart of business hubs equipped with spacious rooms, upscale interiors, meals, gym and dining area to cater all the requirements of business travellers.  

Tamarind Global has announced the launch of a wedding division at its Delhi office. After the exponential growth of its weddings and events division of Tamarind Global in Mumbai, the company now looks forward to tapping the flourishing wedding business in Delhi-NCR. Tamarind Global’s Delhi office already offers event management and MiCE services. The division will be led by Karan Malhotra, Head – Events and Weddings, Tamarind Global. Kunal Rai, VP, Events and Weddings, Tamarind Global, said, “This strategic expansion has always been on the cards for us. We are excited it is finally coming to fruition and we can have a dedicated presence catering to our already growing client base in Delhi. Delhi-NCR is prominent for the size and scale of its thriving wedding and events business, making the move of securing a strong presence in the region an inevitable progression. A team of 10 people has already successfully executed one wedding. This fully fledged team is geared to provide hospitality and logistics services as well as client servicing support for turnkey wedding and event solutions for Delhi and other North markets. The aim is to increase the team size to handle multiple weddings, and pitch for new weddings in the region.”  

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts aims to add approximately 1,400 more keys to its current portfolio of over 7,000 rooms by next year, reveals Harleen Mehta, Vice President, Sales Operations – India, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. She says, “The Hyatt Place Hyderabad-Banjara Hills was launched in December 2017 that will be followed by our Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty which is slated to open in April 2018. It will offer 265 luxurious guestrooms including 38 suites and four villas, and will mark our foray into the Kerala market. The two upcoming Hyatt Place hotels – Hyatt Place Bangalore Airport-Urbana is scheduled to open this year and Hyatt Place Jaipur is expected to open doors next year. These two hotels will add approximately 400 more rooms to our portfolio. Hyatt Regency McLeod Ganj that is set to open in 2018 in the Himalayas will establish us as the only licensed international hospitality chain allowed to build an eco-friendly hotel in the forests there. Apart from this, we are looking to expand in the market with our upcoming properties in Gurgaon and Agra.” Currently, Hyatt’s India portfolio includes 28 hotels across 17 key destinations in the country.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts recently kicked off the Asia Pacific series of its 50th anniversary celebrations at The Leela Palace New Delhi with a specially curated luncheon presentation at Le Cirque, hosted by the group’s CEO Lindsey Ueberroth and Executive Vice President Saurabh Rai. “As we commemorate the Preferred brand’s 50-year legacy of inspiring travel, we are more committed than ever to providing travellers with even more opportunities to embrace the spirit of independence and to making our pineapple logo synonymous with the ultimate hallmark in world-class hospitality,” said Ueberroth. “It is so exciting and humbling to see how far we have come as a company, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate this major milestone with our associates, partners and friends from around the world. “As the region’s largest independent hotel brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts is entering its 16th year in India, and we are focused on continuing to build on the foundation of our company’s 50-year legacy of championing the independent hotel space. We are committed to forging ahead with more innovative and strategic consumer-focused initiatives to foster greater engagement in this market,” added Rai.

The Fern Hotels & Resorts has added another hotel to its portfolio with the launch of KK Beacon Hotel in Rajkot. This is the eighth hotel which is managed by the company under the Beacon Hotels brand. Suhail Kannampilly, COO, The Fern Hotels & Resorts, said, “The 34-key hotel is the second property which the group is managing in Rajkot. We already have The Fern Residency. With this launch, we have further consolidated our position in Gujarat.” The other Beacon properties are located in Ajmer, Amritsar, Bhopal, Jodhpur, Mumbai and Udaipur. Beacon Hotels (brand owned by The Fern Hotels and Resorts) is positioned as ‘smart and efficient’ hotels in the economy segment. The new hotel comprises 34 air-conditioned rooms with amenities like internet facility, cable television, direct-dial telephone, multiple computer/mobile phone charging points, mini bar, hairdryer and multiple dining options. The hotel is located 3 km from the airport and in close proximity to the railway station and bus stand.