The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts will now operate and manage the Mahatma Mandir, the country’s largest convention and exhibition centre after winning the competitive bid and management contract. The brand will also launch The Leela Gandhinagar, a 300 room property expected to be the largest property in Gujarat’s capital city, informed Vivek Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. Commenting on the development, Nair said, “The addition of Mahatma Mandir and The Leela Gandhinagar to our MiCE portfolio reinforces our plans to expand further into the international conferences and events space. Together with the support of the Government of Gujarat, our endeavour is to help transform Gandhinagar into the convention capital of India.” The agreement, effective from April 1, 2018 has been signed with Gandhinagar Railway and Urban Development Corporation (GARUD)—a special purpose vehicle formed by the Government of Gujarat with the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC). R K Beniwal, Managing Director, Gandhinagar Railway and Urban Development Corporation said, “We are confident that The Leela Gandhinagar and Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre will be ably managed for a wider global distribution and accentuated positioning in the international and domestic MiCE market.” The 34-acre Mahatma Mandir Convention and exhibition Centre is a world-class facility for national and international conferences, exhibitions and events.

Attracting private investors for effective implementation of tourism policy, the tourism board of Madhya Pradesh has procured above 849.077 hectare land for the tourism department at 144 places of 49 districts of the state and created a land bank for tourism projects in MP. Besides this, at 71 points, an additional 432 hectare land has been identified. Tenders have been invited to build hotels, resorts and other establishments that will encourage tourism. For this, noted groups like Mahendra Holiday, Orange County, State Express, Jahanuma Palace Hotel, Gen-X Hotel, Sristi Ventures have been included. Land procurement is in process and soon it will be transferred to the tourism department. Surendra Patwa, Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), informed that the state has been segregated in five tourism regions and potential of private investment has been identified. In Indore region, Indore, Dhar, Khanwa, Burhanpur, Khargone, Badwani, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Ujjain, Ratlam, Dewas, Agra Malwa, Mandsaur and Neemuch district in 43 areas around 233 hectare land has been transferred to tourism department by the board. In Jabalpur Region, land has been identified in Jabalpur, Katni, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Seoni, Mandla, Balaghat, Dindori, Shahdol, Umaria and Anuppur district at 28 areas around 82 hectare land has been transferred, while at 10 points 32 hectare additional land has been identified for land acquisition. Similarly, in Bhopal region at 33 points, around 135 hectare land has been transferred in Bhopal, Sihore, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Raisen, Hoshangabad, Betul, Harda districts.    

Manav Thadani, Founder Chairman, Hotelivate, announced on the sidelines of the annual hospitality event, Hotel Investment Conference-South Asia (HICSA) 2018, that the company has recently opened an office in Singapore and simultaneously announced a tie-up with American company called LW Hospitality Advisors (LWHA). It is a team of around 45 people with presence in New York, Atlanta, Seattle and San Diego. He says, “This is our fourth month as Hotelivate and we have opened our first office outside of India in Singapore. Stephane Regnault, Managing Director – Asset Management, Hotelivate, heads this office.  So now officially we have seven partner offices and I can start claiming that we are a global company.” The 14th edition of HICSA was held in Mumbai from April 4-5, 2018.

AirAsia India has announced the induction of its 18th aircraft and the introduction of four new routes connecting Kolkata. The 18th aircraft will be stationed in Kolkata, which is also the third base for AirAsia India, connecting it to Imphal, Pune, Vizag and Guwahati, in addition to increasing the frequency of flights between Kolkata and Bagdogra. Source:UNI

AccorHotels along with the MuthootPappachan Group, has opened its Novotel Kochi Infopark located in the IT Hub of Kakkanad Infopark, making it one of the first international mid-scale brands to debut in the industrial zone. The hotel is a 40-minute drive from the Kochi International Airport and 30-minute drive from the Ernakulam Railway Station. It features 128 rooms including eight suites and a room designed specifically for the specially-abled. “We are delighted to launch our first Novotel property in the commercial capital of Kerala. This is our second brand in the city, ibis Kochi City Centre being the first. We are excited to be associated with the MuthootPappachan Group for Novotel Kochi Infopark given their 131 years of legacy of trust and service excellence.” said Jean-Michel Cassé, Chief Operating Officer – India & South Asia, AccorHotels. Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman & Managing Director, MuthootPappachan Group said, “We are delighted to partner with AccorHotels on the opening of the first Novotel hotel in Kochi. We look forward to working with our partners and ensuring our company’s continued growth in the hospitality segment and the best for all our customers in all diverse businesses initiatives MuthootPappachan Group is into.” Recreational facilities include an infinity pool, gym and a dedicated kid’s corner.

The Travel Luxury Show, recently concluded in Jaipur, with 1800 successful meetings. Luxury buyers from across India had one-on-one meetings with the sellers. At the inauguration in a high profile group discussion, luxury trends were highlighted that included the growth statistics of this sector and the immense potential that India has to offer. The luxury Indian traveller is evolving and this platform was a perfect example of that. The show was inaugurated by Guldeep Singh Sahni, Former Founder President, OTOAI; Monica Suri, General Manger, Jaipur Marriott Hotel and Manish Kriplani, Chapter Head South, OTOAI. The next edition of the travel luxury show will be held on April 6 and 7, 2019.  

The 10th annual convention of the Events and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), also known as EEMAgine, is slated to take place from May 6-8, 2018 at The Fairmont, Jaipur. ‘Discovering X’ is the central theme of the EEMAgine convention this year. Jaipur remains one of the most popular destinations for events in India. The event is Asia’s largest convention for the events and experience industry, and the perfect platform to discover and showcase the X factor, Xcitement and Xcellence that the association represents. The land of royalty, with its rich culture and well-conserved heritage will be the perfect backdrop for the finale of their 10 years celebrations.

Jet Airways has announced that it has signed a new order for 75 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, taking the total order to 150 aircraft. The Boeing 737 aircraft type is the backbone of Jet Airways’ fleet. The 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will serve the airline not only to replace its existing fleet but also to equip it with modern and environmentally progressive airplanes, thereby fueling the airline’s expansion strategy to support its network and growth aspirations. Vinay Dube, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways, said, “Our new order for the additional 75 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will allow us to deliver a differentiated and world-class customer experience to our guests. This additional order re-emphasises our trust and confidence in Boeing and also reaffirms our commitment to operate extremely modern, reliable and fuel efficient aircraft as part of our fleet. This order underscores Jet Airways’ commitment to the growth and sustainability of the Indian aviation market.” “We are honoured that Jet Airways has again placed its trust in Boeing with its order for 75 more Boeing 737 MAXs”, said Dinesh Keskar, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific & India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “These additional Boeing 737 MAX airplanes will help Jet Airways continue to be an industry leader by combining a superior passenger experience with reliable and efficient operations.”

Indian e-tail major Flipkart announced its tie-up with MakeMyTrip for travel bookings. “Through the partnership, users can now make travel bookings through MakeMyTrip’s services using Flipkart’s mobile application,” an official from MakeMyTrip said. The partnership will be rolled out with domestic flight bookings in the next few weeks, followed by hotels, bus and holiday bookings. The companies, however, did not specify the exact time frame for the rollout. “The partnership will help us reach out to an even wider consumer base through MakeMyTrip’s multiple travel booking sites — MakeMyTrip, Goibibo and redBus — and open up the online travel market significantly,” said Deep Kalra, Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, MakeMyTrip. The tie-up also helps in furthering Flipkart’s goal of being a “one-stop destination” for all digital transactions, added Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart. The companies did not disclose the financial details of the partnership. Founded in 2007, Bengaluru-based e-commerce platform Flipkart claims to have a customer base of over 100 million in the country.

VITS Luxury Hotels has rolled out three boutique properties in the island of Phuket in Thailand. VITS had recently signed a joint venture with Exhicon Group in Thailand. Located near Patong beach, the new launches are VITS Alfresco Hotel, VITS New Life Classic and VITS Luxur Boutique Hotel. Announcing the launches, Chandrakant Shetty, Director, VITS-Exhicon (Thailand) says, “We are delighted to extend the VITS luxury experience in Thailand with the launch of three properties located in the heart of Phuket. Each of the three hotels distinctive in its own right offer unparalleled hospitality experiences and contemporary amenities. Phuket with its serene beaches, historic museums and vibrant nightlife is ranked as favourite from travellers in India and around the world. With the launch of our properties in the region, we aim to tap the growing potential of tourist inflow. As part of our future expansion, we plan to take over 15 hotels primarily in Thailand and Malaysia within the next two years.” While the 33-key hotel VITS Alfresco is located an hour from the Phuket International Airport, the VITS New Life Classic is about a six-minute walk from Patong beach with 20 rooms. VITS Luxur Boutique Hotel, with 33 rooms, offers guests various activities in the surroundings, including golfing, cycling and fishing.