Singapore-based Banyan Tree Holdings enters into agreement with AccorHotels. Under a long-term partnership, both parties intend to collaborate to develop and manage BanyanTree branded hotels around the world. Banyan Tree will also have access to AccorHotels’ global reservations and sales network, as well as its loyalty programme Le Club AccorHotels. AccorHotels will invest an initial SGD 24 million (c. €16 million) in Banyan Tree and both parties will then co-develop the brands owned by Banyan Tree around the world. This investment will be made through a mandatory convertible debenture that at conversion will give AccorHotels an approximately five per cent stake in Banyan Tree. AccorHotels has an option to purchase an additional approximately five per cent stake. Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree, said, “This agreement is not only transformational for Banyan Tree, but is also an innovation for the global hospitality industry. With the current consolidation of mega hotel companies, smaller but also global players – many family-controlled – are also seeking strategic alliances with the global giants. Our strategic alliance with AccorHotels allows us to remain an independent company,enabling us to continue securing hotel management agreements on our own andyet accelerating Banyan Tree’s speed and scope of expansion but with AccorHotels helping us to grow our brands around the world. We believe this agreement will propel our brands rapidly to global reach and range and strengthen our ability to embrace change and innovation in the hospitality industry with a strong global partner. We are excited and committed to this partnership.” Sebastien Bazin, CEO and Chairman of AccorHotels, said, “Our collaboration with Banyan Tree is a great opportunity to complement our business proposition to owners with iconic …

According to IATA, India has topped the domestic growth chart for the 11th consecutive month with a 22.7 per cent year-on-year traffic growth in October, supported by significant growth in real consumer spending and increases in the number of airport pairs served. Asia-Pacific airlines’ traffic rose 7 per cent in October compared to the year-ago period. Capacity rose 7.1 per cent and load factor dipped 0.1 percentage point to 76.9 per cent. The strong upward trend in seasonally-adjusted traffic has slowed in recent months, although it is too soon to determine whether this is an actual weakening or just a brief pause. On the other hand, the Asia-to-Europe market, which is highly sensitive to shock events, is continuing to recover.

In an attempt to boost regional connectivity, Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India will connect Delhi and Bhatinda from December 11. The flights will be operated three times a week on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. 70-seater ATR-72 aircraft would be utilised for the services. The flight will depart from Delhi at 12.15 pm and reach Bathinda at 1.45 pm. The return flight will fly out from Bathinda at 2.15 pm and reach Delhi at 3.45 pm. Alliance Air, which flies to tier-II and tier-III cities, has a fleet of eight ATR-72 and two ATR-42 aircraft. Currently, it operates flights to 33 destinations, including Allahabad, Bengaluru, Bhavnagar, Dharamshala, Gorakhpur, Shillong and Silchar.

TIRUN has announced the arrival of Celebrity Cruises’ millennium class ship, Celebrity Constellation, in Mumbai, for the first time. The Millennium-class cruise ship docked in the city yesterday as part of its existing Asia sailings. A plaque and key ceremony was conducted on-board, to welcome Constellation. Speaking on the arrival of Constellation, Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN said, “TIRUN is continually striving to make cruises accessible to Indian travellers. We are, therefore, delighted to introduce the marvels that Celebrity Constellation holds to our domestic cruise enthusiasts. The fact that the ship will dock in Mumbai also underlines India’s emerging position as an ideal cruise destination. Indian families can look forward to receiving celebrity treatment for the entire duration of the cruise, aboard the deluxe ship.” The 66 newly-furnished staterooms, including spa-inspired Aqua Class accommodations, have been designed to revitalize cruisers. The Celebrity Suites take indulgence to a new level with the addition of private verandas. Concierge Class guests can enjoy priority check-in services custom blended bath amenities, sparkling wine, fresh fruit and much more.

Marriott International has announced that the company will continue to grow its leadership position in luxury, doubling its portfolio of luxury hotels through the recent merger with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Providing travelers a selection of high-end experiences in 61 countries, the Marriott International Luxury Brands group now includes the iconic St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels brands, in addition to the company’s hospitality hallmarks The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, EDITION and JW Marriott. Looking ahead, Marriott International is scheduled to open nearly 30 luxury hotels in 2017 and has a total of 180 luxury hotels in its development pipeline, representing 20 new countries, from Iceland and Nepal to Cuba. Tina Edmundson, Global Brand Officer, Marriott International, said, “Spanning the world from the most iconic hot spots to the ultimate undiscovered gems, the unmatched breadth and depth of our luxury portfolio uniquely positions us to cater to the increased demand of the rapidly-expanding cadre of affluent travelers. With luxury travel up nearly 50% over the past five years, we see a long runway for growth at the high-end and have a world-class, dedicated luxury structure in place to nurture and strengthen this coveted portfolio of eight diverse luxury brands.”

Zubin Karkaria, CEO – VFS Global, and CEO – Kuoni Group, was appointed ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite’ (Knight of the National Order of Merit) by the President of the French Republic, François Hollande, last week. The prestigious French award was conferred on Karkaria by H.E. Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India, on behalf of President Hollande, at a ceremony in Mumbai. Karkaria, who has been a part of the travel industry for more than 25 years, established visa processing multinational VFS Global in 2001. In 2015, he became the first Asian to head the Switzerland headquartered Kuoni Group, VFS Global’s parent company. The distinction recognises his exemplary contributions in developing France as a tourist destination through leisure travel and the management of visa services across the world. Having pioneered the concept of visa process outsourcing in 2001 with the launch of VFS Global, Karkaria has contributed to the increased inbound tourism into France. VFS Global today serves the Government of France through 52 Visa Application Centres in 19 countries around the globe. Speaking about Karkaria’s achievements, the Ambassador said, “France is proud to be the top global tourist destination, as well as a fast-growing destination for the Indian traveller. Over 5 lakh Indian visitors chose France last year and we want to welcome many more. It is an honour to confer the Ordre national du Mérite on Mr. Karkaria who played a stellar role in this success in conceiving the visa facilitation system and promoting France as a travel destination, thus contributing to developing people-to-people contacts between France and India.” Commenting on the recognition, Karkaria said, “I have always believed in the enormous potential France has as …

Sarovar Hotels has opened Efcee Sarovar Portico Bhavnagar. The 99 room premium hotel was launched in the presence of Mansoor Adil, Executive Vice President, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd., Komalkant F. Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, Leela Worldwide Group, Rajesh Ranjan, Director – Development, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. and Sanjay Wadhwa, General Manager, Efcee Sarovar Portico. Sarovar Hotels manages three other hotels in Gujarat including Ahmedabad, Gandhidham and Rajkot.Efcee Sarovar Portico offers a calm and peaceful oasis for both business and leisure travellers. The elegant and well-appointed rooms and suites, categorized into Deluxe Rooms, Premium Rooms, Executive Suites and Leela Suite, offer contemporary amenities and personalized service. With state of the art meeting and banqueting facilities, it is an ideal venue for corporate and social events, workshops, exhibitions and weddings. The open air lawn, perhaps the biggest space in the city, is perfect for weddings and can accommodate upto 2000 people. As trade and economic collaborations between Gujarat and the rest of country continue to strengthen, this newest property is well set to cater to Bhavnagar’s business and leisure market. Furthermore, the launch of Efcee Sarovar Portico Bhavnagar is strategically important for the group’s development in the state of Gujarat as it looks to further expand its footprints across newer destinations in the country. Commenting on the launch, Mr. Mansoor Adil, Executive Vice President, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are delighted to be opening our fourth hotel in Gujarat. Bhavnagar, being one of the major business destinations in the state, is an important addition to our portfolio. With Efcee Sarovar Portico, we endeavor to offer the best of hospitality to all travellers to this region. Our superior banqueting facilities will …

Indifi Technologies, an enabler for SME funding in India, has partnered with DJUBO, a cloud-based hotel tech solution. Under this partnership, over 1400 hotels that are associated with DJUBO, will have the opportunity to avail unsecured loans of up to 50 lakhs within three business days through Indifi technologies. The quick and convenient availability to these loans will be made possible for hotels by simply choosing to share their revenue data from their DJUBO systems with Indifi, to act as proof of creditworthiness. The partnership between DJUBO & Indifi is aimed at making available, convenient & unsecured capital loans for hotels to invest in growth initiatives and improve their guest experience, in addition to the hotel digitization and revenue maximization technology suite already being offered to them by DJUBO. Non-availability of adequate & timely financial aid is a major impediment in a hotel’s upkeep and growth. This partnership will help DJUBO’s client hotels get business loans from Indifi’s extensive lender base with ease, enabling them to invest in modern amenities, service quality and operations, thereby improving guest delight. This positive spiral will result in better room realization, occupancy & profitability over time. Elaborating on the successful association, Alok Mittal, Co-founder and CEO, Indifi Technologies said, “Indifi is committed to solving the credit access issues faced by small businesses across sectors in India. Our partnership with DJUBO creates a seamless platform for hotels, as well as the data infrastructure to enable strong credit quality for lenders.” Sankalp Goel, Co-founder, DJUBO, “We strive to deliver value beyond a regular hotel tech product. DJUBO itself is revenue-focused tech product and on average our clients using the complete DJUBO platform experience, on average, 30-40% …

Vienna attracted a record 47,465 visitors from India in the first 10 months of 2016, registering an increase of 30.4 percent over the same period last year. Tourists from India accounted for 102,701 overnight stays between Jan-Oct 2016, each visitor clocking an average of 2.16 nights, according to Vienna Tourist Board (VTB). “Vienna got an overwhelming response from travellers from India, exceeding the target of 100,000 overnight stays for 2016 by Indian tourists in just 10 months. Indians love to stroll around the fabulously green city, with half its metro area dotted with 2,000 green spaces, 850 parks and 400 species of rose, perhaps unmatched by any other city in the world,” says Isabella Rauter, Public Relations Manager, Vienna Tourist Board. A direct Delhi-Vienna flight by Air India also contributed to more Indians flocking to the Austrian capital, she adds. The global tourist flow into Vienna during the first 10 months of 2016 also grew by four per cent in overnight stays to 12.45 million, and four percent in arrivals to 5.69 million, informed Rauter.

StayWell Hospitality Group has launched its fifth property in India—Park Regis Goa. This is the largest property under the group’s portfolio. Spread over an area of 5 acres in Arpora, Park Regis Goa boasts a magnificent location featuring 96 Rooms & Suites each spread across 5500sqft with modern-décor, soothing warm colors, plush duvets, international standard mattresses and high quality bathroom amenities. Luxurious comfort with expansive, lavish spaces, a private bar and your own private balcony over-looking the plush greens. Simon Wan, CEO & Managing Director of StayWell Hospitality Group, has commented that the opening of Park Regis Goa is just the tip of the Group’s expansion in the region.”With four properties opened and an additional six under development, the growth opportunities for StayWell in India are extremely positive and exciting,” he said. The 96 room resort-style hotel is located in a prime position north of the main city of Goa, within close proximity to Goa’s iconic attractions Baga, Calangute and Anjuna Beaches. Boasting a large outdoor alfresco pool bar, cafe, restaurant, conference facilities, pool and gymnasium, Park Regis Goa will become a new class of accommodation in North Goa. Guest rooms are spaciously designed offering lavish inclusions such as handcrafted amenities, oversized bathtub and a private balcony overlooking lush surrounds. This is the second Park Regis hotel to open in India following the launch of Park Regis Jaipur in July 2015. Rohit Vig, Managing Director for India, StayWell Hospitality Group added that the group’s strategic plan is targeting an area of the Indian market with the biggest growth opportunities.”Ultimately, we are targeting India’s domestic travel segment. With a rapidly growing middle class with disposable income, the market is huge. We …