Category Archives: Hotels

Tata group’s Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has retained the iconic Taj Mansingh Hotel after an auction conducted by New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). “The lease for the property will be granted to the group for 33 years at double the license fees. IHCL will pay a license fee of Rs 7.03 crore per month including GST. Earlier, they were paying Rs 3.94 crore per month as license fee,” a senior NDMC official said. The other bidder in the auction held on September 28 was the ITC group of hotels . The Taj Mansingh was given to the IHCL in 1978 on a lease for 33 years, which ended in 2011. The company has been since given nine temporary extensions. Source: PTI

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced the signing of a new Vivanta hotel in Kathmandu, marking the entry of the brand in the city. This will be IHCL’s second hotel in Nepal after Meghauli Serai in Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Commenting on the signing of this agreement, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL said, “We are honoured to partner with R&R Hotels and Resorts for this new hotel. Kathmandu is an extremely popular destination and this hotel will help us complete a tourist circuit with Meghauli Serai, our Taj Safari Lodge in Chitwan National Park.” The hotel will have approximately 111 spacious rooms and suites with a selection of rooms offering panoramic views of the city. The hotel will also include all-day dining and specialty restaurants, a bar, banqueting facilities and a spa. Commenting on the partnership, Rahul Chaudhary, Director, R&R Hotels and Resorts, said, “We have had a long standing association with IHCL for a range of hotels in multiple destinations. We are extremely proud to carry this relationship forward with the new Vivanta in Kathmandu.” Kathmandu has been at the centre of Nepal’s history, art, culture and economy. Some of the most popular attractions include the sacred and famous temple Pashupatinath, one of the biggest stupas in the world Boudhanath Stupa and Narayanhiti Palace Museum amongst others.  

VITS Luxury Hotels has launched VITS Upper Thane, a luxury corporate hotel located in the fastest growing city of Kalyan. Located 35 minutes from Thane Railway Station, VITS Upper Thane is targeted at both corporate and leisure segments. Announcing the opening, Chandrakant Shetty, CEO, VITS Hotels says, “We are delighted to announce the opening of VITS Upper Thane, our seventh property in Maharashtra. It is a proud moment for us as we expand the brand’s footprint in this business district of Kalyan and Bhiwandi. We believe VITS Upper Thane – Bhiwandi with its stunning array of facilities and host of hospitality will appeal to both leisure and business tourists. VITS is positioned as a moderately priced full service luxury business hotel and enjoys high occupancy rate at all our properties nationality. We have a strong sales network across pan India and loyal customer base. As part of its domestic expansion plans VITS Hotels will unveil the VITS hospitality experience in Mumbai (Colaba), Porbunder and Mangalore shortly.”

The Fern Hotels & Resorts has added another hotel to its portfolio with The Fern Residency Miramar, Goa. Earlier known as Mystique Heights Beacon, the property has now been refurbished and rebranded as The Fern Residency Miramar, Goa. This takes the tally of hotels under the company’s management to 54 hotels. Commenting on the opening, hotel COO Suhail Kannampilly said, “This is the first hotel under the Fern Residency brand which we have opened in Goa. We look forward to opening many more such properties in future.” The Fern Residency Miramar, a 26-room boutique hotel, offers two different categories of rooms. The hotel provides medical assistance, 24-hour front desk, laundry/dry cleaning, concierge, spa, recreation activities, Wi-Fi and secretarial services on request. The dining options comprise Flamingo restaurant. Other options are Outer Deck where one can enjoy live barbecue in the open and Fame bar. The hotel is located 30 km away from Dabolim Airport, 18 km from Karmali Railway Station and 4 km from Panjim Bus Stand. The Miramar beach is few minutes away from the hotel.  

The Park Hotels brought its year-long Golden Jubilee celebrations to The Park New Delhi on September 22. The event was presided over by Priya Paul, Chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels and Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, The Park Hotels. Speaking on the occasion, Paul said, “50 years is an important milestone and I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of The Park Hotels’ incredible journey. Our remarkable success is due to our solid foundation and values. Our vision of ‘Leadership Through Differentiation’ is manifested by each of our 15 hotels across India. My outstanding team and I look forward to creating unique experiences for customers and more value for our stakeholders.” The Park Hotels’ 50-year celebrations continue across India and will culminate at The Park Vishakhapatnam which also turns 50 in 2018. About 50 years ago, Late Jit Paul and Late Surrendra Paul took the hospitality industry a notch higher when Apeejay Surrendra Group’s first hotel The Park Kolkata, a contemporary luxury property was opened on November 1, 1967. Since then, The Park Hotels has taken the path of creating a unique collection of luxury boutique hotels. Tapping into the ever-shifting pulse of society, the edgy design and imaginative spaces have brought together the pioneers of creativity to engage with each other and with the hotels.

ITC Hotels has announced the successful acquisition of Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa as part of an auction held by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) for Rs 541 crores in 2015, and upheld by the Supreme Court in its March 19 judgement. Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa at Cansaulim, spread across 45 acres and comprising 252 Indo-Portuguese style rooms and suites, is currently under renovation and will soon echo ITC’s standards of excellence.  The sprawling property is currently under minor renovation to comply with all the ITC’s exemplary sustainability practises to deliver the best of luxury to its customers. Commenting on the chain’s entry into Goa, Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC said “ITC is pleased to announce the latest addition to its luxury hotel portfolio in the hospitality landscape of Goa. This has been a long-awaited destination for ITC and we welcome the opportunity to be integrated into the multi-faceted culture and ethos of Goa.” He further added, “In order to ensure business continuity and seamless transition, the leadership team of ITC Hotels is at hand to support the current team of managers and associates. ITC Hotels has received tremendous support from key officials in the state government to ensure that we can recommence operations at the earliest and support the tourism goals of this great state.”    

Louvre Hotels Group has introduced its Kyriad brand in India and has announced a plan for expansion across the country. Together with the acquisition of the Sarovar Hotels & Resort chain in January 2017, it has further broadened the network of Golden Tulip, Tulip Inn and Royal Tulip brands, and now has 126 hotels. Under the terms of the agreement with the Indian operator, as of 2018, Orange Tiger will be operating eight hotels under brand Kyriad by mid-October and fifteen by the end of this financial year and then at least ten new hotels will open every year. The scope of the agreement is not just limited to India, but it also encompasses opportunities for development in Nepal, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, The Maldives, Pakistan and Mauritius. Saurabh Chawla, Global Chief Development Officer, Louvre Hotels Group, said, “Our goal is to become one of the top hospitality group by 2023. This calls for a strategic approach to countries with high growth potential such as India, where we introduce new brands that complement our existing presence and are tailored to address the needs of domestic and international, business and leisure travellers.” Abhijeet Shrivastava, CEO, Orange Tiger Hospitality, “The demand for mid-scale full-service hotels is ever growing in India and over the past few years, the liking for an International brand is on an upswing. With our expertise of managing the hotel operations as well as revenues, we are sure to take brand Kyriad to newer heights in South Asia.”

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced the signing of a new Taj Hotel at Deira Creek in Dubai in partnership with Ithra Dubai, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD). Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO, IHCL said, “The Middle East is a significant market for IHCL. We are honoured to partner with Ithra Dubai for this new hotel in Deira – the historical and cultural centre of Dubai. IHCL has a long tradition of managing marquee hotels with rich heritage links across the world.” The new Taj hotel is a greenfield project slated to open in early 2022, conveniently positioned 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport. This hotel will be part of Deira Waterfront Development – one of Dubai’s most significant rejuvenation projects. An urban oasis, the hotel will have approximately 200 spacious rooms and suites with a selection of rooms cantilevered over the water, with scenic waterfront views. The hotel will include all-day dining and specialty restaurants, a bar and lounge, banqueting facilities and a spa. Issam Galadari, Chief Executive Director, Ithra Dubai, said, “We are delighted to partner with The Indian Hotels Company Limited and look forward to working with them to bring the iconic Taj brand to the Deira Waterfront Development in Dubai.” IHCL also operates Taj Dubai in downtown Business Bay and has two new hotels, Taj Jumeirah Lake Towers and Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai opening in late 2018 and 2019 respectively

All major markets in terms of hotel performance have witnessed an increase in RevPAR except for Agra, according to HVS’ Trends & Opportunities survey. Noida (including Greater Noida) saw the highest year-on-year growth in RevPAR (16.0%), followed by Hyderabad (11.4%) and Ahmedabad (10.7%). Mumbai continues to lead in terms of both occupancy (74.2%) and average rate (`7,693) for the third year running. Noida displayed the lowest occupancy (56.9%) and Ahmedabad, the lowest average rate (Rs 3,840). All 13 hotel markets depicted an increase in occupancy leaving Pune (-0.7%), even as some markets saw a lower growth (Bengaluru and Mumbai at 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively) compared to others (Ahmedabad and Noida at 12.0% and 11.7%, respectively). In 2016-17, only two cities showed a decline in average rates – Agra, which witnessed a steep decline of 8.9% over 2015/16 and, Ahmedabad, which witnessed a minor decline of 1.1%. Goa registered the highest year-on-year increase of 7.3% in average rate, followed by Pune (5.7%).

Expanding its overseas portfolio, Sarovar Hotels has announced the signing of its latest project in Africa with Yeha Hotel – A Sarovar Premiere Hotel, a luxury property in Axum, Ethiopia. This development signifies Sarovar’s focus on Africa and the latest addition to its existing portfolio of properties in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Yeha Hotel- A Sarovar Premiere Hotel will be a modern, luxurious development with a revolving restaurant and bar. It will also have the latest amenities in conferencing and meeting, a swimming pool, water amusement park and a kid’s playground. In the first phase, it will launch with 78 keys in October 2019, with plan to expand to 222 keys by 2021. Ajay K Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, says, “The hotel is an important addition to our rapidly growing footprint in Africa and reflects the strong traction the brand is gaining in the region.  We see great growth potential in this market with high demand and this development makes a momentous step in our growth and expansion strategy in the overseas market.” Some of the openings of Sarovar Hotels this year include hotels in Jaisalmer, Gorakhpur, Dehradun, Katra, Lusaka and Dar Es Salaam.