Category Archives: Hotels

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.  

Booking.com has partnered with Air India to offer the airline’s customers access to over 28.9 million accommodation listings, including everything from homes, apartments, villas to world-class hotels and resorts from the Air India website. Stewart Jones, Regional Director – Strategic Partnerships, APAC, Booking.com said, “Air India makes it the perfect partner for us to showcase our global online accommodation offering to their domestic and international customers. As India is poised to become the third largest aviation market by 2020 with its fast-growing outbound travel market, we are happy to combine our strengths with Air India’s to deliver the best travel experience to travellers across the country.” Madhu Mathen, General Manager – Sales and Marketing, Air India said, “Booking.com’s global reach and unique accommodation offerings is a key reason we chose the online accommodation platform as one of our first accommodation partner. As a member of the world’s largest airline alliance – Star Alliance, Air India has passengers that are globe-trotters. Partnering with Booking.com enables us at Air India to provide our customers a broad & unique variety of accommodation options in any city we fly them to.”  

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has inaugurated the Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50, the first Holiday Inn Express hotel in Gurugram. As part of IHG’s partnership with SAMHI for a portfolio of 14 Holiday Inn Express hotels, this property will be the first to open its doors to guests on September 15. Marking this celebration, IHG’s regional leadership team including Kenneth Macpherson, CEO-EMEAA and Pascal Gauvin, MD, IMEA, were present at the ceremony. Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 offers 205 intelligent, design-led, contemporary rooms, providing an efficient environment to guests. Boasting of an excellent location, Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 is strategically situated in a mixed-use complex populated with a shopping mall, restaurants, entertainment and wellness facilities, making it a perfect destination for business travellers as well as leisure seekers. Vivek Bhalla, Regional Vice President – SWA, IHG said, “We are delighted to launch the first Holiday Inn Express hotel as a part of our partnership with SAMHI. Our growth in India is fuelled by the Holiday Inn brand family, and this partnership underscores our commitment to grow our midscale offering in the country. We are confident that Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 will offer an uncompromising and modern guest experience to travellers visiting the city.” Ashish Jakhanwala, MD & CEO, SAMHI added, “The conversion and the rebranding exercise of our existing portfolio to the Holiday Inn Express brand is one of the largest in the hospitality industry. We strongly believe that a combination of strong locations, a vibrant product and the power of the brand Holiday Inn Express, will lead the way for the midscale hotel space in India.”   

SOTC has launched ‘Holiday Essentials’, keeping in mind the type of vacation and destination requirement. The Holiday Essentials range is an integral part of SOTC’s services and have been designed to make every vacation worry free by understanding the customer’s minute necessities. SOTC Travel has witnessed the change in travel experiences over the years and has observed a growth in queries for the inclusion of various kinds of experiences which is about 30% to 35% as compared to the last year. Being a new age travel curator, SOTC strives to make holidays a priority for every Indian. To accommodate these new requirements of the present day traveller, SOTC has included a strong line up of their own Holiday Essentials range of travel merchandise along with a few other Indian and international brands on their website https://www.sotcholidayessentials.com/. This merchandise website currently provides around 70 unique products across categories. Bringing together a range of accessories to help relieve discomfort and boredom are a fantastic way to beat the travelling blues! SOTC ‘Holiday Essentials’ line offers a wide array of products, from neck pillows to hand warmers, adaptors to backpacks. There are plenty of nifty gadgets too; such as compact portable luggage weighing scales, padlocks and waterproof pouches. It includes SOTC’s private label under the brand name of “Holiday Essentials” and mix of international brands like Osprey, Nrit, Trekmates and award winning Indian brands like Tag8. Customers can also place orders at their nearest SOTC store.

StayWell Holdings has announced the expansion of its Leisure Inn portfolio in South India with the opening of Leisure Inn VKL Kochi scheduled to launch in the last quarter of 2018. The 53-room hotel will mark the group’s second property in Southern India, following the recent opening of Park Regis Aveda in Kumarakom and the first Leisure Inn to open post the acquisition of StayWellHoldings by Prince Hotels. Simon Wan, President & Director, StayWell Holdings, said “We are looking forward to widening our reach in the Southern market. The hotel will offer a unique experience to tourists and business travellers in the region. We are pleased to extend our partnership with the hotel owner, Dr Varghese Kurian, with the opening of Park Regis Lotus Hotel Bahrain early this year and now Leisure Inn VKL Kochi in India. We are committed to offering our guests a range of options when it comes to business and leisure stays at our hotels, and we will continue to look for opportunities to expand our brands, both in India and internationally,” he further added. Rohit Vig, Managing Director, StayWell Hospitality Group India said, “From unbreakable connectivity, through to the design of hotels, today’s guests look for an unmatched hospitality experience when booking their stay, with aspects like comfort and convenience a minimum expectation nowadays. At Leisure Inn VKL Kochi, we understand our guest’s needs and aim to deliver on this. It’s a great addition to the StayWell portfolio.”  

The Registry Collection, the world’s largest luxury exchange programme, announced its affiliation with two new properties, Ramada Kumbhalgarh in Rajasthan and 1 Khandala Valley in Maharashtra. Both these resorts make for a perfect weekend getaway for travellers. Ramada Kumbhalgarh is located in the westerly range of the Aravali Hills of the Rajasthan district, about 82 km from Udaipur. The latter is nested on the Western Ghats and is a private, secure, gated community that sprawls over 37 acres. Commenting on the affiliation, Sabina Chopra, Managing Director, RCI India said, “Ramada Kumbhalgarh and 1 Khandala Valley are great additions to our growing affiliate network. Our affiliation with Ramada and Khandala Valley will add to our members’ choices of high-quality properties in premium holiday destinations, allowing us to provide amazing vacation experiences to our members and create memories that will last a lifetime.” The Registry Collection, part of  RCI, is an exclusive programme with 200 affiliated properties in more than 40 countries and approximately 50,000 members. It provides members with access to an elite global network of the finest vacation properties at some of the world’s premier destinations.

The nationwide occupancy for all branded hotels was 65.6 per cent in 2016-17 and the hotels that have existed since 2012/13 achieved 68.4% occupancy last year, according to a report by HVS Global Hospitality Services. Similarly, hotels that have been operating since 2013/14 clocked 67.9% occupancy in 2016/17. On the average rate front, while India’s ARR was `5,658 in 2016/17, for hotels in existence since 2012/13, the ARR last year was more than `6,000.