Category Archives: Hotels

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has posted a growth of 6.32 per cent with a total turnover at Rs 495.14 crore as compared to Rs. 465.69 crore in last financial year. Revenue from operations stood at Rs. 473.15 crore as compared to Rs. 437.13 crore in the last fiscal. Corporation posted profit before tax (PBT) of Rs.17.52 crore and profit after tax (PAT) of Rs.12.05 crore in 2016-17 against Rs. 32.42 crore and Rs. 22.55 crore respectively in the previous year. The results were announced in the Board Meeting held on May 30, 2017, at the Group’s flagship hotel, The Ashok, New Delhi. Piyush Tiwari, Officiating Chairman & Managing Director and Director (Commercial & Marketing), India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), said, “FY 2016-17 has been a motivating year for ITDC as it was the golden jubilee year for the organisation. The profit is result of several proactive initiatives taken by the organization to improve productivity and efficiency at the beginning of the year. Besides posting continuous profit year after year, ITDC has maintained its status of Mini Ratna and its commitment towards the shareholders through announcing consistent dividends for last four consecutive years.” Hotel The Ashok, Ashok International Trade division and Ashok events division of ITDC were other contributors to the profit for FY 2016-17. The Ashok hotel posted a highest ever turnover amounting to Rs. 152.91 crore.

Fairfield by Marriott, part of Marriott International, has announced the opening of Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu, which marks Marriott International’s entry into Nepal. Mike Fulkerson, Vice President, Brand & Marketing Asia Pacific, Marriott International, says, “As with all Fairfield by Marriott hotels around the world, guests can expect the same high standards of service and seamless experience so they never have to skip a beat. We are very proud to debut in the kingdom of Nepal and introduce the Fairfield by Marriott brand as Marriott International’s first hotel in the country.” Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu is located in Thamel, a district at the heart of the capital’s central commercial hub, which was previously known as a bohemian haven before it became a popular shopping destination. Close to all the destination’s popular attractions including the Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Garden of Dreams and the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the hotel is also situated 5km away from the airport. Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President, South Asia for Marriott International added, “We believe this is exactly the right product for this market as it fills a much-needed gap in the moderate tier segment with its fresh, contemporary design, service excellence and great value. We are confident this will resonate well with both leisure and business travelers to Kathmandu.” Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu is the latest addition to the brand’s footprint in South Asia, with four hotels in India currentlyopen including Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Rajajinagar, Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Outer Ring Road, Fairfield by Marriott Lucknow and Fairfield by Marriott Belagavi. The hotel offers 115 rooms. Kava, the all-day dining restaurant, serves local, Indian and international cuisine. Meanwhile, Kava – The Bar and lobby lounge …

InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the launch of National Sales Office (NSO) in South West Asia (SWA) offering a central point of contact for IHG’s growing number of hotels in the region. The NSO is headquartered in Gurgaon and has team members located in key cities, including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. The NSO team consisting of 28 associates will support hotel-based sales teams in SWA and corporate sales teams around the world, in growing business, loyalty and customer satisfaction in the market. IHG has doubled its scale in the SWA region (India, Nepal, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh) in the last four years, to 30 hotels across 14 cities, and is set to double the number of properties in three to five years as it opens 39 hotels in its development pipeline – increasing presence to 23 cities*. The NSO will represent 30 IHG hotels across SWA including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express to cater to the corporate demand for transient travel and MICE, as well as demand from international government bodies and institutions. Speaking on the launch Shantha de Silva, Head of South West Asia, IHG, said “Following a successful pilot with positive feedback from owners and key account representatives, we have opened the NSO to provide clients with a central point of contact through which to book IHG hotels and raise brand awareness in this fast-growing market.”

Taj Group has announced that its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Sarna has resigned owing to personal reasons. Sarna had joined Indian Hotels Company Limited as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer on September 1, 2014. IHCL Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said Sarna had chosen to resign upon completion of his three-year tenure as MD and CEO, adding “The board respects his decision and has requested him to continue till September 30, which he has kindly agreed to”. IHCL runs the Taj Group of hotels. He had joined IHCL in September 2014 replacing the company’s long-serving head Raymond Bickson. Before he joined IHCL, Sarna was the Group President -Americas of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

In one of its most momentous steps, Sarovar Hotels launched The Lazizi Premiere Nairobi, a luxury hotel positioned inside the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The hotel, managed by Sarovar Hotels, was inaugurated by H. E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya. President Uhuru Kenyatta officially opened the 144-room premium hotel as part of the government’s tourism and hospitality transformation strategy. Conveniently located inside the JKIA airport, The Lazizi Premiere Nairobi is designed to be the best and most luxurious hotel in the area. Speaking at the launch, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, said, “Kenya is the business hub for Africa and has one of the most diverse accommodation facilities. Nairobi being the hub of East Africa offers a great launch pad for our expansion and growing our footprint in the African region. Travellers in transit, airline crews and other local and international visitors intending to avoid traffic enroute to the airport have not had much luck as most hotels are still quite a distance from the main international airport in the capital city. We are aiming to tap that segment with The Lazizi Premiere”.

Phoenix-based Best Western Hotels & Resorts has acquired Sweden Hotels, a collection of 59 hotels across Sweden, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition makes Best Western the largest hotel chain in Sweden, with a total of 135 properties. Sweden Hotels, which has been in business since 1977, now gets access to Best Western’s loyalty program, Best Western Rewards, its distribution channels, and its customer relations, marketing, and purchasing services. Best Western said the deal will help the company grow its newly formed SureStay Hotel Group brand, as well. In a statement, David Kong, CEO of Best Western said, “Best Western is always on a quest to grow our offerings around the globe. The opportunity to broaden our footprint with a quality partner like Sweden Hotels is one that we couldn’t turn down. We look forward to what I’m confident will be a longstanding and prosperous venture.” In another press statement, Jenny Bänsch Larsson, chairman of Sweden Hotels said, “It feels good to be part of BWHR (Best Western Hotels & Resorts). With the merger with BWHR, we will now be able to help hotels better in areas such as distribution, marketing, purchasing and sales.”

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its ‘In Principle’ approval to transfer the property of Hotel Janpath, New Delhi to Ministry of Urban Development. The property can be considered for construction of Government offices and similar purposes which would save government funds spent in hiring of government offices. Details of implementation of the project, land usages, etc. would be taken subsequently by a Committee of Secretaries to be constituted under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary. The building of Hotel Janpath has to undergo major rehabilitation work since the building structure of Hotel Janpath has been found to be unserviceable, in distressed condition and deficit in the context of seismic requirements, according to the inspection report of IIT Roorkee. The Government of India has initiated the process of disinvestment of hotels / properties of the India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC). The decision on disinvestment-has been made, keeping in view that running and managing hotels on professional lines is not the work of the Government or its entities. In the first stage of the disinvestment process, it was decided to disinvest three hotels, viz. Hotel Lake View Ashok, Bhopal, Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok, Guwahati and Hotel Bharatpur Ashok. Hotel Janpath, New Delhi is next in the list.  

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened the doors to the first Kimpton outside of the Americas, with the Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Sudeep Jain, Vice President-Development, South West Asia, IHG, says, “The concept of lifestyle hotels is about stimulating a diverse, innovative environment enhanced by a sense of belonging and style. It is encouraging to see the signature Kimpton experience being introduced to Europe. Lifestyle hotels have been trending for over 20 years, and now is the right time to accelerate our growth in India through the lifestyle segment.” Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants was acquired by IHG in 2015. IHG announced the further expansion of the brand across Europe with its second Kimpton hotel set to open in Paris in 2020. There are currently over 60 Kimpton hotels and more than 70 Kimpton restaurants, bars and lounges in 33 cities across Europe and the Americas. The hotel, which is in the heart of Amsterdam’s vibrant city centre and near the city’s Centraal Station, marks a milestone for IHG as it brings the Kimpton brand to Europe for the first time. This is IHG’s 20th hotel in The Netherlands and is an addition to the 675 IHG hotels across Europe. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants introduced the boutique hotel concept to the United States when it opened in San Fransisco in 1981. “Europe was the original inspiration behind Bill Kimpton founding the brand and now we’re bringing the brand home again. Opening in Amsterdam, gives us the perfect opportunity to indulge in the playful, creative and innovative approach to luxury that the city inspires in Kimpton’s unique and special way,” comments Angela Brav, IHG’s CEO, Europe.  “Amsterdam as a city …

The Fern Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of The Fern Silvanus Resort, Alibaug, offering 34 cottages. The cottage rates start from an average Rs. 3000 plus taxes. The Resort is located in the coastal town at a distance of 9 km from the Nagaon Beach while the Kolaba Fort is 40 mins away. Other tourist attraction includes Akshi Beach, Varsoli Beach and Kihim Beach which are in close proximity to the resort. All cottages are spacious and offer a view of the surrounding hills and are equipped with all modern amenities required for a comfortable stay. On-site amenities at the resort includes all day dining at multi-cuisine restaurant ‘Vista’ , Swimming Pool and Games Room where leisure and relaxation becomes top priority which makes it an ideal place for a relaxed holiday or a corporate getaway. The unit is owned by Silvanus Resort and managed by Concept Hospitality, part of CG Hotels and Resorts.

Royal Orchid Hotels announced the launch of its third hotel in Mysore with Regenta Central Herald. The hotel is located on Nelson Mandela Road, Bannimantap in Mysore which is approximately just 4 kms from Mysore Railway Station. The hotel offers 70 rooms, fitness centre, mini bar and a multi cuisine restaurant. One can also enjoy MICE facilities with multi-functional banquet spaces which can accommodate up to 300 guests making it an ideal venue for social and corporate events. With this launch, the Royal Orchid chain of hotels stands proudly today with 43 hotels in 28 different cities in India and ready to add 5 more hotels in its portfolio for coming months. This is Royal Orchid’s third hotel in Mysore and adds to Royal Orchid Brindavan Garden & Royal Orchid Metropole in Mysore, Karnataka, which opened a decade ago. With the addition in Mysore, Royal Orchid hotels will have an attractive offering of the Mysore City attractions i.e. Mysore Palace, Brindavan Gardens, Chamundi Hills etc. Moreover, the Royal Orchid Hotels will be looking for more properties to manage untapped areas across India and other countries. The Royal Orchid Group of hotels is in a strategic alliance, with the owners of Regenta Central Herald for managing the operations of the hotel, which is also a part of an identified plan for their growth in India. On the occasion of the launch, Chander Baljee, Chairman & MD, Royal Orchid Hotels Limited stated, “As we embark on this expansion drive, we are very particular in identifying strategic, high value markets that present a unique fit for our time-tested services and ambitious growth plans. We are in a consolidation mode & are looking at …