Category Archives: Hotels

The Supreme Court has clarified that the ban on sale of alcohol within 500 meters of state and national highways does not apply within city limits, granting relief to the liquor and hospitality industry. The Apex Court’s directive that no liquor shop shall be visible and directly accessible from the highways nor it should be situated within 500 metres of the outer edge of the national or state highway or of the service lane, created chaos in the hospitality industry. While lakhs of people lost their jobs, the MICE business impacted a great deal in the country. Terming it as a landmark order, Dilip Datwani, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) says, “This was a much needed clarification as millions of jobs and the very survival of the nation’s tourism industry was at stake. It has been HRAWI’s contention right from the start that the original order could not have been directed at hotels and liquor vends within city limits. We are thankful to the Bench and the Hon’ble Justices for unequivocally clarifying this. The order will bring relief to almost 70 per cent of the affected hotels.”

Travel Boutique Online (TBO) Group has launched its budget hotel chain under the brand name- BOHO Hotels. “The focus with BOHO Hotels is to cater to the budget segment of travellers. We believe there is a lot of demand for budget hotels in the market and especially with GST being implemented, we felt it was the right time to venture into the Tier-II and Tier-III cities. To begin with, we have opened the first hotel in Rishikesh. The second hotel will be launched in a few months in Delhi,” said Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group of Companies. The company will soon venture into other cities like Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad and Cochin, added Nijhawan.

Its first hotel in Lucknow and 46th in the country, Fortune Park BBD has been designed as an upscale, full service, contemporary hotel that offers a wide range of facilities and amenities for business and leisure travellers. The hotel is offering inaugural room rate starting from Rs 4,999 per night. Strategically located on Rana Pratap Marg, Fortune Park BBD is in close proximity to Hazratganj – the iconic commercial centre of Lucknow, the High Court, and all other major attractions of the city. Fortune Park BBD offers a selection of 63 well-appointed rooms, two restaurants and a bar & lounge and an in-house patisserie. The hotel also offers high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, swimming pool, well-equipped gymnasium, board room, travel desk and airport transfers. It is equipped with state-of-the-art conference and banquet facilities that can accommodate up to 450 guests.

Centara Hotels and Resorts recently organised its first roadshow in India in two metro cities – at St. Regis in Mumbai and at The Leela Palace in New Delhi. Centara is a large Thai hotel chain with its strong presence in Thailand, Srilanka , Maldives, Vietnam and Oman. Paul Wilson, V.P Sales, Centara Hotels and Resorts, says, “The growth of Indian traffic to Centara has been astronomical and Centara wants to be at the forefront of every Travel agent who thinks about any of the countries where Centara is present.” The group has plans to organise roadshows in more cities and frequently. Centara’s tradition goes back over 30 years, continues to grow and expand in destinations, which include China, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, UAE, Indonesia, Laos, the Maldives, Vietnam, Combodia and Thailand. With hotels in prime destinations and a wide array of services, Centara has properties to suit any need. Whether it is a family holiday trip, travelling on company business or organising a corporate meeting or conference Centara caters to all.

Hilton and DoubleTree by Hilton has announced the signing of a management agreement with Trillion Real Estate & Properties for a new DoubleTree by Hilton property in Maharashtra. Scheduled to open in Q1 2019, DoubleTree by Hilton Shirdi will be located at Shirdi’s historical town centre, marking Hilton’s entry into the popular pilgrimage destination. The latest addition increases Hilton’s pipeline of hotels in India to 19 properties. When open, the 125-room DoubleTree by Hilton Shirdi will be one of first global hospitality brands in Shirdi. It is located approximately four kilometres from the famous Shirdi Sai Baba Temple and is easily accessible to Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station, the town’s main train station, and the soon-to-open Shirdi Airport. In addition to a banquet hall and four meeting rooms, hotel will have an outdoor pool, a fitness center as well as three food and beverage outlets including an all-day dining restaurant. “With a fast-growing, global portfolio of more than 500 upscale properties, we are delighted that our award-winning DoubleTree by Hilton brand is gaining traction in India,” said Dianna Vaughan, Senior Vice President and Global Head, DoubleTree by Hilton. “With five DoubleTree by Hilton properties currently operating in India, DoubleTree by Hilton Shirdi will mark the brand’s sixth property in the pipeline in this burgeoning market. As the first upscale hotel in Shirdi, we look forward to delivering exceptional experiences to guests beginning with our signature, warm DoubleTree Cookie welcome.” Shirdi, famously known as the home of late spiritual leader Sri Sai Baba, is a popular pilgrimage town and an estimated 22 million tourists from across the country and overseas visit the famous Shirdi Sai Baba temple annually. Most recently, the city …

Indian Tourism Development Corporation’s (ITDC’s) Hotel Brahmaputra, formerly known as Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok, is reportedly all set to close its operations from September 1 this year, according to Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ATDCL). ATDCL has announced in a notification that all pre closure business deals pertaining to Hotel Brahmaputra will be handled by them. ITDC has already exited from Hotel Lake View Ashok, Bhopal; Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok, Guwahati, and Hotel Bharatpur Ashok, Bharatpur, as part of its disinvestment strategy. The disinvestment decision was reportedly taken at the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting  chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May this year. (Source: Economic Times)    

Radisson Blu launches ‘The Art of Weddings’, a campaign created exclusively for the India market. Building on the brand’s global ‘Something Blu, A Wedding of a Kind’ concept, the initiative will run across all of India’s 34 Radisson Blu hotels. ‘The Art of Weddings’ will roll out in the form of a two-day lavish experiential ‘Wedding Fair’ at Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar on August 25 and 26 and Radisson Blu Hotel Indore on September 2 and 3. Aimed at establishing the upper-upscale brand as the venue of choice for weddings and bridal related events, ‘The Art of Weddings’ is targeted at new age Indian couples and brings together the finest names in wedding services for a truly elegant, stylish and sophisticated wedding experience. Special privileges such as food and beverage discounts and a bonus of 25,000 Club CarlsonSM Gold Points, will be extended to all wedding bookings made at Radisson Blu hotels across India during the campaign period. Partnering with the campaign are – India’s finest couture designer, Payal Singhal who will present ‘The Azure Collection’, an exclusive line designed for Radisson Blu; renowned celebrity chef from Radisson Blu, Rakesh Sethi and his specially curated signature dishes; Ramit Batra, acclaimed destination wedding photographer and storyteller, who ties together vibrant and colorful memories of weddings through his photography; Puneet Gupta and his fashionable, bespoke wedding invitation designs; Jewels D’Allure that will bring together personalized, high-end jewelry and Eclairs Cakes; a specialist in designer wedding cakes. Leading make-up artist Kangana Kochhar will also participate in the New Delhi Fair to help would-be brides look their best on their special day. Bespoke wedding packages include Silver and Gold Tier options …

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has performed remarkably in the first quarter of the current financial year 2017-18. The total turnover in quarter ending June 2017 increased to Rs.109.60 cr as compared to Rs. Rs. 91.42 cr in the corresponding quarter last year. The PSU registered Net Profit Before Tax (PBT) at Rs. 25.19 cr as compared to Rs. 14.30 cr in the corresponding quarter last financial year i.e. 2016-17, which is an increase of 76.15% from last year. The details were announced at the Board of Directors’ meeting of the company held on August 14th, 2017 at The Ashok, New Delhi.

Mercure makes its debut in the holy city of Dwarka with the opening of Mercure Dwarka. Strategically located in the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat, the hotel is a short drive from the Dwarkadhish temple, popularly known as Jagat Mandir. The hotel is conveniently located at a five minute drive from the railway station, an hour’s drive from Porbandar Airport and a little over two hours from the Jamnagar Airport. The hotel is also in close proximity to Nageshwar Temple, Gopi Talav Theertham, Rukmani Devi Temple and Hanuman Mandir. The opening of Mercure Dwarka marks AccorHotels’ fourth property in the land of legends, Gujarat. Featuring 99 guest rooms, including one suite, the hotel offers spacious interiors and modern design; the rooms are equipped with in-room amenities and high speed Wi-Fi access. Fitness enthusiasts can also enjoy a refreshing work out at the state-of-the-art fitness centre. Rishabh Gupta, Co-founder & Director, Blue Rock Hospitality Ventures, said, “Mercure Dwarka is the first hotel of Blue Rock’s portfolio, set in the holy city of Dwarka. It marks a commitment to develop branded upper midscale hotels in holy cities, industrial hubs, emerging destinations & undersupplied pockets of developed cities, across the country. The development of Mercure Dwarka aims to bring emphasis on design with a commitment on service offerings to our guests staying at the property.” Aadil Muscatwala, Co-founder & Director, Blue Rock Hospitality Ventures said, “The opening of Mercure Dwarka is our first step in realizing Blue Rock’s vision of becoming a leading asset ownership company as India’s vibrant hotelier industry. We will continue to invest in high yielding operational assets to create new supply of hotel rooms through our green field developments …

The Lodhi in New Delhi has now come under the The Leading Hotels of the World portfolio. The city property reflects a dynamic, new interpretation of simple and easy luxury. Spanning across seven acres on the green edge of Lutyens Delhi, the hotel is just across the road from the Delhi Golf Course. Guests can relish exotic delicacies at the restaurants, and enjoy the cool ambiance of the courtyards and public areas. It also preserves a sense of seclusion, peace and club-like atmosphere in its eight floors of guest accommodation. The property was extensively renovated in 2013, with all rooms and suites featuring private balconies. The hotel is in close proximity to the Lodhi Gardens, as well as many stylish shopping precincts.