Category Archives: Hotels

Hotel Formule1 has launched two hotels in Nashik and Chennai. With the new openings Hotel Formule1 expands its network across 9 cities in India. “Over the years, Hotel Formule1 has emerged as one the ideal choice for all travellers looking for comfortable, modern yet pocket friendly stay. The opening of Hotel Formule1 Nashik & Chennai OMR, is a step towards growing the brand portfolio keeping in line with the demand in the cities. Our hotels will strive to consistently provide guests a contemporary and refreshing stay experience at a great value,” says Balvinder Sahrawat, Vice-President, Hotel Formule1 India. Located in close proximity to industrial areas and popular tourist spots, the 101-room Hotel Formule1 Nashik has a self-service design concept best suited for business and leisure travellers to the city. Renowned as the holy city for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, Nashik is one of the most up-and-coming cities in Maharashtra with a vibrant culture and entertainment ethos. Featuring 132 sound proof rooms, Hotel Formule1 Chennai OMR (old Mahabalipuram road), is strategically located amidst the business and IT hub of the city. Despite being an important city for manufacturing, health care, and IT, Chennai has developed as one of the cosmopolitan cities in India that plays an important part in the cultural, intellectual and historical growth of India. Hotel Formule1 rooms are indigenously designed and developed to make the best use of space that is conducive and comfortable.  Each room features a flat screen LED television Wi-Fi internet access and in-room amenities. F and B outlets include a lounge and a restaurant. The brand is the market’s first low-cost brand and it was revolutionized in 1985.  The hotel has a presence across …

A portfolio of seven Premier Inn hotels located in two of Thailand’s top destinations, Bangkok and Pattaya, as well as India’s most visited cities, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Goa, are being offered for sale through an international tender process with JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group. The tender for bids is scheduled from December 19 to 23, 2016. Owned by UK company Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants International, the portfolio offers two hotels in Thailand with a collective key count of 388: one property is located in the heart of Bangkok’s retail and entertainment precinct, Sukhumvit Soi 11, and is set to be completed in the first half of 2017; the other hotel is minutes away from Pattaya’s popular Second Road and enjoys close proximity to the town’s beaches, retail malls and famous Walking Street. Premier Inn’s India portfolio, comprising five hotels in prime locations in the nation’s best performing cities, will be among the largest hotel portfolios offered in India in recent times, with a total of 583 room keys. “Hotel portfolios with vacant possession, occupying prime central locations and of this scale are rare and hard to come by in the current market,” says Mr Mike Batchelor, Managing Director of Investments Sales, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, Asia. “There is an expected high level of interest from global, regional and domestic investors attracted to this opportunity as they are able to immediately rebrand the hotels to the operator of their choice upon purchase.” India continues to be ranked as one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a 2016 forecast GDP growth of 7.6 percent. On India’s growing hospitality investment sector, Paul Chakkrit, Senior Vice President, …

In a recent event organised in Delhi, Rare Destinations and Experiences brought together some of their partners who recently have come on board. Shoba Mohan, Founder Partner, Rare, in conversation with TravelTV.News, said that they are aiming for a 44 per cent occupancy and want the partners to do more business. She said, “We started with four properties and now we are 44. We would like to cap it at 50. We want our hotels to start making money out of this. For most of our partners it’s a sustaining business. We are looking at 44 per cent occupancy and to break that barrier and reach 60-70 per cent is actually when they will start making money.”

Global Hospitality Conclave (GHC) 2017 will be held on January 7, 2017, at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon. The conclave, an independent initiative by the alumni of the erstwhile Oberoi School of Hotel Management (OSHM), now The Oberoi Centre for Learning & Development (OCLD), brings together a host of industry leaders to discuss the trends and developments in the hospitality industry. With the world of hospitality imperatively moving toward an era of extensive collaboration and partnerships, rules of the game are being rewritten every day. The Conclave seeks to touch upon trends and opportunities in the hospitality landscape of the country and the world, as well as, discuss priorities to arrive at all potential gateways and drivers of growth in the coming years. Organised annually, the Global Hospitality Conclave sees participants from across the world who have been part of The Oberoi Group in a leadership position. The objective of the Conclave is to get the Oberoi Hotels alumni together annually, who are presently employed in different sectors across the world such as banking, aviation, universities etc, and go beyond the customary batch reunions by creating a compelling platform of knowledge exchange, experiences and networking opportunities. GHC is open exclusively to all who have either graduated from OSHM/OCLD upto the year 2007 or have worked with the Oberoi Hotels in senior management for 10 years or more and is therefore a select club of top hospitality professionals.

Dilip Puri, who has been heading the regional operations of global hospitality major Starwood Hotels & Resorts since January 2011, will soon be joining the Lausanne Hotel School after his exit from Starwood. Commenting on this , Puri, MD -India and Regional Vice President (South Asia), Starwood Hotels & Resorts, said, ”My future plans include getting into the hospitality education space. Currently, we are working with 2-3 international brands in different verticals of hospitality education so we intend to do the 4 year core business hospitality management programs. We intend to do whole series of culinary education programs and expect to get into executive education as well. So all of these 3 programs with hospitality education working with the right international brands in those particular segments that is what I look for after completing my corporate career.”

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the public sector undertaking under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, posted a significant performance in half yearly results of the current financial year 2016-17. The total turnover in H1 ending September 2016 increased to Rs.221.34 cr as compared to Rs.205.88 cr in the corresponding H1 last year. The total turnover registered a jump of 7.51% as compared to the same period in last financial year. The company registered Profit Before Tax (PBT) at Rs. 8.58 cr as compared to Rs. 4.28 cr in the corresponding H1 last year i.e. 2016-17, an increase of substantial 100% as compared to the last financial year.

Nestled in the verdant hills of Coorg & Chikmanglur, Plantation Trails by Tata Coffee announced the launch of its new corporate brand identity and website. The new brand identity signifies the ongoing evolution of the Plantation Trail estate to perfection. Characterized by elements of ‘Plantation Trails by Tata Coffee’ varied offerings like heritage bungalows, picturesque coffee and tea estates and unique guided trails of these estates, the logo retains the icons that signify each of these experiences. The base design graphically demonstrates the icon of a ‘trail’ merging with the ‘coffee bean’ icon, while the ‘tea leaf’ and ‘coffee leaf’ flank are placed at the sides. The ‘trail’ passes through the centre of the ‘coffee bean’ and finally make its way ‘home’. Plantation Trails by Tata Coffee has embarked upon this transformational journey with a clear vision to reach out to patrons effectively and maintain a visual identity powerful enough to have a lasting effect. The redesigned website is user-friendly and provides ease-of-navigation, giving patrons a look and feel of the Plantation Trail by Tata Coffee Bungalows in a visually stunning format. The contemporary layout also has embedded social media buttons for faster and improved communications, thereby enabling guests to connect via multiple platforms, as per their convenience. Commenting on the re-branding exercise Gautam Prakash, Head- Plantation Trails by Tata Coffee Limited said, “Our new brand identity is in line with the growth and transformation that Plantation Trails by Tata Coffee has witnessed over the past years. With a brand new website in place, we are aiming at a digital integration that will enable us to narrate our store in a content rich format, which also ensures effective communication with …

The Fern Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of The Fern Goregaon, an upscale business hotel located approximately 0.9 km from Bombay Exhibition & Convention Centre off western express highway. The hotel is designed on the theme of Mumbai and its culture. The hotel’s proximity to Western Express highway, important business and entertainment hub, exhibition centre makes it an ideal location for business traveller. The hotel offers 89 rooms, an all day dining restaurant cum coffee shop and range of facilities such as banquet hall, roof top swimming pool, fitness centre and many more. Located strategically off western express highway in Goregaon East; just 0.9 kms away from Bombay Exhibition and Convention centre, 7 kms from international airport, 7.5 kms from domestic airport. The unit is owned and promoted by IJB Hotels. The hotel is managed by Concept Hospitality.

Spreading its wings to Uttarakhand, RARE Destination & Experiences has added Soulitude’s two properties to its portfolio — Soulitude by the Riverside, Chanfi and Soulitude in the Himalayas, Gagar. Soulitude by the Riverside, Chanfi is a small seven suite boutique getaway set amidst an organic farm and carefully planted vegetation of flowering and fruiting trees. The property is just under an hour’s drive from the railhead in Kathgodam. Soulitude in the Himalayas, Gagar, on the other hand is over an hour from the Riverside including the walk up to the ancient bridge in Chanfi Village. The ten rooms and suites of Soulitude in the Himalayas are distributed in two similar looking blocks with sloping roofs, decks and brief terraces, that seem quiet in sync with the hills around, scooped into steps for farming.

Golden Tulip Hospitality group, South Asia, has announced the opening of Royal Tulip Kufri-Shimla. This will be the group’s first luxury property in the Himalayas. Located at 8,600 ft above sea level in Kufri, Royal Tulip Kufri offers views of the Himalayas spread over acres of Cedar forest range, Royal Tulip Kufri is a luxury resort that embodies the charm of a small hill station, overlooking the valley. Royal Tulip Kufri is a family holiday destination and also has a Club Kufri, a hub for children with various fun activities such as – billiards, games center etc. Royal Tulip offers banquet venues that can accommodate over 800 guests, ideal for destination weddings, events, corporate off sites and get togethers. There is also a spa and an indoor pool area. Those who are more adventurous can enjoy several outdoor and indoor recreational activities such as trekking, golf at Naldhera and skiing during season.