Category Archives: Hotels

AccorHotels has come back with its Super Sale, offering up to 40 per cent off plus free breakfast at more than 2,800 hotels and resorts across five continents – including over 500 in Asia Pacific. Guests can enjoy 40 per cent off plus free breakfast for members of Accor Plus or 30 per cent off plus free breakfast for Le Club AccorHotels’ members and the general public. From cycling through South America to relaxing on the beaches of Thailand or Indonesia or touring the majestic cities of Europe to enjoying a scenic drive along the coast of Australia, the AccorHotels Super Sale promises more value for holiday. Bookings must be made directly at www.accorhotels.com and with rates from as little as $20 per room night, there is almost no excuse not to book yourself a getaway. The sale applies to selected hotels across AccorHotels’ Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, The Sebel, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis styles and ibis budget hotels worldwide. Bookings can be made online from 10 to 21 October for members of Accor Plus and Le Club AccorHotels’ members from 12 to 21 October. The general public can book from 17 to 21 October, for stays from 1 December 2016 to 30 April 2017.

The Leela Goa will be hosting the prestigious BRICS-BIMSTEC joint summit on October 15 – 16, 2016, that will see the convergence of 11 distinguished world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 75-acre resort, will be hosting the joint summit at the Riverside lawns which overlook the tranquil River Sal and the lofty Betul mountains, and organizing a one-of-a-kind beachside state banquet hosted by the Indian Prime Minister. The resort is also poised to receive the heads-of-state of all seven BRIMSTEC countries as in-house guests during the two-day summit in Goa. “We have taken great care to ensure that every detail of the dignitaries visit and stay with us are attended to in a manner that reflects the best of traditional Indian hospitality. Our team of highly talented chefs have been researching and curating the “perfect” seven course meal for several months for this important closing state banquet. Our effort is to showcase India’s rich culinary heritage to our international guests while having all ten national delegations appreciate our regional presentations without compromising on their individual taste preferences – a tall task for our team,” said Shridhar Nair, General Manager, The Leela Goa.

ITC Hotels is all set to open three new properties in 2017. Dipak Haksar, Chief Executive, ITC Hotels & Welcom Hotels, revealed, “ITC is a rapidly growing chain and we are building new hotels. In 2017, we’ll have a second hotel in Hyderabad— ITC Kohinoor. We will also be coming up with a hotel in Coimbatore as well as in Amritsar. In 2018, we’ll come up with a hotel in Kolkata. We are going through a very exciting phase.”

Indian real estate developer, the Embassy Group has signed a management agreement with Hilton for its second hospitality project – a 586-room dual-branded hotel within the Embassy Manyata Business Park that features a Hilton Hotels & Resorts and a Hilton Garden Inn brand hotel. This is poised to be one of the largest dual-branded hotels in India. It will be developed and owned by the Embassy Group and managed by Hilton. The hotel’s plan and design are in an advance stage of finalisation, targeted to start construction by 2017 and to be completed by 2020. The hotel will be part of a mixed-use development which will also house a Food and Beverage hub and two commercial towers. The entire complex will sport an iconic design by the Singapore based Andy Fisher Workshop. The dual-branded hotel will comprise 586 rooms in total, with 250 rooms at the Hilton and 336 rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn. It will also feature 46,000 sq. ft. of flexible Meetings and Events space that accommodates up to 1500 people. Talking about the signing, Jitu Virwani, Chairman & Managing Director, Embassy Group, said, “We are delighted to expand and strengthen our partnership with Hilton. Our first hospitality project with Hilton at Embassy GolfLinks has been a great success and we are looking forward to extending our partnership to newer heights.” Commenting on the development, Sartaj Singh, President, Embassy Hospitality, said “Partnering with Hilton in the development of two more hotels is part of an ongoing, consistent business strategy around the hospitality business. Hilton is a global leader in the hospitality sector and it is reputed for its remarkable service and attention to detail. We also plan …

Mumbai-based Go Beyond Representations has been appointed as the marketing representative of City Lodge Hotel Group in South Africa. The City Lodge Hotel Group is a multi-brand chain offering a variety of locations, features and budget choices to business and leisure travellers. Shantanu Chand, CEO, Go Beyond Representations, says, “The group has five distinct brands, currently offering 7,072 rooms at 57 Locations throughout Southern and Eastern Africa. Each of the five Courtyard hotels has its own distinct character and personality. We will be selling and marketing this entire hotel chain pan India.”

Australian-owned Hotel Management Company StayWell Hospitality Group is opening a 72-room Park Regis Sanpra Beach in Visakhapatnam in the first quarter of 2017. Opening in partnership with Indian infrastructure company Sanpra Group, the property will be StayWell’s third across the country and first in southern India. StayWell Hospitality Group CEO Simon Wan said that opening and managing a hotel in the developing city of Visakhapatnam presents many benefits for both StayWell and the local region. “We are passionate about expanding our Park Regis and Leisure Inn brands internationally and see the opening of Park Regis Sanpra Beach in Visakhapatnam, a known Tier II city primed for future development, as a great opportunity to enter into the new market of Southern India,” Wan said. Property owner, P. Kiran Kumar said that joining forces with StayWell Hospitality Group to manage this hotel in early 2017 will bring increased efficiencies and an enhanced guest experience. “The new hotel management agreement with StayWell will bring new world-class operational systems and procedures to the region which both guests and staff will benefit from,” Kumar said. “We are delighted that the hotel matches the vision of the Andhra Pradesh government by bringing in the world-class infrastructure and associating with an international hotel management chain, StayWell Hospitality Group by signing with their upscale brand, Park Regis,” he said. StayWell Hospitality Group India’s Managing Director Rohit Vig also agrees that the brands future within India looks bright following the formalisation of this hotel management agreement which now represents a total of 12 hotels signed under the StayWell brands of Park Regis and Leisure Inn within India. “Park Regis Sanpra Beach is a great addition to the StayWell Portfolio …

Steigenberger Hotels AG is changing its brand architecture and consolidating its three hotel brands into one umbrella brand: Deutsche Hospitality. Puneet Chhatwal, CEO, Steigenberger Hotels AG, says, “These two words combine our German roots and our international vision. The new umbrella brand is a vital lever that will unleash dynamism, help us to expand internationally, and drive innovation.” Deutsche Hospitality unites three hotel brands under one name: Steigenberger Hotels and Resorts; Jaz in the City, and IntercityHotels. A total of 116 hotels in twelve countries and on three continents are part of the Deutsche Hospitality umbrella brand. 20 of these hotels are under construction or in the planning stage.

Ayana Hospitality, a joint venture between the ICS Group (India) and Mantis Group (South Africa), will open its new hotel in Kochi called Ayana Fort Kochi in November 2016. Located in the heart of Fort Kochi, Ayana will be a luxury boutique hotel offering local architecture, culture and cuisine. Akhil Behl, CEO, Ayana Hospitality, says, “This converted hotel has the distinction of having been the court house during the Portuguese occupation and is said to be almost 200 years old. The main hotel reception has high wooden sloping roof, showcasing the perfect venue for a court proceeding. All 16 rooms feature authentic Indian Athangudi tile floors, combined with classic Art Deco interiors, successfully blending history with modern luxurious comfort.”

In August 2016, the Indian capital’s average occupancy was 61.5 per cent last recording a 7.2 per cent increase compared to the same month the previous year, according to the latest data released by STR. Coupled with a 1.4 per cent rise in average daily rate (ADR) to Rs. 5,376 (approx. $81), Delhi’s revenue per available room (revPAR) rose by 8.7 per cent to Rs. 3,304. The upscale and upper midscale sector reported the strongest revPAR growth in Delhi in August, rising 11.7 per cent. International arrivals to the country increased 12 per cent in August along with consistent double-digit growth in terms of domestic air travel. Delhi Airport alone welcomed more than a quarter (28%) of these inbound visitors.

Marriott International has announced that it has expanded to include 30 of the most desirable hotel brands with the addition of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts portfolio. With more than 5,700 hotels and 1.1 million rooms in over 110 countries across the globe, guests now have access to the best hotels and resorts wherever they travel. Members of Marriott’s leading loyalty programs, Marriott Rewards – which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards – and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), are also invited to link their accounts to enjoy the benefits, recognition and experiences each program has to offer. Members will have their status matched across programs and be able to transfer and redeem points across programs for travel to more destinations than ever before. Members who link their accounts will be able to transfer points at a three-to-one ratio.