Category Archives: Hotels

Lords Hotels & Resorts, a premier mid hotel chain, has announced the launch of its second property in Bengaluru in Jayanagar – Lords Eco Inn. Centrally located in the heart of the city in Jayanagar,the property is just 500 meters from Lal Bagh Botanical Garden. In addition to strategic location, the 28 keys hotel provides a lavish setting with plush suites and in room amenities. The room rates start from Rs 3000. The features include mini kitchen for extended stay , business centre with round the clock high speed Wi-Fi facility, in-house laundry and host of others facilities to make your stay comfortable. The hotel also offers exclusive fine dining restaurant Blue Coriander which serves Indian, Chinese, Continental and local cuisine. Besides, to meet the requirement of MICE segment, the hotel has a fully furnished banquet designed to accommodate 250 pax. It is also close to major commercial centres and entertainment zone of the city. The hotel, owned by Lords Varam Hotels, offers rooms designed to suit the needs of both domestic and international travelers alike. According to P.R. Bansal, Managing Director, Lords Hotels and Resorts, “Apart from being a vibrant and cosmopolitan city, Bengaluru is the IT capital of the country and demand for quality Hotel rooms at economical tariffs just keeps going north. With the opening of this property, we hope to be able to tap this demand. Besides, since the property is strategically located in major commercial hub of the city,the opening shall also help in enhancing the brand equity of the group.” With the opening of this property, Lords Hotels & Resorts now owns and manages 25 hotels in various cities across India covering business, leisure and …

Amaravati, the futuristic capital region of the sunrise state of Andhra Pradesh, adds yet another jewel to its crown with the foundation stone being laid for ITC Hotel’s 144 keys five-star property – ‘My Fortune, Guntur’ in Guntur. This will also mark ITC Hotel’s debut in the city. The hotel will be built with an investment of R. 145 crore and will create employment generation for about 550 people. ITC is also planning to come up with a similar five-star hotel offering 150 rooms in Vishakhapatnam. The foundation stone was laid by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu in the presence of Y. C. Deveshwar, Chairman, ITC Limited. The location of the hotel, on Ring Road, the heart of the city, is going to be an added advantage. Among the other facilities that the hotel will present its patrons with include a 5000 sq. ft. pillar-less ballroom with a capacity to accommodate 500 guests, along with all-day dining. Naidu said “This is the first 5 star hotel in Guntur which is close to the new capital Amaravati. Andhra Pradesh is the new destination for tourism with long stretches of beaches, with hills on one side and sea on the other side, excellent canals. It is also a State with the richest God, Lord Balaji at Tirupati, a city of 100 lakes. Amaravati even has a special gallery in the British Museum, London and there is a map which shows that Amaravati was the gate way to South East Asia even in those times.” Y. C. Deveshwar, Chairman, ITC said, “It gives me immense pleasure in being part of this unveiling of our first property in Guntur. Guntur …

Dhananjay Kumar is the new General Manager at The Suryaa. With over 21 years of experience, having worked with brands such as Radisson Blu Hotel (Chennai), Hilton (Chennai), Technopak Advisors Private Limited (Gurgaon), The Claridges Hotel (New Delhi), Shangri – La (New Delhi), The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, The Park Royal (New Delhi), DLF Hospitality (Gurgaon), & Hyatt International. His last assignment was with Radisson Blu Marina as General Manager. Kumar’s last stint at The Suryaa was as a Resident Manager for a year in 2012. He specialises in hotel operations, revenue management, performance enhancement, best practices implementation, setting up process and implementation, organization development and human resources and training. Throughout his career DJ has been certified with various recognitions for commendable work in the field of hospitality.

AccorHotels and Brigade Group, Bangalore announced the opening of Grand MercureMysuru in South India’s Mysuru. The hotel has 146 spacious rooms and suites and is located within close proximity of all major tourist attractions as well as the central business district. The Grand MercureMysuru is situated on the legendary new SayajiRao Road. The sixth floor of the hotel features a viewing gallery overlooking the Dasara procession. To celebrate the opening, the hotel is offering a Deluxe rooms stay with breakfast for two inclusive of any one main meal from Rs 7,250 per night. This offer is valid from now until 30th June, 2016. The rate for a Standard Room is from Rs 6,000.

HNA Tourism Group, a division of HNA Group Co, a Fortune Global 500 company with operations across aviation, tourism, hospitality, finance, and online services among other sectors, and Carlson Hospitality Group has announced that they have entered an agreement for the acquisition of Carlson Hotels. The combination of HNA Tourism Group and Carlson Hotels will have increased ability to accelerate growth through investments in areas such as digital, owned assets in major gateway cities, building of Radisson RED and other new brands. The Transaction is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the second half of (calendar) 2016. Under terms of the Agreement, which were unanimously approved by the Carlson Board of Directors, HNA Tourism Group will acquire all of Carlson Hotels, including its approximately 51.3 percent majority stake in Rezidor Hotel Group.

The Oberoi Al Zorahis all set to open in 2016 as one of three new luxury properties for The Oberoi Group this year. The other two properties include The Oberoi Marrakech, Morocco and The OberoiSukhvilas, Chandigarh. The Oberoi Al Zorah is a luxury eco-destination resort, only 30 minutes from Dubai International Airport. The property is nestled amidst the natural surroundings of Al Zorah which boasts a beautiful long beachfront, azure lagoons, lush mangroves and 247 acres of natural forest with exceptional biodiversity. All three of The Oberoi Group’s luxury hotel openings this year will be located in stunning natural environments and offer the impeccable standards of luxury and service associated with the group’s worldwide portfolio. The Oberoi, Al Zorah is nestled alongside a beautiful untouched coastline, perfectly framed by natural mangroves and boasts an ultra-modern layout that harmonises with the natural environment. Each of the 113 villas, suites and penthouse are elegant and modern with an abundance of natural light and breathtaking sea views. The spacious and luxuriously appointed rooms and suites all have private balconies, while the villas offer terraces and temperature-controlled private pools. The Oberoi, Al Zorah in Ajman offers al–fresco, beachside and indoor dining venues all serving the finest cuisine. Synonymous for offering some of the world’s finest spa and wellness experiences, the spa at Oberoi offers signature therapies as well as a traditional hammam, a 80–metre pool, a fully equipped gymnasium, and daycare facilities for families. Earlier this year, the Group announced two new properties in Qatar – a 250 key luxury hotel in the West Bay area of Doha, and a 148 key luxury serviced apartment located in Lusail, Doha.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts’ has announced the signing of two new hotels in north India. The group has signed an 81 room Sarovar Portico at Kapashera New Delhi and a 43 room Sarovar Portico at Palampur in Kangra Valley, HP. These developments represent the group’s focus on both the business and leisure segments. Focusing on expanding to newer markets this year, further openings are expected in Dehradun, Amritsar, Raipur, Jaisalmer, Ajmer, Bhavnagar, Jalandhar, Greater Noida and Bekal. Commenting on the development, Ajay K. Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, said, “We are focusing on our expansion plans and the signing of these two properties boost the company’s strategic efforts to expand our brands even further across the region. With business as well as leisure travel continuing to rise in this region, we aim to grow our presence to meet the demand over the coming years in different markets including Dehradun, Raipur, and Amritsar. Through our distinctively recognized brands, we aim to offer value for money accommodation and superior hospitality to today’s travellers.” Owned by Palm Land Hotels & Resorts LLP, the hotel in Kapashera will be named The Muse Sarovar Portico, New Delhi Kapashera. The hotel is strategically located close to the Delhi airport and in proximity to the Delhi-Haryana border and will offer all modern facilities including an all-day dining restaurant, bar, gym, meeting rooms, swimming pool, banquet and conference facilities. The resort in Palampur which is owned by R. S. Belvedere offers a virtual bonanza for nature lovers, unearthing the most exciting views of the divine Dhauladhar mountain range, which forms the backdrop of this beautiful town. Located in an important town in the Kangra Valley, also …

Pride Group of Hotels will invest over Rs 600 crore over the next 2-3 years to strengthen its portfolio through greenfield projects and acquisitions, a top company official reportedly said. The investments will include a new project in Goa, acquisition of a hotel in Mumbai, and addition of inventory to its existing property in Nagpur. “When we started off in the 1980s, we grew by greenfield projects and by acquiring existing properties and renovating them to our specs. In the past five years, we went into management model for faster growth and have built a portfolio of 12 operational hotels,” said SP Jain, Managing Director, Pride Group of Hotels. The company has all its hotels under three brands —Pride Plaza (5-star), Pride Hotel and Resort (4-star) and Pride Biznotel (3-star). Jain said the company has already acquired a land parcel in Goa to build a luxury property with an investment of about Rs 225-250 crore. This will be the group’s second property in Goa. The hotel firm is also adding additional inventory of 72 rooms to its existing property in Nagpur for about Rs 60 crore. “In Mumbai, we want to have a presence near the airport as the area is getting well connected. Since greenfield projects take a long time, mainly on account of approvals, we are looking to acquire an existing asset in the four or five-star category with an investment of about Rs 300 crore,” said Jain. Over the next three years, the company will also be opening three properties under management contract in Bengaluru, Nashik and Indore. Jain said the investments for expansion will be funded through a mix of debt and equity. The company also …

Best Western Hotels & Resorts has inked a master franchise agreement with Delhi-based Sorrel Hospitality. Led by a team of seasoned hospitality industry veterans with extensive experience building and managing hotel portfolios, Sorrel will be responsible for Best Western’s future positioning, growth and development across India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka. “We see tremendous potential right now in India and we are delighted to have aligned with a company like Sorrel Hospitality, which has an outstanding track record of success, as we work to expand our footprint in India,” said Ron Pohl Senior Vice President, Brand Management, Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “We are confident that Sorrel is the right partner to help us move closer to our very ambitious international expansion goals, and we look forward to working with their team.” Sorrel has put together a team of leading experts to guide Best Western’s efforts in India, including Gurmeet Singh Uberai, Promoter Director; Atul Jain, Chief Operating Officer; and Tajinder Singh, Vice President Sales & Marketing. Together, the team will execute a multi-pronged, multi-year development initiative. Sorrel has already begun an analysis of the Best Western portfolio in India, which currently includes 22 properties.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced that on March 10, 2016 it received a non-binding proposal from a consortium of companies to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Starwood for $76.00 per share in cash. Pursuant to separate agreements entered into by Starwood, stockholders would additionally receive consideration in the form of Interval Leisure Group (“ILG”) common stock from the previously announced spin-off of its vacation ownership business, Vistana Signature Experiences, and subsequent merger with ILG, currently valued at approximately $5.50 per Starwood share, based on the 20-day VWAP (volume weighted average price) of ILG common stock ending March 11, 2016. As announced on November 16, 2015, Starwood entered into a definitive merger agreement with Marriott International, Inc. under which Marriott would acquire Starwood in a stock and cash transaction. Starwood has received a waiver from Marriott enabling it to engage in discussions with, and provide diligence information to, the Consortium in connection with its proposal. Starwood commenced discussions with the Consortium on March 11, 2016. The Marriott waiver expires at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on March 17, 2016. Starwood’s Board of Directors has not changed its recommendation in support of Starwood’s merger with Marriott. The Board, in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, will carefully consider the outcome of its discussions with the Consortium in order to determine the course of action that is in the best interest of Starwood and its stockholders. The Consortium has not completed diligence and there are a number of matters to be resolved in the Consortium’s proposal. There can be no assurance that discussions will result in a binding proposal from the Consortium or that a transaction …