Category Archives: Hotels

Radisson Hotel Group is embarking on an exciting new era of hospitality in India, as it prepares to double its portfolio in the country. It will continue its focus on the market as a part of its Asia Pacific growth strategy. The Group has unveiled plans to more than double its Indian footprint, with 148 hotels and resorts to be added by 2025. These will be in addition to over 140 properties Radisson Hotel Group currently has in operation or under development nationwide, revealed Katerina Giannouka, President, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group.

The Federation of Hotels & Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI) FHRAI recently sent a representation to Santosh Sarangi, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), to extend the Export Obligation (EO) period under the EPCG Scheme for another 6 to 8 years for the past EPCG licenses where the EO period ended in February 2020 onwards. The association states that it should allow all hotels time to recover and generate foreign exchange to meet their export obligations.

In its Indian Tourism and Hospitality performance report 2021, Noesis states that the year 2021 saw 110 properties that have opened in various parts of the country while there were 161 hotels signed in the same year. The ARR was in the range of Rs 4,300-4,600, while the ARR in the fourth quarter was in the range of Rs 5,300-5,500, reaching almost 90% of the pre-COVID level. India’s top leisure and business destinations saw a surge in room rates during the third and fourth quarters of 2021.

According to the latest HVS Anarock latest report ‘India Hospitality Industry Overview 2021’ The sector ended the year with an India-wide occupancy of 42-45%, up 10-13 percentage points over the previous year. Driven by the strong recovery in demand, average rates also began to improve after the second wave, progressively approaching pre-COVID levels. The robust growth in occupancy and average room rates (ARR) resulted in a 24-27% increase in RevPAR to ₹1,800 – ₹2,100 in 2021.

India continues to have the largest share of inbound travellers to the APAC region, at 24.4% of total arrivals in Q1 as of 11 March. Not a bad result when considering the air ticketing data from ForwardKeys shows that international arrivals in APAC in Q1 was down by 86%. However, in terms of recovery India as a destination is performing at -59% vs 2019. The best performing region in APAC for on-the-book arrivals is Pakistan with a 0.2% increase v/s the same period in 2019. The Maldives and Bangladesh are also showing strong signs of resilience.

Vervotech, a SaaS-based travel technology company, has announced a new strategic partnership with GRN Connect, to address hotel data duplication challenges. Hotel mapping technology plays a vital role by enabling the vast distribution market to have standardized hotel content. Hotel mapping can help third-party distribution channels sell their hotel inventory smartly with zero duplication, minimal booking errors, and increased revenue. However, hotel mapping remains complex for most. Through this partnership, Vervotech is well-positioned to deliver their disruptive technology to remove duplicate hotel data and deliver standardized, real-time content. This will be an essential driving factor in providing GRN Connect’s client a paramount experience. Vervotech takes away the complexity with advanced technologies, including large-scale aggregation, AI-based processing, and ever-evolving ML models. Vervotech’s hotel mapping platform is powered with cutting-edge technology to de-duplicate hotel data map hotel content with 99.999% accuracy and a coverage of 98%. Additionally, their platform is completely agnostic to the source of the hotel content and delivers the latest content with real-time updates. Rajan B, Senior Director Partnerships at Vervotech, said, “We are working to streamline the complexities of unstructured data. When we resolve this with advanced technologies, it spurs innovation, helps businesses grow, and expands choices for consumers. And this partnership with GRN Connect advances us to our mission.” Deepak Narula, Managing Director at GRN Connect added, “We are excited to partner with Vervotech and leverage their hotel mapping technology to optimize our mapping process. We are confident that Vervotech’s disruptive AI-driven hotel mapping platform will enable us to be more efficient and create a differentiating customer experience in a highly competitive environment.”

Galle Fort Hotel, which is Sri Lanka’s most iconic heritage hotel, has opened its doors to tourists once again on 23rd February 2022, after an extensive two-year restoration process. The ultra- luxe boutique property is located inside the UNESCO World Heritage Galle Fort. It’s a Dutch mansion that dates back 300 years and was once a warehouse, which served as the residence of a renowned family of gem merchants during the British era. It was also used as Royal Air Force barracks and even a cricket pitch. The heritage restoration of the Galle Fort Hotel was done, working in line with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Archaeology to ensure that the building’s 300-year-old Dutch walls and facade were conserved as authentically as possible. The revamped Galle Fort Hotel features 11 luxurious suites with varying themes and decor. The Loft Suites have been given an entirely new look inspired by the Dutch East India Company, while the newly introduced Garden Suite draws its theme from the illustrations of a Dutch botanist. The Admiral Cheng Ho Suite features a Chinese-inspired decor, to reflect Galle as a historic crossroads of trade, while the entry- level Garden Room stands out with its massive hand painted wall, commissioned to a local artist. Expert restorers were brought in to work with the antiques, which are seen across the hotel and suites. One of the structural highlights of this property is the stunning Palladian colonnade verandah, which houses the Galle Fort Hotel Bar, with its exclusive selection of gins from across the globe. The adjoining gourmet restaurant is one of the best tables in the Galle Fort and serves up Western fusion cuisine. The architect who has …

Pratima Badhwar, Head – Commercial, Accor India & South Asia, shares that they have a strong pipeline of four openings this year across the region. “For India, we are aiming to reach 70 hotels by 2025. Our well-rounded portfolio of leading hotel brands across the luxury, premium, mid-scale, and economy categories compliments the multi-layered Indian market, while supporting our long-term growth strategy.

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, has revealed its recent business performance, expansion plans and strategic direction for the future, including multiple new hotels, fresh destinations and new brand concepts. This exciting era of growth will help the group reach its long-term goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel operator within five years – a vision that will see it reach a total of 200 hotels and resorts by 2026, up from 88 properties at present, and with approximately half of that growth coming from destinations outside of its native Thailand. Centara has just confirmed that it achieved total revenues of almost THB 1.09 billion (USD 33 million) in Q4 2021, an increase of 54% year-on-year, despite the continued impact of the pandemic. The growth is expected to gain more momentum in 2022 with the acceleration of the global travel and hospitality recovery, which will be supported by the further relaxing of travel restrictions into Thailand, and is buoyed by the resilience and strong performance of Centara’s key international destinations such as the Middle East and the Maldives.

Discover quintessential Dutch elegance in an intricate maze of 25 connecting Golden Age canal houses. After a full renovation, completed in August 2016, this hidden neighbourhood now features: 225 guest rooms & suites, tranquil inner gardens, meeting & event spaces, a garden café, a hotel bar and a restaurant that serves simple yet beautifully crafted dishes. The Pulitzer is a unique blend of up-market, traditional and modern Dutch craftsmanship hidden amongst the city’s iconic canals. The buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries have been carefully restored to combine original, historic canal house components with modern and luxurious aspects. From leading merchants to flamboyant Dutch aristocrats, the former residents of these canal houses lend Pulitzer Amsterdam the opportunity to inspire guests and visitors with its rich character and history. Guests can choose from four distinctive room types and three suite categories, as well as the beautiful romantic Pulitzer Suite. The four exceptional Collector’s Suites with private entrance on the Keizersgracht and breathtaking views over the canals are inspired by the stories of intriguing characters who may have inhabited the canal houses over the years; from a determined art admirer to an eccentric book lover; a music composer and an antique collector. No two rooms are the same; each combines Amsterdam’s rich past with the modern present in an eclectic mix of designs and elements that complement the charm of each individual room. Speaking on this partnership, the Commercial Director, Gladys Camphuijsen, says, “For years we have seen the Indian market as such a great opportunity for the Pulitzer Amsterdam, however we didn’t have the right tools to enter this market. With commencing the relationship with One Rep Global, we feel like we have found the perfect way to …