Category Archives: Hotels

KB Kachru, Vice President, Hotel Association of India, has shared that they have created state chapters so that they can deal both at central level and state level. “We realised that we needed to have a better voice and we needed to be significant enough to make a difference. Keeping that in mind, we felt that we needed to deal both at central level and state level. Hence, we decided that in order to expand, we need to get more quality products, respective to the segment, whether it’s luxury hotels, first-class hotels, mid-market hotels, or good economy hotels, and make them part of us, so that we have right numbers and then work towards getting our due from different states because all of them have different policies. Hence, we established state chapters in different states,” he said.

Spree Hotels has signed another new boutique hotel in Ilkal (Karnataka), Zip by Spree Hotels Ilkal. The hotel has well-equipped banquet halls and board rooms for meetings and events of all size, and a host of facilities for guests to unwind, including spa, bar, gymnasium and snooker room apart from comfortable, spacious rooms.

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has unveiled The Leela Palace Jaipur which is its 1st hotel in the Capital city and 3rd overall in Rajasthan. The hotel has been branded after extensive refurbishment and enhancements both in the product as well as service offerings.

IHG Hotels and Resorts has announced the debut of its extended-stay brand, Staybridge Suites® in India with the signing of Staybridge Suites Bengaluru Thanisandra. Signed as a management agreement in partnership with NR Greenwood Construction, the hotel is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2023. Staybridge Suites is IHG’s upscale extended-stay hotel brand which offers amenities such as a fully equipped kitchen in suites, a dedicated outdoor space, daily complimentary hot breakfast with signature items and an evening social event three nights a week.  

The Karnataka State Cabinet has approved the proposal to accord ‘Industry’ status to hotels and resorts classified or approved by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in Karnataka. The decision is expected to boost recovery of the hospitality sector through various benefits, including applicability of industrial tariff for electricity and property taxes.

Amritara Hotels & Resorts is hosting an informal gathering of top inbound tour operators in New Delhi on 19th February. “We have been known as an experiential brand. The idea is to thank our partner associates for standing by us and assure them of our support when business restarts”, said Ruchi Uberoi, Director, Amritara Hotels & Resorts.

Goa grew to be the RevPAR leader in absolute terms, despite a decline of RevPAR by 33.3% in Q4 2020, making it the fastest recovering market in absolute terms. Jaideep Dang, MD, Hotels and Hospitality Group, South Asia, JLL, says, “We are already seeing signs of domestic business travel pick up in the new year. We expect that occupancies in business hotels to ramp up from March-April 2021 onwards.”

StreetGooser, a cloud-based accommodation management system with 4,000 hotels in its kitty, has signed an MoU with HATS – a consortium of homestays and tourism promoters which has, under its belt, a thousand homestays across Kerala. Shakthivelu M, Managing Director and Co-founder of StreetGooser, says, “We, at StreetGooser, have provided our Property Management System for free to members of HATS as there is an innate synergy between our two organizations.” John Varghese N, CEO and Founder of StreetGooser adds, “StreetGooser will hold webinars to educate and integrate homestay owners into the system. Our cutting-edge technology helps home owners to run their business efficiently and smoothly, giving them the tools to hike occupancy rates and revenue.” “Homestays have their own USPs,” says MP Sivadathan, Director Kerala HATS & Member, State Tourism Advisory Committee. “Homestays offer tourists secure and affordable accommodation, personalized service, the opportunity to interact with hosts who have local know-how and relish cuisine that is fresh, seasonal and organic,” he adds. However, home stays often have challenges, especially when located in off-trail areas. Boosting occupancy and revenue becomes difficult in the absence of an online presence. “Another spin-off of the partnership is that homestays that are unique and experiential will be showcased on GypZe.com, giving them greater visibility,” says  Hema Manghnani, Vice-President Business Development. “GypZe is a flagship venture of StreetGooser and a one-of-a-kind online travel companion and guide,” she explains. “It is essentially a booking platform dedicated to experiential stays.”

Accor has announced the opening of its 2nd Grand Mercure, at Gopalan Signature Mall, Bengaluru. This is Accor’s sixth hotel in Bengaluru and seventh property in Karnataka. The hotel with 212 rooms is inspired by the iconic Hoysala architecture, incorporating local touch points to the overall ambience.

IHG® Hotels & Resorts has announced the first opening of 2021 in India with Holiday Inn Chandigarh Zirakpur. The newest hotel in the tricity – Holiday Inn Chandigarh Zirakpur in association with ABC Sites features 131 keys with scenic city views and is located on Chandigarh- Ambala highway.