Category Archives: Hotels

Steve Borgia, CMD, INDeco Leisure Hotels, has said that by cutting costs and getting local guests & weddings at hotels, they have been able to make a profit in June 2020. “From 120 employees, we ran our hotels with 15 people. We ran many programmes to attract locals and did weddings with the gathering of 50 people. We managed to make a profit of 2.5 lakh,” he said.

Committing to uphold the highest standards of cleanliness, The Umrao, New Delhi has launched the #AASHVAST, a holistic programme that addresses all facets of hotels operations. From revised protocols for the heart of the house activities at the receiving store, back office, laundry, to the public areas with heightened sanitisation measures for guest luggage, elevators, room service and cover everything from handwashing hygiene and cleaning product specifications to guest room cleaning procedures. Specific steps that the hotel is taking as an organisation can be found on its website, www.theumrao.com. Virendra Teotia, Director, Umrao Hotels & Resorts, New Delhi commented, “We have launched “Ashvasht” a holistic programme that addresses all facets of hotel operations & hotel’s commitment towards health, hygiene and safety, designed in collaboration with medical professionals and disinfection experts to further enhance the existing hygiene and cleaning protocols. Further to have guest safety and avoid to contact with unknown vendors we had already in place professionally organized wedding-related venue and non-venue requirements for the new-age, tech-savvy guests. The USP was simple: a one-stop-shop enabling the promise of a great event at guaranteed guest safety as our topmost priority.”

HVS ANAROCK’S report titled ‘India Hotels Outlook’ that studies the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian hotel sector estimates that assuming recovery from COVID-19 begins in H2 2020, occupancy would then recover only by year 2022, touching 66%, while rates would recover by year 2023.

An HVS ANAROCK report on the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian hotel sector pegs the total revenue loss for the sector in 2020 at Rs89,813 crore, with the maximum to be borne by the unorganised segment.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Government of India, said that his department is willing to look at single-window clearances for the hotel industry. He was addressing the hotelier and restaurant community across India via a live webinar conducted by the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI). “Yes, we will look at single-window clearances for licenses and simple online approvals. This can also take care of bureaucracy and corruption,” he said. The minister also responded well to the request for curbing illegal, unlicensed accommodation units in the country, especially those that are listed on OTAs. He said, “We will get this legally examined. There must be an element of registration or licensing that should be brought in for record-keeping purposes. Otherwise there is a risk of health and security. We must examine the legal implications.” The FHRAI team will now draw up specific and substantial ideas and revert to the minister.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) that the government is working on re-opening protocols. He said that they would re-open in a phased manner to avoid any backlash. Thackeray also informed that the government is working on certain concessions such as in excise fees to help revive the industry.

While RevPAR has been low throughout the country, Chennai and Mumbai have been the top performers ( with -83% and -83.3% RevPAR YoY) in May 2020, according to HVS ANAROCK monthly newsletter, H2O.

Palladium Hotel Group has begun its summer season with the opening of seven properties: Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa and Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa (July 3), Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza (July 10), Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife (July 30), Bless Hotel Ibiza (July 10), Agroturismo Sa Talaia (July 8) and Palladium Hotel Costa del Sol (July 16).

Rare India has unveiled three new initiatives for sustainable living- RARE Travel Agency Network (RATAN), RARE Influencers Network (RAIN) and Beautiful Planet. The company is also open to partnership with travel agencies to promote a sustainable way of living.  

Expanding its portfolio in Gujarat to seven hotels, Sarovar Hotels has announced the opening of its latest project in the temple town, Somnath. Sarovar Portico, Somnath is spread in beautiful landscaped terrain and has aesthetically designed Presidential and Royal suites, Studio rooms, superior rooms and executive rooms. Culinary highlights at the hotel include ‘Flavours’ that offers a multi-cuisine menu served with flair. Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, said, “We are delighted to further strengthen our presence in Gujarat; Somnath will be our seventh hotel in the state. This development allows us to establish ourselves in the state more strongly. We look forward to welcoming guests to Sarovar Portico, Somnath and offering them our signature Sarovar hospitality.”