Category Archives: Hotels

LvYue Hotel Management, the strategic investment arm of Ctrip Group, has launched its 18-room property in Gurugram, through its India unit – LvYue Hotel Management (India). Six more properties are said to be in pipeline as the company vies for a greater share in the Indian hotel space.  The newly-established LvYue Hotel Management (India) is operating out of DLF Cyber City in Gurugram. LvYue is currently said to be scouting for other properties in North India. At a later stage, the company management will also explore a combination of management contracts and franchise agreements to expand its network. Established in 2016, the LvYue group has built a portfolio of over 500 properties worldwide. It has three brands – Floral, Sucha and Vyluk, with hotels either operational or under development across 10 countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia. The company is expecting its network to exceed 2000 hotels by the end of this year. Source: DNA India

Over 80 per cent CEOs from leading hospitality firms in India believe that the sector will see robust growth in the coming years, according to a latest report titled ‘Hospitality insights from the Indian CEO’s desk’ by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and PWC. Eighty-three per cent CEOs believe that revenues from business travellers will grow significantly over the next few years. Although MiCE has not been a significant contributor to the Indian hospitality sector so far, this trend is likely to change with better planning as well as improved infrastructure. On the other hand, few CEOs believe that leisure travel will keep pace with growth seen in business travel and MiCE.

Discussing InterGlobe’s aggressive plans for the Indian market, JB Singh, President and CEO, InterGlobe Hotels, says, “We are looking to develop a second ibis in Goa which will be an ibis Styles. In fact, we are also looking for sites to develop a third property there. We are going to start a new project in BKC, Bandra Kurla, which will be a 150-200 room project. We are looking at developing more hotels in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.  

Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will be warmly welcoming guests back from Wednesday 12 June 2019 onwards. The Shangri-La Group is grateful to the local authorities and the global community for their outpouring of support and messages of commendations received these past seven weeks. We remain deeply appreciative of the selfless service and courageous spirit demonstrated by our colleagues and the Sri Lankan community in the face of such adversity.   Our heartfelt sympathies and support continue to be with those who have suffered injuries and lost loved ones on 21 April 2019. They will always be remembered.   Shangri-La stands united as one with the Sri Lankan community. With everyone’s support, we will come back stronger.   Our team’s passion for service remains undiminished and we look forward to welcoming the public back to Shangri-La Colombo.  

Royal Orchid Hotels Regenta & Royal Orchid Hotels recently opened three new hotels- Regenta Central Cassia in Zirakpur (Chandigarh), Regenta Central RS OMR in Chennai and Regenta Inn Blossoms, Kullu-Manali. Chander K. Baljee, Managing Director, Regenta & Royal Orchid Hotels said, “We’re extremely elated to announce that we now operate 50+ hotels in India. Our Vision for 2022 is to operate 100+ profitable and responsible hotels where guests love to stay, dine and celebrate. We wish to create hotels which have a soul, a reflection of our distinctly warm Indian hospitality.” The Regenta Central Cassia is strategically located near the international airport, offering a convenient location for those travelling for business or for leisure. The newest hotel in Zirakpur, the Regenta Central Cassia is a business hotel with 50 well-appointed rooms, a resto-bar and well-equipped banquets cum board room facilities. Expert chefs at the hotel specialize in authentic local as well as international cuisine.   The Regenta Central RS is strategically located on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), and is the first ‘in-mall’ hotel project on OMR, providing ‘within-the-complex’ access to the Marina Mall for its guests. The Regenta Central RS is a luxurious business hotel with 120 rooms including 24 impeccably designed suites, a lively multi-cuisine restaurant, Sky Lounge which is a roof-top pan Asian restaurant, well-equipped banquet and board room facilities, a full-service bar, and an infinity pool.   The Regenta Inn Blossoms, Kullu-Manali is strategically located on NH21, leading to Manali. An ideal starting point for exploring the charming hilly destination, the hotel features comfortable rooms with a view of the Beas river, an in-house multi-cuisine restaurant, and offers several adventure activities to its guests.  

Singapore-based The Residence by Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts has announced that its new 173 only-villa resort – The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah – is now open. The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll is connected to its other property – The Residence Maldives at Falhumaafushi – via a bridge and is at a walking distance. Wendy Mok, Director, Marketing for Asia Pacific, The Residence Maldives & The Residence Bintan, says, “The new property has 173 villas with a private pool in every villa. It is a very exclusive property. We always tell our agent partners to suggest their clients to come for three or four or five nights. And we even see the market going beyond five nights sometimes from India. We are looking at attracting honeymooners, families, and corporates of small groups like 10-20 people. We aren’t equipped for big weddings but it will be a perfect destination for family events like anniversaries, birthdays, etc.”   The Residence is promoted by Outbound Konnections in India. The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah is an all-inclusive resort meaning guests have access to all six restaurants and six bars across both Dhigurah and Falhumaafushi, creating a two-island inclusive experience. Paddle boarding, Kayaking, windsurfing and other non-motorised sports are also included, as well as access to the spa, fitness centre and Turtle Kids Club.  

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has expanded its presence in Delhi-NCR with the signing of a new hotel in Surajkund, Faridabad. This will be Sarovar’s third hotel in Haryana after Gurugram and Faridabad. Sarovar Portico, a mid-scale hotel located in Surajkund-Faridabad, is scheduled to open by the end of this year. The hotel has 60 well-appointed rooms including suites, multi cuisine dining, bar and a wellness centre. It has a multiple banqueting and conferencing facilities with a capacity to accommodate 600 guests. The hotel offers a wide range of venues to host trainings, workshops, product launches, exhibitions, weddings and other social events. Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels says, “We are delighted to expand our business and boundaries further in Delhi-NCR. This is our third hotel in the state of Haryana. With our focus on providing quality accommodation and services, priced attractively, the hotel will ensure a pleasant stay for all our guests travelling to this region.”  

In an exclusive interview to Tourism Breaking News, JB Singh, President & CEO, says, “We are currently up to 19 hotels and we have exhibited strong growth. We have a committed pipeline of 5-6 hotels. In another 3 years, we will cross 4000 rooms. We continue to look at Tier-1 markets very aggressively. We have also started to look at strong Tier-2 markets as well.”

According to a report titled ‘Hospitality insights from the Indian CEO’s desk’ by CII and PwC, the biggest driver in the growth of domestic travel in India is high disposable income. With the buoyant growth in the Indian economy, the Indian middle class has higher disposable income. This has been identified, by about 94 per cent of the respondents as a key factor for the increased domestic travel across the country. Over 40 per cent of the respondents believed that the increased demand would come from new locations largely due to better access and improved infrastructure. Therefore, a significant supply is being developed and likely to develop at such locations. Higher disposable income is driving domestic tourism. In terms of promotion, all the options available today can be seen online and it is very convenient for customers to access the available options. This has made a huge difference to the industry. Growth in the domestic travel has also accentuated the demand for different categories of hotels. Affordability and quality of experience are key factors in defining this shift away from five star to more budget category hotels. Although travellers value loyalty programmes and promotional schemes, the survey participants do not see it as a key determinant in selecting their accommodation. Other factors that are contributing to the growth in domestic tourism include access to online travel and hotel bookings.

Hans Hotels is looking at opening new properties in Rajasthan and Goa. Rita Shah, CEO, Hans Hotels, said, “We are currently in the planning stages and want to expand the company further. We are deciding on the destinations and are looking at Rajasthan and Goa for opening new properties. Things need to coordinate and combine with the hotel company profile. Currently, our three hotels are running and doing well, and that’s why we are looking to go further. The new properties will be either build by us or will be acquired. The company believes in owning their own properties and running it, and not go for management contracts.”