Category Archives: Hotels

Sarovar Hotels has announced the signing of a new hotel in Poovar, marking the group’s further foray into Kerala. One of the fastest growing hotel chains in India with over 80 operational hotels across 50 destinations in India and Africa, this will be Sarovar’s fifth hotel in  Kerala ,adding to its impressive presence in Vayalar, Thekaddy, Kochi and Thiruvanthipuram. Pooovar is a well-known tourist destination due to its unsurpassed natural beauty, unspoilt beaches and beautiful rivers. It is an ideal destination for relaxing and cherishing the exotic beauty of beaches. A trip to God’s Own Country will not be complete without a visit to the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The hotel to be operated in mid-2019 will offer 90 beautiful rooms with a nature view, spa to rejuvenate oneself, bar, restaurant, Swimming pool and banquet facility for the social together and meetings.  Situated 35 km from Trivandrum Airport, this unique hotel can be accessed both by road and boat.   Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, said” We are delighted to expand our presence in the state, adding one more leisure destination in our portfolio. We look forward to further growth and remain committed to further expansion in key markets of South India.”

India is one of the priority markets for the brand Fairfield by Marriott. With 14 open properties, including the recently opened Fairfield Goa Anjuna, another eight are in the signed pipeline and are expected to open in the next 2-5 years. One of Marriott’s fastest-growing brands, Fairfield expects to grow its footprint by 30 per cent over the next three years.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has 3400 rooms in India. Ignace Bauwens, Regional Vice President for the Middle East, Eurasia and Africa at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, says, “If you look at India as a market and its evolution, the middle class is travelling more. What we need is more mid-scale hotels of quality. That’s why I strongly believe that the brand that will be successful in India will be Wyndham Garden. This brand has the potential for growth in this market. We are still in discussions; the product is very specific, so we are looking for the right location. We have four brands that are active in India – Ramada, Ramada Encore, Howard Johnson, and Days. We are looking for sites to develop 20 Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham for Eurasia mainly India.”  

According to a recent report by HVS ANAROCK, 2018 has seen growth in performance over 2017 in almost all major markets across India, with the momentum carrying into the first quarter of 2019, where performance of January & February 2019 is a stellar 11% higher in RevPAR performance than same period last year. The impact of elections on the industry combined with a strong growth in hotel supply in the year. Given the headstart that 2019 has received coupled with the general momentum that has built over the last two years, we are of the opinion that RevPar’s will grow.

Clarks Inn Group of Hotels has opened its latest property in Chhattisgarh. The 52-room property is located in the city-centre and is in close proximity to the Raipur Airport. This would be the first property by Clarks Inn in Chhattisgarh. S N Srivastava, President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, said, “We are ecstatic to announce the newest addition, Clarks Inn Suites Raipur, to our ever-expanding portfolio. We are particularly thrilled to debut in the fast-growing hospitality market of Chhattisgarh with such a wonderful and top-of-the-line hotel property. We expect this property to be the most sought-after hospitality address of Raipur and will also strive hard to leverage our presence here to put Raipur and Chhattisgarh on the tourism map of the country.” Exuding old-world-charm with its heritage style architecture, the property has on offer the latest in amenities and world class guest services. For corporates and social occasions, the hotel boasts huge event space, as well as several F&B outlets, lounge and bar, health club, spa and more. Srivastava added, “Clarks Inn Group of Hotels has made giant strides as a hospitality chain and has emerged as one of the most admired and fastest growing hotel companies in the South Asia region. Today, we have established our presence in over 20 states of India and Nepal with a slew of developments to unfold in various parts of the country and overseas in the South Asia and ASEAN region in the coming months.”

Ramesh Daryanani, Vice President, Global Sales – Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), in a recent interview to Tourism Breaking News, said, “India is a very important market for us. Across all our brands, the luxury ones are performing well. The performance of JW, Ritz Carlton, Sheraton Grand are robust and Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru are our top performing markets.”

Sarovar Hotels has announced the opening of Nirvana Sarovar Portico in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Gorakhpur is Sarovar’s 5th city in Uttar Pradesh after Agra, Jhansi, Lucknow, Vaishali and Vrindavan. The hotel features 67 rooms including suites, with all modern amenities. The hotel also includes conferencing and banquet spaces and facilities for up to 350 guests. Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, said “This beautiful, new hotel is a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio in Uttar Pradesh. With its significant development, Gorakhpur is an emerging destination with rising number of visitors from overseas and across the country. It is an important location for us to further tap the market and grow our business. This is set to be one of the best hotel in the city and will cater to the needs of Corporate, Groups, Leisure and Conferences.” Sarovar Hotels is targeting to have 100 hotels under its portfolio in the near future. Expected openings in 2019 include hotels in Bangalore, Bihar, Goa, Gujrat, Mumbai, Punjab, Tanzania, Uttarakhand.  

The Election Commission of India has levied a ban on serving alcohol after 11 pm which has pushed many tourists away. Concerned over the impact of the time restrictions and inflow of tourists, hoteliers in Goa submitted a representation to the Director, Department of Tourism seeking relief from the ECI on the same. The representation stressed on the need for a relaxation in timings as the tourism season is currently at its peak and is expecting a further surge for the weekend festivities. In November last year, the state government made a draft public for comments- Tourism Policy and Masterplan by KPMG Advisory Services and Tourism and Leisure Advisory Services. Post which, the stakeholders of tourism industry were upset since there wasn’t much for small-scale restaurateurs and businesses while the big players were taken more into consideration. In the future, tourism officials want the state to plan a roadmap in such a way that doesn’t hamper the inflow of tourists. Goa has concluded its polls on April 23 and Panaji assembly by-poll will be held on May 19.

The Tata group has signed a formal agreement with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) for operating Taj Mansingh, New Delhi. Earlier, the hotel was given to the Tata group in 1978 on a 33-year lease, which ended in 2011. The company had since been given nine temporary extensions. The Tata group has retained the lease at a license fees of Rs 7.03 crore per month including GST. Earlier, they were paying Rs 3.94 crore per month as license fees. From April 11, NDMC will get 32.5 per cent more revenue as against about 17.25 per cent. “This is an achievement for us that we could finally plan the public auction, settle the legal litigation, auction the property and finally implement it on the ground,” a senior NDMC official said. (Source: PTI)

Radisson Hotel Group is on track to reach the landmark of opening its 100th hotel in India this year. New hotels set to open within the next 12 months include India’s first Radisson RED hotel, located in Mohal. Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President Operations, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group says, “This is a very exciting point in my journey. We are excited about Radisson Red Mohali, which is our new lifestyle, select service brand. It will be a 160-room property and is currently in the advanced stages of construction. We are looking to launch it in the next 12 months. This will be the first Radisson Red in the Asia Pacific region and in India. We have also recently signed a 350-room Radisson Red in Noida which will open in four to five years.”