Tag Archives: Arif Patel

Highlighting some of the common practices followed by hotels to ensure transparency and price parity Arif Patel CCO, ITC Hotels said that when clients approach them via different wedding planners, they maintain price parity with all wedding planners. 

Arif Patel, Regional Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Hyatt India, has said, “With over 24 executed deals for hotels, we plan to expand our brand footprint in India by eyeing more than 70 per cent growth, adding over 3,800 keys with more than 50 hotels in our portfolio in India by 2023.”

One of the key takeaways from the AccorHotels Showcase 2018 was that MiCE is on the rise globally – with multiple events being held internationally, and also in India which is increasingly becoming a chosen destination for MiCE. Furthermore, with globalisation and Indian corporates opening offices around the world, the hospitality industry has seen traction for corporate travel both inbound and outbound. The AccorHotels Showcase 2018 witnessed participation from 35 hotels and resorts from the global network along with 22 hotels from India. The event was the ideal platform to discuss how to work together to benefit from the burgeoning travel market. The delegates were representing India’s topmost travel agents, wholesalers, corporate clients, tourism partners and MiCE organisers in attendance. Arif Patel, Vice President – Sales, Marketing, Distribution & Loyalty, AccorHotels said, “By 2020, Indian outbound travel is estimated to reach 48 million and foreign tourist arrivals is forecasted to cross the 10 million mark. This annual AccorHotels Showcase gives an opportunity for our attendees to engage with AccorHotels’ representatives from around the world to see how best we can work together given the opportunities in the market.” The daylong event in Mumbai on March 21 and Delhi on March 23 was packed with networking sessions where customers discovered the group’s newest offerings and met with hotel representatives from across the region.

The 2018 AccorHotels Showcase in Mumbai and New Delhi will be held on March 21 at Sofitel Mumbai BKC and March 23 at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity respectively. The event is expected to have representatives from 15 countries representing more than 35 hotels and resorts worldwide, offering travel agents, wholesalers, corporate clients, tourism partners and MICE organisers’ an insight into the group’s new developments, products and services. Entering its 15th year, the event will provide an opportunity to discover AccorHotels’ accommodation trends, news and stunning hotels and resorts from around the world. Exhibitors from destinations such as France, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Thailand, UAE,South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, China and Singapore, representing celebrated hotels like Raffles Dubai and Saudi Arabia, RIXOS Turkey, Fairmont Ajman, SO Sofitel Bangkok Singapore, Novotel Amsterdam City and Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and more are set to attend the event in each city. “The signature event serves as a great platform for us to interact and share knowledge with our clients and industry partners. With increased international and domestic travel, we expect this year to be the bigger and more exciting than last year, with interesting insights given our enhanced network and leadership position in the Asia Pacific region,” said Arif Patel, Vice President—Sales, Marketing, Distribution & Loyalty, AccorHotels India. 

AccorHotels has announced a new group online booking tool— Leisure Online ( LOL)—for its travel trade partners. The digital solution provides travel professionals with real time availability and best rates guaranteed for leisure group bookings of 15 to 60 people (from 8 to 30 rooms) at more than 900 hotels and resorts worldwide, including India. Leisure Online is  user-friendly and designed like a booking engine for easy use. It is available anywhere, anytime giving bookers the flexibility to make reservations with ease and in no time. It allows bookers to consult single, double and twin room availability in real time, receive automatic access to the best available rate (rates are dynamic net rates and inclusive of breakfast) with an option to confirm instantly. Accessed via www.accorhotels.com/tourism, the Leisure Online booking tool also enables online users to pre-book directly in the hotel’s system, including additional services such as restaurant bookings and porterage at the click of a button. Further, being an online tool, Leisure Online notifies hotels in real time and they respond to requests within 24 hours. Arif Patel, Vice President Sales, Marketing, Distribution & Loyalty, AccorHotels India, said, “Indians today have emerged as the world’s newest globetrotters, spurred by a vastly improved spending power coupled with declining airfares, improved connectivity and strong uptake for Visa on Arrival and evisas. Increasingly more Indians, especially from non-metro cities are turning to travel as the primary leisure option and the trend will continue to stronger in times to come. That said, group bookings remain a cumbersome task for tourism fraternity.”