Tag Archives: Development

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s recent tweet, “The 4th Runway at IGI Airport acts as a catalyst for change and symbol of progress & limitless potential”. It is an emblem of development in the realm of aviation. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister said, “A big step for boosting aviation sector”.

Speaking about budget Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy expressed gratitude to PM and FM for the Atmanirbhar Bharat Ka Budget and said, “As India celebrates 75 years of independence with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, we are entering Amrit Kaal and this budget presents a blueprint for India at 100. Vikas (Development) and Virasat (Heritage) go hand-in-hand and this is evident from the fact that this year’s budgetary allocations for Tourism and Culture Ministries have been significantly higher.” 

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a management agreement with Lotus Trans Travel to establish a four hotel portfolio under the Holiday Inn banner. Slated to open between 2020 and 2023, Holiday Inn Bodhgaya, Holiday Inn Kushinagar, Holiday Inn Gorakhpur and Holiday Inn Shravasti together will add over 450 rooms to IHG’s system and establish the company’s presence at the Buddhist tourism circuit. As a part of the agreement, Holiday Inn hotels in Bodhgaya, Kushinagar and Shravasti will be refurbished and upgraded to ensure the portfolio is fully representative of the Holiday Inn brand globally. Holiday Inn Gorakhpur will be will be a new build hotel. Bodhgaya in Bihar, Gorakhpur, Shravasti and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh are some of the main pilgrimage centres for Buddhism in India and together form a part of ‘The Buddhist Circuit’ in the country that drives a great deal of religious visitors and international travellers to these states. Sudeep Jain, Vice President—Development, South West Asia, IHG said, “We are excited to be collaborating with Lotus Trans Travel, who have a strong presence and a deep market understanding of Buddhist destinations in India. This signing adds to the rapidly growing presence of our well-recognised Holiday Inn brand across the country.” Karan Rai, Director, Lotus Trans Travel, added, “We feel there is a need for quality branded accommodation in cities with immense travel potential such as Bodhgaya, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur and Shravasti, and are delighted to be partnering with IHG for our business in these markets.”

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), has signed a management agreement with Hotel Marina Agra for Holiday Inn Agra MG Road. Expected to be operational in 2018, the 150-room hotel marks the company’s debut in Agra and also completes IHG’s presence in the Delhi-Jaipur-Agra Golden Triangle tourist circuit. Just 15 minutes’ drive from Agra Fort and Taj Mahal, Holiday Inn Agra MG Road offers stunning views of the Taj from the upper floors. Sudeep Jain, Vice President – Development, South West Asia, IHG said, “We are delighted to partner with Hotel Agra Marina to introduce our first hotel in Agra, under the Holiday Inn banner. With excellent location, facilities and best in class amenities, we are confident the hotel will be a great choice for varied guest profiles with diverse requirements. The Holiday Inn brand family is our growth driver in India, and this signing underscores our commitment to further strengthen our position in the midscale hotel segment.” Shashank Bhagat, Managing Partner, Hotel Marina, said, “We are delighted to partner with a strong, global player such as IHG to bring the Holiday Inn brand to Agra. We are assured that the hotel will benefit from the company’s robust distribution systems, top revenue management tools and best in class loyalty programme.” Situated on MG Road, the hotel is in close proximity to the business district and key government offices, making it an ideal choice for corporate travellers, as well.

Hilton has announced the appointment Matt Fry as Senior Vice President—Development in Asia Pacific (APAC). Effective August 6, 2018, Fry will oversee the team responsible for the overall development strategy for APAC. “We are thrilled to have Matt join our team and oversee the strategic growth in APAC,” said Ian Carter, President—Global Development, Architecture, Design and Construction, Hilton. “His appointment represents our commitment to building on our tremendous success and achievements there. Fry’s extensive experience in the real estate and development industry will be invaluable as we continue to expand our global footprint in this region.” A seasoned professional, Fry brings with him to Hilton over 20 years of experience in the real estate and development industry with nearly 18 years leading diverse teams at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Most recently, Fry served as the head of global real estate operations and America’s real estate at WeWork, a company growing rapidly around the world to provide shared workspaces with a strong emphasis on community for entrepreneurs, freelancers, small businesses and large enterprises. “I am excited to be joining the world’s most hospitable company and overseeing the development efforts for APAC,” said Fry. “Hilton has had incredible growth and the best-performing portfolio of brands in the business. This is a testament to the incredible global development team, which I am eager to work with during this exciting time for the company and industry.” Fry will be based in Hilton’s APAC regional office in Singapore and will report to Ian Carter, president, global development, architecture, design and construction.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced a partnership with SDB Developers to bring a second Holiday Inn hotel to Kolkata. As part of the agreement, the 110-room Holiday Inn Resort Kolkata NH6 will have 90 rooms operational by the end of 2018, with 20 additional rooms expected to be operational by 2020. Sprawling across 12 acres of land in Uluberia, a city that comes under the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, Holiday Inn Resort Kolkata NH6 is strategically located to offer excellent connectivity to central Kolkata. Well suited to cater to leisure, business and MiCE guests, the resort will be an hour’s drive from the City Centre and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. The resort will also be well connected to the National Highway and the Orissa Trunk Road. Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President – Development, South West Asia, IHG said, “The signing of Holiday Inn Resort Kolkata NH6 is in line with our strategy to grow our portfolio of midscale hotels in the country, comprising the Holiday Inn brand family. Given the location, facilities and best in class amenities that will be available at the resort, we expect strong demand from various guests’ segments including, leisure, MiCE, social events and weddings.” Pawan Bhimsaria, Director, SDB Developers said, “With IHG’s strong global and domestic track record, robust distribution systems and an excellent loyalty programme, we are confident Holiday Inn Resort Kolkata NH6 will be a popular choice amongst guests visiting and residing in the city.”

Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced its foray into Bhopal with the signing of a new hotel – Vivanta Bhopal, through a management contract with Genex Hotels. This will be IHCL’s first hotel in Bhopal, expanding its presence across key state capitals and having a network of hotels in all the key commercial centres of India. Suma Venkatesh, Senior Vice President, Real Estate & Development, IHCL said, “We are delighted to partner with Genex Hotels for Vivanta Hotel in Bhopal. Consolidating presence in key capital cities is an important pillar of our domestic expansion strategy. With rapid urbanisation and growth, Bhopal offers immense potential for both leisure and business travellers.” Vivanta Bhopal will be located near Van Vihar National Park, a 25-minute drive from the Bhopal International Airport. Spread over four acres, the hotel will comprise 150 guest rooms and other features including multi-cuisine restaurants, recreation facilities, meeting spaces, conference rooms and large banqueting facilities. Commenting on the partnership, the spokesperson for Genex Hotels said, “We are proud to partner with IHCL and introduce the Vivanta brand to Bhopal. Through this association with the pioneers of the Indian hospitality industry, we aim to enhance the guest experience in line with the highest international standards.”

InterContinental Hotels Group has partnered with SAMHI to rebrand approximately 2000 rooms (operating and under construction) within its India hotel portfolio, to Holiday Inn Express® hotels. The recently signed portfolio comprises 14 hotels, including 10 open hotels across key cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The additional four hotels are under construction. The signing sees IHG grow its pipeline by 41 hotels, positioning IHG as one of the largest players in India’s growing midscale hotel market. All hotels in the portfolio will be closed while they are being refurbished and upgraded with the latest design directives, to ensure the portfolio is fully representative of the Holiday Inn Express brand globally. The hotels will feature the next-generation design, several additional public areas and feature brand hallmarks to enhance guest service delivery. Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said: “It is with great pride and excitement that we are announcing our partnership with SAMHI for conversion of their existing mid-market hotel portfolio in India to Holiday Inn Express. This is a significant move towards establishing IHG as a leading player in the midscale hotel segment in India, while we continue to build on our upscale and luxury offering in the country with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.” Jain added: “With this signing, we now have close to 60 hotels open and in the pipeline, across the Holiday Inn Brand Family. SAMHI is keen to accelerate Holiday Inn Express’ highly efficient operating model and engage the brand’s growing familiarity in the country. Holiday Inn Express is the rest and go hotel brand that delivers a …

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is getting ready to become the first hotel company to develop and launch a next-generation Guest Reservation System (GRS) that will revolutionise the technological foundations of the global hospitality industry. This is in partnership with Amadeus and it had started work on this early 2015. Amadeus will use a new cloud-based community model, a first in the hotel sector, and similar to the model it developed for the global airline industry. Speaking about this major development is Sudeep Jain, ‎Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG. He says, “The biggest change we have seen in the industry is the advent of digitisation. Applications on mobile phones that allow hotels to reach consumers directly is going to drive the change forward. We as a company have invested heavily in the digital space in partnership with Amadeus. We will get a cloud-based Guest Reservation System (GRS) which can customise and personalise the experience of our guests in terms of booking, choosing and deciding how to stay. It is being tested now and will be launched globally next year. These developments will help us automatically drive relationships with our customers.”