Tag Archives: Dilip Datwani

Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Director, Pritam Hotels has been elected as the President of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) at the 68th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Mumbai. Prior to being elected as the President, Kohli served as Senior Vice President of the association. Prrem Tiwari, former Vice President will now serve as Sr Vice President along with Sherry Bhatia acting as the Vice President and Pradeep Shetty as the Honorary Secretary. Nirav Gandhi will continue in the office as Jt Honorary Secretary with Dilip Kothari as the Honorary Treasurer and Aspi Nallaseth as Secretary General. “The HRAWI has made tremendous progress, and I would like to congratulate my predecessor Dilip Datwani and his team for doing an outstanding job during his term. From here, it is my intent to complement the efforts made so far by the association and maintain the momentum. I also hope to engage with the government, concerned authorities and other trade bodies as best as possible for the benefit of our fraternity. We will focus on resolving issues that are potential hindrances for the industry’s growth and will align efforts to best address and meet our members’ needs,” says Kohli. A second generation hotelier, Kohli is the owner of Dadar’s famous Pritam restaurant and who set up the iconic Pritam da Dhaba and the four-star Hotel Midtown Pritam in the 80s.

Having sought advice from experts on the subject of use of plastic products, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) in the interest of its members and the industry, has recently conducted a seminar on the subject in Mumbai. It had invited Dr Sangita Hasnale, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, Nodal Officer of Plastic Ban, MCGM to share her insights. “The industry is in agreement with the decision to do away with the use of plastic. The use of materials that disturb the ecology and which eventually may cause irreparable damage to our ecosystem has to be abandoned. The urgency in implementing this ban is understandable but it has repercussions for businesses. We are looking for all possible options to regularise the day to day functions without the use of plastic,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI. “One of the more significant consequences of the ban has been the disruption in managing food deliveries. While budgeting expenses, hoteliers and restaurateurs take into account all its revenue sources. Additionally, adopting eco-friendly materials has cost implications which will raise the prices on the menu and may not be appreciated by the customer. We are seeking the most constructive way to cope with the change and hope to come out with a win-win solution,” concludes Datwani.

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) at a press conference has announced that it will host its 18th regional convention in Sri Lanka. The convention will be held from June 27 to June 30 this year and it will be the associations first regional convention to be held outside the country. The convention will attended by key policy makers, International government representatives, investors and industry stalwarts. Kumar DE Silva, Chairman, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, Sanath Ukwatte, President of Hotel Association of Sri Lanka, Aravinda De Silva, Deputy Chairman, Ideal Motors Pvt Ltd, John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Honorable High Commissioner, High Commission of India will be the distinguished dignitaries for the opening evening at the convention. The second day will begin with a city tour paired with a lunch at a local restaurant followed by traditional performance and a rendition of both the national anthems later in the evening at the Hilton Grand Ball Room. The third day will be dedicated to business and networking with four different sessions on the various aspects of hotel operations, food and travel bloggers, hotel interiors trends and emerging restaurant trends and emerging trends in Sri Lankan cuisine. Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI said, “This is our 18th regional convention and also first time we are having the convention out of India. The reason for hosting the convention out of the country is because it is more of a cultural exchange.”

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) will host its 18th edition of its regional convention from June 27-30, 2018. Themed ‘Surfing The Wave Of Global Tourism’, the convention will focus on international tourism trends and best trade practices. Centered around hospitality, the event will integrate related business sessions and business networking opportunities for participating professionals. For recreation, post the convention HRAWI shall organise tours for delegates in Colombo and Kandy. “Annual conventions offer an excellent opportunity to network with fraternity members, professionals, consultants, vendors and many others from the industry,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI. “The registrations have been pouring in and the response has been fantastic,” he adds.

Lauding the Maharashtra Government’s notification allowing shops and establishments to remain open 24*7, Dilip Datwani, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI), said, “This is a welcome move and a sign of progress. The biggest benefit of this decision will be employment and it holds the potential to increase employment opportunities by 25 per cent in the State. This is a definite boost to tourism and economy and will help the hospitality sector to emerge even stronger. Although, we would have wished for the act to be extended to bars too. HRAWI appeals to the Government to consider allowing bars operational at least up to 3am, if not 24*7.”

In lieu of growing demand for roof-top cafes and bars in Mumbai with ocean view for an enhanced experience for locals and tourists alike, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has granted permission to open eateries on terrace/part terrace/common terrace of those buildings which are commercial mall building/residential hotel having an existing eating house. “AHAR and HRAWI are thankful to the Hon’ble Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Ajoy Mehta, Rahul Shewale, Aditya Thackeray, and Rais Sheikh of Samajwdi Party who were instrumental in facilitating the open terrace permissions. We are happy that the government is doing its bit in encouraging tourism. It has been our plea to unlock the huge potential that terraces offer by allowing them to be operated as leisure or recreational spaces. Sky bars and roof-top cafes are an emerging trend across the world and Mumbai despite being the commercial capital of India lacked the policy for allowing these activities. This is a welcome decision which many International tourists as well as Mumbaikars will appreciate,” said Dilip Datwani, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI).

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) certified 13 hotels in Maharashtra under new norms which are more contemporary and global in standards as compared to existing ratings. As per the new norms, hotel properties will be classified, rated or graded under six categories listed as Budget, Classic, Premium, Luxury, Deluxe Luxury and Primo Luxury, and will be uniform for both domestic and foreign tourists. “The objective behind developing the IHQS is to educate our members on modern quality standards as well as reduce the burden of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT). The Government can now focus on improving and promoting tourism, while, we from the industry, are doing our bit to support the initiative,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI. The Shalimar Hotel, The Fern Residency, Golden Swan Beach Resort, The Emerald, Peninsula Grand Hotel, Sun-N-Sand Hotel, Holiday Inn Mumbai international Airport, Waterstones Hotel, T24 Residency, Hotel Transit, Hotel Meluha, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Convention Centre and Hyatt Place are among the first hotels to have been audited as per the new classification standards and have been officially certified as of October 25, 2017.

Dilip Datwani has been re-elected as President of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) at its 67th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held recently in Mumbai. Datwani has been serving in the role of the President for the year 2016 – 17 and will now continue to serve in the same capacity for the term of 2017 – 2018.  Gurbaxish Singh Kohli also will continue to serve as the Senior Vice President for the same tenure while Pradeep Shetty takes a sabbatical for this year and  Sherry Bhatia replaces him as the Hon. Secretary. Datwani is also the Vice President of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), the apex body of all the regional associations of hotels and restaurants across the country. He has been an active voice and part of the hotel and restaurant fraternity for over two decades. Datwani has previously served as Chairman of the Membership Committee, Chairman of the Classification Committee, and Senior Vice President of HRAWI. He is Chairman & Managing Director of Datwani Hotels Pvt. Ltd. and owns and operates Shatranj Napoli, a landmark restaurant at Pali Hill, Bandra. “Firstly, I thank all our members for re-electing me as the President. The last one year has been an eventful time for the hotel and restaurant industry, be it the recent issue of liquor ban along the State and National highways, GST, demonetization or service charge. I must mention that through all these tough times HRAWI petitioned, engaged and diligently followed up with the concerned authorities and ministries to resolve the issues faced by hoteliers and restaurateurs. The introduction of GST brings forth both opportunities and challenges. In the …

The Supreme Court has clarified that the ban on sale of alcohol within 500 meters of state and national highways does not apply within city limits, granting relief to the liquor and hospitality industry. The Apex Court’s directive that no liquor shop shall be visible and directly accessible from the highways nor it should be situated within 500 metres of the outer edge of the national or state highway or of the service lane, created chaos in the hospitality industry. While lakhs of people lost their jobs, the MICE business impacted a great deal in the country. Terming it as a landmark order, Dilip Datwani, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) says, “This was a much needed clarification as millions of jobs and the very survival of the nation’s tourism industry was at stake. It has been HRAWI’s contention right from the start that the original order could not have been directed at hotels and liquor vends within city limits. We are thankful to the Bench and the Hon’ble Justices for unequivocally clarifying this. The order will bring relief to almost 70 per cent of the affected hotels.”

After close to two weeks of relative uncertainty, many misconceptions, and quite a few incorrect assumptions, hotel and restaurants in Mumbai will have an opportunity to clear the cloud over GST and receive clarity on any doubts regarding the new tax law. For this, the Hotel and Restaurant Association Of Western India (HRAWI) has organised a seminar on ‘GST Law – 2017’ on July 13, 2017, at the Trident, Nariman Point. The seminar, open to both its members and non-members, will be addressed by eminent experts who also will help resolve any queries with regards to the new tax and billing systems. “The GST is a big change to the taxation system for our country and to get familiarized with any change takes time. Over the last one week the association has been trying to identify the most common issues and queries posed by hoteliers and restaurateurs and also by customers. Through this seminar we intend to put to rest any ambiguities and address any grey areas with respect to GST. We have brought on board the best minds and experts on matters of taxation and who would be happy to help us bridge any gaps in our understanding of the GST. We are positive that participating hotels and restaurants will greatly benefit from this seminar,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI.