Tag Archives: General Manager

Hotel Association of India has elected its new Executive Committee, and KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor, South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group is the new President of the prestigious association for a two-year term. Vice President is Rohit Khosla, Executive Vice President, IHCL; JK Mohanty, MD Swosti Group is the Hony. Secretary and Sanjay Sethi, MD & CEO, Chalet Hotels, is the new Hony. Treasurer for the association. Two new EC members include Shashank Bhagat, MD, Radisson Blu Marina Hotel and Sonali Chauhan, General Manager, IHCL.

Joel Bartlett, General Manager, Mamaka by Ovolo, said, “As part of our strategy for the upcoming year 2024, we want to keep collaborating and networking with Indian travel trade to provide best guest hospitality and accommodation experience to them. We are hopeful for 2024″.

Raffles Udaipur has announced Abhishek Sharma as General Manager, who joins the property with over 9 years of leading teams in the role of General Manager, throughout luxury hotels and resorts, including The Oberoi Group in India and Soneva Fushi Resort in The Maldives. Sharma is a well-recognized leader with over two decades of outstanding experience in luxury hospitality and has an exceptional network across the industry. In his new role, Sharma will be leading the task of introducing the legendary Raffles brand to the country and taking charge of operations for Raffles Udaipur. On the appointment, he says, “I am filled with an incredible sense of excitement and responsibility as I lead the team at our first Raffles in the country. The Raffles brand is a global phenomenon that has set the benchmark for unparalleled excellence in guest experience and personalized services. Ethos of the brand are depicted across many noteworthy elements of the hotel, and I am particularly inspired by the  signature Writers Bar for its sophistication and innovation, where we hope India’s renowned writers, present and future, will pen their stories.  I feel honored to be working alongside a dynamic team to bring the legendary service of Raffles to our guests.” Commenting on the announcement, Puneet Dhawan, ‎Senior Vice President of Operations – India & South Asia, Accor says, “I am delighted to welcome Abhishek for this key launch of Raffles’ first outpost in India. Abhishek has wealth of experience that has enhanced his project management skills and strengthened his abilities in elevating guest engagement. He has aced the curation of bespoke and immersive guest experiences and I am confident that his knowledge and the ability to …

“Tourism is the face of any nation. If the services are badly delivered, it will tarnish a nation’s face before the global population. And India being one destination known for its culture, tradition and hospitality, has its positioning because of the human element that delivers in hospitality. Unfortunately, our governments forgot to take care of the most boasted 55 million tourism industry people in India during last 10 months of suffering,” says a statement released by Tourism Leaders Club, whose President & Founder is Amesh Daftary and General Manager is Prakash Visani. The release says that a “peaceful protest campaign” has been planned by the Indian tourism fraternity on February 5, maintaining all COVID protocols of social distancing, mask and sanitiser. The statement also mentions, “Many are at the edge of breakage. Many are no more in tourism. This was so unjust from the ruling governments to discard such a dedicated selfless community which served the Nation’s progress. When all other sectors revived, Tourism is still not back and the governments didn’t even bother to take an account of job losses or business losses. It’s time for us to show our protest towards the inaction of Governments. Let us unite and show our integrity towards our own livelihood industry. Please join the campaign and make it a grand success.” “As it’s a pan India protest campaign,” the release adds, “our members at different destinations of India are requested to conduct similar cultural processions with their respective regional art forms to support the move. Our slogan will be ‘Tourism Lives Matter – Save Indian Tourism’. Our Demands for survival: GST Holiday for Two years for Tourism Rehabilitate tourism employees who lost …

Sharing his view on what’s to come for the M!CE business, Rajdev Bhattacharya, General Manager, Global Travel & Hospitality Services and Way2go, Digital Operations & Platforms for Wipro, says, “With virtual meetings here to stay, corporates will cut down on international travel in the short term, at least till April 2021.” Speaking at the 3rd TravTalk Digital Conclave, he added that this meant that travel agencies would also have to become digital.

Marriott International has opened Four Points by Sheraton Kochi Infopark, expanding the brand into Kerala. The addition of this property strengthens the Four Points brand presence in India to 12 hotels across key gateway cities and upcoming destinations across the country. Nestled in one of Kochi’s largest IT hubs and located within close proximity to several corporate parks, Four Points by Sheraton Kochi Infopark is the ideal destination for any business traveller, while being accessible to nearby attractions as well for those spending a leisure holiday in Kochi. 218 spacious and well-appointed guestrooms including 23 suites reflect the brand’s promise of integrating timeless classics with modern details. Commenting on the launch, Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President—South Asia, Marriott International said, “We are delighted to announce the opening of Four Points by Sheraton Kochi Infopark. Business travellers to Kochi are assured of a seamless stay, the hotel’s spaces and facilities are smart and flexible, ensuring every aspect of the guest experience reflects the brand’s emphasis on uncomplicated comfort and simple sophistication.” Dining options include The Eatery, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant with an international spread, local specialties and an enticing dessert selection. All Spice is a casual destination to unwind and escape the nuances of the everyday life and indulge in coastal delicacies from Maharashtra, Goa, Karwar and Kerala. Deli is the Grab and Go – pastry and confectionery shop, along with Caper the high-energy lounge bar. “Thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of today’s traveller, our hotel has immense opportunity to deliver an unparalleled guest experience backed by comfort, great service and the amenities they need to stay productive on the road,” said Dinesh Rai, General Manager, Four Points by Sheraton …

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is introducing the iconic Taj brand in Himachal Pradesh with the opening of Taj Theog Resort & Spa, Shimla. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, “We are delighted to open our first hotel in Himachal Pradesh. This will be the company’s first mountain resort. With this new addition, we have expanded our resort portfolio which is the largest in India. The state has great tourism potential and we look forward to expanding our footprint to showcase the pristine beauty of this region.” Nestled amidst thick Cedar forests and spread over five acres, every nook and corner of the hotel offers mesmerising views of the mighty Himalayas. Taj Theog Resort & Spa’s design and architecture echoes colonial charm reminiscent of hill station appeal. Each of the 99 rooms, with warm wooden furniture, traditional rugs and tall French windows offer spacious balconies overlooking snow peaks and quaint villages. “Taj Theog Resort & Spa is a sanctuary amidst conifers, cedars and tiny hamlets with the stunning skyline of the Himalayan range as a backdrop. It serves as an ideal location for guests seeking a mix of adventure and relaxation coupled with Taj’s legendary service.” said Naveen Barthwal, General Manager, Taj Theog Resort & Spa, Shimla. Guests have a choice of distinctive culinary options which include an all-day diner – Tragopan that offers the robust Pahari cuisine along with global cuisines and comfort food; Peony, the oriental restaurant offers Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines.

Air China recently organised a networking event for its agent partners in Mumbai to award the top performers. It presented a total of 19 awards acknowledging 16 agencies and three airport service companies. Present at the occasion were Subhash Goyal, Chairperson, Stic Travel Group, that distributes the airline in the western, southern and eastern region of India, along with Shao Jun, General Manager, Air China, Mumbai office. The event was followed by cocktails and dinner. Speaking about the new initiatives, Goyal said, “We had conducted a familiarisation tour for our agent partners in 2016 and 2017, offering them all Indian meals to give them an idea of what we are capable of offering our Indian passengers. We plan to conduct another such tour this year as well. We see tourism and trade as the growth drivers for air traffic between India and China. The number of Chinese tourists visiting in India has been low because of visa restrictions but we hope it will increase now with the introduction of e-visa scheme. Also, trade and industrial exhibitions in China are an attraction for Indian companies and we see a lot of Indian businessmen visiting the country.”

The success of the fifth India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC) annual summit in Auckland has highlighted the strong will among both nations to take their trade and investment relationship up several notches, riding on India’s fast growing economy. Themed on Aviation, Tourism and Technology, the one-day summit heard substantively from some of the most successful business people and policy influencers in these sectors both from India and New Zealand and from New Zealand’s Members of Parliament across the main political parties. In a video message from New Delhi, Suresh Prabhu, India’s Minister for Commerce, Industry and Civil Aviation, welcomed the summit and invited New Zealand businesses to join India’s unfolding growth story tipped to go from $5 trillion to $10 trillion in the next 15 years.​While trade agreements were touched upon, presenters were emphatic and unanimous in their opinion that strengthening better air links – especially direct flights – between the two countries was key to not only boosting tourism numbers but also growing the education sector, trade and investment exponentially. “Growth in Indian tourist numbers into New Zealand has been encouraging over the past few years but the potential was great,” said Suresh Nair, General Manager, Air Asia—India. “Air Asia had developed expertise in creating and marketing new tourist destinations with robust and frequent air links in Asia and India, working with the hospitality industry. New Zealand could similarly tailor its own destinations to suit preferences of the growing and increasingly mobile Indian tourist industry,” he said.

AVIAREPS has been appointed as the Sales, Marketing and PR representative in India for Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). The appointment came into effect owing to Maldives’ growing outbound demand, steady rise in visitation from India, along with surge in the length of stay and spending power of Indian travellers. Speaking after the announcement, Haris Mohamed, Acting Managing Director, MMPRC, said “Maldives’ tourism industry has been expanding over the years to provide unique experiences to its visitors whilst also catering to specific needs of the niche segments that Maldives attracts. We are delighted to have appointed AVIAREPS to represent the Maldives tourism board in India. We hope to work together with the aim of increasing the number of tourists from India, which has been a growing market and the top fifth market in terms of arrivals to Maldives. With well-planned strategies and activities targeted towards educating and inviting the Indian Market, we hope to achieve continued growth in the years to come”. “The Maldives’ is one of India’s closest neighbour with world-class resorts and tourism offerings. Our plans include working very closely with the Indian travel trade and media to reach out to the Indian consumer. Our prime focus will be on maintaining and strengthening Maldives’s positioning in India as the first choice beach and leisure destination with a myriad of tourism offerings,” commented Joseph Fernandes, General Manager—India, AVIAREPS.