Tag Archives: General Manager

Air France celebrates 50 years of its operations on the Paris-Mumbai route ever since it added Mumbai to its historic Far East network by launching flights from Mumbai to Paris on September 7, 1967. The airline now operates a daily service between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and India’s economic capital by Boeing 777-200 equipped with the latest long-haul travel cabins. On this occasion of completing half a century, Max Smits, General Manager, Air France-KLM, Indian Sub-Continent said,  “We are proud to celebrate 50 years of service between Mumbai and Paris. Air France has been present in Mumbai since 1967 and has been investing continuously with the aim to provide a great product and excellent connection opportunities to the Indian passengers from its hub at Paris, Charles de Gaulle. We take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers and partners in reaching this great milestone and are absolutely thrilled to celebrate this occasion with our passengers taking the flight 07 Sep from Mumbai to Paris with a small surprise celebration at the Mumbai airport”.    

Mercure makes its debut in the holy city of Dwarka with the opening of Mercure Dwarka. Strategically located in the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat, the hotel is a short drive from the Dwarkadhish temple, popularly known as Jagat Mandir. The hotel is conveniently located at a five minute drive from the railway station, an hour’s drive from Porbandar Airport and a little over two hours from the Jamnagar Airport. The hotel is also in close proximity to Nageshwar Temple, Gopi Talav Theertham, Rukmani Devi Temple and Hanuman Mandir. The opening of Mercure Dwarka marks AccorHotels’ fourth property in the land of legends, Gujarat. Featuring 99 guest rooms, including one suite, the hotel offers spacious interiors and modern design; the rooms are equipped with in-room amenities and high speed Wi-Fi access. Fitness enthusiasts can also enjoy a refreshing work out at the state-of-the-art fitness centre. Rishabh Gupta, Co-founder & Director, Blue Rock Hospitality Ventures, said, “Mercure Dwarka is the first hotel of Blue Rock’s portfolio, set in the holy city of Dwarka. It marks a commitment to develop branded upper midscale hotels in holy cities, industrial hubs, emerging destinations & undersupplied pockets of developed cities, across the country. The development of Mercure Dwarka aims to bring emphasis on design with a commitment on service offerings to our guests staying at the property.” Aadil Muscatwala, Co-founder & Director, Blue Rock Hospitality Ventures said, “The opening of Mercure Dwarka is our first step in realizing Blue Rock’s vision of becoming a leading asset ownership company as India’s vibrant hotelier industry. We will continue to invest in high yielding operational assets to create new supply of hotel rooms through our green field developments …

The second edition of Travel Wedding Show 2017, a B2B meetings platform for buyers and suppliers of the wedding segment, is scheduled to be held from July 8-9, 2017, at Jaipur Marriott Hotel. The show will be graced by Chief Guest Rajeev Jain, Director – Rashi Entertainment, and Guest of Honour Hema Hariramani, Director–National Sales India at Marriott International. More than 30 high-profile exhibitors including Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre; Taj Hotels & Resorts; The Oberoi Group; AccorHotels; Abu Dhabi Tourism Board; Austria Tourism Board; Ras Al Khaimah Tourism; Destination Canada and a number of others are expected to be present at the event. The show will include a gala dinner on July 8, 2017, where industry experts will address industry participants. The first day will see the presence of 35 wedding trade specialists from all over India, showcasing the variety of weddings they specialise in. For the second day, 35 wedding planners and agents from across the country have been invited to the event. The two-day event, organised by PLG and DDP Exhibitions, addresses the need for a consolidated face-to-face opportunity between the travel and wedding sectors. The show hosts buyers with a range of offerings relevant to the exhibitor’s niche. The focus is on bringing new business opportunities to its exhibitors. Sarika Bhambhani Rawal, General Manager, Travel Wedding Show, said, “The idea is to amalgamate the two vibrant sectors, wedding and travel, a scenario that is seldom witnessed. The show will bring a selected group of people together and facilitate business for the growth of both the industries. Moreover, there will be collision of the two worlds for face-to-face interactions that are more effective. The two-day …

Indonesia AirAsia Extra has started a direct flight from Mumbai to Bali (Denpasar) from May 19, 2017, with a 45 minute layover in Kuala Lumpur. It will operate this route using A330-300 with 377 seats (12 flatbeds and 365 economy seats). The flight departs from Mumbai at 22.50 hours and arrives in Bali at 10.45 hours the next day. Indonesia AirAsia Extra is the 4th airline under the AirAsia Group to operate to Indian destinations. Commenting on the occasion Suresh Nair, General Manager, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, AirAsia, said, “The flight has got good response and we are happy with the current response from Mumbai and Maharashtra market. We will have daily flights from Mumbai making seven flights a week. We expect good number of people to travel from India to Indonesia and vice versa. We started the flights with an introductory fare of Rs. 2,552 (plus taxes) which was well received by everyone. We continue to offer low fares on all sectors. Currently we are offering a return fare of Rs 14,999 and we continue to strive to keep the fares as low as possible.”

AVIAREPS  has been appointed as the sales and marketing representative for  Budget Car Rental in India. Under the agreement, AVIAREPS will run a self-drive information centre which will enable consumers to book budget for self-drive reservations outside of India. Speaking on the occasion, Sandra Hutchinson, International Commercial Manager, Avis Budget Group EMEA said, “We are thrilled to be working with AVIAREPS on the launch of Budget Car Rental.  It is an exciting time for Indian travellers and adding a Budget Car to European and worldwide travel itineraries will provide the flexibility and enjoyment for a trip to remember.  With competitive leisure rates and more than 3,500 locations around the world, Budget is great value and an excellent choice for the international traveller.” The company will work closely with the Indian travel trade to tap the fast-growing outbound self-drive segment, informed,  Puneet Singh Pesricha, Sales Manager, AVIAREPS India. Commenting on the partnership, Joseph Fernandes, General Manager, AVIAREPS India, explained, “We are elated to be appointed by Budget Car Rental as their representative in India. They have a global presence and are well-known for rendering value for money. In addition, self-drive vacations have seen an upward swing in the recent years thanks to the growing inclination of Indian travellers who want to experience the freedom of renting a car when travelling overseas.”

Crystal Sarovar Premiere Agra has been certified as a 5-star hotel by the Ministry of Tourism. The 112 keys hotel has received the certification for a period of five years till the year 2022. Speaking on the recognition, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd., says, “This certification reinforces our strengthening position in the leisure markets. Agra holds a high significance in the tourism map and we are glad to be able to offer the best of our signature Sarovar hospitality in this city.” Commenting on this acknowledgment, Vivek Mahajan, General Manager, Crystal Sarovar Premiere Agra, says, “We are delighted to be certified with 5 – Star ratings for Crystal Sarovar Premiere. We have been delivering a premier full-service and upscale hotel experience to guests visiting one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Crystal Sarovar Premiere will continue to set new standards by offering unmatched hospitality services to the guest at attractive price points”.

Post the success of last year’s ‘Travel Experiential Show– Beyond Luxury,’ the next edition of the show will be held from April 8-9, 2017, at WelcomHotel Sheraton, New Delhi. Over 60 pre-vetted, high-profile travel buyers and exhibitors across the world are expected to be present under one roof owing to the Experiential Show. Its one-on-one meeting format will give the exclusive list of luxury buyers and leading global suppliers an opportunity for serious B2B meetings, unrivalled networking opportunities and the know-how to cater to existing and potential clients. The specialised event is aimed to identify and drive trends in the experiential travel sector, and in turn attract highly sought-after, difficult to reach clients. The show will be inaugurated by luxury travel specialists followed by cocktail and networking gala dinner on April 8, 2017. “We look forward to the second edition of India’s Premier Travel and Experiential Show. After the outstanding response from the previous affair in December, we are expecting it to be a fruitful amalgamation for the industry people,” said Sarika Rawal Bhambhani, General Manager, DDP Exhibitions.

Westin Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc. announced the highly-anticipated opening of The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa in Rajasthan. India’s seventh Westin property, The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa is surrounded by the picturesque Aravalli Hills and spread across 11 acres. The property, Pushkar’s first internationally-branded hotel, offers 98 contemporary guestrooms, of which 44 feature private pools. Owned by Paradise Properties, the newly-built resort aims to bring the Westin brand’s innovative wellness initiatives to the renowned spiritual destination. “With more travellers looking to maintain their wellness routines while on the road, The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa is thrilled to offer guests the brand’s signature amenities and programs, designed to evoke renewal and well-being,” said Jagdeep Nambiar, General Manager, The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa. The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa will offer over 19,000 square feet of versatile function space, including a ballroom and meeting rooms, as well as a beautiful garden for corporate events and weddings.

Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel, New Delhi recently underwent a massive renovation of its F&B outlets. For 2017, the hotel has big plans of renovating its rooms along with its spa. Parmeet Singh Nayar, General Manager, Shangri-La’s-Eros Hotel, New Delhi, says, “In addition to growing our online presence and integrating technology at every step, we have been working on exciting developments to continuously delight our guests. After revamping our food and beverage offerings, the coming year will offer revamped accommodation facilities at the hotel along with Shangri-La’s signature CHI Spa. With these new developments in the pipeline we are sure that 2017 shall be a promising year for the hotel.”

Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) has setup a Soft Adventure Park at Garden of Five Senses Said-ul-Ajaib Village. The park was inaugurated by Kapil Mishra, Minister for Tourism, Art, Culture & Languages and Water, Govt. of Delhi in the presence of Dr. Pooja Joshi, General Manager, DTTDC and other senior officers of Govt. of Delhi. While inaugurating the Adventure Park, Mishra said, “This Adventure Park came up as a blessing for people of Delhi and will provide children with space to play and get enthralled with adventure activities which this park has to offer. It will also act as a catalyst to promote Garden of Five Senses as an eco friendly project and bring more families to spend their time in the Garden”. The sprawling park is designed keeping nature lovers in mind in the area of 22 acres of the Garden. The games are such that one would feel close to the nature. Some of the highlighting features/activities the Adventure Park has to offer are :- Paint Ball, Rock Climbing Wall, Zip Line, Burma Bridge, Commando Net, Running Bungee, Sumo Wrestling, Zorbing, Air Rifle Shooting, Archery and more. The Adventure Park will commence its operations for general public from tomorrow. The entry ticket to the Garden of Five Senses has been kept Rs. 30 per person only (for adults) and Rs. 10 only (for children) and the price for activities ranges from Rs. 100 to Rs. 120 per person.