Tag Archives: Managing Director

Kempinski Hotels is conducting its three-city roadshows across Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group, says, “Roadshows like these are very important for our industry to meet key hotels and partners across the world. We look forward to shaking hands with 450 key operators across three cities. The Indian traffic to Kempinski Hotels grew by 32 per cent in 2018 vis-à-vis 2017. The first couple of months have started well. The focus largely remains on leisure and corporate markets. Besides that, weddings as well as MiCE are also very important for Kempinski.”  

Cornelis Vrieswijk, Chief Executive Officer, GoAir has resigned from the post within nine months, citing personal matters. The airline said Jeh Wadia, Managing Director, will be discharging the additional responsibilities of the CEO, till it finds a successor to Vrieswijk. The Dutch national joined GoAir only last June after the departure of Wolfgang Prock-Schauer in December 2017. “At the nominations and remunerations committee meeting held by the board recently, Vrieswijk expressed his desire to relocate to Amsterdam since his family was not wishing to settle down in Mumbai,” the company said in a statement. Vrieswijk has over 25 years experience in the aviation and travel industries with stints at Thomas Cook Group and Transavia Airlines. Source: PTI

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts is set to come up with a project in Auxum in Ethiopia and one in Somaliland. Ajay K Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, is extremely positive about the brand’s international presence, especially East Africa. He says, “Both the properties will start operating by mid-2020. With humble beginnings in Tanzania, we are now operating in Nairobi (Kenya), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Lusaka (Zambia).” Sarovar is one of the fastest growing hotel chains in India with over 80 operational hotels across 50 destinations in India and Africa.

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.

SpiceJet is set to start a daily direct flight between Hyderabad and Jeddah from March 25. This is the ninth foreign destination of the airline. SpiceJet will operate its new 189-seater Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on the route, the airline said in its press statement. It also announced a special fare of Rs 13,499 (all-inclusive) for the Hyderabad-Jeddah flight and Rs 10,799 (all inclusive) for Jeddah-Hyderabad flight. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “It is a moment of great pride for us as we introduce Jeddah as our ninth international destination, thus becoming the first Indian budget airline to fly to Saudi Arabia. Our new flight from Hyderabad will greatly benefit thousands of pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia and our state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX promises an unparalleled experience to all our guests,” he said. SpiceJet’s flight SG 33 will depart from Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 7:10 am (local time) and arrive in Jeddah at 11:05 am (local time) the same day. The return flight, SG 34, will depart at 12:05 pm (local time) and reach Hyderabad at 8:25 pm (local time). Source: PTI

GoAir further expands its international footprint with the launch of direct flights on Kannur–Abu Dhabi–Kannur route effective March 1, 2019. The airline will operate four direct flight services per week between the destinations with bookings now open at an all-inclusive one way fare starting from Rs 6099. This sector will further strengthen the airline’s growing international network to the Gulf and travellers will now have the opportunity to experience affordable travel experience that GoAir is acknowledged with. Speaking on the occasion, Jeh Wadia, Managing Director, GoAir said, “Commercial and cultural links between India and UAE are flourishing and GoAir is committed to contribute in facilitating and enhancing the growth of trade and the strong demand for tourism. Kannur, an incredibly beautiful part of India, is now accessible from Abu Dhabi with direct flights and an affordable and convenient travel option.” Recently GoAir announced international operations out of Kannur to Muscat. GoAir will operate three direct flight services per week between Kannur–Muscat–Kannur effective February 28, 2019. On the domestic front, GoAir currently connects Kannur to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Lemon Tree Hotels has formed a joint venture (JV) with an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing, to create a co-living platform. The JV marks Lemon Tree Hotel’s entry into a new business segment focusing on the development of institutional-grade rental housing accommodation serving both students and young working professionals across major educational clusters and key office markets in India. Following Warburg Pincus’ successful partnerships in China and Hong Kong, this investment represents the first co-living platform which the firm has backed in India. An affiliate of Warburg Pincus and Lemon Tree Hotels will hold 68 per cent and 30 per cent stake, respectively in the JV, with the balance 2 per cent to be held by Patanjali Keswani. The JV partners will initially invest Rs 1,500 crore in equity over a period of time followed by an additional infusion of Rs 1,500 crore in equity at the option of the partners, to develop rental housing projects through a combination of greenfield purpose-built properties, refurbishment of existing under-managed/stressed commercial and residential assets taken on lease/acquisition basis as well as management of existing for-rent accommodation projects. The platform aims to provide affordable and conveniently located co-living spaces for students and young professionals, who are increasingly looking to be part of a vibrant community with like-minded individuals. Patanjali (Patu) Keswani, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels, said, “We are delighted to once again partner with Warburg Pincus at an early stage of this exciting new business opportunity, which will allow Lemon Tree Hotels to move into a segment which is nascent but closely aligned to our existing target customers and which is expected to …

Clarks Inn Group of Hotels has signed one of mid-west Nepal’s most iconic properties, Hotel Sneha in Nepalgunj, now known as Sneha Clarks Inn Suites. The new addition marks Clarks Inn’s first operational debut in Nepal and the second property overall, including one in Kathmandu that is expected to open door later this year. Nepalgunj, a border town located just across the Indo-Nepal border along the state of UP, is fast emerging as a tourism hotspot of the mid-west region of Nepal. The border city serves as the gateway to the majestic Himalayas, wildlife and national parks, trekking routes and a host of water sports activities. Combining the old-world charm with cutting-edge guest services, Sneha Clarks Inn Suites is a more than 50 years old property with its colonial era architectural designs and the latest in amenities and world-class guest services. The 60-key property, currently a three-star hotel, is soon to be a four-star hotel as it has already applied for the four-star certification and is awaiting the same in about a month’s time. S N Srivastava, President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, said, “This is our operational debut in Nepal and we are doing so with a property that befits this special milestone for us. It’s a 60 key property spread over a huge area with big landscaped lush green lawns and international feel. The property will cater to guests with impeccable in-room guest amenities and provide facilities like swimming pool, for both adults and children, spa, health club and casino.” According to Bhawani Rana, Managing Director, Sneha Group of Companies, “Our tie-up with Clarks Inn is a step in the direction to strengthen border tourism and …

EbixCash World Money airport forex counters has been inaugurated at the arrival and departure terminals at Kannur International Airport in the presence of Minister of Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu; Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan; Minister of Industries, Sports and Youth Affairs, EP Jayarajan; Minister of Ports, Kadakampally Surendran; Minister of Transport, AK Saseendran; Minister of Water Resources, K Krishnankutty; and KIAL MD, V Thulasidas among other senior central and state government officials, and industry leaders. EbixCash World Money will offer passengers flying in and out of the city, foreign exchange at competitive rates along with a host of other products such as travellers’ cheques, multi-currency prepaid cards and travel insurance. Commenting on the launch, T C Guruprasad, Managing Director, EbixCash WorldMoney said, “Kannur is a fast-growing business and tourism destination with Wayanad and Coorg being in close proximity. Besides being the district headquarters, it offers a mix of beaches, forts and museums. A large number of international flights also offer direct connectivity from Middle East destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat, Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait, making it a strategic location for us to offer our forex and travel services. We currently have six branches and nine airport forex counters in Kerala.” Spread about 2,000 acres, the Kannur Airport is the newest addition to India’s international airport portfolio. The airport is expected to serve more than one million passengers annually with passenger traffic estimated to increase five-fold by 2025.    

Kempinski Hotels completed its four-city roadshow in Delhi after conducting them in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group, which represents the brand in India said, “Kempinski is by far the most luxurious chains in the world and I am happy that six of the properties under the brand are in India to showcase their offerings to the travel trade fraternity. We conducted the roadshows in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. We have got excellent response as luxury is very important in India and I think we received an overwhelming response from our travel partners in all the cities. We have seen a huge growth for Kempinski Hotels this year. In fact, this is the reason why there is another roadshow after having one in February this year. They believe in India and our efforts done since many years.”