Tag Archives: Managing Director

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has signed a new Ginger hotel in Visakhapatnam. It will be Ginger’s second hotel in the city. Ginger Hotels’ portfolio has 45 operating hotels and seven hotels in the pipeline. The announcement reflects the company’s strategic domestic expansion to drive growth momentum. Deepika Rao, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Roots Corporation said, “We are delighted to partner with SSR Builders in Visakhapatnam for this hotel. We are happy to expand our presence in Visakhapatnam, a key city in Andhra Pradesh.” The new Ginger in Visakhapatnam with 56 rooms, an all-day diner, meeting room and a fitness centre located at Gajuwaka amidst a commercial hub with close proximity to companies like Tata Motors, Nestle, BHEL, GAIL and many others. The hotel is slated to open mid-2019. IHCL has two other hotels in the city – The Gateway Hotel Beach Road Visakhapatnam and a 68-room Ginger hotel close to the Visakhapatnam railway station.    

Vivek Kumar, Managing Director, Clarks Brij Hotels, Pride Hospitality and Brijrama Hospitality, also bagged the DDP Trailblazer award. An astute businessman and philanthropist, with the mind of a creative thinker, Kumar comes from a family steeped in retail, textile and hospitality. In 1935, his grandfather established one of the first five-star group of hotels in India, as well as the Indian Textiles Company. He diversified his grandfather’s company into unchartered territories by establishing a manufacturing unit and has been instrumental in the establishment of renowned global retail brands.

The fifth edition of India Travel Awards South concluded on May 14 at Clarks Exotica Convention Resort & Spa, Bengaluru amidst the presence of stalwarts of the travel and tourism industry. The Chief Guest for the ceremony was Kumar Pushkar, an IFS officer and Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation. Anita Mishra, Gladrags Mrs India Maharashtra 2018, was the guest of honour for the occasion. The India Travel Awards South recognises the hard work and effort put in by regional industry players to grow the tourism and hospitality industry. The awardees are selected based on a non-biased system of voting.

SOTC Travel has ventured into the forex business to provide travellers with a one-stop solution for their entire travel related requirement. Users can see the best rates for foreign exchange and based on customer requirement, they could either collect it from the store or have it home delivered. To bring complete transparency, SOTC showcases the exchange rates in real time and delivers the order to the customer’s doorstep. SOTC engages in the FFMC business which enables it to not only service such requirements internally but also make an entry into retail and wholesale foreign exchange business, thereby opening up another revenue stream. Speaking on the launch, Vishal Suri, Managing Director, SOTC Travel said, “The main priorities of Indians travelling abroad are secure and hassle-free travel, easy access to foreign currency and convenience of making payments. With the launch of the forex business, SOTC offers all these benefits and more. It aims to provide the ease of travel with utmost security feature to the target audience. As a company, SOTC is focusing on the growing travel requirements of the millennial and looks forward to making a mark in this segment.”  

The official destination marketing organisation for the five boroughs of New York City – NYC & Company – recently invited a select group of travel agents in Mumbai for an evening of cocktails and meet Makiko Matsuda Healy, Managing Director (Tourism Market Development), NYC & Company who was in the city for a quick visit. The evening also involved a quick run through of some of the new tourism projects that are taking shape in New York, particularly the new hotels that have come up, new attractions, and the airport that is getting an upgrade. Making this short presentation was Christopher Heywood, Senior Vice President, Global Communications, NYC & Company, who also took questions from the agents. There were about nine agents from eight agencies who focus on leisure FIT and group holidays to North America.

EM Najeeb, Managing Director, Air Travel Enterprises has been elected as the Senior Vice President at the IATO elections. Another new entrant in the core committee of IATO is Rajesh Mudgill, Managing Director, Planet India Travel, who has been elected as the Honorary Secretary. Thanking everyone for the victory, Najeeb said, “It’s a great honour and pleasure for me to have been elected as the senior VP of a prestigious association such as IATO. I want to assure my wholehearted commitment and support for serving this organisation with my team members by work together to reach newer heights.” Confirming his earlier membership with IATO, Mudgill said, “I would like to thank the IATO members for their support. I have worked with many members of this team in the past and want to reassure everybody that we will now work together. I am confident I will be able to take my members’ voices to my team and resolve their issues.”          

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Sarovar Premiere Jaipur. The upscale full-service hotel features 80 guest rooms and suites with modern interiors, stylish furnishings and spacious event and banquet space. The hotel also adds ease to those travelling to the city as it is conveniently located close to the airport, railway station, Vidhan Sabha and famous tourist attractions. The hotel was launched in the presence of Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels and Sandeep Sharma, Executive Director, R S Sharma & Co (Delhi), Jaipur. “This new hotel is a fantastic addition to our growing portfolio in Rajasthan,” said Bakaya. “Jaipur is one of the most significant destinations in India for leisure as well as business travel and this is our fourth hotel in the city after Sarovar Portico Jaipur, Nirwana Hometel Jaipur and Park Inn Jaipur. Sarovar Premiere Jaipur’s superior features, state-of-the-art amenities, and incredible location will make it a top destination here. The Sarovar brand continues to expand its presence and we are further opening hotels in Ajmer and Jaisalmer soon” The hotel offers exciting dining options, fitness centre, business centre, free Wi-Fi and swimming pool. The hotel can also serve as a venue for meetings and special events. The 1,800-square-foot meeting space can accommodate up to 200 people. Located at Lal Kothi in Tonk Road, Jaipur, the hotel is ideal for discerning corporate as well as leisure travellers.  

With the growth of religious tourism in India, Royal Orchid Hotels has added a new property, ‘Regenta Central’ in Somnath. The hotel is located on the main highway of Veraval and is located within 5 kilometres from Veraval and Somnath railway station. The hotel offers spacious banquet halls and plush lawns which can accommodate up to 2000 people for various occasions such as large-scale family social gathering, business presentations, seminars and confidential corporate meets. The guests can also indulge in various relaxation activities at the hotel’s gymnasium, spa and swimming pool. Chander K Baljee, Managing Director, Royal Orchid Hotels said, “We are excited to add another property to our portfolio, continuing our ambition of expanding hotels across India. With a constant surge in domestic travellers, not only are we benefitted but consumers also have an advantage of an affordable stay with the finest facilities and services. The current year looks promising for the hotel industry and we plan to make the most of it by expanding our brand all over India.”

The countries that have seen the greatest growth in flight bookings from travellers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in the last 12 months are Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey, according to analysis conducted by Travelport. From April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, bookings made in the KSA through all global distribution systems (GDS) to Egypt increased by nearly 190,000, up 17 per cent on the previous 12 months. Bookings to the UAE rose by over 70,000, up 13 per cent, and to Turkey by just over 65,000, up 31 per cent. Matthew Powell, Managing Director – Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Travelport said, “Growth in flight bookings tends to be driven by increased airline capacity, rises in demand from leisure travellers, economic and political advances, which attract more interest in trade and investment, and major construction projects that require large international labour forces. The results we’re seeing here cut across all of these.” Travelport will participate in the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai for the 10th consecutive year. Its stand will include demo pods that allow visitors to experience how the company helps travel agents and airlines drive revenue by delivering intelligence through analytics tools like Travelport Business Insights and Travelport Competitive Insights.

Royal Orchid Hotels adds another property Regenta Central Point in Srinagar to its portfolio. Located at city centre, Regenta Central Point is 12 kms away from the airport and a 10 minute walk from Dal Lake. The four-star property has 46 rooms in a range of options – Deluxe Rooms and Executive Suites with modern amenities. Chander K Baljee, Managing Director, Royal Orchid Hotels said, “We are happy to announce the opening of our new property in Srinagar. Srinagar is a well known travel destination and we are privileged to be associated with this beautiful city. This adds to our expansion plan with prime focus on mid market segment. Currently, we operate 47 properties in 33 cities across the country with close to 3,500 rooms. Following our asset light model we are looking to add 15 more properties for FY19.” The hotel also offers a multi-cuisine all-day dining restaurant, specializing in Kashmiri cuisine and has an outdoor seating arrangement, gymnasium and steam and sauna.”