fhraimagazine November 2013

november 2013

magazine Vol 13 Issue 11

Pages 72

`50

A MONTHLY ON HOSPITALITY TRADE

By DDP Publications

Is hotel Classification beneficial?

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to save water in hotels

November 2013 Cover Story

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Is classification beneficial for the hotel industry?

Hoteliers are consistently thinking of ways to make the classification more effective for all. While the Ministry of Tourism is trying to streamline the process, many debate the very need for classification.

Picture on the cover: Fairmont Gold Lounge, Jaipur

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contents THIS MONTH

President’s Message Secretary’s Message FHRAI Desk News Updates Products & Services Events Appointments

7 9 12 18 62 64 68

FEATURES

18 News You Can Use

MICE 41 PAN India MICE Survey India-wide survey on the handling of MICE inquiries in the hotel industry reveals disturbing findings which show lack of responsiveness is widespread

Design 44 The Design Factor In a freewheeling interview with Ritu Bhatia Kler, we find out the different aspects of design used for different categories of hotels

Guest Column 46 Water-Tap Trouble

44 Design: Festival motifs

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48 Chef Talk: Michelin Man

The essence of this article is to understand the subject of water resource holistically, and to treat it with the utmost ‘tender loving care’

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Dear fellow members,

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t the outset, I wish to convey my sincere compliments to Shri Garish Oberoi, President - HRANI, Shri Rajindera Kumar, Chairman of the Convention Organising Committee, Smt. Renu Thapliyal, Secretary General - HRANI, staff of the HRANI Secretariat and all members of the Convention Organising Committee, for the grand success of the second HRANI Convention which was held at the Pullman Hotel in Gurgaon.

S.M. Shervani President

The conventions of our Regional Associations have their own individual flair and importance.

They provide a valuable platform to deliberate on local issues of concern to the industry and help to foster an enduring spirit of unity and brotherhood within the fraternity.

UTTARAKHAND

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The hotel classification criteria must take into account contemporary trends, best practices, rapid changes in consumer tastes and preferences, etc., instead of a disproportionate focus on physical amenities and infrastructure alone

Our members are aware that FHRAI has been diligently engaged in charting a comprehensive revival strategy for Uttarakhand’s tourism sector. Pursuant to our vigorous efforts, the Union Government has agreed to exempt hotels and restaurants throughout the state from the levy of Service Tax for this fiscal year.

Similarly, we have made a representation to the Uttarakhand Government, seeking an exemption from Luxury Tax and VAT for hospitality establishments till 2015. We have also requested the Ministry of Finance to allow Income Tax exemption on Leave Travel Concession (LTC), including hotel tariff, for individual taxpayers who travel to Uttarakhand in the next two years.

The three major districts which had suffered colossal damage from floods and landslides, will require various fiscal and monetary incentives and strong institutional support in order to undertake the mammoth task of rebuilding essential infrastructure and restoring public amenities and facilities.

Many of our corporate and even individual members have laudably stepped forward to adopt villages and aid the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts. The enormity of the challenge warrants a sustained commitment and partnership between all stakeholders, including the industry, Government and civil society.

We must also collectively and candidly address the question of whether the scale of this disaster can be attributed to nature’s fury alone or did exceeding the carrying

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capacity play a role in compounding the present tragedy. Any ecologically sensitive region certainly requires stringent building bylaws and regulations. However, it is equally important that these rules are pragmatic enough to balance legitimate business interests and livelihood aspirations of the local communities with the imperative of preserving the environment. An effective and transparent enforcement mechanism of the applicable laws and regulations is also vital.

INFRASTRUCTURE STATUS

The Ministry of Finance has recently notified the inclusion of hotels with a project cost of `200 crore and above, located anywhere in India and irrespective of star category, in the Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure Sub-sectors.

While welcoming this initiative as a positive first step, FHRAI has impressed upon the Government, the urgent need to offer similar concessions to hotels in the budget and midscale category which typically have a lower project cost in the range of `20-50 crore.

As per the growth projections for the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2012-17), especially the Ministry of Tourism’s ambitious target of doubling our Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) to an astounding 1,452 million, India will face a shortfall of 1,20,000 hotel rooms in the affordable segment, mandating an additional capex of approximately `50,000 crore.

Therefore, the Government must ensure that hotels catering to this pivotal and high-growth market segment are eligible for liberalised lending norms and have access to diverse and innovative sources of equity and debt financing.

The primacy of economy and mid-segment hotels in India’s hospitality industry is also vividly reflected within FHRAI’s own membership profile, wherein nearly 70 per cent of our member hotels are 1-, 2- and 3-star hotels with less than 100 rooms.

CLASSIFICATION

The Ministry of Tourism’s revised Classification Guidelines which were released in September, have reignited the debate in certain sections of our industry and the media, on the continued relevance and efficacy of hotel classification. There are some who argue that when the classification process was initially conceptualised decades ago, the Indian hotel industry was still in its infancy. As such, the continued on page 10...

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FEATURES Chef Talk 48 Michelin Man Having worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, two Michelinstarred Chef Jens Jakob has adhered to his culinary philosophy of ‘less is more’

Concept 50 Additions to the palate This article attempts to highlight the way restaurant owners are leveraging alternative methods to improve their revenues

50 Concept: Food and much more

56 F&B: Wake-up call with Coffee

F&B 56 Coffee brews across the nation With coffee gaining ground as a popular beverage in India, read the latest trends and business strategies of prominent coffee chains

66 Products & Services secretary general M D Kapoor - sg@fhrai.com Editor Deepa Sethi - deepa@ddppl.com Associate Editor Kanchan Nath - kanchan.nath@ddppl.com sub-Editor Ramya JS D’Rozario creative Design Ruchi Sinha

FHRAI B-82, 8th Floor, Himalaya House Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001 Tel: 91-11-40780780, Fax: +91-11-40780777 Email: fhrai@vsnl.com FHRAI Magazine is published, edited and printed monthly

by DDP Publication Pvt. Ltd. On behalf of Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India and published from DDP Publications Pvt. Ltd. 72 Todarmal Road New Delhi 110001 Email: fhraimag@ddppl.com Tel : 91-11-23731971 Fax: 91-11-23351503 Printed at Cirrus Graphics Pvt. Ltd. B 62/14, Phase-II, Naraina Industrial Area New Delhi 110028 This issue of FHRAI Magazine contains 68+4 pages cover

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Advertising Gunjan Sabikhi - gunjan@ddppl.com Asst. Vice President – Marketing Delhi Prateek Sahay - prateek@ddppl.com Senior Manager – Marketing (+919650911388) Udit Pandey - udit@ddppl.com Senior Manager – Marketing

Mumbai Harshal Ashar - harshal@ddppl.com Deputy General Manager (+919619499167) FHRAI - Marketing S.P. Joshi Production Manager Anil Kharbanda

Shradha Kapoor - shradha@ddppl.com Senior Executive – Marketing (+919650196525)

Advertisement Designers Vikas Mandotia Nitin Kumar Aarushi Agrawal

All information in the FHRAI Magazine is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regrets that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract and/or in interviews are not necessarily shared by FHRAI Magazine or DDP. However, we wish to advice our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances.

Contents of this publication are copyright.

No part of FHRAI Magazine or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in

any form without the permission of the publication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copyright or the article is taken from another publication. An exemption is hereby granted for the extracts used for the purpose of fair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sent to us for our records. Publications reproducing material either in part or in whole, without permission could face legal action.The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material solicited or unsolicited nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged.

This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered.

The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian and International Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any damage or loss caused by delayed publication, error or failure of an advertisement to appear.

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A step towards ‘infrastructure’ status Dear fellow members, Mr.Vivek Nair Hony. Secretary

In a landmark development, the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India has issued a notification dated October 7, 2013, whereby the Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure Sub-sectors has been expanded to include ‘Hotels with project cost of more than `200 crore each in any place in India and of any star rating’ (Eligible costs exclude cost of land and lease charges but include interest during construction). This is in addition to ‘Three-star or higher category classified hotels located outside cities with a population of more than one million’, which had already been included in the RBI’s Infrastructure Lending List.

This decision represents an important step towards the culmination of FHRAI’s longstanding demand for the hotel industry to be accorded ‘infrastructure’ status.

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The Indian hospitality and tourism sector is currently confronting twin challenges of continued global uncertainty and a sharp domestic economic downturn

The Indian hospitality and tourism sector is currently confronting twin challenges of continued global uncertainty and a sharp domestic economic downturn. Factors such as high borrowing costs, exorbitant price of land, inflation and inordinate delays in obtaining statutory clearances have had an adverse impact on the industry’s performance and led to subdued investor confidence. FHRAI had been impressing upon the Government that these exigent circumstances require far-sighted policy action which can help to insulate our industry’s long-term viability from cyclical macroeconomic volatility and revive muchneeded investment flows into the sector.

With the recently announced measures, large capital-intensive hotel projects will now be entitled to avail benefits such as lower interest rates on term loans, longer repayment tenures of up to 15 years, higher debt-to-equity ratio of 4:1, raise cheaper external commercial borrowings for an enhanced limit of up to $500 million under the automatic approval

route, become eligible for financial assistance including take-out financing from specialised infrastructure funding institutions like IDFC, IIFCL, Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDF), etc.

This would strengthen the industry’s overall competitiveness and financial sustainability and give an impetus to our efforts aimed at bridging the shortfall of 1,80,000 classified hotel rooms, which India is poised to face within this decade.

FHRAI has steadfastly maintained that a modern and liberal visa regime is indispensable to achieve the Ministry of Tourism’s ambitious target of doubling our Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) to at least 12 million by 2017. Through our meticulous efforts, we had successfully prevailed upon the Ministry of Home Affairs to withdraw the restriction which stipulated a minimum gap of two-months before permitting re-entry into India on a tourist visa. Similarly, earlier this year, the Government had acceded to our request to extend the Tourist Visaon-Arrival (TVoA) scheme to five additional international airports in the country, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Goa. FHRAI has also articulated before the Government at the highest level, the exponential gains which can accrue by granting the TVoA facility to the citizens of more countries, instead of just 11 for which it is currently allowed. In order to consider this proposal in depth, the Planning Commission had convened a high-level joint meeting in October with the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and the National Security Adviser. The Planning Commission has rightly underscored the importance for our country to capitalise on the latent potential of its tourism sector to tide over the widening current account deficit (CAD). At this meeting, a broad consensus has been reached to expand the TVoA scheme to the nationals of 40 additional countries, such as USA, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Russian continued on page 10...

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...continued from page 7

Ministry thought it was necessary to prescribe certain minimum standards and benchmarks for services and amenities to be provided to guests in various star categories, particularly to assure and assist international tourists in making a well-informed choice. However, our industry has taken giant strides since then and is now home to a large number of renowned domestic and global hospitality chains, with a portfolio of differentiated brands serving the luxury/premium, midscale, budget and other niche segments.

Moreover, the advent of internet and social media has significantly empowered the consumer, making today’s travellers more discerning than ever before. No establishment, large or small, can hope to survive in a hypercompetitive market with inconsistent and below-par service and product standards.

At the HRANI convention, Shri Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, made a strong case for classification and emphasised that it was entirely voluntary. He also said that the Ministry was open to further amendments in the current guidelines by incorporating suggestions from the industry and addressing the practical constraints which we encounter in adhering to certain specific norms which are prescribed in the existing criteria.

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FHRAI has steadfastly maintained that a modern and liberal visa regime is indispensable to achieve the Ministry of Tourism’s ambitious target of doubling our Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) to at least 12 million by 2017

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A primary concern which we have already communicated to the Ministry pertains to the unreasonable decision by some State Governments to impose higher property taxes and fixing higher minimum wages for 4- and 5-star hotels, as compared to hotels which are not classified. This has led to an anomalous situation wherein on one hand, we already have a growing discontentment with the diminishing benefits accruing from classification, and on the other, there are certain states which are virtually penalising those establishments who opt for being classified!

To ensure that classification retains its relevance going forward, the MOT must work closely with all stakeholders to put in place a streamlined mechanism which can incentivise and encourage hospitality establishments in the unorganised segment, which constitute about 90-95 per cent of our total room inventory, to transition into the regulatory mainstream.

FHRAI also believes that the hotel classification criteria must take into account contemporary trends, best practices, rapid changes in consumer tastes and preferences, etc. Instead of a disproportionate focus on physical amenities and infrastructure alone, due weightage must be given to key intangibles such as safety, hygiene,

innovation, service excellence and customer feedback.

DRY DAYS

We strongly support the Election Commission’s efforts towards the conduct of peaceful, free and fair polls in the country. However, we feel that the Commission’s decision to impose three ‘dry days’ - the day before polling, election day and the date of counting of votes, causes substantial losses for hotels and restaurants as well as the state exchequer, besides putting our patrons to genuine inconvenience. We have made a representation to the Election Commission that licensed hospitality establishments should not be equated with retail shops/ vends which sell alcohol by the bottle for outside consumption, as they serve liquor only within the confines of their authorised premises, in strict conformity with all applicable rules and follow due safeguards. Since there is no potential of causing any disruptive influence on the election process, we have asked that hotels and restaurants should be granted a special exemption during such dry days.

With warm regards, S.M. Shervani President, FHRAI

...continued from page 9

Federation, South Korea, Italy, Spain, Poland, etc. We have welcomed this bold initiative and also urged the Government to ensure that it is operationalised at the earliest.

At the 48th Annual FHRAI Convention in Kochi, we were privileged to host a number of political leaders and senior Government functionaries, many of whom represented key coastal states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Daman & Diu. During the course of the wide-ranging deliberations at the Convention on the future growth trajectory of the tourism sector, these eminent dignitaries overwhelmingly endorsed FHRAI’s perspective on the vital need to rationalise our rigid Coastal Regulation

Zone (CRZ) norms. As our members are aware, FHRAI has proposed a calibrated action plan which involves liberalising the CRZ rules in accordance with the scientific recommendations of the Dr. M S Swaminathan Committee Report. A facilitative policy in this regard can open new vistas for our coastal regions to sustainably leverage a part of their rich coastline and tap the global buoyancy in beach tourism. This would also strengthen the Government and our industry’s collective endeavour to diversify India’s tourism product portfolio by focussing on profitable niche segments.

With warm regards, Vivek Nair Honorary Secretary, FHRAI

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Press-meet with new office bearers

Photos: Simran Kaur

The Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) held a media interaction session with the President and office bearers of FHRAI on October 18, 2013 at The Leela Palace, New Delhi, Chanakyapuri.

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2nd HRANI Convention held in Gurgaon

Photos: Simran Kaur

The 2nd HRANI Convention was held on October 27-28, 2013 at the Pullman Gurgaon Central Park Hotel. Theme for the Convention was ‘Hospitality Industry – Shaping the Future Growth’. The Guest of Honour for the Inaugural Session was Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister Haryana.

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Photos: Simran Kaur

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Walking tours

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MOT’s initiative for inbound

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alking Tours, the new initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) with WoNoBo, will provide a unique way for tourists to navigate through Indian cities based on a number of interesting themes.

Dewan added, “Foreign tourists are our guests and are important for us, but they form 65-66 lakh of the people travelling to India. Our true responsibility is towards the Indian tourists, whose number is 1.05 billion domestic tourists around the country.”

Dewan says that while the International Travel Mart (ITM) is an event that focusses on the Northeast, including West Bengal, which has the Darjeeling area, this edition they have introduced a new angle. “While the sellers are all from the Northeast, the new element we have brought in this year is that we are trying to attract people from the major source Parvez Dewan markets in India – Gujarat, West Bengal, Secretary Ministry of Tourism Maharashtra, Delhi and Bengaluru. We are He explains further, “We want to expand this to one trying to request people, though not at our expense, to go there, because we believe that though it’s very good walking tour in every state of the country even if the to look for international tourists, one should not forget state doesn’t figure in the top 35 destinations of the that the bread and butter of Indian tourism is domestic country. Once we cover every state chronologically tourism. So, we are trying to get people from the travelin the order of their rank in terms of tourist footfall prone parts of India, among which Gujarat, of course, is domestic and international - then we’ll start more than number one, while West Bengal is now number four. But one walking tour in those states, like Uttar Pradesh maybe for the Northeast, Bengal is number one, given and Rajasthan.”

Bengal’s proximity to the region.”

While on the topic of foreign tourists when asked About the decision of following up the ITM with the to comment on the report of visa on arrival being Tawang festival, Dewan says, “Yes, the ITM came to an extended to 40 countries, Dewan refused to comment end on October 20 and on the same day, the Tawang saying that it is a Ministry of Home Affairs issue, but festival began in the evening. This was a conscious not before adding, “I don’t like the figure 40, why not decision that we took, the two events were designed to the whole world?” coincide.”

(Peden Doma Bhutia) Reiterating the importance of domestic tourists, The Walking Tour service is presently available for 12 major Indian cities and will soon be expanded to 54 cities. Talking about the joint initiative, Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, said, “This will help remove all language barriers. You’ll have no trouble finding your way and you can travel anywhere in the country without a guide.”

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Beacon Holidays hosts Cook Studio

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s part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives, Beacon Holidays hosted an event for 20 young adults from the NGO Magic Bus, this festive season. The event was organised at Shrishti Plaza, Andheri East in Mumbai. APB Cook Studio, India’s first cooking studio, curated an event in which these promising youngsters participated in a cooking exercise and celebrated the season with a sumptuous lunch.

Heena Munshaw, Managing Director, Beacon Holidays, said, “We feel that we could identify some interested candidates who have a huge interest in developing their skills, but lack the opportunity and resources. We hope to see this grow into a bigger project in which promising young adults may find career opportunities in the F&B

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and hospitality industry and that other individuals organizations come forward and assist in developing skills in deserving young adults from Magic Bus.”

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TRAVEL EXPO

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ITM paves way for the Northeast

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t the inaugural function of the second edition of the International Tourism Mart (ITM) in Tawang on October 18, 2013, Nabam Tuki, Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh, said they are in talks with the Centre for a proposed highway through the Stillwell road connecting Arunachal Pradesh with Southeast Asian countries.

The Northeast is a ‘Paradise Unexplored’. With these words, Tuki opened the 2nd International Tourism Mart (ITM) at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh on October 18, 2013.

Tuki said that the Northeast has a huge tourism potential that is yet to be tapped. He said that top priority is to be given to promoting tourism sector as it also has great potential to generate massive self employment avenues while enriching the state exchequer. Tuki said that the region is a treasure trove of natural beauty inhabited by over 150 major and minor hospitable tribes with their rich cultural mosaic, art and crafts and tribal cuisines which offer huge scope for the growth of tourism.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the second edition of three-day International Tourism Mart, the

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Chief Minister said the highway will herald growth of international trade and tourism and be a harbinger of bilateral relations among the nations of Southeast Asia and Northeast India.

Parvez Dewan, Secretary, MOT said that holding of the ITM in Tawang reflected the commitment of the government to promote tourism in North East India, and in Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang in particular.

Dewan said that India records 105 crore domestic tourists and 65 lakh foreign tourists annually, yielding a revenue of USD 18 billion from foreigners, which amounted to 6.5 per cent of the national GDP, besides generating about 10 per cent direct or indirect employment.

Later, the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister inaugurated an exhibition in which the nine participating states - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim and West Bengal - showcased their tourist potential, traditional, cultural, art and craft uniqueness.

(Peden Doma Bhutia)

JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity opens Delhi is now home to the luxurious 523-room JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity, which started welcoming its first guests from October 18, 2013. Located in close proximity to Gurgaon, this world-class hotel will offer guests a front seat to Aerocity, the emerging luxury and

lifestyle district of the capital. India’s largest JW Marriott Hotel will offer diverse fine-dining and entertainment options, the distinctive Quan Spa, JW Fitness, the hotel’s state-of-the-art health club and a spectacular outdoor heated swimming pool with uninterrupted views of the aerospace.

Apart from serving the luxury business traveller, the hotel is well placed to secure a large slice of the increasingly important meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market. The hotel has one of the largest indoor banquet facilities in the city measuring nearly 25,000 sq ft, including a pillar-less ballroom measuring 12,000 sq ft with built-in state-of-the-art technology.

“JW Marriott is a truly luxurious and distinctive brand, globally recognised for its quiet elegance and exceptional service. We are very excited to welcome our first guests and aim to emerge as the capital’s most stylish hotel offering discerning international and domestic travellers the award-winning JW sophistication and quiet luxury. We firmly believe that the hotel will become the most sought-after venue for the business and MICE segment in New Delhi,” said Balan Paravantavida, General Manager, JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity.

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EXPANSION

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Bittel opens India office with Eagle Forgings

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oth Bittel and Eagle have a long term vision and commitment for the Indian market and have decided to take their relationship further and open a joint office in India so as to better the service to customers. After the startup operation of their Bittel India Delhi Head Office, they have plans of setting up complete infrastructure in other parts of India also.

Ajay Khanna, Director, Bittel India Office said, “Bittel India will be a collaboration between Bittel and Eagle Forgings with a view to import, stock, sale and maybe in the future also look at manufacturing or assembly.”

In the India market, Bittel products’ share in hospitality market is over 40 per cent. Bittel Producers over 3.5 million pieces of various products and has a turn-over of app. USD 50 million. Shandong Bittel Electronics Co., Ltd. (Bittel) is the largest telephone manufacturer in the world that is focused completely on the global Hospitality market. Eagle Forgings are importers of Hotel, Restaurant and Food Service Equipment / Supplies and represent in India & Nepal of many foreign brands supplying equipment and consumables to the Hospitality Industry.

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Sofitel to bring ‘Sofitel So’ brand in India by 2017

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rance-based Sofitel Luxury Hotels, which currently operates a five-star luxury property in India, Sofitel Mumbai, aims to operate around 10 properties in the country in the next 10 years, informed Markland Blaiklock, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Sofitel Luxury Hotels.

The destinations on the radar are Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Goa. The group is in the process of launching its next property in India – Sofitel Mumbai Mulund and Sofitel So Mumbai Mulund by 2016-17.

Both the properties will be located in the same premises and connected through the sky-bridge. The second property in India – Sofitel Mumbai Mulund will have close to 400 rooms, while the other property under a different brand, first in India, Sofitel So Mumbai Mulund will have about 200 rooms.

Sofitel Luxury Hotels have three brands – Sofitel Luxury, Sofitel So and Sofitel Legend. Talking about the Indian market and the strategy to place the right brand at the right location, Blaiklock said, “India has more potential for Sofitel Legend as the brand is associated with legendary buildings and palaces. However, there

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are good numbers of palace hotels in India, so our focus remains on other two brands. There is a good space for brands like Sofitel Luxury (luxury brand) and Sofitel So (stylist and boutique brand) and thus we are focussing on metro cities to place these brands at the right locations.” The development of both the hotels has started and special environmental approach has been undertaken for making the project environmentfriendly and sustainable in the long run. He also outlined two high priority brand objectives moving towards 2015, to increase brand value by pursuing targetted developments in key capital cities and major tourist destinations in the region, and to expand to a total of 150 hotels (currently 120) globally.

Blaiklock informed that the group is now in talks with few more developers for expanding their management portfolio in India. The group is keen to enter into an agreement with developers for managing hotels in the country and have a strong presence by 2023. Currently, there are 38 properties managed by the group in AsiaPacific region and 26 projects are under development.

Between 2008-13, the group has successfully launched 25 hotels across the world.

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SUPPLIER NEWS

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Celfrost is recognised in India as a preferred commercial food service equipment supplier with a broad line of cold side products such as professional refrigerators, coldrooms, ice machines and freezers, marketed under the Celfrost brand. It is a leading supplier of equipment to many of the fast growing restaurant chains and hotel groups.

“With the acquisition of Celfrost, Middleby will strengthen its presence in the fast growing market of India and expand our commercial foodservice product offerings in India to include complementary cold side

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products alongside our cooking and warming brands,” said Selim A Bassoul, Chairman and CEO, The Middleby Corporation.

He added, “Celfrost has an extensive marketing and service network in India, including 15 brand centres that we will strategically leverage to support Middleby’s entire portfolio of brands in the market. We are also excited about the opportunity to introduce the Celfrost brand and portfolio of products into other emerging markets utilising Middleby’s existing sales and marketing infrastructure.”

Neeraj Seth, Managing Director, Celfrost said, “We are very excited with this change as it augurs well for all our stakeholders, viz., customers, distributors, employees, vendors, international partners and business associates.

This change will also allow us to tap into Middleby’s global network and resources enabling a further acceleration of our growth.”

MICROS wins five awards for hotel and destination website designs

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ICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCRS), a provider of IT solutions for the hospitality and retail industries, continues to gain recognition for its outstanding interactive marketing and website design work, receiving top honours for clients in the 2013 WebAward. Hosted by the Web Marketing Association, the WebAward programme is the longest running annual website award competition dedicated to naming the best websites in 96 industries, while setting the standard of excellence for all website development.

MICROS was selected as an award recipient in the ‘Hotel and Regional Website categories for Best in Industry Regional’ for the Visit Roseville website, and ‘Outstanding Website’ for Parc 55 Wyndham.

In addition to this, MICROS also won ‘Hotel & Lodging Standard of Excellence’ awards for the Las Terrazas website, the

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The Middleby Corporation acquires Celfrost he Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD) announced the acquisition of the commercial refrigeration and food service products business of Celfrost Innovations (Celfrost). Celfrost has annual sales of approximately $20 million and is based in Gurgaon, India. The Celfrost business was acquired by Middleby’s newly established entity in India, Middleby Commercial Food Innovations.

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Woodstock Inn & Resort website, and the Joie de Vivre Hotels website.

“We are excited to share these accomplishments with our clients,” stated John Gularson, Executive Vice President, MICROS. “When partnering with our clients, we focus on creating innovative website designs and targetted marketing campaigns that increase conversion and direct channel bookings.”

Serving an extensive portfolio of clients worldwide, MICROS solutions are utilised in over 567,000 hotels, casinos, table and quick service restaurants, retail, leisure and entertainment, fuel and convenience, cruise, and travel operations in more than 180 countries, and on all seven continents. MICROS combines its industry knowledge and expertise to provide cloud based, mobile and on premise solutions that allow its clients to streamline operations and successfully engage their customers.

MICROS applications include point of sale, property management, central systems, business intelligence, eCommerce, loyalty, CRM, loss prevention, distributed order management, labor management, inventory management and merchandise planning solutions.

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IHG opens Crowne Plaza Greater Noida

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nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the opening of Crowne Plaza Greater Noida. The hotel is the newest addition to IHG’s growing portfolio in India and is the sixth Crowne Plaza hotel in the country. The 398-room hotel is located in an upcoming commercial hub, just off the Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway, a few minutes away from the Buddh International Race Circuit and India Expo Centre. The hotel offers a range of facilities to suit travellers on business, transit or leisure with five different food and beverage outlets to choose from and more than 1,000 sqm of event space in total. The property boasts of 332 rooms, 49 service apartments and 17 suites.

Speaking on the occasion, Greesh Bindra, General Manager, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida, said, “It is a

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momentous occasion for us today. We are delighted to bring a world-class hotel to Greater Noida that aims to offer an international experience while reflecting the preferences of the local community. Greater Noida has already become an important destination for international events and we aim to make our hotel the preferred choice for business, events and celebrations in the area. We’re looking forward to welcoming our guests and patrons to this beautiful property.”

Commenting on the opening of the hotel, Douglas Martell, Vice President Operations South West Asia, IHG said, “India is one of the key growth markets for IHG and the opening of Crowne Plaza Greater Noida is a reiteration of our commitments made to the country.”

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Jukaso Group offers vacation membership

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fter having ventured into hospitality, education, FMCG manufacture and facility management, Jukaso Group announced its latest venture into Vacation Membership – ’Journeys by Jukaso’.

“With only 3 lakh vacation members across the country, we find the vacation membership to be underdeveloped in India. So this year, we have forayed into the vacation membership industry with ‘Journeys by Jukaso’. Since we are already in the hospitality business with hotels in India and Europe, we have an edge over our competitors as we can anticipate our guests’ needs better.

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With a dynamic and highly motivated team of over 1200 executives in the group, we are working towards becoming the dominant player in the vacation membership industry by 2017,” said Rajiv Khanna, Chairman, Jukaso Group.

Speaking at the announcement, Yajush Khanna, CEO, Jukaso Group, “It has always been our belief that a part of our success is down to the great riposte we share with our valuable customers. So, as we prepare to enter this new horizon, we have updated our original mission to reflect this new desire for growth.”

Balaji Sarovar Premiere, Solapur opens

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arovar Hotels, announced the opening of Balaji Sarovar Premiere in Solapur, Maharashtra. This will be the group’s first hotel in Solapur and the ninth hotel in Maharashtra.

Balaji Sarovar Premiere is the first upscale branded hotel in Solapur. Spread over 3 acres of land, the hotel will form a benchmark for premiere hospitality in the city.

The hotel is 15 km from the upcoming Solapur Airport and 5 km from the Railway Station. The city is well connected by road with major cities of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Commenting on the opening of the Balaji Sarovar Premiere Anil Madhok, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels said, “We are happy to announce the opening of Balaji Sarovar Premiere in Solapur which will help us serve travellers to Solapur, known for its cotton mills and power looms. This popular city of Maharashtra will now offer international standard accommodation and conferencing facilities hitherto unavailable.”

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Each of the 129 well-designed guest rooms and suites at the hotel are modern in appeal and offer all contemporary amenities for a comfortable stay. With nearly 8,000 sq ft of banqueting space, the hotel is ideal for large social functions including weddings as well as corporate events for upto 800 guests.

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Is Classification beneficial for

the hotel industry?

Hoteliers are consistently thinking of ways and means to make the classification process more effective for all. While the Ministry of Tourism is making efforts to make the process simple and easy, many debate the very need for classification.

Kanchan Nath from FHRAI magazine interacted with important stakeholders in hospitality and travel trade to find out more.

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elling us why we need approvals, classification and standardisation, Anand Kumar (IAS), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT) said, “Classification brings in the national and international standards.

Through this exercise the hotels make a statement about their services globally to the consumer. It tells the consumer what to expect. If you have your own brand standardisation, which is nationally or internationally known, you may not need the classification of the Ministry of Tourism. Precisely for this reason we have made the classification system voluntary. It is for the hotel owner, hotel management to seek hotel classification or take the decision not to seek

classification. We launched public service delivery system for approval of hotel projects, hotel classification and other services to ensure a time bound service delivery and enhance transparency.

The Ministry of Tourism has developed guidelines for classification of properties, which are known to everybody and are available on the website. This is done to set standards and let the standards be known among the national and global stakeholders.

The guidelines are changed from time to time keeping pace with the trends in the industry and suggestions of shareholders. Our effort is to make the classification system consumer focussed and responsive to stakeholders.�

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“Over the years, it is the customer who has become the king. The customers want to know what they are going to get from a particular hotel, property or resort. The latest set of revisions that we have done is keeping in mind the customer” Anand Kumar (IAS), Joint Secretary, MOT

He added, “Over the years it is the customer who has become the king.

The customers want to know what they are going to get from a particular hotel, property or resort. The latest set of revisions that we have done is keeping in mind the customer. We have said that on the website it should be displayed what facilities are available free of cost to the customer. This should be known to the guest especially when he is booking a room.”

Telling us about the efficiency of the classification process he said, “Within 15 days of receipt, the application is examined for completeness. However, we have found that in most of the cases, the application received is incomplete. On receipt of application, the Ministry sends an email with password and from there on the hotelier can track the progress of their application. The password and username are unique. This is because we want to respect the privacy of each stakeholder.

We schedule an inspection and complete the inspection within 90 days from the date the complete application was received. I carry a personal list and review it every day. So in case you do not get a final decision within 90 days, please do let me know. To bring transparency, we have made it mandatory that whenever a Committee is inspecting, after the inspection, they have to inform the decision on the spot to the management.”

Finally he added, “The classification process is open for revision and further debate. If anyone feels the need for any changes to be made, we will be happy to consider the same.”

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S. M. Shervani, President, FHRAI said, “Earlier, classification was important because the Indian hospitality industry was in its infancy. People did not know what kind of standards to expect, and therefore standards were necessary to bring more awareness. Today, brands are reinventing themselves and a customer knows what to expect when he goes to a Lemon Tree, a Ginger or a Red Fox. 600 million domestic Indian tourists are moving today. We have 1,50,000 rooms under our belt, while we know that there exists 20 lakh hotel rooms.

Why are the hotel rooms not coming into the mainstream? They maybe called ashrams, they may be called paying guest accommodations, guest houses... why are they not coming into the ambit of classification or even any association? If classification becomes a deterrent both the ministry and the industry will suffer.

We raise taxes for classified hotels in some states. We increase the minimum wages in different categories. In a threestar, four-star you pay more. In a twostar, one-star you pay less for the same work. Your license fee increases. We need to set standards, we probably need regulations, but we also need to trust the hoteliers. We have to trust our customers who have become so knowledgeable now that they are not going to pay for an inferior product. Customer awareness itself sets standards. Therefore regulations have to be customer-friendly, realistic and simple.”

Stating that India has some of the best hotels and hotel professionals in the world, Bharat Malkani, Managing

“The Ministry and the stakeholders essentially need to work together to make classification more effective instead of it becoming a deterrent” S. M. Shervani President, FHRAI

“The responsibility of classification of hotels is much better left to organisations like FHRAI, who are willing to play their role in helping MOT achieve its goals of bringing in more foreign tourists into our country” Bharat Malkani Managing Director, Hotel Transit

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Director, Hotel Transit and EC member, FHRAI said, “Today these professionals are all a part of the largest hotel trade body in India - FHRAI. Globally, classification is done by industry associations. The ratings evolve rapidly with the change of time. As we move towards globalisation, the concept of classification must also conform to these international norms for us to stay competitive.”

Giving the global perspective, he said, “In all of Europe and North America, classification is done only by these Associations. We believe that the time has now come where MOT must start playing a much larger role in the development of tourism and its associated infrastructure.

The responsibility of classification of hotels is much better left to organisations like FHRAI, who are willing to play their role in helping MOT achieve its goals of bringing in more foreign tourists into our country. This, we believe, is the best form of Public Private Partnership (PPP) - a model that has been projected by our Prime Minister as the way to move forward on numerous occasions. We are ready and willing to take on this role to complement the MOT, and are confident that we will be able to accomplish the job.

We have already developed the guidelines for implementation of such classification norms and are ready to play our role for our country.”

Talking about the importance of the classification he said, “Yes, we believe that classification is important for hotels.

It sets a standard that is instantly globally recognisable to incoming tourists.

However, we also believe that the same must now be done by FHRAI, like it is done by AHLA in North America and such professional trade associations.

In addition, classification must also bring benefits to the hoteliers. A higher classified hotel strives to give better services and guest experiences, therefore enhancing the brand equity of the nation to the visiting tourist. Effectively, therefore for the same amount of real estate used; a higher classified hotel manages to offer the State and Central Government a greater amount of VAT and Service Tax as well as Forex Earnings.”

He further added, “However, we find

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“The much hyped marketing support that classification provides to classified hotels today is redundant, because no traveller refers to the DOT’s classified list to generate their room nights.

TripAdivsor ratings and cloud promotions have taken over this positive point of classification” Kamlesh Barot EC member, FHRAI that today many local governments are penalising classified hotels. A classic case is Mumbai where the Property Tax is almost doubled for every additional star awarded! Strangely enough, if a hotel is unclassified then the Property Tax is reduced. It’s almost as if the local government is in contradiction to the Central Government that encourages hotels to strive for higher quality standards. We expect our MOT to take a strong stand against this contradiction. We have been informed that most hotels are willing to do away with classification and star rating so that they are not penalised for offering a higher quality of guest experiences and services. At the current rate these taxes are being proposed to be charged, Mumbai might become one of the few major metropolitan cities in the world without any classified hotels. And

It’s almost as if the local government is in contradiction to the Central Government that encourages the hotels to strive for higher quality standards.

We expect our MOT to take a strong stand against this contradiction

that would be tragic for the MOT and our country. Imagine coming to the financial capital of India and not having a single classified hotel, over 1 or 2 stars!”

He further expounded, “The classification guidelines currently proposed by the MOT has recommendations that our industry is not in full agreement. There is also the issue of micro-management by the MOT of some of the classification norms. But we see these as minor hurdles once the onus of classification is given to FHRAI by the MOT. In fact, membership criteria for FHRAI through its four regional associations has similar norms (as mentioned in the classification guidelines) and a robust methodology for compliance by its members. So in a sense, this process is already in place.”

Kamlesh Barot, Director, Revival Indian Thali and EC member, FHRAI said, “Yes the classification of hotels is worth it, but who does it, is even more important than that. In Singapore, the hotel association does the classification, while in the US another body classifies hotels, and not the Government. It is purely short-sightedness on the part of the Government, both to become regulators and not facilitators in this power game, which drives away many a classified hotelier and new hotels to opt out of the star rating. The main reason being, when it becomes costly and even difficult to remain efficient to the process, does one opt out? Maybe the reason should be sought from the reason why a hotelier becomes an association’s member. As long as it suits each other,

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“Certain hotels may want to avoid classification - it could be either that they are way above or way below the established classification norms for certain category” Manju Sharma Director, Jaypee Hotels they continue the relationship, but the moment it becomes a win-lose situation, nobody would continue that marriage.

The Government has started linking taxes and incentives based on the classification rating, which from the very beginning has been opposed by us, all through.“ “Should there be an incentive to get classified or should it be a good enough reason to go back to the unorganised sector? When any penalty has to be paid for becoming a classified entity,

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one would choose not to. It is a living being’s instinct, while here we are talking about a business - read profit-oriented being. There have been instances where after a lot of perseverance to convince the ever-changing portfolio bureaucrat at the centre, we have been able to issue directives from them to the State regulators to de-link taxes or regulations from star categories, but States have maintained that the Tourism Department’s orders are not mandatory and continue thus to abuse the system, forcing hoteliers to opt out of classification, affecting the State’s own tourism earnings in the long run,” he added.

Barot believes that the much hyped marketing support that classification provides to classified hotels today is redundant, because no traveller refers the DOT’s classified list to generate their room nights. TripAdivsor ratings and cloud promotions have taken over this positive point about classification, he says. “Few incentives like the EPCG, Infrastructure Status benefits and Served from India schemes, certain licenses and permits under the License-Raj are also losing their advantage today, when they are not as commercially affecting the bottom-line favourably. The very purpose for which classification was brought in has long been forgotten, which was to make the guest’s perception for a property clear.”

Other negatives of classification include how DOT wants to micro-manage classified hotels by, for instance, the number of hooks it requires behind the toilet door and the

“Classification of hotels helps in conformity to benchmarks, enforcement of laws, enforcement of energy and environment conservation, implementing current international concerns such as security, safety of women, and providing a level platform of communication of hotel quality to its guests” Ajay Bakaya Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels

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size of the letters a clock in the swimming pool area needs. “Can’t market forces take over? We are interacting with the concerned director generals at the tourism department to draw their attention first to the previous month’s amended guideline modifications, but it is under preparation at this stage, ” he added.

Manju Sharma, Director, Jaypee Hotels said, “Classification of hotels is an exercise which is quite meaningful for the industry. To ensure that certain basic standards are maintained by everyone, over and above the basic which are certified by the classification committee, a hotel company may decide to offer more than what is required under the category it has been classified for.

However, to communicate to the users a certain level of service star categorisation should be conveyed with availability and maintenance of the basics, as specified under the classification norms. Certain hotels may want to avoid classification - it could be either that they are way above or way below the established classification norms for certain category.”

Talking about classification, Ajay Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels, said, “Yes, hotel classification is a positive yardstick. It provides for conformity to benchmarks; and a tool for the guest and for indirect consumers bookers, agents, etc.”

“Some hoteliers may want to opt out of the classification process due to narrow individual use considerations. In any event, classification is optional, not mandatory. There is no need to ‘optout’.” Talking about the positives of classification of hotels, he said, it helps in conformity to benchmarks, enforcement of laws, enforcement of energy and environment conservation, implementing current international concerns such as security, safety of women, etc., and providing a level platform of communication of hotel quality to its guests. He said that modifications to the classifications need to be reviewed by a select committee annually. The committee must comprise of representatives of HAI, FHRAI and TAAI. The committee members must not only represent the narrow commercial interests of their business

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“If the government were to decide to fix base pricing on the basis of classification or allow for crucial capital benefits, then once again it might start to make sense from the owners’ perspective” Shwetank Singh Regional Vice President – Sales & Operations, Premier Inn, South Asia organisations, he added.

Rajindera Kumar, Director, The

“Many hoteliers want to opt out because they do not want to be regulated or regimented. Another situation that is coming into play is branding. There was a time I objected to ‘The Ambassador’ being branded, and felt that we, in our own right, have maintained our niche in the market. However I changed my opinion and felt it was wise for the future” Rajindera Kumar Director, The Ambassador Hotel

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Ambassador Hotel, said, “I think classification of hotels is necessary; it is a deterrent and a regulation which the industry requires because the industry is not ready or in a position to do it itself. It has to be through a nodal agency which is the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and I supported it way back. I feel that many hoteliers want to opt out because they do not want to be regulated or regimented. Another situation that is coming into play is branding. There was a time I objected to ‘The Ambassador’ being branded, and felt that we in our own right have maintained our niche in the market. However, I changed my opinion and felt it was wise for the future. A future traveller, foreign or domestic, is used to a kind of facility or a service from one hotel to another. Somebody is used to Sarovar, some to Fortune and some to Taj. So they all look for a similarity from one to the other. Standalone will have a tough run for the future. Today, what is becoming more competitive is the mid-range.

Mid-range is even giving competition to the 5-star hotels. Today, if you can get a clean room and good service, a guest will always look for that. So if you are branded and you are of a standard, you have nothing to worry.”

Shwetank Singh, Regional Vice President – Sales & Operations, Premier Inn, South Asia said, “Classification of hotels used to make a lot of sense, especially in the earlier days from the guests’ perspective. This was mainly because getting information was quite difficult. Also a star classification was a good indicator of what could be expected.

“In my opinion, the classification of hotels holds a great significance and is highly essential as it helps the end consumer to identify the category that is best suitable for his/her individual needs” Sunil Sikka Head – Marketing and Business Development, WelcomHeritage Although today, because it’s still treated as a tick box exercise, it is usually a measure of the products & services and not necessarily the quality on offer. Today, as the various brands have proliferated and customers have become more aware (read better travelled and exposed to online channels), classification does not make sense. If the government were to decide to fix base pricing on the basis

As the various brands have proliferated and customers have become more aware, better travelled and exposed to online channels, classification does not make sense

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of classification or allow for crucial capital benefits, then once again it might start to make sense from the owners’ perspective.” Telling us why hoteliers do not go in for classification, he said that there are no perceived benefits that are being garnered out of the process, and it is increasingly being seen as an unnecessary additional expense. Telling us about the benefits of the classification he added, “It gives a sense of what can be expected if the guest has not been exposed to the brand before (not necessarily an indicator of quality though).

For cons, he added, “Additional expense with no major benefit.” He further added, “Classification should become more of an indicator of quality, i.e., furniture, fixture, interiors, lighting, space, etc., than just facilities.”

Sunil Sikka, Head, Marketing and Business Development, WelcomHeritage said, “In my opinion, classification of hotels holds a great significance and is highly essential as it helps the end consumer to identify the category that is

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the basis of the hotel’s size, location, service levels, guest facilities, comforts, safety, hygiene, luxury and so on. The present classification process needs to be further modified as it has been noticed that many times some of the designated classification team members are not well aware or not qualified to classify the hotels. Hence, it is advisable that each and every member who is a part of the classification team must carry the guidelines for classification with him and adhere to it strictly. “

“Irrespective of the rating, if the hotelier is able to provide a good experience it will work in their favour” Arup Sen Director, Special Projects Cox & Kings best suitable for his/her individual needs.

The classification of hotels is done on

Arup Sen, Director, Special Projects, Cox & Kings said, “Classification is a standard and as a tour operator it gives a fair idea in terms of services and amenities on offer. Hoteliers work towards maintaining their ratings as it helps them get more business and maintain standards. The advantage of rating is that you are well aware what to expect and the hotelier knows what has to be delivered.

Irrespective of the rating, if the hotelier is able to provide a good experience it will work in their favour.

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Surinder Singh Sodhi Senior Vice President & Head, Leisure Travel (Inbound), Thomas Cook (India)

Surinder Singh Sodhi, Senior Vice President & Head, Leisure Travel (Inbound), Thomas Cook (India) said, “Accommodation is a vital component of our Inbound Products and plays a significant role in projecting the image of the destination or country visited by travellers. MOT’s classification scheme ensures that hotels are reviewed and rated on specific crucial parameters. Given that this creates a clear and standardised metric, more so government-approved, is an invaluable tool for us to market hotels in India. This, in turn, also proves to be of value to customers in selection of the type/budget of hotel while assessing the availability of facilities and services they can expect during their stay. Talking about whether classified hotels are up to the standard of the star level that they represent, he said, “As far as luxury hotels are concerned, 99 per cent of them are classified. However, most of the unclassified budget hotels, clearly do not meet basic standards of

service. This is an area of concern.” Talking about the pros and cons of classification of hotels he expounded, in recent times, hotel rating systems have been criticised by few who argue that the rating criteria are overly complex for a customer to understand.

It will be interesting to note that lack of a unified global system for rating hotels also undermines the usability of such schemes. Secondly classifying a hotel in India is not easy, especially because the difference between 4- and 5-star hotels is rather opaque. For example, take the case of a basic bath tub - most hotels, four stars upwards, have one, despite it being only a ‘desirable’ requirement and not a ‘necessary’ one. Hotel chains are constantly pushing the envelope and looking to upgrade their facilities in order to attract, retain and sometimes even poach on guests to increase their own business. He added, “Hotels tend to lose their ratings only for very serious offenses, such as misconduct or illegal activities

“Classification process leads to increase in the overheads. In some states, the minimum wages are higher for the classified hotels, i.e., 1-,2-,3-,4- and 5-star categories as compared to non-classified hotels and there are substantial saving in the Bar License Fee for non-classified hotels” Bharat Aggarwal Hony. Treasurer, HRANI

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(e.g., prostitution, gambling and drugs), but not for critical service concerns, guest feedback, basic issues like electricity supply, maintenance and upkeep, housekeeping and hygiene. When hotels are classified, they have to publish their tariff rates and the luxury tax is charged on this rate card. Non-classified hotels evade this and manage to attract more customers and are happy providing inferior services. The main culprits here are the 1, 2 and 3-star hotels, along with the various guest houses.”

“As far as luxury hotels are concerned, 99 per cent of them are classified. However, most of the unclassified budget hotels, clearly do not meet basic standards of service. This is an area of concern”

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Bharat Aggarwal, Hony. Treasurer, HRANI said, “In my opinion, classification of hotels is really important as travellers, both foreign and domestic get the confidence of the standards.” Nowadays, a lot of hoteliers are opting out of the classification process because of the following reasons, he adds, “In some states, the minimum wages are higher for the classified hotels, i.e., 1-, 2-,3-,4- and 5-star categories as compared to non-classified hotels and there are substantial saving in the Bar License Fee for non-classified hotels.” Talking about the pros for hotel classification, he said, “Hotels get exposure through the DoT website as a classified hotel worldwide which is a big advantage, i.e., free publicity, besides raising the confidence level.

With the classification norms, hotels are compelled to maintain certain degree of hygiene. With the pressure of classification norms, the hotel, in the long run, tends to save by means of curtailing electricity as the hotels have to comply with energy saving methods being adopted by the hotels which is a must for classification.”

Under cons, he said, “In some cases, the hotels have to unnecessarily increase the overheads, e.g., for 5-star hotels, it is mandatory to install baggage X-ray machine, which means the hotels have to employ 6 to 7 extra expert security personnel to monitor the above X-ray baggage machine. The approximate cost per person is not less than `15,000 to `20,000 per month. In addition, body metal detectors and CCTV cameras in all important areas are also being installed. As mentioned above, the license fee like liquor, cable TV is directly linked with the star classification of the hotel. The hotels are equally concerned about the security of the guests as well as the property for which the CCTV cameras and metal detectors are being provided.”

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mice

PAN India MICE Survey

Silence is not always golden Zaheer Ghani Director, IFH Multinational

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IFH Multinational, survey of 2013, found that a great many hotels are missing out on most of the business due to lack of appropriate procedures and responsiveness to enquiries.

Whilst conference and event business has experienced an upswing with more events and more participants, higher prices and increased budgets, optimism amongst hoteliers and MICE organisers has also increased over the previous year. However,

The situation would appear to have worsened for various reasons since the 2008-09 downturn and put bluntly, too many hotels are literally leaving major amounts of money on the table by failing to have or supervise their MICE handling procedures.

ndia-wide survey on the handling of MICE inquiries in the hotel industry reveals disturbing findings showing that lack of responsiveness is widespread throughout the industry, with hotels missing out on significant potential MICE revenues.

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Background to the study

The inquiry comprised a 3-day event (2 overnight stays) for 50 - 80 persons with full board, the stipulated maximum budget was `8,00,000. The proposed event was outlined with just enough essential basic information, but making it absolutely crucial to take up personal contact with the customer.

Seventy-nine per cent of the 53 hotels contacted were major Indian and international hotel groups, with the remainder 21 per cent being privately owned independent properties. These are hotels, which should attract a great deal of MICE business.

Methodology

Within the scope of MICE analysis, these hotels were contacted by means of a phone call with appropriate fictitious company name, email, contact number and address. Afterwards, the complete enquiry call was evaluated based on a set of criteria (16 categories such as communication, customer orientation and sales behaviour).

In order to establish in which way and at what level inquiries are responded to in the event area, and ultimately how much turnover is generated, the IFHÂŽ team for the area Quality Performance Benchmarking (mystery shopping) made a comprehensive set of attractive test MICE inquiries in August 2013 to 53 hotels in the 3-5 star category India wide.

The result, an overwhelming number of the hotels neither addressed the actual

Conference and event business has experienced an upswing with more events and participants, higher prices and increased budgets

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needs and requirements of the enquiry and in many cases did not even respond!

Whether northern, western, southern or eastern India – with regard to personal communication with the customer, silence prevailed to a large degree.

It is quite astonishing to see the response levels and complacency of employees.

Otherwise, how else can the results be explained? Hotels need to formulate stringent policies for response to any sales opportunity. In summary, there were not enough responses and the majority of those who did respond, did so in a very unconvincing manner.

Of the 12 submitted offers only 6 had an accurate description of the services

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preparing offers for event inquiries seem to be lacking. Classic sales rules, such as timely response, checking requirements prompt follow-up, etc., were not followed.

These are all the rules you can learn – thanks to staff training and seminars. With the results being so consistently short of the mark, it also shows that those hotels that do establish and follow good MICE handling procedures are likely to benefit exponentially from the hopeful continued upswing in MICE business.

offered, included concrete prices as well as an attractive layout.

None of the staff from the 12 hotels that submitted the offer gave a follow-up to the customer.

Summary

The results of the MICE analysis are

sobering to say the least. Above all, the personal communication with the customer was insufficient and the significance of the personal contact not recognised. But how, if not through personal contact, does a hotel find out what the customer really wants?

For more than 20 years now, IFH - The Path to Success with over 90 training programmes has been a market leader in the areas of employee qualification and development, quality assurance via mystery shopping, mystery calls, MICE flow and MICE calls and the appropriate benchmarking, as well as sales management services and management strategy consultancy. IFH has also launched its own e-learning platform called iLearn.

Furthermore, international standards for

(Views expressed are that of the author Zaheer Ghani – Director, IFH Multinational)

design

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Design The

Factor

In a freewheeling interview with Ritu Bhatia Kler, MD, Total Integrated Design (India), we find out the different aspects of design used for different classifications of hotels.

What aspects do you keep in mind while designing the interiors for different classification of hotels?

The most important aspect is the budget!

There is a fine line in today’s brand competition, when we discuss 3-star and 4-star hotels. The hotels wish to give the guests more for less. So for interiors, the budget and how we use it plays a big role.

The classification of hotels is a fine line to define hotel rate and some facilities.

For e.g., a budget hotel or 3-star would not have a pool. However, they would have a basic gymnasium. Hotels rated 4-star onwards would have a pool and definitely a small health club or a larger sized gym. A 5-star hotel would have more

F&B outlets and more room categories, i.e., executive/deluxe room, suite, executive suite and Presidential Suite.

For designing the spaces, a 3-star or 4-star would have more of laminate flooring, but a 5-star would have veneer and hard wood floor. A 5-star hotel would have more design features that show luxury (though luxury does not mean spending more money, but spending it wisely). However, a marble and hardwood floor is required in a 5-star. The category of marble used in a 5-star will also be better.

In a 3-star or 4-star, one can still use a good tile flooring in bathrooms or some areas. Here the designer has to be clever with the budget as the ambience and aesthetics cannot be compromised and the guest should not feel that the design is a ‘3-star’ or less pleasing.

What are the minimum budgets required for designing the interiors of hotels, depending on their classification?

Ritu Bhatia Kler It is difficult to give an exact MD, Total Integrated Design figure for budgets as it depends (India) on many factors such as – the brand of the hotel or if the construction is in a metropolitan city or a Tier II city. We discuss the budgets with the client before working on the design.

Which part of the hotel is most important in terms of design?

All areas of the hotel are important as the guest uses them all. But the room design and functional provisions would be – most important, since the rooms are multiple in numbers and their rates are proportionate.

Do you have special designs for boutique and heritage hotels?

In such hotels, there is more emphasis on design details and regional aspects and they should have better budgets.

How do you utilise the concept of light and space in different classifications of hotels?

The common understanding has been

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How far does the regional culture of an area influence your design?

It is important to take into consideration the regional and cultural influences wherever we design, especially for hotels

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yellow and pink, but these colours would not work in city hotels. We designed the Fortune Excalibur at Sohna Road in Gurgaon and as Gurgaon is mostly a concrete, glass and steel city, we took ‘leafy green’ as the colour theme in the rooms to give the guest a refreshing and soothing feel.

that the higher the category, the more the space and vice versa. However, as real estate is becoming more expensive, the city hotels are known to be more vertical and may not be as lavishly spaced as before.

Clever use of lighting and ambient lighting is important in all categories.

In both cases, we have functional and ambient lighting. In 5-star category, the ambient lighting and halogens will be more and dimmer control is important for some walls to be lit. It is also important to have a spotlight on artwork. In a 3-star, there will be more functional and energy-saving light due to budgets and operational requirements. One has to plan for efficient energy-saving lights and use of LEDs to help future operating expenses for all hotels in general.

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There are many ways to pick up regional aspects in subtle ways. For a resort project, the regional aspect plays even more importance as there is more space to play with. and resorts. While most brands require a contemporary design, the traveller should get to experience a bit of the country/ city through art, accessories and fabrics.

Motifs or prints on cushions, curtains, bed runners are mostly subtle so that they blend in with the contemporary design.

Colours also influence the design, e.g., Goa would need more white, blue and green hues in interiors. While architecturally Goa can have colours like

Have you ever made hotel designs keeping in mind the festivals of a particular area?

Yes, we did so with the artwork for the Holiday Inn Express in Ahmedabad.

We worked with Play Clan to design the culture and festivals of Gujarat in a colourful and abstract manner rather than typical prints or photos.

Ritu Bhatia Kler MD, Total Integrated Design (India)

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Water – Tap Trouble Niranjan Khatri General Manager, Welcomenviron Initiatives, ITC Hotels

The essence of this article is to understand the subject of water resource holistically, with humility and to treat and manage this scarce resource with the utmost ‘tender loving care’. The subject may seem simple but the interconnection of water with a host of other eco-systems needs to be understood by all stakeholders. This article attempts to achieve the above objectives briefly.

Overview of global water availability “The most fertile source of insight is hindsight.” - Morris Kline Let us begin by analysing and understanding the finite nature of water.

The water that we consume today was consumed by dinosaurs millions of years ago. We are aware that the earth constitutes 70 per cent of water, found in our vast oceans in saline form. The availability of fresh water is only 3 per cent on a universal scale, of which 2 per cent is locked in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and the Tibetan plateau. Only 1 per cent is available in rivers, fresh water lakes and underground aquifers. It is well known that the availability of water differs from region to region depending on the agro-climatic conditions.

From an Indian perspective, the Churu district in Rajasthan receives only 200 mm of rainfall in comparison to 19,000 mm in Cherrapunjee in Meghalaya. The average rainfall in India is 1200 mm, the second highest in the world, after Brazil.

In spite of nature’s abundance, the availability of water in India per person per annum has declined from 600,000 litres in 1947, to a figure of 170,000 per person per annum currently. According to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India will be water-stressed by 2020,

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which implies availability of only 100,000 litres per person per annum.

A vast quantity of water is being polluted due to industrial activity and due to the excessive use of fertiliser in agriculture.

Increase in temperature on account of climate change will further reduce the availability of water.

“Well, as we all know by now, hindsight is 20-20, but it is possible to turn your hindsight into foresight.” - Allen Moore

Faucet opportunities

Some simple steps that the hotel and small restaurants can undertake to ensure their future well being: There is an oft quoted statement in business - ‘what is measured is monitored’. Why is water not monitored closely in most establishments? In most parts of the country, water is not priced to reflect its true cost, hence the tendency is to waste this resource, as opposed to energy, which is expensive and gets due attention leading to investment in energy efficiency measures.

Hotels and hospitals have common potential areas for major improvement, and restaurants can cull ideas relevant to their needs based on the areas being identified: toilets, showers, sinks, laundry, heating, cooling, landscaping, pools some simple steps, but so often ignored in many establishments.

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Restaurants and small hotels can undertake self audits to:

u Detect leaks in toilets, taps and plumbing fixtures which can result in preventing 10 to 30 per cent water losses.

v Dripping taps can waste 4,000 to 10,000 litres

p.a. Damaged seals can be inexpensively replaced.

w Toilet flush leaks can result in huge wastage

of water. The shut-off valve if damaged causes continuous flow of water without detection.

x Storage tanks overflow many times because of a dysfunctional ball cork which shuts the inflow of water.

y Overflow in cooling tower basins leads to leakage in large buildings.

z Toilets and urinals in many buildings account for

one third of water use, an ideal area for water efficiency improvements. These can be achieved through behavioural changes, low cost retrofits or replacing old toilets with water efficient models with twin button flushing systems.

{ If the toilet is of an older model with a large

volume, a simple and effective measure to conserve water is to place a displacement object inside the cistern. For example, a plastic bottle filled with water, or discarded marble pieces which displaces large volumes of water without affecting the operating systems.

| Aircraft vacuum toilets, which consume only 0.5

litres per flush. The only challenge in hotels is the noise factor in the room. However airports can employ this technology.

} Urinals can be made waterless with the

introduction of bio blocks, or purchasing waterless urinals.

~ Users should be encouraged to not use the toilet

as a garbage bin - to flush insects, cigarette stubs or similar waste.

ITC is aligned to the National Water Mission. In line with the parent philosophy, ITC hotels has been conducting outreach programs in water management and has enriched many stakeholders through example setting and by sharing information through its web site: www.itchotels.in.

(Views expressed are that of the author, Niranjan Khatri, General Manager, Welcomenviron Initiatives, ITC Hotels)

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Having worked at Michelin starred restaurants in Europe, two Michelin-starred Chef Jens Jakob of Le Noir restaurant in Germany, has adhered to his culinary philosophy of ‘less is more’.

By Lyandra D’Souza

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ne of Europe’s rising Michelinstarred chefs, Jens Jakob’s Le Noir restaurant established in 2007 in Mainzerstrasse, Saarbrücken in Germany earned its first Michelin star in 2010. The second Michelin star followed closely on its heel with Le Noir earning a second Michelin award nomination in late 2012, and being awarded its second star in early 2013.

Born in 1972, Chef Jens Jakob completed his apprenticeship as a cook in 1992 at Hostellerie Bacher in NeunkirchenKohlhof. From 1993 until 2002, Jakob continued his professional training and held the position of Operations Manager at Jürgen Petry Gastronomy. Between 2002 until 2004, he completed his chef’s course as ‘Kuchen Meister’. Remaining true to his roots, Jakob stayed in Saarland working from 2004 until 2006 at the 3 Michelin star restaurant ‘Gästehaus’ under the skilful watch of Chef/Owner Klaus Erfort.

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Opened after a year of planning, Le Noir provides a contemporary blend of French

cuisine fused with tastes from across the globe.

FHRAI Magazine caught up with Chef Jens Jakob recently on his visit to India as Visiting Chef at the Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa. How difficult was it to get your first Michelin star? How has having a Michelin star made a difference to you personally and your restaurant?

We didn’t effectively try for the star. It’s an anonymous rating and we are glad that our constant endeavour towards delighting our clients was recognised for the second time in a row. The differentiation of the star is that it sets you apart from the mass restaurant market and also that it is monetarily rewarding.

What is your personal opinion on the rating of restaurants and the award of stars by Michelin?

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Michelin is synonymous with quality and there is no other guide more serious than Michelin.

and considering a two-star Michelin star restaurant, detours or even a dedicated trip just for the restaurant are pretty normal.

follow my own style of cooking and I find it is thrilling to cook with a mix of different flavours.

What is the food like in Germany nowadays?

It’s global and international, something which the guests appreciate.

How did your love for food begin?

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My love for food started very early in life.

My passion kickstarted after looking at my grandmother who happened to be a chef. My first experiences cooking with her made me decide to go for it. Plus, my proximity to France inspired me to pursue my passion for food even more sincerely.

Who are your food heroes or people who inspire you?

Frankly speaking, I have none. However, I appreciate consequent and constant quality which stays over decades.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

The highlight has been achieving two Michelin stars and it’s a motivation for many more to come.

How do you come up with your dishes and menu? How far ahead would you devise your menus?

A lot of reading and experience goes into innovating. Developing of new menus sometimes comes at unexpected timings.

Are you seeing visitors to Saarbrücken who come just to visit your restaurant?

For us, the tourists are very important

What is your food philosophy? Is your cuisine an extension of your personality?

I have always followed a simple food philosophy: less is more.

Currently, what are the food trends you are seeing globally? Are you influenced by these trends?

The global food scenario is exciting and there are people who are actually noticing and willing to experiment. I

What would your last meal consist of?

German regional specialty ‘Dibbelabbes mit Apfelmus’ - Pot clothes with apple compote, where the ‘clothes’ are made of stir fried potatoes with bacon, onions and leak.

What advice would you give to Indian chefs that aspire for the same future as you?

For any Indian chef planning to cook for the European market, the handling of meats becomes critical. In India, all meats are cooked ‘well done’ which is not acceptable for most testers from Europe.

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to the palate Megha Paul attempts to highlight the interesting link between live gigs, innovative menus and profits, which is good news for restaurant owners who are seeking alternative ways to improve their revenues

p Casablanca Cous Cous with Roasted Summer Vegetables Tagine at Zerzura

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Sing along the karaoke way

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f music be the food of love, then play on. The restaurants in Delhi are not just following the footsteps of Shakespeare but even lending voice to the bustling musical underground in the capital that is charting a progressive and experimental course to sing. And with an increasing number of customers who dream of taking the microphone and belting out their favourite songs, the restaurants are in for good times. To attract more and more customers and make dining Ranjiv Kumar Owner, Harry’s Karaoke a more enjoyable Lounge Bar experience, restaurants in Delhi are playing the perfect host by organising music events. Playing good music has now become an important unique selling proposition.

According to restaurateur Ranjiv Kumar, Owner, Harry’s Karaoke Lounge Bar, the music pubs that act as tools of integration by carrying music beyond the mere audio-visual experience are now big F&B

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revenue churners. For Kumar, an avid music enthusiast, his own venture, the lounge bar, is the coming alive of a dream concept, and has paid off. The creator of the spunky chain of Mirchi Restaurants spread across New Delhi, Kumar, claims Harry’s is India’s first karaoke lounge bar.

“When we started with the concept of karaoke nights, there were hardly any places in the city which offered the same, but now the trend seems to be really catching on,” he says. The USP of a karaoke bar is the restaurant owner does not need to spend much for entertainment.

People come, pay for their own food and drinks and on top of that, entertain themselves, he adds. When there’s karaoke, people tend to stay longer, and therefore the consumption of food and beverages also go up.

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ultra chic décor and design with stateof-the-art karaoke equipment, promising to deliver an experience which its guests would like to repeat time and again,” he reveals. Harry’s not only encourages people to sing along in its main dining area as well as its private lounge, but, also has live singers perform on the karaoke system at all times. There are also theme nights planned for both English and Hindi

However, what is important is an efficient sound system and well-equipped technology. “Borrowing from globally popular karaoke pub culture, Harry’s combines

p Interiors - Harry’s Karaoke Lounge Bar

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p Interiors inside Zerzura

its belly dancing sessions on Wednesdays and Sufi mystical nights on Fridays.

“We convert ourselves into a club during the weekends and restrict the genre of music to the region of Marrakesh.

However, Delhi being Delhi, we need to play some commercial music as well sometimes,” he chuckles. Zerzura is betting big on social media. “We get a number of bookings from the social media. Almost 20 per cent of our bookings are received from such medium and also through restaurant marketing websites such as Dine Out and Zomato etc.”

p Zerzura Gazebo

p Belly Dancer Arim performing at Zerzura

songs as well as special nights for popular stars and singers.

with the genre of the live gig. Such live entertainment always helps to push sales further to the top as human interaction is much more than the case when it is the usual DJ playing music through a console.

This human touch gives the feeling of warmth to the guests.” The restaurant not only sticks to the Middle-Eastern and Moroccan tastes and flavours, but also tries to bring the same ambience through

With the belly dancing twist

According to Shagun Somani, Owner, Zerzura - a Middle-Eastern and Moroccan lounge at the Clarion Collection, the live gigs help a restaurant to retain its customers. “The target clientele keeps coming back to the outlet as they identify

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Getting a new form of entertainment has not been a bed of roses for Somani. “We ensure a profile check at the gates as India Shagun Somani Owner, Zerzura is still opening up to such gigs. Our belly dancers are usually flown from foreign countries on a six-month visa. To maintain an edge in the

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p Ahoy!Asia decor

entertainment zone, we do not allow our dancers to perform in other restaurants in the city. They can do private shows but cannot perform in any other restaurant.”

Usually weekends at restaurants are buzzing. But for Zerzura, with the live belly dancing night on Wednesdays, the restaurant receives more guests during the weekdays. Although kebabs are their speciality, the multi-cuisine restaurant has a lot more to offer - from sandwiches and shawarama to mezze as well as an entire menu of tagine’s and Middle-Eastern and Moroccan main course delights.

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gone that extra mile to create new menus for a different dining experience.

Breaking away from the stereotypical image of Asian dining is Ahoy! Asia.

The biggest achievement of this new restaurant is that it is educating its

In these competitive times, restaurants have been compelled to think of innovative means to attract customers and increase business. While some restaurants introduce new entertainment channels to supplement their business, many restaurants have

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p Crab wonton soup in Asian style tomato broth

Say Ahoy! to Chinese food

What makes Ahoy! stand out is the introduction of the Uyghur cuisine, which melds the spicy flavours of its native Islamic populace with the tastes and textures of traditional China

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p Satyajit Mukherjee (L) and Arun Chanda, Owners, Ahoy! Asia

clientele about the variety of Asian food. Unlike the usual chowmein and manchurians, the thoughtfully structured menu offers delightful spices of the Xinjiang, Sichuan and Canton regions from China, in combinations seldom seen in other Asian eateries in town. The menu then travels through Mongolia, Myanmar, Tibet, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.

But what makes Ahoy! stand out in the burgeoning Asian culinary map of the capital is the introduction of the Uyghur cuisine, from the Xinjiang region of China, which melds the spicy flavours of its native Islamic populace and neighbours with the tastes and textures of traditional China.

Unlike a conventional Chinese restaurant where you are greeted with the sounds of Mandolin, the ambience here offers bright and colourful interiors with lively music and innovative meal combos. For Arun Chanda and Satyajit Mukherjee, Owners of Ahoy!

Asia, the motto was to create a fun family space where guests can savour good food in a convivial atmosphere.

“Hence, there is no lounge with dim lights and no emphasis on the bar area. We aim to fuse classic and modern techniques of cooking that would suit the local and global palate. We are proponents of ‘smart dining’, and we strive to ensure that you have an unforgettable meal experience along with excellent value for your money,” the restaurateurs say.

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Coffee

brews across the nation The aroma of a freshly brewed cup of coffee is the ideal wake-up call for a perfect day.

Coffee is gaining ground as one of the most popular beverage in the country with coffee chains becoming favourite hot-spots for all to catch up. To find out trends and business strategy, FHRAI got in touch with some of the prominent coffee chains across the country.

Kanchan Nath

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MOCHA ocha stands for one of the cool-

M

est coffee shops in the country.

The diversity and variety in every outlet enriches the ambience of the coffee shop. Shobita Kadan, Vice President, Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality tells us more:

Coffee consumption trends in India India has mostly always been a nation of tea drinkers. With the exception of the Southern belt that consumes more coffee and put filter coffee on the global beverage map, most parts of the country only viewed coffee as a ‘social drink’. But that all started changing from 2000-01 onwards with the steady proliferation of coffee shops, both home-grown and imported. While initially, these coffee shops were more of a hangout space rather than a serious coffee drinking one, availability and exposure to good brews began to shift the tide.

Mocha was the first stand-alone coffee shop that attempted to make a difference. By introducing global gourmet beans and giving conShobita Kadan sumers an option Vice President, Impresario of trying out some Entertainment & Hospitality of the best coffees from around the world, we did our bit to raise the coffee quotient. Our coffees were not just served in stores, but also available for sale to connoisseurs who asked for their favourite blends by name. A standard order of – ‘one hot coffee please’ – soon changed to a cappuccino, café latte or an espresso and eventually, to a Jamaican Blue Mountain or a Kenyan AA. We’ve come a long way since. People are now as serious about their coffee as they are about their food. They are well travelled, curious and knowledgeable, and are no longer happy with a substandard bean. In fact, the Coffee Board of India estimates that coffee consumption has consistently grown by 6 per cent a year since 2000, up from an average growth

rate of just 2 per cent the decade before.

Research also shows that the café market is growing double digits and is valued at over `1,100 crore. This is heartening, to say the least.

the machines and their capsules in the urban market. The next tide will see an adventurous blend of new flavours, infusions and many more exotic beans.

Coffee is no longer a ‘social drink’, but more a matter of habit and even, personal preferences. The biggest trends we are seeing are an increased awareness of different brews and more orders of espresso/ Americano sans milk, proving our coffee drinker is growing up. Another big trend is home coffee machines – a fairly new phenomenon in India, but one that is picking up rapidly. More and more consumers now invest money in buying coffee machines, evident from the easy availability of both

l Increased awareness of different brews l More orders for Espresso/Americano sans milk l Blend of new flavours

People are now as serious about their coffee as they are about their food. They are well travelled, curious and knowledgeable, and are no longer happy with a substandard bean

Trends

Business model and strategy Our growth model has been consistent and well thought out from the start. From the time we opened our first outlet till date when Mocha has 19 outlets in 13 cities; we have planned every new location and our entry to each new city very carefully. While we started out running the outlets ourselves, opening our first nonMumbai store in Delhi in 2004, we soon realised that the demand of the market and the popularity of the brand would require a franchisee model for expansion.

So after consolidating our self-run stores, we started the next stage of growth led by stable franchise partners.

Our success in urban, Tier-I markets like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, etc., led us to plan openings in smaller, Tier-II markets as well. As of now, Mocha has outlets in

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With Indian coffee retail market set to grow at 15-20 per cent per annum, there is a significant change in how consumer perception has changed over the years and the popularity the beverage is now enjoying Chandigarh, Raipur, Bilaspur, Baroda, Nagpur and Ludhiana, with more on the anvil.

Mocha plans to expand and open 4-5 new outlets in the coming year which will follow a model of company owned and franchised outlets in Tier-I and TierII markets.

Most popular coffee beverage that MOCHA serves in India Mocha is known for starting the coffee culture in India. Now recognised as one of the most popular coffee destinations, our Cappuccino and Café Latte are a regular favourite amongst our guests. Since our launch, we have tried to give our consumers varieties of coffee and introduced them to flavours which were never available in India like the Jamaican Blue Mountain or a Kenyan AA. Today, we see the consumers not only enjoying the Latte and Cappuccino, but also have advanced to frequently ordering and adapting the beverages on a daily consumption basis.

BARISTA Barista Lavazza is the only café in the country which does thematic menu launches. Nilanjan Bhattacharya, COO, India and SAARC, Barista Lavazza tells us more.

Coffee consumption trends in India With India being a traditionally teadrinking nation, the coffee-to-tea ratio is 1:7 and coffee consumption is 80 gm per capita as against 6 kg per capita in Italy. In spite of this skewed ratio, coffee consumption is steadily increasing in the country year-on-year. The growing acceptance of coffee, coupled with ‘third home’ café culture among the middleclass in India, is spearheading the outof-home consumption of this beverage in this country. With Indian coffee retail

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market set to grow at 15-20 per cent per annum, there is a significant change in how consumer perception has changed over the years and the popularity the beverage is now enjoying.

This consumer acceptance is actually driving growth in consumption as well as the café culture, and has opened the

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doors to get coffee acceptance across a wider cross section of our society.

Going beyond this, we have also seen a significant increase Nilanjan Bhattacharya COO, India and SAARC, in beverage Barista Lavazza consumption as a whole, due to a wide variety of choice and availability. Exposure to international trends through films, advertising, youth community sites and personal blogs is also driving this shift as consumers are constantly on the look out to experiment and adapt to these changes.

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Trends

l Increase in beverage consumption l ‘Third home’ café culture among the middle-class l Popularity through personal blogs l Exposure to international trends

Business model and strategy

Our primary strategy for growth in the country is through a focussed consumer engagement programme. ‘Innovation’ is at the centre of everything we do at Barista Lavazza, and as a brand, we have always associated with promotions and campaigns which are ‘innovative’ and which ‘engage’ with the patron. All this is done with an attempt to bring unique experiences to our patrons and offer them something more than just their favourite cup of Italian coffee.

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COSTA Costa has traditionally positioned itself as an ‘affordable luxury’ besides offering an unbeatable coffee experience. They are constantly looking at making their cafes the preferred hang-out space through food innovations. Aparna Chopra, Head Marketing, Costa Coffee tells us more.

Coffee consumption trends in India

India has emerged as one of the favoured destinations for coffee shops.

With the Indian middle class consumer ready to spend more to be a part of the global lifestyle and culture, coffee shops have fast become the preferred hang-out zone for the youth and the first choice for both business and personal purposes.

As a part of our ongoing enWhile India still remains a gagement at the cafés, we have predominantly tea-drinking recently launched a themenation, coffee has made based menu, ‘Amore’. Having major inroads. As per market taken inspiration from art and estimates, the consumption of designed in association with an coffee has more than doubled urban art boutique ‘Arrested by Aparna Chopra, over the last decade.

Head Marketing Art’, the menu has received a Costa Coffee very encouraging response from The coffee chains market in Inour consumers. Barista Lavazza is the only dia has seen a blistering pace of growth café in the country which does thematic over the last few years (around 200 cafés menu launches, and last year we had are being added per annum for the last successfully launched ‘Milano Collezioni’, five years). It is an estimated `1,000 a menu inspired by fashion, for which we crore market and growing at around 30 had tied up with Rina Dhaka. per cent. There are today around 1,6001,700 outlets across 40 cities and these In addition, we have undertaken a lot cities alone can accommodate another 2,000 cafés in the next few years. This of new innovative initiatives this year to gives a good idea of the potential for engage with our patrons. This includes newly launched properties such as ‘Clickcoffee chains in the country. a-Coffee’ for lovers of photography; our ongoing association with Penguin Books India, under which we have launched consumers books of several renowned authors and given our patrons an opportunity to meet with their favourite authors; national-level ‘Cafe Scrabble Championship’ and ‘Friendship Jam’ for music lovers and amateur bands. All these activities have kept consumers coming back and helped in developing very strong relations with them.

Most popular coffee beverage that BARISTA serves in India Our most popular beverage is the Cappuccino.

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As a part of the global lifestyle and culture, coffee shops have fast become the preferred hang-out zone for the youth and the first choice for both business and personal purposes

The dramatic rise of coffee houses therefore not only highlights a shift in taste, but a cultural shift as well, where young affluent Indians are more interested in global trends than ever before.

Moreover, out-of home consumption has also played an important role in increasing in-home consumption of coffee as larger sections of the population are exposed to the beverage in cafés.

Trends

l Estimated `1,000 crore market l Growing at around 30 per cent l Around 1,600-1,700 outlets across 40 cities

Business model and strategy

Costa entered India in September 2005 through a pan India master franchise agreement with Devyani International Ltd., the F&B arm of RJ Corp. This made us the first coffee chain to enter India. Over the last 8 years, brand Costa has consistently delivered a great coffee experience to its growing customer base. Our mission is to save the world from mediocre coffee by making and serving perfect, handcrafted drinks in our global network of Costa Coffee stores.

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India presents tremendous opportunity towards sourcing and roasting of local premium arabica coffees for consumption in India and around the world Costa Coffee is well placed to leverage the fast growth expected in the café space in India on back of rising per capita income, favourable demographics, increased literacy, and rapid urbanisation.

We intend to add 40-50 stores every year for the next few years and are aiming for a 300 strong network of outlets by 2015.

The strategy is to be in the right place at the right time. Our presence is not in only just major metro cities and Tier-I cities, but also in select Tier-II cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Agra, Pune and Jaipur.

We are soon going to launch outlets in Hyderabad.

Costa has traditionally positioned itself as an ‘affordable luxury’. In India, we have built our reputation as a premium brand on the basis of our high quality coffee, food offerings and chic interiors. Besides offering an unbeatable coffee experience, we are constantly looking at making our cafés the preferred hang- out space through food innovations. We understand that there is a significant relevance of food as an important element in the India café business and this is an area where we have and will continue to innovate as a brand. We are extremely conscious about the localisation of the food and drink range specific to the region. That is the reason that our food strategy, based on diligent research and consumer feedback, is built around providing a menu which that clearly resonates with local communities. For example, our research identified gap areas in savoury snacking and indulgent desserts. We have addressed this with our new menu that offers a wide variety of small savoury bites as well as variety of desserts to suit all palates. Our food strategy also addresses

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the different day parts of our business as well as the catering to larger group sizes and social occasions.”

Most popular coffee beverage that COSTA serves in India Our most popular coffee beverage is Cappuccino. Our unique Mocha Italia blend with its rich aroma and smooth taste has made our Cappuccino wildly popular among our customer base.

STARBUCKS In each store, Starbucks strives to reflect the character of the surrounding neighbourhood, allowing customers to feel truly at home. Company Spokesperson, Tata Starbucks Limited tells us more.

Coffee consumption trends in India Over the years, we have witnessed coffee

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transforming into a mainstream beverage with a national presence. There is a steady increase in the out-of-home coffee consumption driven by the growing café culture, heightened awareness and changing customer preferences. The discerning Indian consumer looks for new experiences and appreciates quality delivered at the appropriate value. This combined with the size of the Indian economy and the rate of growth of out of home coffee consumption and the café business, offer us great opportunities to share our unique, iconic Starbucks Experience with our customers in India – one that is respectful of India’s strong culinary heritage and local flavour.

India presents tremendous opportunity towards sourcing and roasting of local premium arabica coffees for consumption in India and around the world. Being able to use the highest quality espresso, sourced

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and roasted in India, is an important part of delivering a locally relevant experience to our customers in the market. Together with Tata Coffee, we are committed to developing and improving the profile of Indian-grown Arabica coffees around the world by elevating the stature of Indian coffee, as well as improving the quality of coffee through sustainable practices. We are incredibly proud to launch the India Estates Blend in addition to the Indian Espresso Roast which is a hallmark of all our stores in India. The India Estates Blend is our special country-specific blend developed thoughtfully with Tata Coffee, for the Indian market and reflects the high quality Arabica coffee available in India.

It creates a fine balance between herbal and chocolate notes, perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors, and our way of honouring the communities we live and work in each day.

Trends

l Mainstream beverage with a national presence l Opportunity towards sourcing and roasting of local premium arabica coffees l Developing and improving the profile of Indian-grown arabica coffees

Business model and strategy

As we entered the Indian market in October 2012, we wished to proceed with a deep respect of the Indian culture. At Tata Starbucks Limited, we are focussed on a long-term, disciplined and focussed approach to building a strong retail footprint, strengthening our brand in this dynamic market, delivering an unparalleled customer experience and earning the trust and respect of Indian consumers. We work to balance the need to run the business effectively, while ensuring that we deliver the highest-quality Starbucks Experience to our customers. It is not only about running several stores across the geography but to nurture each store to provide the experience and deliver the brand promise to customers – every day.

The foundation of Starbucks is built on the experience we are able to deliver to our customers each and every day. The ‘Starbucks Experience’ is built on three primary components: our products, our places and our people. Our business

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model is based on providing a unique values-based Starbucks Experience that is respectful of India’s strong culinary heritage and of local flavour. With each store, we also strive to reflect the character of the surrounding neighborhood, allowing customers to feel truly at home when visiting our stores and giving them opportunities to discover new things. One of our strengths is the passion that our partners (employees) have for our coffee and stores. The moments of connection that our baristas create with our customers, day after day and the connections our customers create among themselves differentiate our brand and experience, making us so much more than just a coffee company.

The business model is based on providing a unique experience that is respectful of India’s strong culinary heritage and also reflects the character of the surrounding neighborhood, allowing customers to feel truly at home

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Most popular coffee beverage that STARBUCKS serves in India Customers continually seek new experiences and we look to surprise and delight them with an offering that is not only unique to India, but also represents the global experience and product portfolio Starbucks is known for worldwide.

We introduced the signature Pumpkin Spice Latte in the month of September 2013 to customers as a limited time period offering which has been widely appreciated.

We are also very excited to introduce to our customers the global favourite for cooler days – Salted Caramel Mocha, across all Starbucks stores in India starting October 25, 2013. These are international favourites which reflect Starbucks’ beverage innovation that has been embraced by customers all over the world.

As we marked our first anniversary this month in the Indian market, we are incredibly proud to introduce our special country-specific India Estates Blend which creates a fine balance between herbal and chocolate notes. It captures the essence and rich heritage of the Indian coffee history and draws inspiration from the finest arabica beans which have been carefully selected from Tata Coffee’s estates spread across Coorg and Chickmagalur, the birth place of coffee in India. This is in addition to Indian Espresso Roast, which is a hallmark feature of all our stores.

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New cooling solutions launched for B&C segments The Elanpro Direct Cool or Static Kitchen Freezers are designed for focussing on the small hotels/ restaurants in business and commercial towns.

These freezers/refrigerators are available in upright Reach-In models as well as Undercounters. Elanpro Direct cool or static freezers/ refrigerators are cooled by natural convection where the part closest to the evaporator (cooling coil) first becomes cooler and then cools the other areas inside the compartment. These freezers/refrigerators are comparatively energy efficient for the same reason.

Elanpro direct cool freezer/refrigerator requires fewer ampere hours of electricity, when comparing the energy requirements of each model at the same temperature. Elanpro Direct cool kitchen refrigerators/freezers are fitted with fan for better circulation of cooling. Direct cool refrigerators/freezers are typically much less expensive than the frost free versions. Frost free refrigerators/freezers, as the name implies, do not require any kind of manual defrosting and cool/ freeze using circulation of cold air through a fan.

New rack type dishwasher from Electrolux Professional for Asia Electrolux range of new Rack Type dishwashers specifically for the Asia market is equipped with wash-safe control, built-in Energy Saving Device (ESD), guaranteeing less water, energy and detergent consumption with no compromise on the washing performance. The equipment is ETL- Sanitation approved and compliant with NSF sanitation standards. The ESD is an internal condenser which utilises the steam generated by the machine in the rinse and wash tanks to heat incoming cold water entering the boiler. A built-in drain valve in the tank allows automatic dump and fill without any interruption of the washing process.

The new rack type is eco-friendly with low water consumption. At 200 racks per hour, the machine uses only 300 lt/hr. Its Auto start/stop ensures that the machine runs only when a rack is passing through it, thus saving water and reducing energy consumption.

It’s operation is as easy as putting dirty crockery in one side of the Rack Type and taking out the brightshining dishes from the other side. These are ideal for heavy usage installations such as hotels, restaurants, large canteens and hospitals.

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Kamani Oils launches Lite range of products Wonderchef’s bring unique offerings this Diwali This Diwali, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor brings Wonderchef, a renowned brand for Indian homemakers offers a unique range of cookware, bake ware, kitchen appliances and tools, handpicked by Chef himself from the best brands in the world.

Here are the some innovative Wonderchef products:

Hurom Slow Juicer: Hurom slow

juicer helps you to lose weight, makes your body healthy and helps you get more out of life. Hurom Juicer enables you to consume your daily requirement of vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, minerals and fiber in a natural and tasty way.

Gas Oven Tandoor:

Now enjoy Tandoori delicacies at your home cooked on your very own gas stove! Specially developed for Indian Tandoori cooking.

This is a dream appliance everyone loves to have in their kitchen. With this unique Sanjeev Kapoor Gas Oven Tandoor, you can cook

restaurant-style Tandoori and baked dishes with the same authentic taste that we get from large clay tandoors.

Peugeot Pepper & Salt Mills:

Peugeot grinders set the standard in the kitchens of the greatest chefs and grace the tables at 5-star hotels and fine dine restraurents around the world. On your dining table, they make a statement of class and your fine living standard.

Wondercraft Claret ForgedNon-stick cookware set, affordable complete cooking solution for Indian homes. highly durable, 3-layer German non-stick coating, special bakelite handles, glass lid with steam vent.

This set contains - dosa tawa, frying pan, kadhai and glass lid, ideal for all your cooking needs.

Oils and fats form a critical ingredient in any food application and help make the food nutritious and enhance its taste. The company’s new Lite range consists of Foodlite, Pufflite and K-Lite. An ideal requirement of frying oil is that it should enhance the product flavour and visual appeal, while at the same time be non greasy, reusable, healthy and economical.

The R&D team at Kamani Oils manufactured a 3-in-1 culinary oil – Foodlite which can be used for frying and cooking, while at the same time not compromising on the health quotient.

Pufflite on the other hand is a trans-free bakery shortening, that can withstand high ambient temperature and is characterised by excellent plasticity. The other product launched is K-Lite, which is a premium trans-free aerated multipurpose shortening. It can be used for baking items right from cupcakes and cakes to biscuits, brownies and icing.

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Cake mixing ceremony heralds Christmas joy

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nitiating the spirit of Christmas, The Imperial, New Delhi, celebrated the cake mixing ceremony at San Gimignano’s alfresco dining area, carefully selecting candied fruits, fruit peels and assorted nuts, which were blended artistically in the concoction of liquor, rum and brandy.

The traditional ceremony lived up to the happiness and joy associated with Christmas and was the perfect moment to witness the camaraderie all around.

“Christmas seems incomplete without the traditional Christmas cake, and we, at The Imperial, continue this tradition with a lot of enthusiasm and spirit. It was an ecstatic

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moment to watch the senior members of the management and chefs participate in this tradition,” expressed Vijay Wanchoo, Sr Executive VP and GM, The Imperial, New Delhi. “The cake mixing is a Christmas tradition dating back many years and it is done as a precursor to the occasion for settling the liquor in the mix of nuts, fruits and spices, covered with cinnamon,” said Prem Kumar, Executive Sous Chef, The Imperial. The heady mix of flavours will be kept to nurture till December, developing its characteristics of taste, texture and aroma.

Then the dough and mixture of 100 kg will be combined and then baked to perfection for near 300 Imperial Christmas Cakes.

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Café Royal opens in Ambala

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mbala Cantt., in Haryana, adds Café Royal restaurant as a new attraction. Offering a wide range of Indian and Continental dishes, the restaurant has 62 covers and a party room on the first floor. Café Royal does not serve liquor as it caters to the family clientele. Café Royal comes to Ambala from Mumbai, where it has been catering since 1919.

Bheesham Sethi, who hails from Ambala, has now brought Café Royal to the business and trading city, convinced that the Tier-II and Tier-III cities need such good outlets.

Students learn to mix drinks at INFUSION 2013

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he University Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism (UIHMT), Panjab University, Chandigarh, held a national workshop on ‘Mixology: Orientation and Modernism’, on October 10 and 11, 2013, under the aegis of INFUSION 2013. The workshop, attended by over 80 participants pan India, focussed on bar practices, specially mixology. R K Gupta, Director, UIHMT said the workshop will now form part of the academic calendar of the institute. The stress at the workshop was on practicals and demonstrations, so that the participants could learn and gain confidence in this growing segment of the industry. Manmeet Singh, Director, Food and Beverage, JW Marriott, Chandigarh, and

Amol Luthra, Head of Sales, The LaLiT, Chandigarh, interacted with the students, giving them practical suggestions and Saroj Gulati, Resource Person, explained the intricacies of mixing drinks. Various contests and presentations by the participants were the other highlights of the two-day event, which also saw some interesting keynote addresses.

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arttd’inox launches in Mumbai

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rttd’inox, a stainless steel tableware accessories and modular kitchens brand from the house of JSL Lifestyle, has launched its first exclusive store in Mumbai. arttd’inox is a home segment product manufacturer and retailer that produces over six categories of designer stainless steel products for the home, including décor, bar range, dining range, beverage range and office accessories, besides modular kitchens.

Located at Orbit Terraces in Lower Parel, Mumbai, the store offers a comprehensive range of modular kitchens that can be customised in more than 50 combinations of designs, shades, textures and colours.

Deepika Jindal, Managing Director, JSL Lifestyle, said, “We aim to serve shoppers the best quality products. We hope to become the one-stop destination for anyone looking to install modular kitchens and buy quality steel lifestyle accessories.”

The store has one live kitchen that will ensure enough action for food and décor enthusiasts in the city while it also features a 24ft-long gallery at the entrance of the store.

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‘10th Annual Chef Awards 2013’ by Indian Culinary Forum

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anarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology (BCIHMCT) hosted the trade tests of various Master Chef Competitions for the 10th Annual Chef Awards 2013 organised by Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) from October 16 - 19, 2013. Golden Hat Award, Silver Hat Award, Lady Chef of the Year Award, were some of the categories of competitions held between the ICF members from the Industry. Student Chef of the Year Award

MasterChef Gary Mehigan ‘live in action’ with Hyatt’s Chef Gopi

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yatt Regency Chennai, in association with Australian Trade Commission, hosted an extravagant dinner evening and Master Class to remember, with MasterChef Gary Mehigan of MasterChef Australia fame, partnering with Gopi Nandakumar, Executive Sous Chef, Hyatt Regency, Chennai. The event was a part of the series of celebrations under the ‘Hyatt- 30 years of making a difference in India’ campaign as Hyatt International is celebrating 30 memorable years in India in 2013.

Mehigan and Nandakumar worked at their respective cooking stations, each excelling the other to delight

and enthral those present. The chefs presented a delectable spread including slow roasted shoulder and char-grilled lamb cutlets by Mehigan and braised spiced lamb shanks and lamb patties by Nandakumar.

The sumptuous dinner that followed was a food lover’s delight with galauti stations, salmon specials, Signature Chennai cuisine and more from Hyatt Regency, Chennai’s signature restaurants. The event was held at the Hyatt Regency, Chennai ballroom and was a part of the ongoing Oz fest celebrations by the Australian Commission.

has been introduced this year for students of hotel management colleges. The jury consisted of Chef V.S. Datta, Chairman Jury, Chef Y B Mathur, Chef Bakshish Dean, Chef Rajiv Malhotra, Chef Siresh Saxena, Chef Rajiv Chowdhary, Chef Tarun Dacha, etc. The results of these competitions is expected to be announced on November 23, 2013, on the occasion of International Chefs’ Day at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi.

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appointments

within the hospitality trade Alexandra Blum

Anil Verma

Vice President Public Relations FRHI

FRHI Hotels & Resorts (Fairmont Raffles Hotels International), the parent company of luxury and upper upscale hotel brands Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, has appointed Alexandra Blum as Vice President, Public Relations. Blum will be responsible for developing and leading the company’s global public relations strategy and will also have complete oversight of the hotel group’s external communications activity.

She brings more than 20 years of media, sales and marketing related experience to her new role. She began her career at Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters), and moved on to increasingly senior roles at Where Magazine International, Opal Sky Inc., and Rogers Media.

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Saurabh Bakshi

Vice President - Sales Sarovar Hotels & Resorts

Sarovar Hotels has appointed Anil Verma as Vice President - Sales. With over 11 years of rich experience in the hospitality industry, he brings with him knowledge and skills in diverse areas of both corporate and leisure business. Verma has previously worked with Jaypee Hotels, The Grand, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and his last assignment was as Director, Sales & Marketing, with JHM Interstate Hotels India Pvt. Ltd. At Sarovar, he will conceptualise and implement sales strategies, both at the corporate and regional level and will further strengthen the group’s efforts in driving more business from existing as well as new markets.

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General Manager Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Sheraton Bangalore Hotel, at Brigade Gateway, has promoted Saurabh Bakshi as the new General Manager. He was the Hotel Manager of the hotel and has been associated with the property since pre-opening. He has an extensive background in the hospitality industry and has held several senior management positions prior to being in Sheraton with various reputed hospitality brands like Hotel Leela Kempinski and Grand Hyatt across the country.

Bakshi is a trainer and mentor with skills to motivate peak individual performance from team members, while driving sustained forward growth momentum. Bakshi has a General Managers Program from the Cornell University, School Of Hotel Administration, Ithaca, USA.

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Vijayan Gangadharan Executive Assistant Manager Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway Vijayan Gangadharan has been appointed the Executive Assistant Manager at the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. With over 22 years of experience with leading hospitality brands, Gangadharan has proved to be extremely proficient in the fields of corporate communications, budgeting, marketing collateral and public relations, among others. Prior to joining Sheraton Bangalore, he lent his expertise to the Hyatt Group, primarily in Grand Hyatt Mumbai, for more than 10 years as Assistant Director of Food & Beverage and then Director of Food & Beverage, before which he served as Food & Beverage Manager for three years at The Regent Mumbai (now Taj Lands End).

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Debanjan Kundu

Firuza Sharma

Ashish Gawari

Director Sales & Marketing Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Director of Sales & Marketing Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar

General Manager The LaLiT, Chandigarh

Debanjan Kundu has recently been appointed the Director, Sales & Marketing, at the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. He has over 10 years’ experience in the hospitality industry Prior to joining Sheraton Bangalore as Director Sales, he was the Director of Sales at Westin Hyderabad Mindspace and has been associated with Starwood since March 2011. Kundu has worked at the Ista, Bangalore and The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata in the sales department.

His key expertise lies in developing and implementing sales strategies in sync with market conditions.

Firuza Sharma has been appointed as Director of Sales & Marketing at Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar. Sharma will be responsible for strategising and implementing the sales and marketing plans to ensure competitive positioning of the hotel.

With an experience of over 18 years in the hospitality industry, Sharma brings with her a strong understanding of the Indian market along with an immense knowledge of sales, marketing, revenue management and even hotel operations.

She has been associated with hotel companies like Ascott Limited, LaLiT Hotels, IHHR Hospitality, Golden Palms Spa & Resort, The Leela Hotel, etc.

Ashish Gawari is the new General Manager of the 179-room property, The LaLiT, Chandigarh, moving from his previous role as General Manager of the The LaLiT, Srinagar. He will be responsible for the management of this business property which is also a recent venture of The LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group. Gawari joined the Group in 2010 and brought with him strong operational background in food and beverage. His expertise lies in carrying out the hotel operations, overseeing the budget, customer relationship management, accounting and financial management, designing and implementation of recruitment, induction and training programmes in and within the hotel.

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Gaurav Singh

Pankaj Mathur

Tarun Gupta

General Manager Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad

General Manager The Suryaa, New Delhi

Director, Sales and Marketing The Suryaa, New Delhi

Gaurav Singh has been appointed as the General Manager at Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad.

A hotelier with an experience of over 14 years, Singh started his career in 1999 as a management trainee at ITC Hotels, Delhi. Prior to joining Marriott International, Singh served as the Resident Manager of the Leela Kempinski, Mumbai since 2011.

He was also the officiating General Manager of the hotel for almost a year.

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Pankaj Mathur has recently been appointed as the General Manager of The Suryaa, New Delhi.

Mathur comes with an experience of over two decades and has worked with international hotel chains like Starwood, Hyatt, Marriott, Oberoi, Taj and ITC Welcomgroup.

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Tarun Gupta has been appointed as Director, Sales and Marketing, The Suryaa, New Delhi. He has Business Management specialisation in Marketing & Sales from IILM. In the past, he has been responsible for establishing and directing the marketing and sales activities for various organisations, along with handling their advertising and public relations. Prior to this, Gupta has been the Director of Sales and Marketing at Crowne Plaza Okhla, Shangri-La’s Eros, New Delhi, Country Inn & Suites

By Carlson and Associate Director of Sales at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.

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RNI No. DELENG/2000/1230 Posting Date 15-21 (Every Month) Postal Reg. No. DL-(C)-01/1294/2012-2014 at MBC-1 Date of Publication 12-10-2013