Hotelscapes december website

Volume 2. Issue 11. December 2013. Rs 50

a cross section publication

ALL ABOUT HOTELS & HOSPITALITY

WTTCII-HVS

STATE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT positions the states across India as they strive towards becoming competitive for the hotel and tourism sector

A Mixed Picture of Growth, Consolidation and Decline Says a Cushman & Wakefield Research & Hospitality document

ITC Hotels surges ahead with WelcomHotel brand Margins getting tougher for hotels in India: Interview with Ajay Bakaya Museum quality art enhancing the brand identity Indian Culinary Forum: The coming together of India’s culinary stakeholders Spas going an extra mile for exclusive experiences Innovative and functional designs: India’s amazing Timber Resorts

EDITORIAL

Volume 2 Issue 11 DECEMBER 2013

EDITOR’S NOTE Dear Reader,

Volume 2. Issue 11. December 2013. Rs 50

a cross section publication

ALL ABOUT HOTELS & HOSPITALITY

WTTCII-HVS

STATE COMPETITIVENESS REPORT positions the states across India as they strive towards becoming competitive for the hotel and tourism sector

A Mixed Picture of Growth, Consolidation and Decline Says a Cushman & Wakefield Research & Hospitality document

ITC Hotels surges ahead with WelcomHotel brand Margins getting tougher for hotels in India: Interview with Ajay Bakaya Museum quality art enhancing the brand identity Indian Culinary Forum: The coming together of India’s culinary stakeholders Spas going an extra mile for exclusive experiences Innovative and functional designs: India’s amazing Timber Resorts

Editor: Navin S Berry

Managing Editor: Priyaanka Berry priyaanka@crosssectionmedia.com

Editorial: Anupriya Bishnoi, Nikita Chopra Advertising: Saurabh Shukla saurabh@crosssectionmedia.com

Design: Ashok Saxena, Neelam Aswani HotelScapes is published and printed by Navin Berry, printed at Tara Art Printers Pvt. Ltd. A-46-47, Sector - V, Noida - 201301 (U.P.) and published from IIIrd Floor, Rajendra Bhawan, 210, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi - 110002.

Editor: Navin S Berry, Tel: 91-11-43784444; Fax: 91-11-41001627.

E-mail: info@crosssectionmedia.com This issue of HotelScapes contains 68 pages

We discuss how leading hotels value using good art to effectively compliment the hotel image and also promote art amongst guests and city patrons. Moving on, we explore the sometimes undervalued role of the front desk and its importance in creating a warm and efficient guest welcome and ensuring guest satisfaction.

Ajay Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels speaks to us about current trends in Indian hospitality with a special focus on the budget sector. He foresees that the coming times will have some properties go on sale, which will be reflagged or rebranded, thus making it a good time for a smart buyer who could get lucky buying properties at cost which is below the construction cost.

This issue features two industry reports, starting with the third edition of Hotel Views report by Cushman & Wakefield that describes hotel performances in the Asia Pacific region as a mixed picture of growth, consolidation and decline in different markets. We bring you the detailed analysis of Delhi and Mumbai. Next up, is the WTTCII-HVS Report – State Ranking Survey 2013 that speaks of state positioning in terms of infrastructure creation so that hotels and tourism can benefit and develop. The report uses 11 parameters to determine the actual ranking index and their respective weights, corresponding to their impact on the hospitality industry.

In Spa Speak we interview FJ Singh, Mananging Director, Pevonia India to understand current trends in spa treatments and how the spa industry is maturing in India. We also look at how hotels are investing in offering guests an exclusive experience by using spa products and accessories that have been custom made to pamper guests with the very best.

In F&B, we extensively cover the recently held Indian Culinary Forum that awarded achievers and discussed industry concerns and trends.

Lastly, browse our design pages, to see some truly forward thinking and inventive timber resorts by architect N. Mahesh.

2013 comes to a close this month. It has been somewhat a mixed year, we would say, ending on a note of subdued optimism. The market dynamics are changing and this is being realised more fundamentally.

After all these years of experimentation, the resilience is more in the domestic demand. Looking inwards is the guiding mantra. The days of excessive profits are perhaps over and we are not likely to return to them ever again. But there is business and there is money and hoteliers need to take a hard nosed look at the economics of the market place.

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 3

December 2013

CONTENTS

36

New Developments 8 The luxury of Oberoi comes to Dubai

10 The landmark and iconic hotel, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata 12 Accor continues the expansion of Novotel network in India

Trends 14 Museum quality art enhancing the brand identity

52 40 18 Front Desk –

The backend story

Interview 22 Ajay Bakaya – Margins getting tougher for hotels in India

42

Report 24 A mixed picture of Growth, Consolidation and Decline

28 WTTCII-HVS Report

States position themselves to become competitive for the hotel and tourism sector

GM Speak 36 Louis Sailer – Leela Delhi gets a new GM

Spa Speak 38 FJ Singh, Managing Director,

Pevonia India, talks about spa industry in India

40 Going an extra mile for exclusive experiences

6 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

F&B 42 The coming together of India’s culinary stakeholders – 3 panel discussions at ICF

50 Getting your Restaurant Service Right with Jessica Martin

Chef’s page 52 Surjan Singh Jolly:

Life of a Celebrity Chef

Design 56 Innovative and functional

designs – India’s amazing Timber Resorts

60 Products 62 News snippets domestic 64 Movements in the industry Last Page 66 Readying your Hotel for Sale

Guest column 54

The dynamism of Indian hospitality industry by Sudhenu Pandit, GM, The Lalit, Mumbai

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

O

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum inaugurates The Oberoi, Dubai

The luxury of Oberoi comes to Dubai

Ideally located five minutes’ drive from The Dubai Mall, Oberoi Dubai overlooks the iconic Burj Khalifa embodies height, light and space.

beroi Dubai is a contemporary luxury hotel that embodies height, light and space. The hotel overlooks the iconic Burj Khalifa and is within minutes from Downtown Dubai and The Dubai Mall.

The 252 spacious rooms and suites have floor-toceiling windows which afford spectacular views of the city’s skyline. Dining options include a contemporary Pan-Asian restaurant – Umai, serves a wide range of Asian cuisines which includes Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Japanese specialties.

The restaurant also offers guests an inventive culinary experience at two Teppanyaki counters and a stylish Sushi Bar. Nine7One offers food from nine countries, seven days a week at one destination. The all-day-dining restaurant offers the best of world cuisine. Ananta is the Indian specialty restaurant that features a show kitchen with traditional tandoors. The signature dishes include a variety of North Indian delicacies and a special daily selection of Indian coastal specialties.

The Lobby Lounge is the perfect rendezvous for a business or an informal meeting with business associates or friends. It is ideal for light snacks and beverages or an afternoon tea. The beverage selection at The Lobby Bar includes a wide range of cocktails, fine wines, and liquors, specializing in single malts and bourbons. It also offers guests an extensive cigar selection.

The hotel offers elegantly designed venues for corporate meetings, business events, conferences, social gatherings and private receptions. Besides a dedicated business center, the hotel also offers nine meeting rooms and an executive boardroom; each fitted with some of the world’s most advanced technological facilities.

The 560 square meters (6,000 square feet) grand ballroom combines with an inspirational ambience and intuitive service is an ideal setting for corporate events of all sizes, or a range of social events from weddings to any other memorable occasions. Recreational options at the hotel include an outdoor swimming pool, in house yoga instructor, a 24-hours spa and fitness center with latest cardiovascular and strength equipment. ■

MEET THE TEAM KARIM BIZID

General Manager CHEF DIRK HALTENHOF

Executive Chef

DHARMENDRA SHARMA

Head, Sales and Marketing BRYONY GAMMON

Director of Communications

8 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The landmark and iconic hotel, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata

T

ourism to Kolkata got a significant boost with the reopening of the much awaited The Lalit. In recent years, the city has witnessed some big bang hotel developments including the opening of ITC Sonar Bangla and The Hyatt Regency. In this scenario, additional supply would go a long way in strengthening the hospitality base of Eastern India.

The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, with this opening, has expanded its foot-prints in Kolkata with a formal opening last month. The property will open in two phases.

The heritage landmark was initially established on 19th November 1840 by David Wilson, a baker from Hertfordshire. It was the favourite haunt of the city’s elite, members of the royalty and celebrities from across the world like Mahatma Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth II, Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain who referred to it as the ‘Jewel of the East’ and the best hotel East of the Suez.

After being bought over by The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, it went through extensive renovations and restorations and now unveiled as The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata.

This magnificent heritage property is a 10 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

landmark for the city of Kolkata. The hotel, as it stands today, is an amalgamation of the styles of 3 different eras of history – Victorian (1837-1901), Edwardian (1901-1910) and Contemporary (2006 onwards) reflected in Heritage Block I, Heritage Block II and the New Block respectively.

The main lobby of the hotel is in the New Block. The classic century old piano here has been restored to its original glory.

Manufactured by the MF Rachel n Company, Germany it was the pride of Maxim’s the legendary bar Heritage Block II, reflecting the Edwardian era is five storied with an atrium lobby and 95 rooms and suites of various sizes.

The corridors are dotted with restored furniture and connected from one floor to the other by the original spiral staircase.

Guests will witness the eight feet concrete cup standing tall in the balcony (which was presented to the Chairman of The Great Eastern Hotel from Queen Elizabeth II, after his horse won the race in 1961). There is also a two level parking in the basement that can accommodate 150 cars.

The Bakery, another gem from the Great Eastern Hotel, is also housed in the Heritage Block II. The more than a century old oven

manufactured in England by Baker Perkins Limited is the focal point of The Bakery.

Though not functional any more, parts of the oven have been preserved and adorn the interiors of The Restaurant. The seven containers used for kneading dough now serve as planters in different parts of the hotel and the bread cans are being used for table decorations. One wall of The Bakery has been left as it was as a tribute to the old bakery.

Attached to The Bakery is a vibrant Beer Bar exuding the lively spirit of Kolkata.

Heritage Block I, still under restoration, will have 49 rooms and suites. The famous Maxim’s bar and restaurant, again located in this block, was a favourite haunt of the city’s who’s who.

It will soon reopen after restoration, followed

by Baluchi – the signature Indian restaurant. ■

MEET THE TEAM RAKESH MITRA

General Manager DILIP MISHRA

Residence Manager SASWATA SANYAL

Assistant Head of Sales

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

A

Accor continues the expansion of Novotel network in India

ccor celebrates the significant expansion of its Novotel hotel network across India. Accor continues to grow rapidly with a record opening of 3 Novotel hotels in Q4 of the year – Novotel Goa Shrem Resort, Novotel Ahmedabad and now, Novotel Pune. Located close to the commercial and retail precincts of the city, Novotel Pune will offer 223 guest rooms including 14 suites, meeting spaces augmented by the latest technology and interesting dining and recreation options. This is the 8th Novotel property in India. Designed for the international palette, this hotel will offer five food and beverage options – The Square – Novotels’ Signature all day dining restaurant will feature an open show kitchen and interactive dining experience; Fuzion, offering unique Indian and international flavours with a creative twist; Soak - mesmerizing outdoor pool bar on 2nd floor of the hotel; Bar-Code, a sophisticated and graceful lobby lounge; and Crust – the Patisserie & Deli for oven-fresh delights and sweet indulgences. ■

12 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

TRENDS

Museum Quality Art enhancing the brand identity Today art is an integral aspect of creating the brand identity for luxury hotels. Art by revered masters and contemporary artists finds its way in several aspects of hotel interiors to create an instant wow factor for guests. We find out the growing relevance of good art installations at hotels and also how hotels today are encouraging and promoting art through different initiatives.

Relevance of housing art inside hotel

Whether or not hotels profit directly from the art work that they display inside their hotels, they recognize it’s not enough to have just a great restaurant, high-quality bedding, or things like that. Patrons today are welltravelled and possess a great

interest in art and subsequently displaying great art does enhance the brand image.

“A r t a d d s t o t h e s h e e r splendour and luxury of any hotel’’, says Vijay Wanchoo, Sr. Executive VP and GM, The Imperial, New Delhi. “For historic hotels like ours, art is an important element to showcase the valuable heritage while it contributes to the repertoire and enhances The Imperial experience. Art is densely showcased on each floor of our hotel and is an intrinsic part of its heritage. On every level of Imperial’s sprawling four storey structure, in every public area, in lobby, stairwells and canopies, adorning fountains and furniture,

Vijay Wanchoo

Sr. Executive VP and GM, The Imperial, New Delhi

Art is an important element to showcase the valuable heritage while it contributes to the repertoire and enhances The Imperial experience.

Art is an intrinsic part of the hotel’s heritage.

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14 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

covering walls, keeping vigil from ceilings, accompanying you in royal carriages, in rooms graced with four-poster beds, for the lover of art, the progress through this maze can be delightfully unhurried’’, he adds For Souf fian Zaeraoui, Operations Manager, Pullman, Gurgaon, its for aesthetic appeal that people go for artworks. “Art is an understated element that not only adds to the ambience but also acts as a medium to communicate the brand identity, personality and cultural influences. At our hotel, art is a core element of our identity – making a statement on ‘who’ we are. Works from prominent and budding artists

are ensconced in almost every aspect of the property. For the discerning international traveller, it contributes towards creating unique guest experiences. Art is an interior design concept and will always add value to the visuals of a hotel interior’’, he explains.

The reason why you would see contempora r y a r t at Le Meridien is because it caters to creative guests, someone who looks for something more than just a stay in a hotel. “Art makes the experience more meaningful and enriching and that’s what we do and that’s why we have art in our hotel. Art is something that you spend on as a part of the hotel but here at Meridien we are

TRENDS moving away from the traditional decoration of the hotel to housing contemporary art because art is an experience which inspires people. It has a very strong brand recall. It’s like an identity or a brand-connect’’ elaborates Meena Bhatia, Vice President, Operations, Le Meridien, New Delhi.

“Art depicts elegance, culture, expression and creativity. The hotel business too is an art in a number of ways – creating experiences and services that guests require and would take bac k me mor ie s of ”, quote s Sat yajit K r ish na n , G ene ra l Manager, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. The hotel houses art and artefacts that are an enviable collection and include some of the most renowned names from the industry. These celebrated works are an expression of global

and Indian themes, emotions, traditions and culture. These treasured possessions have been carefully curated over the last 35 years of our enriching journey of timeless hospitality. “Varq, our award winning modern India gourmet dining destination, is a perfect example of marriage between superlative dining with fine ar t. It houses the celebrated work of renowned artist Anjolie Ela Menon which blends beautifully with modern sculptors and the overall warm ambience of Varq’’, adds Krishnan.

Hotels initiatives toward art

Souffian Zaeraoui Operations Manager, Pullman, Gurgaon

Art is an understated element that not only adds to the ambience but also acts as a medium to communicate the brand identity, personality and cultural influences.

,,

The grandiose a rchitecture of any art based hotel is duly complemented with thematic or historic art that it has preserved, restored and displayed. At the Imperial the art is a tribute to the nation’s Imperial past.

“Fortunately for residents, we have specialised art tours to guide the interested connoisseur which usually lasts an hour and is accompanied with High Tea at a nominal price of INR 2500’’, adds Wanchoo.

At Pullman art is something t ha t ha s ga r ne r e d a lo t of

attention by the patrons. Apart from what is displayed, Pullman endorses ar t and provides a platform for budding artists.

“The Pullman ArtNight concept showcases artwork, at least once a month, for its patrons and guests.

Even during the one weeklong first anniversary celebrations, the proper ty showcased ar t that communicated unity – We are one. Celebrated works from Vibhor, HH Shukla, Baljit Chaddha (world record holder for most paintings on flowers) and many others came together to share this platform with all visitors’’ adds Zaeraoui.

Meridien has collaborated with an art gallery, so if the guests want to visit that, they will get a free access and are shown around as the guests of Meridien. “Basically we are open minds with art perspective and we encourage those activities which promote art in any sense’’, adds Bhatia.

Art as an expression of global and Indian themes, emotions, traditions and culture, greatly enhances the character and uniqueness of a celebrated hotel.

“Taj Khazana, our inhouse luxury

lifestyle boutique, is an ovation to the boundless creative talent of the Indian artisans and craftsmen.

Taj Khazana showcases and stocks artifacts and collectibles created by master craftsmen of India as well as a selection of garments, stoles, shawls and accessories from handpicked Indian designers,” adds Krishnan.

Forms of art displayed

At hotels you can linger over ma s ter work s, adm i re t hem on bedroom walls and simply live with them for a while. In addition to presenting a beautiful, provocative and aesthetically rigorous collection of art, the unique character of each hotel is enhanced by a welcoming and visually exciting environment that is created.

The Imperial is characterized as a ‘museum hotel’ with critics mentioning it as one of the most arresting public displays of colonial images and memorabilia in all of Asia. The hotel displays a priceless art collection of the ‘British Art on India’ which includes the works of great artists who worked in India in the late 17th and early 18th

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 15

TRENDS century and produced etchings, wood engravings, lithographs, aquatints and mezzotints based on ske tc he s of la nd s cap e s , architecture, topography and life and times of India. “The Imperial specialises in colonial art and includes significant collections not only by the prolific Daniells uncle and nephew duo – Thomas and William, but also by James Ferguson, William Simpson, William Hodges, John Zollany, James Bailie Fraser, Emily Eden, Charles D’Oyly amongst others’’ elaborates Wanchoo. Also their Indian restaurant is christened after Daniells and Emily Eden has a banquet space named after her.

This art captures Indian life in the twilight era of The Mughals and the entire British period.

Battle scenes, forts, monuments,

ghats, city life, royal durbars, the splendour of India’s countryside all displayed beautifully across the floors with the themes namely Views in Lucknow’, Views of the Himalayas, people and scenes of life in Northern India. From Royal Ballroom to the all-day dining restaurant dedicated to the making of Delhi-1911 to the South East Asian jewel – The Spice Route, all are dedicated forms of art and display a unique collection, adding to almost 5000 pieces of lithographs and engravings across the hotel- an almost photographic memory of an era long gone with temple art.

Pullman has art embedded in every element of the hotel. From the Reshmi Dey’s hand blown glass sculpture in La Riviera, the fine dining restaurant, to the walled glass elements in SEN5ES; the understated art behind the reception, in the MICE facilities and even the rooms. Even the poolside ba r, Tik i, displays interpretations of its namesake – large wood and stone carvings.

Varying sizes of screens across the property showcase digital ar t – intriguing videos that captivate as you walk across any

Meena Bhatia

Vice President, Operations, Le Meridien, New Delhi

Our atrium lobby is designed in such a manner from small tiles that when you see it from the 20th floor it looks like a canvas painting. Art for us is the style of the furniture as well.

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16 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

room. “Beautiful pieces add to the awe of perceptions. If there are calming brush strokes, it has a mirrored effect. If the pieces are vibrant, it adds to the energy in the room. Artwork needs to mirror the property’s values along with being tasteful for one and all”, adds Zaeraoui.

“Art is not just something which is a painting on a wall for us art is like a style and decor of the hotel”, acclaims Bhatia.

There are so many interesting ways where the art is reflected in the hotel like the floor in the lobby is like a canvas of an art.

“Our atrium lobby is designed in such a manner from small tiles that when you see it from the 20th floor it looks like a canvas painting. Art for us is the style of the furniture as well. The chairs what you will see in our lobby are not a regular chair, it’s an art.

Also we have installation art, which is an artistic genre of threedimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space’’, adds Bhatia.

Also globally they have a unique concept of arrival art work. “Lobbies for us are high-impact areas. This

arrival artwork is a digital one which is done by Thukral & Tagra, called ‘homosapiens’. In this art a field of small logo like icons is projected on to the centre of the white marble floor of the lobby and the moment you will walk on it they will walk with you. They have sensor motion. They are arranged in a grid within a rectangular outline and the colour only of pure white light, this field of insignias appears s to be magic carpet, glowing from within and belonging to a futurist orientalism. When one enters this field, the pictures begin to scatter and swarm surrounding the visitors’ feet as if nibbling fish, buzzing with maniacal energy. It’s a high-impact artwork. Guests get inspired immediately after seeing something so different’’ proudly says Bhatia. Apart from the unique digital artwork, they also have art inside their hotel keys. “These keys are done by artists who are part LM 100 community which are curators, artists, chefs, and photographers. Thukral & Tagra are the first Indian artists to be in the LM 100 community. Also we have artists from China, we also house the work of Ralph Gibson and the keys were designed by

TRENDS

Satyajit Krishnan General Manager, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi

The lobby of The Taj woven with designs reminiscent of Mughal architecture, intricate motifs, golden inlay work, all add a sense of timelessness to the interiors.

,,

Hisham Bharoocha. Also these keys are not collectible items, the guests can keep them as a souvenir’’, adds Bhatia.

The lobby of The Taj woven with designs reminiscent of Mugha l architecture, intricate motifs, golden inlay work, niche’s from ‘Shahjahanabad’, the erstwhile mogul capital, all add a sense of timelessness to the interiors. The intricacy of the art and design work of the domes and panels in the lobby are perfectly complimented with the c a l m m a rble fo u nt a i n streams. The art adorned proudly on the hotel’s walls depict the works of some of India’s finest artists. So intense would be the impact of these artifacts, that you will be transported to the mogul era. “ T he Va rq mura l by Anjolie Ela Menon and r e p u t e d w o rk s o f M F H u s s a i n , J a m i n i R o y, Redappan Naidu, Manu Parekh and others are some of the iconic masterpieces

the hotel takes pride in.

Our themed luxury suites, adorned with treasured a r t wo rk a nd a nt i qu e s offer an old world charm.

Additionally, The Grand Presidential Suite, centred on Lutyen’s celebrated art and architecture, offers aerial views of Lutyens Delhi from its windows.

The artefacts, books and the furniture design are inspired by the original designs of Sir Edwin Lu t ye n . T he a r t work s located around the suite are an eclectic collection, some of which were specially commissioned – from water colour vistas of Rashtrapati Bhavan, to a miniature in historic style representing Lutyens and Lord Irwin the Viceroy; from cartoons of New Delhi’s feuding architects Lutyens and Baker to furniture detail drawings from Lutyens’ own office. These were obtained from many sources, in India, the UK and elsewhere’’, adds Krishnan. ■

by ANUPRIYA BISHNOI

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 17

TRENDS

FRONT DESK – THE BACKEND STORY First impressions during check-in are always critical and influence the mind-set of the guests for the duration of their stay. The role of the front desk is continuous right from the time the guest enters the hotel to check-out and it remains the main point of interaction for most guests.

Fielding questions, facilitating guests, offering prompt solutions and ensuring comfort and a few of the tasks handled, all with a smile. Though technology has significantly improved the services at the front desk, it is the personal touch that makes the guests feel welcome.

T Saurabh Bakshi

General Manager, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

The first interaction affects the entire experience of the guests and can make or break their perception about the service standards of the hotel.

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18 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

he Front Desk has a lot to do with the ‘first impression’ and to bring authenticity and viability to this statement; we asked the top management of the hotels across the country about their views on the same. Saurabh Bakshi, General Manager, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway understands the role of the front desk as a vital one in the functioning of any hotel, as it is the first point of face-to-face contact and interaction between the guest and the hotel associates. He says “the first interaction affects the entire experience of the guests and can make or break their perception about the service standards of the hotel. While the front desk used to be considered as most important in earlier days, we believe the future lies in no desk lobbies. The front desk primarily provides the ‘first experience’ to a guest makes it a crucial element that in the guests’ stay.’’ On the same

terms Abhishek Sadhoo, Director of Operations at Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, New Delhi says “capable, courteous and professional front office staff can make each guest’s stay a pleasant experience and ensure the guest’s continued patronage.”

Sridhar Rajagopal, Asst. Front Office Manager, Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai International Airport believes that a front desk is a place where a guest usually interacts with the hotel for the very first time. At times, it is the only place of interaction (for transient guests who stay for a few hours only). “A front desk is also the first and last impression a guest would have of the hotel. Hence, it is very important for any hotel to have a wellplanned front desk’’, he quotes.

A front desk’s role in the overall stay experience of the guest’s stay becomes extremely important as it can ‘make or break’ the entire experience of a guest’s stay, believes Subhankar Bose, Director

TRENDS Room, Hyatt Regency, Gurgaon. “A front desk is considered to be a one point of contact for any guest whether resident or non-resident, where they can go and get all information about the hotel, facilities, activities, guests, surroundings, city, etc. It is also the one and the only place where all guests staying in the hotel have to visit at least twice during the event of his stay, once at check-in and once at check-out” he says. Also he believes that the professionals working at the front desk are trained to manage and balance the legal requirement of carrying out the registration process of a guest with necessary documentation which can be very routine and boring for a guest along with a highly interactive, engaging, caring and friendly approach to enhance the feeling of hospitality and create a highly level customer service environment.

Duties

The duties of a front desk team include huge responsibilities like that of meeting and greeting guests, taking and organizing reservations, allocating check in and out of rooms, organizing porter service, issuing keys and other security arrangements, passing on messages to customers, settling the accounts, managing guest preferences and history and updating guest information and as Rajagopal says “the success of front desk depends upon handling such responsibilities with a smile.’’

Apa r t from just ta king ca re of the basic responsibilities of checking in and checking out, front desk works effectively towards ensuring 100% satisfaction for its guests as well. Sadhoo says “front desk takes personal responsibility and initiative for any tasks as required, to assure guest satisfaction and follow up when necessary, follow established telephone standards and process guest messages as requested, handles guest complaints effectively and efficiently by being responsive, receptive and analytical, enforces the right room for the right guest philosophy and ensure cleanliness as a top priority at the front desk and surrounding areas.’’

Also according to Dolly Desai, Front Office Manager, Le Meridien Bangalore it’s also about making guests feel at home away from home. “Right from the first touch point where the guest arrives at the airport till the time the guest checks out, it is the primary duty and responsibility of the front desk personnel to ensure that they create a wow stay experience for the guest”, she adds.

Challenges

When assigned with abundant duties and where every minute brings surprize and sometimes un-called for activities, challenges has to be

plenty. Bakshi says” coping up with unforeseen circumstances, including technological challenges during high occupancy periods a re some challenges that a front desk associate may face.

One major problem faced at the front desk is that of telephones at the desk being a distraction to the interaction between guests and associate, however we can proudly say that at Sheraton Bangalore we do not have any telephones at the front desk hence leading to a unique and soothing experience for guests. Another challenge that is faced is that of having guest documents scanned as per local law requirements which can sometimes be cumbersome for guests. We have a provision of a mobile scanner that eases the process making it less time consuming and more convenient for the guests as well as front desk associates.”

However according to Sadhoo “the role of a front office associate is very critical as they represent the image of the brand. An associate has to perform multiple tasks simultaneously on the job. The major challenges generally faced by front office employees are handling demanding guests, maintenance problems in rooms, denial of incidental charges by guests and over booking amongst numerous other responsibilities.” However catering to guests from various spheres, with different likes, dislikes, preferences and requirements and turning them into loyal customers is a challenge for Desai.

Front Desk is designed to be the one point of contact for guests having small requests to emergency situations, where they are expected to act upon quickly and smartly and Bose believes the customer expectations from front desk is a quick and appropriate resolution to all their problems with regards to their stay at a hotel. “This is a challenge which comes with the job of a front desk professional. They are expected to arrange, coordinate and bring about the best solution to all guest’s problem. As a result it is very important that all front desk employees are handpicked for this job, which is extremely demanding and requires a lot of passion, commitment and a great attitude to deliver the best quality service to meet the guest’s expectations. The major challenge that sometimes may appear for a front desk is the lack of resources varying from quality of people to do the tasks to technology to do their job efficiently”, he quotes.

Creating the first impression

How technical can first impression of a front desk official be? Sheraton Bangalore gives us an answer to this. “At Sheraton a good first impression we believe is created by using the 10/5 rule (acknowledge the guest at 10ft and greet him at 5ft) says Bakshi. Also while some of them believe that it is a warm smile

Abhishek Sadhoo

Director of Operations at Shangri-La’s - Eros Hotel, New Delhi

Capable, courteous and professional front office staff can make each guest’s stay a pleasant experience.

,,

Sridhar Rajagopal

Asst. Front Office Manager, Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai International Airport

A front desk is the first and last impression.

That’s why its important for any hotel to have a well-planned front desk.

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December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 19

TRENDS

Subhankar Bose

Director Room, Hyatt Regency, Gurgaon

Recognition of guests and their needs in a consistent manner brings about the personalization in the services.

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Dolly Desai

Front Office Manager, Le Meridien Bangalore

Catering to guests from various spheres, preferences and requirements and turning them into loyal customers is like a challenge.

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20 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

and a pleasant personality that does wonders to the guests some say that it is also very important to use a professional verbiage while conversing with any guest. Slangs should be completely avoided.

Hotel’s front desk employees are always in the eyes of the guests and are the first line of customer service. Their attitude and behaviour greatly influence the guest’s impressions of the hotel and thereby increases the possibilities of repeat stays. According to Bose “Front Desk perform a variety of services for the guests however the most important of all is ‘recognition’ which creates the magic and a bonding between the guest and hotel starts to build. This is one of the big factors which differentiate an average hotel with an excellent hotel. Recognition of guests and their needs in a consistent manner brings about the personalization in the services which a guest always likes and it creates a good first impression on the guest. Good hotels always come up with the best practices to know a guest and his preferences in order to wow them with recognition.”

Evolution of the front desk

Various factors have contributed in the evolution of the role of the front desk. Their functions have evolved over a period of time and has come a long way from the linear desks. One reason behind this leap is technology. Bakshi says “Technology has definitely helped improve the processes at the front desk. Initially the front desk work was divided into separate counters for different processes. Now, the front desk agent is multi-tasking, the check in process is swift as the technology is involved like reduction in paper work and improving personalized interactions. The front desk associate is no longer a ‘receptionist’ and is more like an ambassador of the hotel for the guests. They now have technology which enables them to gather information regarding guests’ stay and helps make the guests welcome to the property memorable.

Using our online guest preference portal, we can be view preferences of guests who have stayed across any Starwood property, making this a global platform for guest information and indeed a landmark innovation. In-car check-ins and in-room check-ins have been made possible with mobile scanners, iPads and other devices, thus easing the processes and also delighting guests.”

Sadhoo seems excited about the introduction of recent technology inside the working of his hotel administration. He says “new technology at our hotel easily allows guests to access their stay details with a click on a tablet computer, while checking in and out of the hotel can be done simply by signing on the tablet using a stylus. The guest

receives the billing receipt electronically via e-mail for reference. To meet the evolving technological and aesthetic needs of the perceptive business and leisure traveller, we have to anticipate their technology demands and fulfil them accordingly.” stating further the evolution of the role of front desk officials he says “These days front desk acts as a one-stop shop service and a city guide for wellheeled travellers. A front desk plays an important role to ensure guest loyalty is maintained at all given points in time. From remembering guest preferences to making pre-arrival arrangements and organizing future reservations, ‘front desk’ sure denote lots of things today.”

Stating how big of a role does technology plays in evolution of the role of front desk Desai says “Hotel front desk agents are the first line of customer support in the hospitality industry. Over the years, hotel record keeping has evolved from paper-based systems to computerized technology. Today’s traveller carries numerous electronic devices and wireless Internet connectivity ranks at the top of the list for customer needs. Some luxury hotels provide iPads or smart phones to the customers for use during their stay. Guests can use the hotel’s web application to access room service options via an e-dining Internet site, or use an interactive service that finds nearby restaurants, transportation or shopping.” “We certainly have come long way and waiting what lies in the future”, she adds.

Keeping abreast

Remaining au courant with the present trends when multi-tasking is involved is imperative.

Bakshi says “front desk associates are encouraged to take part in online and classroom trainings, where new trends in hospitality are discussed. Regular newsletters and hospitality news are circulated by Starwood to all employees to ensure everyone is up to date with current trends. In order to live up to our aim of providing personalized experiences to guests, we ensure associates are abreast with the trends and dynamics of the industry with information not only pertaining to the city but on a global scale.’’

At Shangri-La’s- Eros Hotel, New Delhi, the front office personnel are trained on a regular basis on guest handling skills, resolving guest complaints, voice training amongst other crucial training programs to provide their guests incomparable services and the true spirit of luxury.

Since Courtyard by Marriott is a global hotel chain, they update themselves with new trends by reading and sharing information on an internal online platform. ■

by ANUPRIYA BISHNOI

INTERVIEW F&B

Margins getting tougher for hotels in India

On meeting Ajay Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar hotels Pvt Ltd, at his office, he talks to us about the present trends and scenarios in the hospitality industry in India and gives insight on what difficulties are different segments of hotels facing and how they overcome the same. He emphasises on the current challenges that the industry is going through and says that good times can only be expected after October 2014. He says that with the cost of people, energy and food increasing, margins are getting tougher for hotels.

W

hat is your take on the present scenario of the hospitality industry in India and what are the challenges?

Ajay Bakaya

Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt Ltd

In India, large number of Indian owners still like the idea of a multinational brand. If they stand alone, they will have to face more difficult challenges but this doesn’t mean that the unbranded sector will shut down.

,,

22 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

There is a current over supply; the economy is growing at a 4.5-5% against the expected 8-10% so obviously things are slower. There is a strong challenge to average room rates and the challenge will continue. Business is almost similar to last year. But the costs have significantly gone up; the three major costs in running a hotel are the people, energy, and food. All the three are escalating. So the margins are getting tougher for hotels.

This will in-turn change a few things, the customer in India will have to get used to waiting, standing in queues, whether it’s for buffet, check-in or check-out. We have long queues at airports, we will have long queues in the hotels because we won’t be able to retain the number of staff that we have. If the business has to survive, something has to change. Also there is going to be advent of offsite power project. For saving energy the hotels will have to make an agreement with a third party, somebody who is setting up a power plant, for better rates of energy in the long run.

On the food front, it’s a challenge, there is no control. You can pass on some of it to the customer, you cannot pass on the big increases to the customer, because then you won’t have any customers. So the margins will be lower.

W

hich segment of hotel is booming?

Nothing is booming in India at the moment, if you talk about the city which is seeing a good time at the moment is Goa, which is leisure.

There is very strong demand destination

for travellers in India. They hardly have an off season.

Unless the elections produce a result, and a good result, we don’t see any change till the next 12 months. Boom scenarios are only expected after October 2014 because summers are not a glory period for hotels; it is only from October that we can expect something.

W

hat is happening to the leisure segment?

Everyone is working on lower margins. What is really happening now in the industry is that in coming times you will have some selected properties which will go on sale, which will be reflagged, rebranded. It is a good time for a smart buyer and if you get lucky then you will be able to buy properties at cost which is below the construction cost.

I

n such a situation also we see brands like Ritz Carlton opening up, what is the reason for this?

It decided to open up seven to ten years ago. That is the hotel business, I am not saying that hotel business is going to shut down or shut shop, we have seen this before, and we are seeing this again. It is neither the first time, nor the last time, it is cyclic. In this business you have to be prepared that your money payment will come to you in 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years.

So it is okay, we are not the only country in the world which goes through this cycle.

In 2005-07, every property dealer, every bottling person, etc everybody was ready to build a hotel, it’s not as simple as building and selling it out and getting out of it. A hotel is a long term asset, that’s the hotel business, it takes time. Properties like Ritz Carlton will come up, they have very high capital costs

INTERVIEW challenges, some people will have to sell out, and it will be difficult for them to survive, but this doesn’t mean that the unbranded sector will shut down.

W

hat is the scenario of average room rates, will they be seeing an increase?

I think at the moment it is in a plus-minus 5% range, some cities are down by 5 – 10% compared to last year, and the reason for this is oversupply. Gurgaon, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are such cities which have an oversupply. And places like Mumbai are seeing an increase of around 5-10%; here the supply in proportion is not that much more as compared to other cities and that is why they are seeing an increase.

W

hat do you see happening in terms of F&B trends?

I see that selling prices are coming lower and lower, as they have to now compete with successful, very efficient stand-alone restaurants in India. F&B outlets at hotels have to succeed, otherwise they are dead.

View from poolside at Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, Vayalar

and obviously very high debt repayments and they will have difficult times in first 5-10 years, but that is the nature of our business, you need sustaining power. Properties under any brand where the owner is unable to meet the debt obligations will have to sell it. There will be opportunities for smart buyer in the right place at the right time to buy properties at price less than repayment cost. For a standard 4-5 star hotel in India, it takes a minimum time of five years from buying a land to getting approvals, start building, complete building, and get your licenses. So if I am buying a built up hotel today, I am saving five years.

B

randed hotels are coming to small cities in India, where are the unbranded heading to?

If you look at the last 10 years, the international hotel brands which never existed in India have come here. So, obviously they are all looking out there to get into different cities. Secondly, more and more business is going to be transacted over the internet on systems. If you

take an average in India at the moment, total business coming out of net is between 15-18%, and that number is going to grow. Independent hotels will be having a difficult time, because they don’t have the proper distribution systems. The key would be to go for a tie-up.

Whether it is international or domestic, they need a tie-up. The other thing is a lot of owners recognise the fact that they need somebody to set systems, they need someone to run a hotel on proper professional efficient systems, and then they go to a company. Stand-alone is not going to die off or shut down; they will have high distribution costs. In some smaller cities it doesn’t matter, if you talk about a city like Bhiwadi, it doesn’t matter. But in all larger cities, you need proper distribution very badly.

So, the owners of unbranded hotels in smaller cities are signing on with a luxury brand because he believes he will get better distribution. The other thing is that in India, large number of Indian owners still like the idea of a multinational brand. If they stand alone, they will have to face more difficult

Traditionally, the core business of a hotel is to put people in beds. F&B is not their bread and butter. If that business goes well, then it is great but if it doesn’t go well, then its okay. It’s just a support to the accommodation business. That’s the classic conventional attitude of a hotelier to F&B. Hotels will have to be smart and will have to compete with the restaurants outside, so their pricing will always have to be competitive.

W

hat is new at Sarovar?

In last six months we have focused very strongly on looking at payroll costs and payroll numbers in all our hotels and we are spending more time in making F&B strong and more relevant. We want to bring in more life to our restaurants, I want to be smart enough to compete with stand-alone so I am going to change my presentation and my mindset. These are the key; it is tough time for everyone, let us cut costs as much as we can. We are monitoring our expenses very carefully. We have also launched a new website and now we are also accessible through all kinds of smart-phones and tablets. And we are still opening more hotels, we haven’t stopped opening hotels, we have on an average 4-6 hotels a year. ■ as told to NIKITA CHOPRA

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 23

REPORT

A Mixed Picture of Growth, Consolidation and Decline A Cushman & Wakefield Research and Hospitality Publication The third edition of Hotel Views report by Cushman & Wakefield describes hotel performances in the Asia Pacific region as a mixed picture of growth, consolidation and decline in different markets. However, most markets are experiencing continuous growth in their pipeline and room stocks both in terms of international and domestic brands. International hotel groups such as Hilton and Starwood are expanding rapidly in China, India and Indonesia. Currently, these three markets have the largest pipeline. We take a look in detail at what the report says about the hotel market in Delhi NCR and Mumbai.

NCR India ECONOMY

The National Capital Region (NCR) in India comprises urban areas of the National Capital Territory (Delhi), Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Manesar and has a total population of 16.3 mn. Delhi’s per capita income in FY2012-13 registered a growth of 6.9% YOY and was significantly higher than the national average of INR39,168. In FY2012-13, Delhi’s GDP registered a growth of 9% annually and contributed 4.0% to the country’s GDP. The region’s tertiary sector, comprising trade, hotels, restaurants, transportation, communication, business and financial services, real estate, storage, administration and other services, contributed 85.8% to Delhi’s GDP in FY2012-13 compared to 80.5% in FY05. Due to the continuous increase in the urbanization of the NCR, contribution from the primary and secondary sectors (i.e. agriculture and manufacturing) is steadily declining and currently stands at 0.6% and 13.6% respectively. The trade, hotels and restaurants sub-sector is the second largest contributor to the NCR’s economy after financial, insurance, real estate and business services, and contributes to one-fifth of the total State GSDP. This sector grew at 8.6% during FY13 over the previous year.

TOURISM ARRIVALS

Air arrivals decreased in FY2012-13 for the second time after a slump in FY2008-09 in the past five years. The Indira Gandhi International Airport welcomed total of 34.4 mn visitors, a decrease of 4.2% in FY2012-13 over FY2011-12. In FY2012-13, domestic arrivals declined by 9% to 22.8 mn, while foreign arrivals increased by 8% to 11.6 mn. The ratio of domestic to foreign arrivals was 66:34 in FY2012-13, against that of 70:30 in FY2011- 12. Delhi alone accounted for 11.3% of the total foreign tourist arrivals to the country with 2.3 mn. The top three source markets for foreign tourist arrivals to Delhi are the US, the UK and Canada with a respective 11%, 8% and 4% of total arrivals at its airport in 2011. Information retrieved from the Ministry of Tourism suggests that the total number of tourism arrivals in the capital state in 2012 was 20.8 mn, with a domestic to foreign ratio of 89:11. The growth rate was 19.9% for domestic and 8.6% for foreign tourists over 2011 levels. January is normally the peak month for visitors to Delhi; the period October to March achieves moderate peaks, while July to September is the low season.

Source:Airport Authority of India Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Delhi 24 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

REPORT has various micro-markets, namely Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and a few other cities that perform differently. Overall in the NCR in 2012,AOR dropped to 62.0% from 64.2% in the previous year and ADR to INR7,835 (USD147), down by 7% in its INR value over 2011 (-18.8% on the dollar value). As a result RevPAR declined to INR4,858 (USD91), marking a decrease of 10.2% on the rupee in 2012 over 2011.

The decrease in the key performance metrics is mainly a result of slower economic growth and significant additions to supply. Among the micro- markets, Delhi achieved the highest ADR of USD149, while Noida recorded an AOR of about 64% in 2012.This negative trend seems set to continue, as preliminary figures for 1H 2013 show a sluggish performance with ADR estimated to be USD132 against USD156 in 1H 2012, and AOR plummeting to 54% from 66% during the same period last year.

QUICK REVIEW HOTEL VIEWS 2013:

AOR was 64% in 2011 and was expected to increase to 65% in 2012.

However, it fell to 62% in 2012 as per latest estimates. l ADR was expected to increase to USD160 in 2012. However, it declined to USD147 in 2012 as per latest estimates. l Tourism Arrivals declined by 4.2% in FY2012-13 over the previous year; however, it increased by 20% in FY2011-12, over FY2010-11. l

HOTEL SUPPLY

The hotel performances in NCR have been declining over the past three years, with the exception of 2010 that showed a minor improvement over 2009 figures. The urban agglomeration of NCR

OUTLOOK Historically, NCR has been a lucrative market for most hospitality players, which can be ascertained by the quantum of inventory – existing and upcoming. The Hospitality District at DIAL will have an influx of fresh inventory in NCR in the second half of 2013, after obtaining clearance from the AAI. A total of over 4,200 keys are expected to open in the next five years in the Hospitality District alone. Delhi, the capital city of India, has outgrown its boundary as an agglomeration to its suburbs to accommodate its increasing population and livelihood. However, the demand of hospitality accommodation remains strong in the prime areas in the city. As the availability of land continues to be a constraint in these areas, this has triggered hotel development in micro-markets like Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad. ADR and AOR might experience further decreases in 2013, given the economic instability in the light of the impending General Elections due in 2014, coupled with the strong pipeline of new hotel inventory entering the market. The stiff competition, together with lower AOR, is likely to put downward pressure on ADR this year.

With such a scenario, budget and midscale segment hotels are likely to perform better than the upper upscale and luxury hotels, given their flexibility to play in a lower price segment.

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD FORECAST 2014 ADR (USD146) AOR (61%)

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HOTEL PERFORMANCE

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality

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NCR currently has over 23,500 units in the organized and unorganized segments, combined. Seventy-five percent of total units are in the organized sector. Micro-market wise, NCR has 65% of its total organized inventory in Delhi, 21% in Gurgaon, 5% in Noida and Greater Noida, 3% each in Manesar and Ghaziabad, and 2% in Faridabad. In 2012, the total inventory went up by 9%, that is, approximately 1,500 units entered the market last year. Prominent new entrants were Park Plaza by Sarovar Hotels and Kempinski Hotel in Delhi, Pullman Hotel and Double Tree

by Hilton in Gurgaon, Radisson Hotel in Ghaziabad and Savoy Suites in Manesar. Of the total NCR hotel inventory, the luxury segment contributes the highest share of about 34% of the total inventory, followed by midscale with 30%, upscale with 16% and upper upscale with 12%.The budget segment has the least contribution, amounting to only 8% of the total inventory. NCR has a robust pipeline of upcoming hotels with approximately 18,000 keys expected to enter the market over the next five years. The majority of this new supply is expected to be in Delhi (34%), given the development of the Hospitality District near the international airport. The opening of a number of new hotels in this area has been delayed by a few months because of safety and security concerns raised by the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

Noida has a share of about 25%, Gurgaon with 21%, Greater Noida 13%, Manesar 4%, and Faridabad 3% of the total upcoming supply in the NCR.

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 25

REPORT

Mumbai India ECONOMY

Mumbai, the economic hub of India, contributes over 20% to India’s total GDP.The urban agglomeration has a population of nearly 18.4 mn and as of the FY2012-13, it was estimated to have a GDP of over INR181,366 crores (USD40.4 6 bn), up by 0.03% YOY.The city houses the headquarters of major corporate houses like Reliance Industries, Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group and Essar Group, to name a few. India’s major financial institutions like Reserve Bank of India, National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange, as well as Multi-Commodity Exchange of India are also located in Mumbai.

The city’s diversified economy covers an entire gamut ranging from entertainment and media, to software, hospitality, textiles and manufacturing. Although with the growth of the city there has been a substantial decline in the number of industries, micro, small and medium size and manufacturing units in Mumbai still provide employment to nearly 0.24 mn people.

Source:Airport Authority of India

HOTEL SUPPLY

As of 2012, the total organized inventory accounted for over 14,000 keys.

The inventory is primarily dominated by the luxury segment with 33%, followed by 26% in the midscale segment, 21% in the budget segment, 12% in the upper upscale segment and 8% in the upscale segment. Five new hotels opened for business in 2012, adding a total of 1,193 keys to the existing room supply, namely Sofitel Mumbai in BKC with 300 keys, Shangri-La (to be rebranded) in Lower Parel with 390 keys, Ginger in Andheri with 116 keys, Country Inns and Suites with 94 keys, and Ibis and Royal Tulip in Navi Mumbai with 196 and 97 keys, respectively.

2013 has seen the introduction of only Residency Sarovar Portico in Malad with a total of 71 keys.

Source: Economic Survey of Maharashtra Note: Unit: INR Crores; Values include Mumbai City and Suburban and don’t reflect Greater Mumbai

TOURISM ARRIVALS

In FY2012-13, the total number of air arrivals surpassed 30 mn, of which 67% were domestic and 33% were international. Currently, Mumbai has only one airport with two terminal buildings, known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, which during FY2012-13 handled an average of 82,760 passengers daily. The key source markets in terms of total arrivals are the UK with 26%, the US with 23.7% and Canada with 6.7%. The good news is that the city is planning to add a new terminal to the existing airport and a new airport in Navi Mumbai. Chhatrapati Shivaji is expected to get a new terminal by the end of the year, referred to as T2. The capacity for the improved airport is approximately 40 mn passengers annually, spread over an area of 439,000 square meters (sqm). The new airport is to be called the Navi Mumbai International Airport and it aims to reduce the heavy congestion at Chattrapati. The new airport is to be ready by 2014. However, even though construction has not yet started, the recent approval by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests marks a major milestone for the project.

26 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

QUICK REVIEW HOTEL VIEWS 2013:

The AOR across all the hotels in the city reached 64% in 2012 as compared to 61% of our estimates. l ADR decreased to USD152 in 2012 from USD187 in 2011. l In FY2012-13, the city’s tourism witnessed a slight decrease of 1.8% YOY in overall visitor arrivals. l

REPORT HOTEL PERFORMANCE

In 2012, the estimated occupancy for the market was 64% , an increase of 3 percentage points YOY. Similarly, ADRs were recorded to be INR8,100 (USD152), having decreased by 7.3% in INR and 19.1% on the dollar YOY. A total of 1,193 keys across various segments were added to the hotel supply in 2012. The majority of the demand is driven by the business and transient segment, with an almost 70% share of total demand. In 1H 2013, Mumbai’s occupancy is estimated to have increased by 2 percentage points to 65% over 1H 2012. With respect to ADR, the city hotels suffered a 23.6% decline YOY in its INR value (-25.9% in USD), plummeting from INR10,100 (USD189) in 1H 2012 to INR7,714 (USD140) in 1H 2013.

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality

OUTLOOK

The year 2013 is set to see some major infrastructure facilities transform Mumbai. In particular, the new airport terminal is expected to start operations in October and should be able to handle up to 40 mn passengers annually. Further improvements include the proposed Mumbai Metro, which is expected to be operational beginning with Line 1 (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Corridor) by October 2013.

Hotel supply increased in 2013 and is set to continue to grow in 2014.

Next year, we would expect to see major additions to the city’s hotel inventory, such as JW Marriott Sahar Airport with 525 keys, Conrad Hilton in Juhu with 275 keys, Radisson Blu in Powai with 335 keys, IBIS in CST Mumbai with 196 keys, and Lemon Tree with 298 keys.

With further increases in supply, ADR and AOR are likely see a drop in the short-term.

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CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD FORECAST 2014 ADR (USD146) AOR (61%)

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December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 27

REPORT

WTTCII-HVS Report

States position themselves to become competitive for the hotel and tourism sector WTTC India Chapter has come together with HVS to create a state positioning in terms of infrastructure creation so that hotels and tourism can benefit and grow. In its report, it has transparently stated its competitive standards on numerous fronts. The winners were awarded at a recent function in New Delhi.

Rajendra Kumar, Jyotsna Suri, VK Duggal, Manish Chatrath, Ravindra Singh, Culture Secretary, Government of India and Amitabh Kant

Vipul Mittra, Secretary Tourism Govt of Gujarat receiving the Emerging Destination Award 2013

28 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

Manish Chatrath, Chairman DTTDC receiving the Destination Leadership Award 2013 on behalf of Govt of Delhi

REPORT

T Gangadharswamy, Joint Commissioner Govt of Karnataka receiving the Destination Stewardship Award 2013 on behalf of Government of Karnataka

In the foreground: Priya Paul and Sujeet Banerjee

Amitabh Kant, Vikram Madhok and Kapil Kaul

he World Travel & To u r i s m C o u nc i l India Initiative (WTTCII) and HVS, a leading hospitality consulting a nd ser v ices orga nization, collaborated to introduce the WTTCII-HVS ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’ Awards India, 2013.

Based on the 3rd edition of HVS’ India State Ranking Survey 2013, this unique and prestigious award aims at recognizing the various initiatives taken by the respective state governments in policy impetus and prioritization of Travel and Tourism – a key contributor to economic growth and a catalyst for overall development of the nation. The State Ranking Survey, conducted for the first time by HVS in 2009, focuses on one component of the Travel and Tourism industry – hotels – and aims to identify the best performing states in India when viewed from the prism of the hospitality business.

“In our inaugural report, our objective was to apply an analytical approach in order to identify the gaps in the Travel and Tourism industry, and highlight initiatives or inattention by the different state governments in India.

That this effort will encourage the state governments and the political leadership therein to take a more favourable stance towards the industry has always remained our conviction. It is indeed a positive reaffirmation to see that a number of state governments have implemented constructive measures and shown commendable progress, evident from the latest rankings.

Five years hence, HVS is pleased to present the third edition State Ranking Survey 2013”, said Manav Thadani, MRICS, Chairman, HVS South Asia.

“In India’s federal structure, the State’s policy initiatives

play a n imp or ta nt role to facilitate Tourism. Through the WTTCII-HVS Tourism for Tomorrow Awards India, the Tourism Industry of India aims to acknowledge and recognize States, which give maximum priority to Travel & Tourism in policy planning. WTTCII advocates that the private and public sector must come together and focus on long-term strategies, infrastructure and initiatives, not just short-term goals, to ensure that Travel & Tourism industry is ahead of the times. It is a known and proven fact that Travel & Tourism is a key contributor to the Indian economy through jobs, employment, GDP and investments. The awards will go a long way to champion the economic and social benefits of this great industry”, said Priya Paul, Chairperson, WTTCII. From here on, the ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’ Awards will be hosted as a perennial event, with the purpose of encouraging state governments and administrations to take the lead in India’s quest for excellence in Tourism.

The winning states in each of the three award categories were as follows: l Destination Leadership Award 2013 (State which has ranked overall first this year in the 3rd edition of HVS’ India State Ranking Survey 2013, on the basis of all ranking parameters): Delhi l Emerging Destination Award 2013 (State that has improved most from the preceding HVS survey in 2011): Gujarat l Destination Stewardship Award 2013 (State that has improved most since H VS initiated the original survey in 2009): Karnataka.

Rea d th e full re por t on th e proceeding pages

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 29

REPORT

State Ranking Survey 2013

T

he State Ranking Survey, conducted for the first time by HVS in 2009, was the first-ever initiative to assess the competitiveness of various states within India from the hospitality industr y's viewpoint.

In our inaugural report, our objective was to apply an analytical approach in order to identify the gaps in the Travel and Tourism i n d u s t r y, a n d h i g h l i g h t i n i t i a t i v e s o r inattention by the different state governments in India. That this effort will encourage the state governments and the political leadership therein to take a more favourable stance towards the industry has always remained our c o n v i c t i o n. I t i s in d e e d a p o s i t i v e reaffirmation to see that a number of state governments have implemented constructive measures and shown commendable progress, evident from the latest rankings revealed in this report. Five years hence, HVS is pleased to present its third edition – State Ranking Survey 2013.

Although India has made some headway in the recent past, it still has a long way to go in order to establish itself as a pro-tourism nation and be able to fully capitalise on the huge potential of the burgeoning Travel and Tourism industr y. Bet ter infrastructure, lower taxes, single-window clearances and regulation policy reforms have been some of the long-standing demands of the industry, and it is imperative that the government responds and takes concrete steps in this direction.

The State Ranking Survey focuses on one component of the Travel and Tourism industry – hotels – and aims to identif y the best performing states in India when viewed from the prism of the hospitality business. In the first survey in 2009, we had employed nine key parameters for evaluation and had subsequently added two more in 2011 to present a more accurate assessment. We continue with these 11 criteria in the present edition, to ensure a consistent and comparable assessment of the states’ performance.

Ta b l e 2 p r e s e n t s t h e 11 i d e n t i f i e d parameters used to determine the actual ranking index and their respective weights, corresponding to their impact on the hospitality industry.

30 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

E a c h o f t h e s e p ar a m e t er s h a s b e en discussed in detail below.

Luxury Tax on Hotels Luxur y Tax is a state subject, and varies from state to state. It has been one of the most elusive enigmas of our industry, with constant tussles and endless dialogues having been exchanged between the state tourism secretaries and hospitality federations on one end, and the state finance ministries on the other, but hitherto failing to yield any effective results. In India, not only is the rate of taxation different in different states, the basis for computation of taxes also varies. So, while certain states charge Luxury Tax on actual tariff, others use published tariff as the basis of calculation. This makes the entire issue largely ambiguous in the minds of the consumer, even the discerning and the well-travelled, since hotels across the world have taxes applicable on actual room tariff. Additionally, when taxes are applied on published tariffs, it drives up the total cost of travel borne by the consumer, the effective tax outgo being substantially higher.

At a time when the hospitality industry is reeling under the effects of an economic slowdown, high domestic interest rates, escalating costs and record inflation, the government should consider rationalisation of the tax structure, which would help hotels clock higher revenues and profit margins.

Unfortunately, Luxury Tax on hotel rates, with its present amorphous nature, has a crippling effect on industry players, besides serving as a deterrent for consumers.

In order to assess the performance of the 29 sample states in this parameter, the Effective Tax Rate was calculated. This was computed

assuming a published tariff of `10,000 with a 25% discount to derive the actual tariff. Points were allotted based on seven point-brackets or tax ranges that were developed.

Most tourism heavy states such as Goa, Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu continue to capitalise on the industry by levying high rate of Luxury Tax in order to ensure that their economies directly benefit from travel and tourism. Notwithstanding the change in rankings, states such as Assam, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tripura have witnessed a somewhat positive transition towards lower luxury taxes since 2009, which is certainly a welcome measure. On the contrary, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal have increased their Luxur y Tax slabs over the last five years. Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha and Sikkim continue to levy no Luxury Tax on hotel rooms.

State Expenditure on Tourism In order to gauge the importance placed on travel and tourism by the states, expenditure on tourism versus the states’ total expenditure has been calculated. Tables 5 and 6 present our point allocation criteria and ranking of the states for this evaluation parameter.

The national average expenditure on tourism for the 29 states has seen a positive growth over a five-year period, up from 0.10% in 2008-09 to 0.18% in 2012-13.

Sikkim, which has been featuring in the top three in the last five years and currently tops the list, has trebled it tourism spend since 2009 in pure percentage terms. Goa, currently at number two, has increased its tourism spend from 0.2% in 2009 to 1.04% in 2013 – a whopping 420%

REPORT increase. Although not having altered its state tourism expenditure by a sizeable margin, Jammu & Kashmir continues to be a steady contender in this parameter with its sustained focus on tourism, securing its spot amongst the best three. Uttarakhand stands strong at number four with 0.3% of its fund allocation to tourism, up from 0.17% in 2009.

The biggest 'mover' has been Punjab, with a considerable increase in its tourism spend and a movement up the ranks by 14 places, from 29th in 2009 to 15th this year. Punjab is followed by Karnataka, up 12 ranks in five years, although it has slipped one place since the last survey.

Kerala, Meghalaya, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal have also shown positive improvement over the five-year period. Having said this, it is a little distressing to learn that the budgetary allocation for tourism in all these states is lower than the national average of 0.18%, the highest being Kerala at 0.15% and the lowest being West Bengal at 0.03%.

On the downside, Jharkhand disappoints with it dismal performance, slipping 20 places since 2009, its tourism expenditure having declined from 0.14% to a meagre 0.02% at present. With the state government directing all its efforts to tackle the growing menace of terrorism, extremism and insurgency, tourism is understandably not in its list of priorities.

Of the seven North-eastern states, four states – Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh – have been on a downhill journey since 2009, each having dropped by 8 to12 ranks. The Southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh recite the same story, each having lost 10 places in five years. Both have reduced their tourism budgetary provisions by only 0.01% since 2009, but owing to the significant improvement by competitor states, the fall in rankings has been quite drastic.

Despite Maharashtra having the nation's highest revenue and capital expenditures earmarked for a state, it shows diminishing concern towards the tourism sector having reduced its tourism spend from 0.17% in 2009 to 0.15% in 2011 and further down to 0.09% this year.

Tourist Arrivals A state's actual performance in the number of tourist arrivals per year is one of the best indicators of its tourism attractiveness and consequently the demand generated. On a country wide level,there has been an upward trend in tourist arrivals across the board.

According to the World Travel & Tourism

Council's (WTTC) Economic Impact 2013 – India report, the number of domestic tourist visits in 2012 (1,036 million) registered an increase of close to 20 % over 2011.

International tourist arrivals, on the other hand, were recorded at 6.6 million in 2012, an increase of 4.3% over the previous year.

Our ranking methodology accounts for both international and domestic tourist arrivals, with equal weights given to both.

Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have topped the rankings over the last five years, while Maharashtra has moved up three places since 2009 to join these states at the number one spot, on the back of a steady increase in both domestic and international tourist arrivals.

Interestingly, Tamil Nadu has, for the first time, outperformed Uttar Pradesh in domestic tourist arrivals, whilst Andhra Pradesh continues to see a large influx of domestic visitors, especially to the pilgrimage city of Tirupati.

R e m a r k a b l y, b o t h J h a r k h a n d a n d Chhattisgarh have shown steady improvement, having moved up by 5 and 4 spots respectively in each of the last two editions of our survey.

Although Jharkhand performs well in both domestic and international tourist visitations, it is primarily an improvement in domestic tourist numbers in case of Chhattisgarh. Bihar and Himachal Pradesh have also shown noteworthy progress since our first survey.

Surprisingly, Goa, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, has been the worst performer, having fallen two places since 2011 and five places since 2009. The trend, unfortunately, is also evident in other tourism-rich states such as Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir, with the consolidated tourist arrival rankings deteriorating over the last five years.

Number of Branded Rooms The number of branded hotel rooms in a market is indicative of its perceived economic potential, tourism demand and anticipated business potential. The market entry strategy for any international or domestic brand encompasses a cautious judgement of multiple criteria, the most important being the overall market attractiveness defined by the market size, existing and future demand generators, growth potential, and other macro-economic factors. Consequently, brands’ choices reflect the states' perceived economic position and hospitality competitiveness.

Delhi continues to surge ahead of the

competition by virtue of being the country's capital, a significant port of entry/exit for tourists as well as an important business destination. Goa ranks second, indicative of brands' eagerness to have a flag in this popular leisure destination. Har yana, which relies heavily on the ascent of Gurgaon, retains its third spot and is expected to advance further in the forthcoming years.

Up by eight ranks, Punjab has shown the biggest improvement, having increased its branded supply from just 3 hotels in 2009 to 18 hotels in 2013. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have also witnessed steady growth and greater penetration of branded hotel rooms.

With negligible or no addition to their branded hotel pipeline Sikkim, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh have suffered the steepest slump, with the other states rapidly increasing their inventory and pushing these states further down in their rankings.

GSDP Per Capita The most conclusive determinant of economic activity in a state, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is indicative of three crucial f ac tor s compr ising the s t ate economy : expenditure, output, and income. As a measure of the economic well-being of a state, the GSDP per capita reveals demand for consumer goods and services, and the standard of living of its people. The travel and tourism industry is susceptible to a wide range of internal and external forces and a detrimental economic situation can greatly undermine demand.

Consequently, GSDP per capita – a critical evaluation criterion, was introduced as a ranking parameter in 2011 and continues to be one of the fundamentals for our comparison.

Goa and Delhi continue to hold the top spots in this parameter, while we have a surprise entrant in the third position – Sikkim, which has risen eight places since the last survey.

Resultantly, Haryana and Maharashtra have been pushed one place down in the ranking despite showing progress in their per capita figures. Both Rajasthan and Nagaland have also performed better, having moved up five places since 2011.

It is disappointing that some of the biggest economies in the country have taken a plunge in this year’s rankings. While Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka have dropped 1-2 places, the worst regression has been shown

by Tamil Nadu and Punjab with a three-rank drop. Furthermore, Uttar Pradesh, which ranks

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 31

REPORT second highest in terms of absolute value of output amongst all states, has one of the nation's lowest per capita incomes, ranking 28th in this parameter.

Effectiveness of Marketing Campaign Destination marketing is an amalgam of strategically co-ordinated activities that facilitate the achievement of the tourism policy and guide the tourism impact optimisation and maximisation of benefits for the state. Since marketing involves a comprehensive framework of multiple strategies, it is indeed difficult to evaluate all of them. Therefore, we have limited our focus to the assessment of the state tourism websites. This is under the premise that the information-intensive nature of the tourism and travel industry suggests an important role for web technology in the promotion and marketing of tourist destinations.

With travel purchases and reservations being one of the fastest growing segments of the Internet community, a well-designed website can facilitate planning of a range of tourism and travel services and help ensure that the right choices are made, resulting in a more enjoyable experience for the tourist. The content of tourism destination websites is particularly important because it directly influences the perceived image of the destination and creates a virtual experience for the tourist.

For our rankings, we have used Alexa.com, a subsidiary company of Amazon.com, which tracks traffic on all websites and is considered an international benchmark for website ratings.

There has been a positive transformation in the overall performance of India's state tourism websites, with the average Alexa rankings having improved over a five-year period, from 700,800 in 2009 to 578,719 in 2013. Although Incredible India, the country's official tourism campaign website, is still somewhat lagging in its ranking as compared to 2009, it has shown significant improvement since the last edition of this survey, up from 100,778 in 2011 to 59,399 this year. The Incredible India tourism campaign has generated significant global inbound travel; however, the message must constantly evolve and innovative marketing initiatives be developed for the campaign to stay competitive in the global marketplace.

While Bihar and Kerala continue to occupy the top two positions, the biggest movers in this criterion have been Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Mizoram. It is interesting to note that all three states have launched new tourism

32 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

websites that have evidently attracted greater online traffic.

Urbanisation The process of a society's transformation from a predominantly rural to a predominantly urban population is defined as Urbanisation. 'Urban' in India is defined as a human settlement with a minimum population of 5000 people, with a minimum of 75% of the male working population engaged in non-agricul tur al activities and a population density of at least 400 people per sq km.

The figures have been drawn from the last Census of India in 2011, and hence the rankings remain unaltered from the last edition of this survey.

Though the national urbanisation proportion has shown an improvement by four percentage points since the 2001 census, it is still relatively low at 31% (as per the 2011 Census). This increase in urbanisation, however, has not been uniform across states.

For instance, urbanisation in Kerala grew by over 20 percentage points, which is more likely explained by reclassification than by migration, while there was hardly any change in states such as Himachal Pradesh.

A mong all s t a te s, Delhi is the mos t urbanised with 97% urban population followed

by Goa with 62% of the population living in urban areas. At the other extreme are Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Odisha, which are amongst the least urbanised states in India.

Although Mizoram appears at number three, it is not an accurate representation of actual urban development, since the state's population is concentrated in and around a few cities while the rest of the state is mainly hills and valleys.

In terms of absolute number of persons living in urban areas, Maharashtra leads with about 51 million people, which is 14% of the total urban population of the country. Uttar Pradesh accounts for a little over 44 million followed by Tamil Nadu with 35 million.

Road and Rail Infrastructure Tr a n s p o r t p o l i c i e s a n d i n f r a s t r u c t u r e development influence the quality, capacity, extensiveness and efficiency of transport, which contributes to the competitiveness of the tourism industry. Although India ranks amongst the highest in the world by the sheer size of road and railway networks, the growth in rail and road infrastructure has not been commensurate with demand, leading to huge capacity constraints.

While the intent of the government may be in the right direction, there are multiple roadblocks that continue to hamper any move to accelerate development of road and railway infrastructure.

Funding constraints, land acquisition issues, delays related to identification and awarding of projects, difficulty in securing environmental clearances and shortage of skilled labour are some of the major reasons leading to time and cost overruns. Since, tourism in India is primarily domestic in nature with a heavy reliance on road and rail, there exists a dire need for a range of immediate interventions – from policy actions to regulatory reforms – in order to remove these roadblocks and accelerate infrastructure development and project implementation.

To suitably compare the states against this parameter, we have taken into account the total road length (surfaced road) and total railway route length per 100 sq km of area within the state.

Across two consecutive surveys, Delhi tops the overall leader board, emerging as number one in both railway and road infrastructure this year.

Punjab has shown considerable improvement in road infrastructure, having moved up four places and hence ranks a joint first overall in this parameter. Similarly, Odisha, Maharashtra and West Bengal have performed better due to a boost in their road infrastructure figures.

Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, has fallen four places and now ranks 6th, although it still counts among the top 25% of states in India in terms of road and rail connections. Haryana and Gujarat at 9th and Andhra Pradesh at 16th have also dropped considerably in this year's rankings.

Aircraft Movement The Indian aviation sector has changed rapidly over the last decade with the sector showing tremendous growth supported by structural reforms, airpor t modernisation, entr y of private airlines, adoption of low fare-no frill models and improvement in service standards.

The industry has grown at a 16% CAGR in passenger traffic terms over the past decade and air travel is gradually being transformed into a mode of mass transportation. With a growing middle- and higher-income population, favourable demographics, economic growth, higher disposable incomes, rising aspirations of the middle class, and overall low penetration levels (less than 3%), there remains strong long-term growth potential.1 However, the domestic aviation sector continues to operate in a high-cost environment due to high taxes

REPORT

Table 27 – Consolidate Rankings

on aviation turbine fuel, high airport charges, significant congestion at major airports, dearth of experienced commercial pilots, inflexible labour laws and overall high cost of capital.

While most of these factors are not under direct control of airline operators, the problems have compounded due to industry-wide capacity additions, much in excess of actual demand.

The total aircraft movement is reflective of all the factors that an airline would take into consideration in its decision-making process for flying certain routes, and is a good indicator of overall airport infrastructure.

The rankings have not seen much alteration since the last edition of this report.

Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu continue to be the top three. In fact, the three main airports in each of these states – Indira Gandhi International, Chhatrapati Shivaji International and Chennai International Airport, accounted for 42% of the aircraft movement across all airports in India. Andhra Pradesh, with its award-winning Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, comes back in the top five after five

years, surpassing West Bengal.

Haryana is the only state that witnesses high levels of economic activity mainly in Gurgaon but does not have its own airport.

This is because of its proximity to New Delhi, thereby benefitting from the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Literacy Rate Literacy level and education attainment are vital indicators of development in a society.

Although a pertinent factor, the literacy rate of a state's population only has an indirect correlation with tourism. Consequently,ithas beenassignedtheleastweightagein all our 11 ranking parameters. Tables 24 and 25 present our scoring methodology along with the ranking of the states.

The figures have been drawn from the last Census of India in 2011, and hence the rankings remain unaltered from the last edition of this survey.

On a national level, there has been a marked improvement in the proportion of literates in

the last decade. Literates in 2011 constituted 74% of the total population, as compared to 65% in 2001. Kerala with 93.9% ranks first, followed by Mizoram and Tripura at second and third position with 91.6% and 87.8% literacy rate respectively. Bihar with its 63.8% literacy rate ranks last, even after having achieved a significant 26.3% increase since 2001.

Intangible Aspects This parameter captures the intangible aspects that support or hinder travel and tourism in the state. By giving it a 10% weight, we have tried to limit the impact of a subjective assessment to the best possible extent. The three key factors that shaped our decision to gauge these intangible aspects are (a) law and order conditions and safety and security for residents (b) availability of qualified human resources for travel and tourism and (c) the political stability of the state.

Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have been the consistent forerunner s in this parameter for two consecutive State Ranking Surveys – 2011 and 2013. Maharashtra and

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 33

REPORT Jammu & Kashmir have risen up the ranks due to gradually recovering law and order in these states in the last two years.

Goa takes the biggest hit, falling 22 places over a five-year period. Crime in this idyllic tourist hotspot has risen alarmingly, with mafia and drug cartels, human trafficking, child prostitution, murder and sexual assaults against foreign tourists. This disturbing fact and frequent changes in Goa’s political administration have earned poor scores for the state in the security and political stability parameters. The situation in Delhi is also disconcerting, with escalating crime rates; 2012 alone witnessed a whopping 23.43% and 10.45% increase respectively in rape and molestation cases in the state.

Likewise, the deterioration of law and order situation in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, with countless reported incidents of rape, murder and other criminal offences have led to a major drop in the states’ rankings. Andhra Pradesh continues to suffer lows cores in both the aforementioned parameters due to the ongoing Telengana dispute.

Consolidated Rankings Table 27 presents the consolidated rankings across parameters.

The Biggest Movers Table 29 presents the biggest movers over a three-year period.

The Top Five Delhi, which ranked third in our last survey, is at number one this year. Overall it has been a remarkable leap for the state, having moved up five ranks in five years. Home to the country's capital, the state has shown significant progress over 2011, achieving the highest scores in seven out of 11 parameters, besides improving considerably in three more. The state has made a reduction in Luxury Tax on hotels as well as increased its budgetary provisions for State Expenditure on Tourism from 0.06% to 0.10%. It has done well in its tourism marketing campaign with the popularity of the state's tourism website going up by 8 ranks since 2011. Regrettably, Delhi has slipped six places in the Intangible Aspects parameter, on the back of a rising trajectory of criminal incidents.

Last year’s winner, Maharashtra slips one place and ranks second in this survey. Although scoring full points in only two parameters – GSDP per capita and Aircraft Movement, the state has performed moderately well across the board.

Additionally, the Intangible Aspects parameter has

34 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

also seen an improvement. However, reductions in the state tourism spend and a lower ranking of the state tourism website have brought down the overall score for the state.

Scoring full marks in four parameters and improving its budgetary allocation for tourism expenditure, Goa continues to feature in the top three. However, a drop in scores in Tourist Arrivals and Intangible Aspects offsets this improvement, in a way that the overall score remains almost the same as 2011. With Delhi entering first place and it raising the overall benchmark score by 8%, Goa's rank goes down to number three. The state continues to take a hit because of the growing concerns of safety and security. Goa is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the country, but there is an inherent difficulty in land acquisition for new investments. Given the sociological and political structure in Goa, lobbies play a major role when it comes to any kind of investment in the state.

Lack of clarity in land titles, tedious paperwork and a complex r egula tor y env ironmen t discourage an investor from entering Goa. Furthermore, in order to attract private investors, good connectivity, better infrastructure and better public management are pre-requisites.

Gujarat has shown commendable improvement and is the biggest mover amongst all states since the last survey. The state has moved up from seventh right at number four. Over a five-year period the state has jumped forward by five places. Increased supply of branded

hotel rooms, a higher per capita income and a better ranking of its state tourism website have all contributed to this achievement. Although it has scored the highest in only two criteria, the state has consistently performed well across all parameters. The only drop has been in terms of Road and Railway Infrastructure. This is because the state’s progress has not been in tandem with some other states that have significantly upgraded their infrastructure facilities.

At number five, we have the two southern states Kerala and Karnataka. Considering its performance since 2009, it has predominantly been an uphill journey for Karnataka. While the state has dropped one position from the last survey, it has moved up seven ranks since 2009. The state has scored higher in terms of Tourist Arrivals and GSDP per capita, but has lost marks on the Effectiveness of Marketing Campaign and Intangible Aspects. Although there are no highest scores achieved in any of the parameters, Karnataka scores reasonably well in most and hence manages to secure a place in the top five. Kerala, on the other hand, had taken a dip in 2011, and is hopefully on a path to recovery, having moved up from 6th to 5th position this year. With an effective marketing campaign and the highest literacy rate, the states scores full marks in these two parameters. Having increased the per capita income and with no deterioration in any of the parameters, vis-a-vis last year, Kerala has rightfully re-entered in the top five. ■

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GM SPEAK

Louis Sailer Leela Delhi gets a new GM

This month in GM Speak, we catch up with Louis Sailer, a recent addition to the team at The Leela Palace New Delhi. Within less than a month of taking over, he is quietly confident of his role in running one of the most prestigious hotels in the country and is eagerly looking forward to learning about the culture of the people, understanding his new team and taking the property to the next level in terms of service and luxury. With three decades of experience in the global hospitality industry, this is his first assignment in the country and he appears charged to take on the Indian market.

B

efore coming here what was your perception of the Indian hotel industry and how would you describe it to today?

Louis Sailer

General Manager, Leela Palace New Delhi

I have learnt over the years that even if you think you are the best, there is always better. The base I have is very good. For me it is now to take it to the next level.

,,

36 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

I think when you refer to Indian hospitality, as an outsider one first thinks of the big names such as The Leela, The Imperial, the Taj and the Oberoi. When I came in, nothing really surprised me in any form. Look at where we sit right now, The Leela Delhi can compete with any luxury hotel in the world.

In terms of working here, it is no different than in any other part of the world. I believe this is a misperception that when we work in one country, and then for the first time you go outside your country, you get a culture shock. I am fortunate enough to have worked in many different countries and in many different cultures. So for me it is very simple. I come in, I have a product which is unmatched and the people are the same. The people are all human beings and you have to work together. I will take that element and take it to the level that it needs to be at.

Also when you have luckily experienced working on a global platform, you don’t bring your culture with you. I am not here to impose culture on my staff. I am here to understand and to enrich myself with knowledge first and then operate within this cultural parameter.

I believe that knowledge is power and I have much to learn about India.

For instance, if I learn more about Indian food despite being a foreigner, it positively motivates by team to race with me and be a step ahead of me. If I keep this race going, suddenly I see an army of beautiful people rising to higher level armed with greater knowledge. This gives them the confidence and the grace to attend to guests. I would not

expect from my staff anything more than I am not willing to do myself.

W

hat are the learnings from your experience overseas that you find will specifically benefit your role as GM in an Indian hotel?

When you two-three decades of overseas experience, you learn what works and what does not work. You know what the target and the goal is and then you make sure to apply the right methods to achieve it. And here it is about working with people. You must understand the culture first and must be accepted by the people who work with you to be able to move forward. If you come in here with an attitude of my way or the high way, then that is absolutely wrong. This is old school thought and doesn’t work today. Today the kids are modern and highly educated.

T

he Leela Palace New Delhi has an image of being very exclusive and catering only to a select audience.

Would you say this is correct? And does it sometimes compromise the ability to build an image of being a popular hotel?

I would say it might be a misconception that the hotel is only for a select few. I think it is a luxury hotel for everyone, of course at a certain price tag attached to it. I would love to see more guests from the neighbourhood. The restaurants for instance, are easily accessible and the price point is not more than in other similar establishments in town. We also often introduce promotions to spend a nice weekend and use the spa and thereby attract more guests.

We break the ice the moment a guest enters the hotel and make you feel welcome. We are

GM SPEAK

approachable. It’s the people who work here, who have a big heart and make everyone comfortable.

W

hat is your immediate goal for the property?

My main goal has been to meet my team, to understand who is on my team, to understand the strengths, to know where knowledge needs to be supplemented and then to balance them out and give them the tools on the knowledge perspective so that they can deliver on that we promise the guests.

The base I already have is very good. For me it is now to take it to the next level. I have learnt over the years that even if you think you are the best of the best, there is always better.

W

hat do you feel The Leela Delhi offers to its guests that no other hotel in the same segment does?

l

Having seen quite a few hotels in Delhi, when it comes to the product, I am yet to see a hotel which can match the stature of this hotel.

The Leela Palace is beautiful. When you walk around, you will realize it is more than just a luxury hotel, it is personal and has a lot of passion in it. You will discover there is a lot of personal engagement and every element has been thought through. There are many areas at the Leela Delhi which tell stories. This is home away from home.

When faced with a difficult guest, one must: listen. Try and understand your customer only then can you help.

W

QUICK QUESTIONS: l

Best part of your day is: every second

Essential qualities in a good GM are: Passion, leadership and a very good business acumen l

The best thing about my hotel is: the product and the people l

A successful hotel needs: a perfect balance between software that is people and hardware. So if you have a fantastic product to match with a fantastic team you are on the right track. l

hat do you offer that goes beyond the expected standards of luxury?

I find that people who have the money, don’t mind spending it, provided the experience offered is seamless. You can’t have any process fault. They don’t mind paying a heavy price,

but you have to live up to the promise you make. Very often, people who pay high rates, expect that all the services they seek, should ideally be delivered before they even ask for it.

Secondly, it is important to know your guest. There is no such thing as one approach fits all. You have to constantly change your approach based on the guest. We do a lot of personalised elements. For instance, if we have a first time guest then we have to live up to our promise in terms of facilities and services. This is just the first step. If they come back for a repeat stay, then during their stay they would have mentioned a few preferences and this is recorded with us. So when they come back it is already taken care of, such as an extra towel in your room, or your preference in coffee.

W

hat is your vision for your hotel, say 5 years from now?

Ideally The Leela Delhi will be a destination by itself. So that people come to Delhi because they want to go to The Leela Palace. If Delhi is part of journey or stop over or your business trip, we want you to come to us and experience The Leela Palace hospitality. ■

by PRIYAANKA BERRY

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 37

SPA SPEAK

Spa industry in India – The next big thing?

A regular spa-goer today is looking for more than a basic massage, he is looking for a wellness experience.

With more and more people willing to spend big bucks on skin care and wellness therapies, the spa industry is witnessing a boost. According to a recent survey

by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the wellness industry is expected to touch 950 billion INR by 2014, continuing on its growth trajectory at a CAGR of 18 to 20%.

HotelScapes talks to FJ Singh, Mananging Director, Pevonia India, asking him the trends and concerns in Spa industry.

W

hat are the current trends in the spa industry?

The hospitality industry, especially business hotels have taken the lead in setting up quality spas along with wellness facilities catering to the busy business travellers. A lot of focus is also being made on experience and relaxation areas such as the hamam, bio sauna, experience shower, heated pools and hydrotherapy.

W

hat treatments/therapies are most in demand by Indians?

In India, like Asia, the demand is more for massages for men and anti-aging skin care for women.

However there are other trends such as exfoliation and body wraps which are increasing in demand.

FJ Singh

Mananging Director, Pevonia India

The future of spa industry will be based on result oriented skincare and health therapies. India has the advantage of low manpower cost compared to the western world and also is able to offer services at different price points for different audience.

,,

W

hich cities in India are experiencing high demand – in what category of spa establishments, and how is it being met?

All the metro cities in the country which are showing high signs of stress levels and lifestyle concerns have created demand for urban spas. However other than hotels, standalone spas cannot afford to offer luxury space due to high real estate cost and are limited to therapy rooms.

H

ow can we go about creating standards and category segmentation in the industry?

We don’t need to make category segmentation as it is a very small industry. However certain standards need to be laid down and regularized specially with regards to hygiene, qualification/skill training and product registration.

38 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

H

ow much is India ready for the spa experience and not just a massage centre? And at what price point is it feasible?

There is a growing awareness. However it will take 4-5 years for the market to mature. The future will be based on result oriented skincare and health therapies. India has the advantage of low manpower cost compared to the western world and also is able to offer services at different price points for different audience. The feasibility for the business for a good business model comes at an average of ` 2,500 per hour treatment where the 50% occupancy for spas having good standards and quality staff.

L

ack of manpower is a constant concern, what measures would you recommend to address this?

There is enough manpower. However the lack of focus on education has resulted in fewer options for people to get trained. We have set up a Spa and Wellness Institute which has a capacity to train 500-600 students per year and have successfully placed students in the leading hospitality chains in the country.

L

astly what do you see is the potential of the spa industry in India and how will Pevonia feature in this?

The potential of the spa industry will be in the luxury space and Pevonia would be one of the leading spa line in skin care and result oriented spa therapies bringing profitability and educational support in the industry. ■

by ANUPRIYA BISHNOI

SPA SPEAK

Going an Extra Mile for Exclusive Experiences The hotel spa industry is growing and getting increasingly competitive. It is paramount to maintain and edge over the others and offer your guests an exclusive, professional and authentic experience. We take a look at how leading spas are commissioning a range of exclusive spa products for use in their spas so that to go the extra mile in providing the best of quality.

A

long with offering it s g ue s t s w it h a serene experience and its rejuvenating therapies, a spa these days invests a lot into other exclusivities which go beyond to form a brand identity for them and adds on to the experience of the guest. Here, we are not only talking about the exclusive signature treatments of spas inside hotels but also about some niche products which add on to the whole experience.

Ananda in the Himalayas specially gets all the products produced for their specific use only. The fragrance that they use in the premises is their signature fragrance developed by the Ananda and has been patented by the developers. They strive to provide a complete traditional I nd ia n e x p e r ience to t hei r customers, and hence, they also have a specific Kurta Pyjama made for their guests. Once the guest enters the resort and spa, they are asked to change in the Kurta Pyjama which would help them in easing out and releasing bad energies from their body. Talking about the evolution of this concept and the material used to prepare it, Colin Gary Hall, Corporate Head, Spa Operations, Ananda in the Himalayas says, “Ananda is the one of the only hotels or resorts in the world (if not the only, then definitely the first) to introduce the concept of providing cotton Kurta Pyjamas in all the guest

People meditating in the signature Kurta Pyjama at Ananda in the Himalayas

Wet Table Technology at The Lalit

rooms for use when the guest is staying at Ananda. This was an idea that was introduced by our founders while conceptualizing Ananda. They felt that eliminating the daily stress or thought of having to figure out what to wear everyday would be a welcome change for our already cluttered minds. The Kurta Pyjama is made with pure cotton and has become synonymous with the Ananda experience. Guests love

40 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

Signature towels at The Imperial

the fact that they can come to Ananda without having to pack a single piece of clothing. These are comfortable to live in day in and day out.”

Adding a luxurious element to the practical necessities of their spa, The Imperial Spa has included many elements which enhance the signature look and feel of the spa. One element of exclusivity which adds to the experience of their guests is the ‘Natura Bisse’

products which are used only at this spa. The towels and robes used in the spa are exclusively prepared by the spa, taking care of minute specifications to serve best standards of experience to their guests. Talking about the reason behind introducing these exclusive experiences, J Tara Herron, Director, The Imperial Spa and Salon says, “I wanted to enrich the guest experience by i nt ro duci ng tac t i le a nd

SPA SPEAK visual elements that reflected our philosophy and ambience.

One of the most impor tant purchases that you will make for spa operations is your towels, as they speak of the quality of service promised and can add a luxurious element to this practical necessity.”

“A s o u r r o o m s a n d t h e majority of the spa areas have cool white and grey marble walls and floors, I felt that a highly textured couch towel that was light yet cosy was necessary to add a soft sensitivity. We collaborated, with our hotel towel manufacturer, to develop a signature white weave that has a ribbed type of texture with a plush thread and produced a super large sizes towel so that they fall over the breadth and length of the couch almost to the floor on all sides,” she adds.

This adds a luxurious soft, elegant and indulgent look and delivers a very cosseted and comfortable contact experience for the skin. In the treatment rooms they also use a turmeric yellow extra large bath size towel with finer thread for other spa therapies that use salts, mud and heavier products to preserve the textured towels predominantly for massage and facials.

In their Kerala Suite where heavy and traditional Ayurvedic oils and powders are used they provide large rich brown earthy towels with a dense medium weave pile to keep the guest warm and the colour does not show potential product stains.

Ta lking about the robes, she says, “our guest spa robes are a ref lection of the whole spa concept and Tikri art work that is embellished in the walls in some of our rooms and the colour embraces the turmeric theme of the towels. Turmeric is a healing and well loved medicinal ingredient in food and products symbolising purification and spirituality, so fitting for the spa

Colin Gary Hall

J Tara Herron

Shalini Tewari

The fragrance we use in the premises is our signature fragrance developed by Ananda and has been patented by the developers.

We collaborated, with our hotel towel manufacturer, to develop a signature white weave that has a ribbed type of texture with a plush thread.

In a bid to enhance guest experience we have invested in Aqa Wood, lemi’s newest in wet table technology in some cities.

environment. Our robes are finely woven 100% cotton embroidered in a rich burgundy colour with the Tikri design to the borders.

Our guests love the look and feel of these very unique Imperial Sufi robes which we also retail for 6000 INR for ladies and gents.”

T hey ke e p fou r si z e s i n stock so that more petite ladies and larger gents can find a robe that fits well. They also have designated towels for different purposes, “we have many small hand towels, hair and body bath size towels in a soft coffee colour of a medium weave that facilitates our hydrotherapy changing areas,” tells Herron.

Ta l k i n g f u r t h e r a b o u t exclusivity we talked to Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, who in a bid to enhance guest experience have invested in Aqa Wood, lemi’s newest in wet table technology which is exclusive to Mumbai, Kolkatta and Chandigarh’s Rejuve

(spa) . “It is equipped with a hydrotherapy massage brush that makes it ideal for wet treatments such as scrubs, body wraps and mud therapies and is also perfect for rinsing the body at the end of a treatment, thus avoiding the need for a separate shower in the cabin’’ says Shalini Tewari, Corp Head Spa and Loyalty Programs, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group.

Talking further Lalit also provides Venus Water Massage Beds from Nilo which is exclusive to Rejuve Mumbai. “Venus Water Massage Beds from Nilo for beauty and wellness offers a unique multisensoria l experience which involves smell (aromatherapy), sight (colour therapy), sound (relaxing music, waterfalls) and touch, with the soft, embracing sensation of the warm water in the mattress. Heated light emitting beds offer a very unique multi sensorial delight’’, adds Tewari. “Along with all of these

Corporate Head, Spa Operations, Ananda in the Himalayas

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Director, The Imperial Spa and Salon

Corp Head Spa and Loyalty Programs, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group

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technological initiatives Rejuve Bekal grows many of its own fruits, veggies, herbs, and flowers and composts all organic waste to produce fertilizer plus, the resort seeks out locally produced perishable products and services to help reduce carbon emissions from long-distance transportation.

In a first of its kind in the country the resort recycles leftover organic food into organic fertilizer, uses bio-degradable chemicals during laundry and washing and has locally freshly cultivated fresh fruit and veggies supply product to the kitchen’’, she adds.

Prior to the new millennia, the spa industry made a great effort to establish a commercial and economic identity. Today, with more investments and new institutions, spa businesses and corporate identities continue to grow and be a pioneer in nice services. ■ team HOTELSCAPES

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 41

F&B

The coming together of India’s culinary stakeholders

Winner of 10th Annual Chef Awards 2013

Unveling Book of Incredible Chefs

L-R: Chef Sanjeev Kapoor & Chef Davinder Kumar

42 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

L-R: Chef Vikas Khanna & Chef Manjit Gill

Sunanda Pushkar

F&B

L-R: Winner of Master Chef International Confectionery – Chef Pawan Saxena, Chef Kunal Kapoor & Winner of Silver Hat Award – Chef Sabyasachi Gorai

L-R: Winner of Student Chef of the year – Megha Agarwal; Anil Bhandari, Chairperson, ICF & Shashi Tharoor

Winner of Silver Hat Award – Chef Sabyasachi Gorai

L-R: Chef Davinder Kumar, Anil Bhandari & Shashi Tharoor

Indian Cuisine is diverse and needs to be comprehended to present a complete picture to the world.

Our culinary heritage is so rich that it can be a driving tool for tourism, if used effectively. On the occasion of International Chef’s Day, Indian Culinary Forum got the renowned chefs from the industry together at one platform to discuss various subjects concerning the present state of culinary industry.

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his was a platform where great knowledge, expertise, and young budding talent came together.

Renowned veterans from the industry like Chef Manjit Gill, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Anil Bhandari, Chef Devendra Kumar and many more came on the panel and drew light on the present scenario and gave their valuable suggestions for the same. Along with this, students from various culinary institutes were also present at the forum to learn from these discussions.

T he pa nels involved discussion on topics like, Cuisine Tourism – through

an Indian perspective, standardization of Indian cuisine, culinary education in India and Food safety in India. Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC Ltd, the chief guest at the forum opens the discussion by talking about the potential that Indian cuisine holds and can be used for promoting the tourism of India. He says, “Cuisine can play a vital role in promoting tourism and there are immense opportunities available for the same. India’s incredible cuisine can act as a catalyst in India’s tourism, if promoted in the right way. India can easily be described from the perspective of cuisine tourism as

the fountain head of tastes and flavours.”

Following the panel discussions, the 10th Annual Metro Chef Awards were also organized by Indian Culinary Forum. Awards for various categories were distributed at the ceremony, involving Silver Hat Chef Award which was won by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai; also, Chef of the year award was won by Chef Pankaj Kumar.

In the following pages we bring to you a complete look of the discussions that took place at the forum and the suggestions given by the seasoned chefs for various issues being faced by the industry at the moment.

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 43

F&B

L-R: Chef Manish Mehrotra, Chef Davinder Kumar, Chef Arun Aggarwal, Sourish Bhattacharya and Chef Arun Chopra

Panel discussion at the ICF:

Taking Indian Cuisine to the world After focusing on the landscape and culture, India should now focus on its cuisine as a tool to promote tourism. Eminent personalities from the industry took this discussion forward and came out with interesting ideas.

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u i s i ne t o u r i s m , a topic of deep value for the tourism and hospitality industry of India was discussed at the Chef’s Summit 2013. Sourish Bhattacharya, renowned food critic, the moderator of the discussion began the panel by saying, “We have so much of wealth of food to offer, it is time that we turn it into an opportunity.

We can create an opportunity to get more people to come to India and discover more of India. The chefs can become the culinary ambassadors of our country.”

Perception around the world

It is high time now that the tourism industry focused on Food as a tool for promoting tourism in the country. Chef Davinder

Kumar, President, Indian Culinary Forum points out the potentials of the culinary tourism and the role it plays in the development of our economy. “ W hen we talk about culinary tourism, our food tourism, it’s a unique and memorable experience of eating and drinking. Today food tourism plays a vital role in the development of economy. It has the potential of sustaining the tourism, strengthening the economy and projecting to the world, various destinations in the country. Looking at diversified cuisine, India is the only country in the world which boasts of more than 22 registered cuisines and this is a great pride for all of us. Unfortunately it is not being so much projected worldwide; people are still only talking about

44 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

curries and tikkas of India.”

India, with a different cuisine in every region needs to project its diversity with a niche approach to the world outside. Chefs definitely have a huge role to play in doing the same. Chef Arun K. Agarwal, CEO, Hibiscus Consult, believes that much is not being done in this segment and there is a lot more to be done and worked upon.

Explaining his view on this, he says, “we do have restaurants, and we do have promotions at various places, but we need to do a lot more.

Foreign tourists are still not aware of the finesse of cuisines that India serves. If we properly promote our cuisine, it will bring more sales, for hotels, airlines and everyone else.

With promoting food, India will get a new competitive advantage, a unique selling proposition for its

promotion. We have so much to offer, different religions in India have varied cuisines and every festival has special food.”

Including India ns a nd foreigners, people are just aware of the North Indian food or know about the idlis and dosas from the South India. But that is not what Indian cuisine is all about, it is much beyond that. Cochin is the epicenter of cuisines in India but very few people know about this fact. Chef Manish Mehrotra from Indian Accent draws out three important things to be taken care of, he says, “For culinary tourism, first we have to change the mindset of the world that, Indians don’t eat only Chicken Tikka Masala or naan bread, and secondly, Indian food is not just a cheap greasy takeaway which you would order on Friday night and eat and sleep. The third thing is, first we as Indians need culinary tourism in India itself rather than calling people from outside to know about Indian food, because we Indians don’t know about Indian food at all. And definitely a lot of more things have to be done in this segment; culinary tourism basically means that if people are going to see Taj Mahal in Agra then they should also know about

F&B Agra’s Petha. So the Petha should be equally important as Taj Mahal for them; or for instance if they are going to Kashmir, to see the beautiful landscapes, then they should also be equally excited to taste Gushtaba or Rista-Gushtaba.”

Chefs are the ones who can easily take the cuisine forward and present a complete picture to the world outside. Chef Arun Chopra, co-founder at CASS India Hospitality Advisers Pvt Ltd agrees to the same and says that the only food that people are aware of from Indian cuisine is north-west frontier food followed by South Indian food. Adding on, he says, “As chefs ourselves, we have not gone into the cuisines of India. We have not educated or familiarised ourselves with different parts of India – 37 states and union territories but popular cuisines are just four or five. The canvas is huge for chefs like us to come forward and bring the cuisines of India. Show the diversity and the cultural aspect of India.”

How to promote Cuisine Tourism?

Culinary tours can be a mode to provide interesting knowledge ab out fo o d a nd b eve ra ge s , ingredients and spices of India. The itineraries for tourists interested in culinary tours can include visits to the vegetable and fruit market, seafood markets, spice markets, Indian herb gardens, there can be sessions for traditional pickle making and a lot more. Many such practical suggestions were given by the panellists after the discussion.

Adding on, and asking the chef community to come together for this initiative, Chef Agarwal says, “We should develop a central hub connecting key industry segments and partners with business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) relationships.

We should facilitate food and beverage discovery in all parts of India, including the creation,

production and marketing of products from farm to fork. We should accomplish our work through destination marketing organizations, industry trade associations, the media, IHMs and consumer food communities. We should develop Indian gastronomic centers in food capital of states.

It is the time we the Chef ’s Community should take lead to promote Culinary Tourism in our gastronomic country.”

Pointing out another interesting aspect, Chef Mehrotra says that we Indians make our cuisine sound so complicated that a foreigner doesn’t even think of trying it out at home.

He says, “First we have to change our mindset and also we need to make our cuisine look and sound less complicated. Whenever we

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to promote our culinary heritage and gastronomic wealth. He also suggests that we should have an Indian culinary festival, where the best chefs of the country gather together and produce the feast for the extravaganza.

At the national level first we need to discover the cuisine, before we standardise and project to the world. We must innovate, redefine the cuisine but shouldn’t compromise on the authenticity.

The heritage must be preserved.

We may become very modern, but we should not forget the values.

We should not go overboard where we forget the traditions.

Food tourism is a growing trend all over the world and if I look at India there is a tremendous change, there are food tours being conducted, daily food tours in all

FIRST WE AS INDIANS NEED CULINARY TOURISM IN INDIA ITSELF RATHER THAN CALLING PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE TO KNOW ABOUT INDIAN FOOD, BECAUSE WE INDIANS DON’T KNOW ABOUT INDIAN FOOD AT ALL.

explain our cuisine to people outside, we make it so complicated involving the traditions, different types of methods, spices, etc, so it becomes very complicated for a foreigner to even try it at home.

We should make it as simple as making a pizza so that everybody can try and become comfortable with it. It’s sad that having rich cuisine for such a long time we are still finding solutions to make it popular. So we have to first change our mindset and then change the mindset of the people.”

Sour ish Bhat tacha r ya , Food Writer, suggests that the government also has to come for wa rd a nd orga n ise fo o d promotions around the world, to make the world familiar with our cuisine. It’s time we did something

parts of the country are being run. Along with this, there are private tours as well as some tours being run by the government. So, the beginning is there, we as chefs have to change our mindset and know what regional cuisines are before we project to the world.

There is so much to be done, as a chef one should be presenting authentic cuisine. We shouldn’t compromise on authenticity. We need to standardise with the right spirit and in the right direction.

In today’s time, when the world has become so small with all social networking sites and blogs people tend to share their experiences immediately with their associates. Chef Chopra gives out suggestions to use the regional food and connect with the world

outside. He says, “Ours is a 5000 years heritage legacy and there have been influences of mughals, British, Portuguese to the already diversified food habits of our country. We can market cuisine tourism by using the regional food as a tool. Times have changed, world is getting smaller, travel is easier, and various regulations are now being given to food tourism.

Tourists want to know what why and how people eat at a particular destination, they also want to be familiar with the society. So, we have great opportunity in the segment. Experiences are immediately today talked about with the help of social media. And if the experience is positive, then you can get many more visitors to India. Dining is the second most important thing that a tourist spends for. So, the time is right to promote, events, tours and festivals. Culinary promotions must feature local fares and food activities where chefs take the centre stage. Unless we educate ourselves, we will not be able to give it to tourists.”

Add i ng on , he sug ge s t s, “As chefs we must understand the need of the new traveller.

We should innovate and adapt offerings, without affecting authenticity. We must also protect and recognise local produce and use them as often as possible.

We must also professionalise our human resource, which are in this valued chain and train and re-train them. In the end, I would like to say that we should learn from all over the globe from what is happening to food tourism around the world.

There is so much of interest for India, we just need to attach it together and take it to the culinary side. We have the opportunity as chefs to paint the canvas and provide unique attractions to our guests. We can open the cuisine treasure in abundance and give tourists a chance to sample a new taste every time they visit.” ■

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 45

F&B

L-R: Chef Manjit Gill, Anil Bhandari, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Zorawar Kalra

Panel discussion at the ICF:

Standardization needed in Indian Cuisine

People around the world still associate Indian cuisine only with kebabs and curries, they aren’t aware of the intricacies and richness of the same. To present a complete picture of the cuisine, it needs to be standardized. The seasoned chefs of India put forward their suggestions for the same.

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ndian cuisine is very diverse and spread in such different directions that it needs to be accumulated now to present a clear picture to the world. By Indian we don’t only mean the Indian food, but also the indigenous ingredients, the utensils, weights and measures along with a lot more. On talking to various renowned chefs and people from the industry, we bring to you the issues that the industry is facing in this regard and what possible solutions can be brought forward to overcome them.

D e s c r ibi n g t he on goi n g

scena rio in the industr y in terms of standardizing of Indian cuisine and how diverse it is, Anil Bhandari, Chairman, Organizing Committee of Chef Awards and Chairman, AB Smart Concepts points out a few advantages that the industry will have if standardization is done. He says, “industry is going to develop; the advantages of standardization of Indian cuisine are to preserve our heritage with the help of a lot of recipes, a lot of books, etc. It will help to promote authentic cuisine across the world. By standardization; you can give Indian cuisine a brand

46 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

identity so that this is authentic from Rajasthan to Cuttack. We need to provide consistency in educating chefs, recipes have to be standardized, and this is the right way a particular dish was invented. It will help culinary institutes for training young chefs.”

Issues and Concerns

Currently there are a lot of issues and everyone from the industry has a dif ferent perspec tive towards the same, but the basic crux is that we need to assimilate all of them and define all the segments, so that we can present

a clear picture to the rest of the world. Sharing his views on the same, Zorawar Kalra, Founder & Managing Director, Massive Restaurants says, “We have a very powerful cuisine, it needs to be presented in a better way on the global stage, and this is a major problem that we are facing and some of the really good restaurateurs need to learn. There are already various good restaurants, but it needs to be marketed better. It needs to be hyped better. It needs to be standardized in a systematic way.

Around the world it is thought that all the Indian food has haldi; they don’t know the diversity that our cuisine holds. According to various tourists, all the dishes in Indian cuisine are similar, they are just aware of the curries and the kebabs. And now to present the real picture of Indian cuisine on the global palette, we need to standardize the Indian food.

People now need to change their perception towards Indian cuisine; People around the world need to consider it now as a very unique cuisine, with a lot of

F&B depth and gastronomical fervor.

It depends on the chefs who are opening new restaurants, to present it in the right way, to market it in the right way.”

Anil Bhandari, further giving a few examples explains the perspective of the industry, “It is very complex, India is a vast country with different religions, has a variety of cuisines and recipes vary from region to region. For example, if we take haldi, it is different what you will get in Rajasthan from what you will get in South. We need to standardize the condiments and spices as well. Different me thodologies a nd st yle of cooking are there in India. No proper documentation or records are available of these styles or recipes. There is nobody who has recorded or has a standard of authentication of recipes.”

W h e r e a s , Ch e f S a nj e e v Kapoor, Founder & Director, Food Food channel has a different perspective and believes that food comes at a later stage first we need to define what exactly are we looking forward to standardize.

He says, “For standardization of Indian food, we need to first define Indian food, I think the bigger question lies that can we really define Indian food? And for that we need to define India first. Because there was a time when Pakistan was a part of India, Bangladesh was a part of India, so are we talking about the food of the undivided India or the present Indian food. We need to specify that which Indian food we want to standardize, of what time? Of how many years ago. The Indian food, the way we eat today, is not actually purely Indian.”

Bringing on another segment that needs to be standardized, Chef Manjit S. Gill, Corporate Chef, ITC Hotels talks about the ancient era, he says, “It is a very vast subject. Before we standardize the food, we must

understa nd the size of our food. We must understand the measuring size of our food.

Everyone talks about 5000 years of culture, history, legacy… when we talk about food, we start talking from 600 – 700 years back.

Where have the rest of the 4400 years gone? Nobody thinks about it. That is where the wealth, the knowledge, the skills, everything is in the manuscripts. When we share the knowledge, we only start talking from the Mughals and leave behind the rest of the 4, 400 years. Even if you see the Mughal food, it is not what is cooked here, and it is not only in India.”

Suggested processes

Conducting researches across the country and identifying an agency

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and measures. Secondly, we should write down all the recipes and have standard processes.

These will further help in being accurate. The third and the most important requirement for standardization is training, we need to tell young chefs about the authenticity of a particular dish, this will help us in creating standards for different dishes.

If one trains someone on how to make a particular dish again and again, this can then create a standard for that dish. In a single word, I would say that reception of Indian food should be done in a better way on the global front.”

F urthermore, Chef Kapoor doesn’t agree with documenting things a s he believes there shou ld b e s ome r o om le f t for creativ it y. He ha s been

WE HAVE A VERY POWERFUL CUISINE, IT NEEDS TO BE PRESENTED IN A BETTER WAY ON THE GLOBAL STAGE, AND THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT WE ARE FACING AND SOME OF THE REALLY GOOD RESTAURATEURS NEED TO LEARN.

or a department for authentication and documentation of spices and condiments, followed by recipes is one of the suggested solutions for this vast issue. Also, codification should be set for systematic classification of recipes.

Explaining it in a simpler way a nd brea k ing it into different steps, Zorawar Kalra says, “Standardization is a broad term, according to me; it basically consists of three parts, first, is documentation, many chefs in India today don’t use weights and measures ; they work on assumptions like a pinch or a mutthi. This is not the correct way, and cannot perfectly guide someone on how to measure the ingredients. We need to document the perfect weights

publishing a number of books with materials concerning the Indian food industry, and with his experience, he says, “It is very difficult to document things. In years of research, where we are sitting today, we know that it may be a good idea to first dig our past, know what goodness there was and I think there is so much that is there, I think if we have to standardization, let us first define, what India, when India and then let’s start naming indigenous ingredients first, and then indigenous techniques first, before we come on to recipes, because those a re rigorous.

We know these are indigenous genes. A grain of rice is such an important thing; it takes about 30,000 genes to make a grain of

rice. Once we decide on what we want, we are somebody who can help create this process and go after it. The biggest thing that is required is a custodian. We need one person who is custodian of this need and once we get there, I think everyone can then contribute as we all have a story to tell. The need on standardization that we want right now is to define what we are actually looking for, is it home style food, is it restaurant style food, what are we looking for.“ Whereas, Chef Gill says that before standardizing the food, we must talk about the pots and pans. Explaining it further, he says, “I feel sad that everybody is working on equipment which are westernized. We try to cook Indian food in the western ovens, pots and saucers. We don’t get the industry support in this sector. There is a particular size of utensils, pots and pans that must be used to make Indian food healthy, tasty and authentic.

People say Indian food is very heavy, and oily and not good for health, that is not true. They need to use the right pots, the right utensils to cook the perfect dish.

All the chefs must demand the kind of equipment, and pots and pans and tools you require to cook Indian food. Various companies make special ranges of utensils to cook Chinese food, because Chinese won’t cook in any other kind of saucers, so, why can’t we have those kinds of standards for Indian food too. We must understand the size of our food and help the industry to create these kinds of equipment that can do justice to our food.”

The basic benefit of standardization would be reaped by the industry as this will help foreigners to know what to expect from Indian cuisine. And this will further help chefs in meeting the customer’s expectation towards the cuisine. ■

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 47

F&B

L-R: Kandla Nijhowne, Chef Y.B. Mathur, NS Bhuie, Chef V.S. Datta and Chef Sudhakar Rao

Panel discussion at the ICF:

Culinary Education: industry needs to come forward The culinary art that these chefs present in the kitchen needs a lot of efficiency and understanding. For the same, one needs to undergo proper education and training. Here, the panelist discuss how can the standards of culinary education be enhanced in India.

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nvolving great expertise, finesse and artwork, culinary professionals need to take care of each and every detail while preparing the dish for their guest. For the same, one needs to be well versed theoretically and practically with all the intricate details that this segment involves.

Chef Virender S Datta, Founder, International Institute of Culinary Arts talks about the present state of culinary education in India, “Culinary education in India is still at a very infancy stage, we still believe that it is the job of hotels to train their chefs and culinary institutes have very little part in it. After having served the industry for over 45 years, as a chef and as a corporate executive I chose to open a culinary institute.

I firmly believed that this was an area which required maximum attention. An institute was the only forum where I could transfer it to the newcomers, to the future of the chef profession.”

Current Scenario of Culinary Education

Marking out the facts and figures of the supply and demand scale of the industry, N.S. Bhuie, former director of studies, National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology says, “every development starts with education. Priority should be given to education. India’s annual vocational capacity is only 3.1 billion whereas 90 % of total current jobs are skill based. And, only 6% of India’s population receives vocational education.

Now during the 12th Five Year Plan a 12% growth has been analysed and this 1% growth will create 2.5 crore direct and indirect jobs for the tourism sector. Out of this 36 lakhs for the next 5 year shall be the hospitality sector jobs. Now by this we can say that approximately 6 lakhs is the requirement every year for the trained manpower for the hospitality sector.”

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Chef Datta points out that the industry is still in the process of taking chefs by poaching. He says that hoteliers offer incentives, higher salaries, promotions, etc to take chefs. He believes that the industry should come along and join hands with the institutes from the beginning to know what the quality of their education is and suggest improvements, if required. “By involving yourself from the beginning, you will be drawing good students, committed students, who would join the profession and by working together with the institute from the very beginning, you will expose them to the best available in the industry also. The institutes would also like that the industry professionals come to the institutes, and share their knowledge and skills with their students. We are training the chefs of future. You are the end user of those products. You need to tell them now, what you want them to learn. So the

stalwarts of the industry should come forward, spare some time, come to the institutes and share with the students, what we expect from you when you come to us,” he adds on.

The industry can get involved with the institutes, audit them, tell them their shortcomings, and tell them how to improve it. This is the only method with the help of which, the students passing out will be industry ready. They won’t have to go through yet another training programme.

Chef Y. B. Mathur, senior executive chef, understanding his responsibility towards the budding young generation, he says, “It’s important for us to leave back some knowledge, some legacies, for the youngsters. As far as the challenges are concerned, there is a very large gap between the demand and supply, where the demand is higher. India would require nothing less than 14 thousand culinary professionals of various designations and skills.

So there is a huge demand in the industry. The industry itself is growing very large. The second gap is regarding the quality and bridging this quality gap is also important. These global brands which are settling into India, each of them come with their own standards which are different from other hotel companies but they are very high and very exact, and need to be followed.

So bridging this quality gap

F&B is another challenge that this industry is facing.”

Bringing Industry and Institutes Together

Kandla Nijhowne, Master Chef India fame says that she has never gone under proper culinary training. The circumstances were such which made her learn everything from the scratch.

But still she believes that it is of utmost importance for one to go under professional training to posses those flawless skills for this art. “I see a change in last ten years now, it’s not just about people who want to learn how to cook, but there are youngsters who want to be chefs. This is all kudos to hospitality and culinary education happening now. Culinary education has also moved and the technology is coming in, faculties are wonderful,

the cost is available for people to work on. Along with wonderful paycheques coming their way the best thing is that it is becoming a much respected industry. If you just say I am a cook it is looked at very differently today from what it was once,” she says.

India has a large number of institutes for Hotel Management but there are very few niche institutes which provide quality education in terms of culinary skills. Chef Sudhakar Rao, founder principal of Culinary Academy in Hyderabad talks about the shortcomings of the industry and institute and gives out some useful suggestions. “I would emphasise on the three major areas which we have to look at very strongly to make this culinary career as one of the priority profession for the young generation. Firstly, unfor tunately the culina r y

profession has not been centred as a priority profession; people’s first preferences are still engineering or management. We are failing in putting culinary profession as a priority professional option for students who come out from school. The second most important thing where I feel culinary education should strictly and very strongly emphasise is the industry skills. What is happening at the training level in the institute is that, we are teaching some of the most difficult skills to the students which are not available in this country. The industry’s role is very important to take the culinary education one step further. The industry needs to identify and strongly push forward the core specialisation among the students; otherwise what is happening is ultimately the student is unable to work in that segment where his

specialisation lies,” he says.

To enhance the quality of education delivered by culinary institutes the industry will have to come forward with the institutes and help them improving the same. This will also train the students in such a way that they are ready to work in the industry once they pass out.

Agreeing to the same, Chef Datta says, “As of today, the culinary institutes and the industry are not equal partners yet, we are leaving them two aside. I firmly believe that an institute can be as good as the industry thinks it is. But how would you know that, through our students, but that only comes at the end of the programme. You got to know the institute and the quality of product they are producing by joining them from the beginning.” ■

by NIKITA CHOPRA

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 49

F&B

Getting your Restaurant Service Right with Jessica Martin Following her family footsteps and winning the silver medal in Restaurant Services at World Skills Competition in Germany, gave Martin, Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador, a platform to follow her passion in a better and recognised way. On her recent visit to India, she talks to HotelScapes on her journey and the important aspects of the hospitality sector and her future plans too.

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ow did you come to join the hospitality sector?

My dad is a chef and restaurants were always a part of my family and an integral part of my growing up. Also I was always interested in cooking. The more I used to make cocktails or dishes, the more I wanted to do more. In fact I used to enjoy serving guests as well.

That’s precisely where my passion came from. I loved experimenting. So I guess it’s the family lineage that I am taking forward with young and innovative ideas.

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hat is your educational background and how far do you think vocational studies are important?

I have studied from NSW Northern Sydney Institute’s Ryde Campus where I completed a certificate IV in Hospitality Supervision. I don’t have a degree. I did vocational studies right after high-school. I think a field like Restaurant Services needs a lot of practice and vocational study lets you achieve that. I also believe I am here today because I practiced everything again and again till I got it right.

Jessica Martin

Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador

Today the trend in fine dining is gaining pace. People are going more refined with their taste. So to meet these expectations of guests, one needs to be highly proficient. Restaurant Services teaches you the finest aspects of this sector. You get more refined and learn the miniscule aspects of the job.

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50 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

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as your life changed after you won the silver medal at WorldSkills Competition?

Life has changed but I wouldn’t say there is a difference of day and night. The only difference is, you become more recognised for your skills. You become a mentor to new people who are preparing for the same competition. Also you get to train those people and sometimes you get to be a part of the judge panel too. You become a valuable part of World Skills as well. In short I would say you try to give back as much as they tried to give you once when you were learning.

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o you think restaurant service is a lifelong career for you or is it just a stepping stone for your future?

Restaurant Services is what I wanted to do and for the rest of my life I want to be in hospitality, whether that means working in a hotel or opening my own restaurant or consulting. Since I left school at 17 I knew that I wanted to do this. I didn’t want to study a degree in the university.

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ccording to you what are the current trends in dining?

I think today the trend in fine dining is gaining pace. People are going more refined with their taste. So to meet these expectations of guests, one needs to be highly proficient. From cutting the pineapple into the finest pieces to serving the chocolate cake in the appropriate portion to wrapping the table well, are some aspects guests look forward to and without the skills in Restaurant Services, it becomes difficult to accomplish each one of them. Restaurant Services teaches you the finest aspects of this sector. You get more refined and learn the miniscule aspects of the job.

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ere in India the trend of fast food is also on the rise.

Comment.

Fast food obviously is a big part of people’s life. People do rely on fast food but when you want to have a special occasion, you will never end up landing in a fast food restaurant. You will go to a fine diner for that “me’’ time. Even though the culture of fast food is evolving, you will never have a special occasion at a fast food restaurant and this will always be in trend especially in Europe.

F&B

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re you working in any restaurant or hotel?

Right now I am working as a Section Waiter at Sydney’s Momofuku Seiobo which is ranked in the top 100 restaurants in the world and number one in Australia

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hat are the challenges in this sector that you face?

In our sector we can’t get monotonous. If we do, we might lose our loyal and old patronage. Also serving people what they haven’t had ever is what I like. But this is not easy.

Learning new things is a challenge for me. For example when I went to Momofoku, I didn’t know much about wine. So I had to learn the miniscule aspects of it and I found that challenging. I want to do everything with perfection. So till the time I don’t hit it right, it remains a challenge for me.

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hat’s your advice to a person who wants to study in restaurant skills?

A person looking to make a mark in hospitality sector has to be passionate. You can’t win anything without it.

Restaurant Services is one such thing which are based on qualities like being friendly, patience etc.

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hat are your future plans?

My future plans keep changing. The more I learn, the more things I want to do. After I am done with India, I will go to Denmark as the world’s best restaurants are there.

I want to experience their dining style. My dream at this moment is to experience different kind of dining around the world and take that back home. I also want to have my own restaurant after 5-10 years which will have my niche. ■

by ANUPRIYA BISHNOI

There are many techniques which Martin has expertise in, one of which is carving a pineapple. She explains the technique to HotelScapes in detail.

The pineapple carving is done by holding the crown with a waiter’s cloth, then cutting the base off. l

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Using the s/s cutlery, transfer the cut off base into a scrap bowl.

Now with a larger knife cut the skin off the pineapple going in a direction around it but not taking the eyes out. l

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Using the s/s cutlery, transfer the cut off skin into a scrap bowl.

Now with a smaller knife we cut the eyes out of the pineapple, if you look closer at it you can see the eyes are in a pattern. So with the knife we cut the eyes in the pattern in a continuous line around or up the pineapple. l

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Using the s/s cutlery, transfer the cut out eyes into a scrap bowl.

You can display the pineapple or continue on to cut it into slices for a platter or to flambé. l

Note: Always keep safety in mind and never cut towards yourself, if you aren't comfortable with this method try your own way.

About Her Jessica has always had a dream of representing Australia on an international stage. After retiring as a professional figure skater, Jessica turned her attention to her other passion, restaurant service and hospitality. Her interest in the hospitality industry developed through watching her father in the kitchen, who is a chef himself. At 17, Jessica decided to test her skills at the 2011 WorldSkills Australia (WSA) Restaurant Service Regional Competition. After placing 2nd in the regional round, Jessica was chosen to progress to the 2012 WSA National Competition. After months of training, Jessica walked away from the National Competition with a gold medal and a coveted position as a 2013 Team Australia Skillaroo. In july 2103, Jessica, alongside her 31 Skillaroo teammates, represented Australia at the 42nd WorldSkills International Competition which was held in Leipzig, Germany. where she was awarded the silver medal for Australia.

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 51

CHEF’S CHEF’SPAGE PAGE

Life of a Celebrity Chef

Increased responsibility and improvisation Surjan Singh Jolly, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Bengaluru is fondly known as Chef Jolly. His recent achievements in the hospitality industry include being the Guest Chef on Star Plus', Junior MasterChef India. He also has his own show on Zee Khana Khazana titled “Ab Har Koi Chef” and was chosen as the Head Chef for Paris Hilton when she visited India. HotelScapes in a conversation with him, finds out what in his day-to-day life, makes him a modest yet desirable chef.

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hat is your routine?

Surjan Singh Jolly Executive Chef, JW Marriott Bengaluru

I do not look at my ‘Celebrity Chef’ status as an advantage though it definitely brings in more familiarity with the environment.

I am not a changed person; what I was then is what I am now.

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52 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

My day generally starts at 5.30am generally. The first activity I do is to hit the gym. After getting ready, I head to the hotel and begin my day by ensuring that the breakfast buffet at JW Kitchen is fresh and perfect. This is the most important meal of the day and I like to ensure that this is perfect. I then get into the kitchen, greet my staff with a knock on the knuckle which is our way of ensuring that our hands remain sanitized!

I look into the fresh stock of produce and ingredients and also check if my chefs have any issues that need to be dealt with. Once this is done I attend my morning meetings with the GM to figure out the agenda for the day and week ahead.

At around 10.00am, I have a briefing session with the entire team wherein we discuss aspects such as culinary technicalities and safety procedures. It is during this session that we celebrate successes, appreciate people and also address challenges. We also pick up a topic for the day on which I invite everybody to share their views. After this, I take a walk to all my other kitchens, meet the administrative support, check the menus and conduct showarounds for my clients and customers.

Lunch service begins at 12pm when the food is dished out for a tasting panel.

I personally taste all dishes for f lavour, appearance and quality. By 12.30 the buffet is set out, during which time I love to see happy faces enjoying our spread. I also make sure I interact with my guests during meals and encourage my team to do the same. It makes a person’s dining experience personal.

Post the buffet, I join the chefs for lunch which is our time to socialize. Early evening I meet with my managers to discuss the

lineup of events, check layouts of buffet, requirements, training needs etc. I have a team of 13 managers with whom I take up matters on training, and proactively execute all necessary tasks till evening.

After my meetings for the day, I spend some time on the internet, closing banqueting queries, menu concepts etc. This goes on till about 6pm after which I make time for a double espresso and cake. Once the sun is down, I visit the kitchens and get a taste of the dinner being prepared, walk to the back areas, stir a dish or two, bond with the team. Once I am done I head home for some ‘me’ time.

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eing a celebrity chef do you see any advantages? If yes, what are they?

I do not look at my ‘Celebrity Chef’ status as an advantage though it definitely brings in more familiarity with the environment. I am not a changed person; what I was then is what I am now. In fact, if anything I am more conscious now.

The only advantage I could state is that popularity brings with it the benefit of people wanting to associate with you in different ways. People make you feel popular and it is a good feeling. However, I also feel more responsible towards them. It is a sweet feeling and all it does is make me smile.

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hat kind of cuisine do native people prefer and how do you ensure its authenticity?

I believe that today you cannot segregate the likes and preferences of guests any longer.

India has evolved so beautifully in the last 1020 years. People are well travelled, have seen the world and have also experienced a variety of international cuisines. Therefore, they are

CHEF’S PAGE so it is important to respect the present day with all its offerings. From procurement of produce to people not being able to deliver their best, challenges vary.

I suppose consistency can be a challenge.

When good quality ingredients/produce is not delivered, we cannot create a dish to perfection. These situations become challenging given the high standards of quality we adhere to.

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ow involved are you in the financial aspect of your job? Like taking care of the pricing of raw materials?

very personalized in their decision making and it is hard to generalize their choice.

Having said that, I believe that a true Indian has his heart set on desi khaana and always likes to come back to comfort food. JW Marriott as a brand and me as a person – we like to place utmost emphasis on authenticity.

Since I have travelled all over the country, I make sure that every dish served at our outlets is authentic. We only serve a dish if we have the correct combination of ingredients to do justice to the name.

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hat do you do to stay educated about the new trends in cooking?

I love to read, research and travel. Having spent 5 years in London, which is considered to be the world city of food, I have experienced food in various forms and styles. I keep abreast of what different hotels across the country are experimenting with and also like to keep track of what my counterparts are doing.

There are certain websites I visit regularly to ensure that I keep pace with the fast changing world of food. I make sure that I share all the knowledge I gain with my team so that we are all on the same page. Today it is not a choice, but is mandatory to be self-educated in order to be creative in the best ways possible.

See, learn, improvise and implement – this is my mantra. I am also a part of Chef Forums and am on the Executive Committee of Western Indian Culinary Association. Being connected, helps me to constantly learn and exchange knowledge on food to others.

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ow do you ensure the quality and consistency of food that is served to the guests?

We have standards that have been set in

place through the Use Record (A collection of photographs, recipes, methods and all possible specifics of food). We provide technical training to the team and thoroughly monitor and scrutinize everything that goes out of our kitchens. If the taste of a particular dish is not perfect then we ensure that the dish does not leave the kitchen.

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ny memorable experiences in your career?

My journey in the culinary industry has given me several memorable moments, both big and small. Cooking for dignitaries like Amitabh Bachhan for his 60th birthday celebration, organizing the wedding buffets for Madhuri Dixit and Sonali Bendre, dishing out food for Anil Ambani and being Paris Hilton’s personal chef during her visit to India are some of the unforgettable experiences in my career.

Apart from this, there are several simple moments that get etched in your memory forever – be it a customer who travels long distances just to have a taste of food from your kitchen or someone leaving behind a tip of ` 500 for tasting rotis worth `150, with a message that those were the best tandoori rotis they had ever eaten – all these moments make the journey even more special.

Even today, after 15 years the guests I have met while working in Mumbai and Goa treat me as family and invite me for dinner, which is very special.

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hat challenges do you face being an executive chef and how do you overcome them?

Challenges do exist and my belief is that without them life gets boring. No day is like yesterday and tomorrow will not be like today,

A chef today is not someone who just makes a dish and serves it to a guest. It is mandatory to be very knowledgeable in terms of finance.

At the end of the day it is business and as a chef one needs to be completely involved in the financial aspect as well. The bottom-line is that, I am responsible for profit and therefore I have to carefully watch the cost of the dish without compromising on quality and at the same time be creative enough to ensure food gets you money in the bank.

I a m involved in tender mee tings, meetings for quality vs. price decisions, forecast meetings, meetings for costing and standardizing of menus etc. We need to constantly arrive at strategies, sync in costs, manage stocks, re-strategize and improvise in the event of changing situations. At the end of the month, we need to assess our progress in terms of revenue and department profitability.

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hat sets you apart in terms of cooking or technique?

What clearly sets me apart is my passion. All my creations are inspired from what I have seen, tasted and observed from the world over.

I focus on ingredients and am very particular about quality. My food has to be authentic to the minutest detail. The curiosity to understand why and how a dish is prepared in a particular way inspires me to constantly travel and explore, so that I can go back and create something original from what I learn.

It does not just end there! Not only do I love to see smiles on my guest’s faces but I make sure I also interact with them personally.

I am a story teller, so besides exceptional food that I serve, I present stories and facts around the dish as well as my own interpretations from my personal experiences and travels to my guests. ■

by ANUPRIYA BISHNOI

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 53

GUEST COLUMN

Sudhendu Pandit General Manager, The Lalit, Mumbai

The dynamism of Indian hospitality industry For the travel and tourism sector to grow it is very imperative for the hospitality sector to grow and match up to international standards.

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he Indian Hospitality industry is a part of the travel and tourism sector which is estimated to contribute roughly 8-9% towards the country’s GDP. Well before the current economic slowdown surfaced, the country’s Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) was double of what it was 5 years back, but it still formed a miniscule part when compared to the global FTA figure. The industry has been registering a flat growth and will continue to do so in the second half of the financial year too. The ongoing economic slowdown in the overseas markets has resulted in lower rate of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs). In India, FTAs grew by 5.1 per cent in April-September 2013 to 27.1 lakh. However, as per data released by United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) leaving India, all BRIC countries recorded double digit growth in terms of international tourism spending.

For the travel and tourism sector to grow it is very imperative for the hospitality sector to grow and match up to international standards. As the economic slowdown has dragged down the number of FTA across segments, I still feel the domestic travelers with their evolving sojourns will fuel the growth in newer geographies and help developing different categories for hotels.

The primary reason for this is high disposable income and the advent of better locations that are driving this growth albeit they are opting for more budget and mid-market segments as most preferred investment categories.

Keeping in mind the ever evolving hospitality sector, below are some of the key hospitality trends that will shape the future:

Low Cost Airlines

With the recent slowdown, there is a crunch in almost everywhere; people are opting for low

54 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

cost carriers. It is a good option for business travellers, as it provides them with low costs, more options and connectivity.

Mid Segment Hotels

Indians are increasingly becoming extremely well travelled and are demanding high quality of service. So while an economic slump has forced most people to rein in spending on non-essential items, India’s growing affluent class doesn’t seem to mind paying a premium for some best-in the-world products and services. This trend could be attributed to high disposable income, advent of new locations, and hotel segmentation as per category for various socio-economic class, loyalty programs and promotion. Also one interesting aspect to note is while Tier 1 cities are preferred location for expansion there is an increased investment going towards tier II towns to capitalize on the growth of travel going there. Accordingly apart from the luxury segment there is an emergence of mid market and budget segments to receive most of the investments. More than 50 per cent of occupancy of majority of hotels comes from the business travel segment. Increasing number of business travelers has boosted the mid-segment hotel business. We, at the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group aim to give our guests who travel from all around the world the amenities they require and cater to their different needs giving them a premium service they expect.

Technology

Travel and technology have become inseparable.

Technology is making its own advances with high- tech video conference facilities, web cameras and virtual reality mode of conferencing. on-line bookings, e-ticketing, Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, easy access to information, etc. are

just a few areas where technology has completely changed the way we travel.

Travel and Tourism industry has always flourished in India; however there have been many limitations as well. Many tier two and tier three cities have become much visited destinations for foreign tourists but some of the biggest setback in these places are lack of comfortable and luxurious lodging facilities, lack of good connectivity and safety & security of the tourists.

The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group has always tried to contribute in developing destinations, we have two of our properties in tier one and tier two cities (namely – The Lalit Resort & Spa Bekal and The Lalit Temple View Khajuraho) and we aim to make travelling easy by providing comfort and luxurious stay facilities. Hospitality industry experts know well that it is a customerdriven industry. For example, the hotels need to offer services based on customer feedback.

Talent management is a major challenge for the sector. Inadequate supply of quality talent and increased competition for talent within the sector and from competing service sectors has made attrition a significant issue for the industry.

Retaining talent is becoming a daunting task for the industry. Now companies are taking up initiatives like opening institutes and hotel management programmes to address the dearth of good colleges and training institutes. The rapid rise of development during the past decade has seen land costs skyrocket. The outrageous prices can now account for upwards of 45% of expenditures for hotel construction – or higher when plots of land are opened via auction.

Moreover, any given hotel project requires 70120 permits from the government.

T he M i n i s t r y of Tou r i sm ha s b e e n undertaking several initiatives to fortify tourism in the country, which includes the recent move by The Planning Commission of India on Visa Regulations. The tourism industry should focus on the safety and security issues of the travelers. Basic hygiene at the bus stations, railway stations and airports should be taken care of. Initiatives should be taken to refurbish the infrastructure which shall include state to state connectivity, public transportation; places of tourist attraction should be made accessible to all (young, old and differently abled). The State Tourism Boards should be easily accessible and should have a 24/7 helpline for the tourists. The board should help the tourists with basic amenities like a detailed map of the area, a trustworthy guide etc. The tourism boards should work in association with hoteliers, transporters, civil aviation industry, media, wellness centers, MICE establishments and adopt technology for global marketing to boost tourism. ■

DESIGN

Innovative and functional designs: India’s amazing Timber Resorts

A recent event in the city saw the launch of a captivating and inspiring coffee table book titled, Amazing Timber Resorts. Designed by renowned architect, N. Mahesh, the book features luxury resorts that showcase a contemporary adaptation of traditional timber architecture of Kerala.

Through the book you travel through “the design depiction and role of timber as an architectural, structural and interior medium used for high-end resorts”. Internationally known photographers, Balan Madhavan and Amit Pasricha, photographed all the fourteen properties afresh to highlight the design elements. The book has been authored by Mridula Sharma.

We take you on a glimpse of the architectural showcase.

Tamara Coorg, Karnataka

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estled deeply in the hills of Coorg, the Tamara design concept revolves around creating an elevated living experience as the guests are always sitting close to the canopy level of trees. The cottages built on high stilts are so sited as to afford either the valley view or being perched between tree canopies.

The design concept hinged on two basic tenets, one that the construction footprint will be minimal, not exceeding 5% and two, that the streams would be integral to the design.

Seen in the image: The ceiling with its dramatic inverted lights adds to the grandiose feel of the restaurant block while the glass floor adds much excitement. You can look down to a landscaped water body, 50 feet below!

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DESIGN

Ashtmudi Lake Resort, Club Mahindra, Kollam, Kerala

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his property features a row of newly built timber floating cottages offering 5 star comforts. There is a seamless feel of the indoors and outdoors with the lake waters being as much a part of the property as the coconut grove where the land cottages sit. The lime wash and painted borders make the exaggerated curves in the design an engaging traditional form. A highlight is also the floating restaurant which is built with timber of a ferro-cement barge. The roof of the restaurant barge follows the traditional form in a contemporary way with angular lines and subtly curvature of the roof spine.

Seen in the image: A series of floating cottages built with treated re-forested wood.

Raviz, Kollam, Kerala

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he architect has unfolded a finely tuned orchestration of the classical with the contemporary international design aesthetics.

The challenge lay in maintaining the grandeur of scale that the building design demanded and yet infuse a modern minimalist interior into the buildings’ strong colonial centrality. A key design aspect is the presence of a traditional race boat greeting guests at the reception area.

Seen in the image: The Pergola restaurant spells out a heady mix of amazing views, vibrant colours, old style pillars supporting a modern glass roof.

December 2013 • HOTELSCAPES 57

DESIGN

Tea County, Munnar, Kerala

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nsconced within a minor grove of aged and venerable willow trees, the Tea County encapsulates the topography of Munnar: soft undulations, patches of well-manicured lawns, a riotous sprawl of floral grandeur in rich shades.

Seen in the image: Drawing on the graphic profile of colonial hill station buildings and their structural components, the architect revives the age old imagery of pristine locations.

Ananta, Pushkar, Rajasthan

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he design philosophy here was to create engaging architecture, bordering on the modern and yet breathing the Rajasthani ethos.

The cottages sit on natural contours of the terrain. The cut and fill system worked very well as the earth from spa excavation yielded the pool deck and has also been used for landscaping.

Seen in the image: Interconnecting the various main facility block buildings are passageways bordered with water bodies at the ground level and short jaali panels above with yellow Jaisalmer stone underfoot. â–

Text and pictures excerpted from the book: Amazing Timer Resorts by architect N. Mahesh

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PRODUCTS Sunfeast launches its new scrumptious cookies

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unfeast now brings for you from its kitchen the best melt in mouth cookie experience with its new Delishus Gourmet Cookies. Especially created by their expert chefs after years of experimentation, these cookies are a perfect combination of flavours rich with cashews, almonds and juicy raisins. They come in two variants Nut Biscotti and Nuts and Raisins. It is priced at `60 for a 150 g pack and `30 for a 75 g pack.

For more information visit: www.itcportal.com

Duravit unveils its new version of the shower-toilet seats

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u rav it ha s ta ken a not her s t e p t owa r d s e n h a nc i n g the aesthetics by introducing the Sensowash Starck C with concealed cable and water connections. The design now harmonises better than ever with a timeless, modern a r c h i t e c t u r e . To e n s u r e t he continuous flow of the linear lines, the technical components were miniaturized so that the entire technolog y could fit between the ceramic body and the seat. In keeping with Philippe Starck’s desire for a slim silhouette and timeless modernity, this further simplifies the elegant lines. The new solution with concealed connections can be combined with Starck 2, Starck 3 Darling new ranges. The price of this range is on request.

For more information visit: www.duravit.in

Franke H introduces super automatic coffee machine

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erfect for hospitality and workplaces, Franke H is a compact super-automatic coffee machine for every budget. A perfect cup of coffee, a delicious cappuccino or Latte Macchiato from Franke H satisfies staff and customers alike. The clever design and easy to use digital control panel transform the preparation of coffee into pure pleasure. With the Cappuccinatore Duo, you can even prepare two drinks simultaneously. The price is on request.

For more information visit: www.franke.com

Paramount Surgimed introduces OrthoSleep

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aramount Surgimed introduces the OrthoSleep range of lifestyle pillows and cushions for more restful nights. Changing the way you sleep will change the way you feel when you wake up. The OrthoSleep contours the shape of your head and neck, and helps keep your spine in a neutral position through the night. Highly recommended for those who need a more therapeutic sleep posture. It is an open cell viscous-elastic, temperature sensitive material that conforms to the exact contours of our body, providing optimum support and comfort. . The price range is `1,900 to `5,900.

For more information visit: paramountsurgimed.tradeindia.com

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PRODUCTS

Nutralite Yummy Spread, the value based, healthy alternative

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utralite offers a healthy alternative to butter with no cholesterol and no hydrogenated fats. It also contains PUFA (poly unsaturated fatty acids) and MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acids) which are known cholesterol fighters. With this spread, everyone can now enjoy the goodness of Nutralite because of its affordable price. Nutralite

Yummy Spread is cholesterol-free and contains no trans-fats; it is also rich in Vitamin A, D and E as well MUFA and PUFA. It doesn’t contain hydrogenated fats and is low in saturated fat content as compared to butter. It is priced at `14.50 for 100 gm.

For more information visit: www.nutralite.com

Wonderchef brings World famous Peugeot salt & pepper grinders to India

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eugeot salt and pepper mills now come to India which are the preferred choice of top chefs. Peugeot designs its mills and grinders with spice-specific mechanism to obtain the most out of each spice. The variety of mills offered by Peugeot extends from a classic wooden mill to an electric mill. All Peugeot mechanisms are made in France and carry a lifetime warranty. The Peugeot salt and pepper mills are priced at ` 1,980 and ranges upto `7,500.

For more information visit: www.wonderchef.in

OSIM India unveils uMist – the ultrasonic humidifier

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dry atmosphere can make one very irritable and anxious. Now, keep dry skin and parched throat at bay as OSIM India unveils uMist – The Ultrasonic Humidifier that u s e s u lt ra s on ic te c h nolog y to generate cool, fine mist to replenish and maintain a balanced hydrated indoor environment. The high capacity vibration in OSIM uMist ensures that you receive the right amount of coolness and desired freshness in the rooms upto 200 sq.ft. It comes equipped with a LED indicator that prompts you for a refill when water level is low. When the water tank is lifted from the base, it automatically switches off preventing spillage or when the water runs low. It is priced at `7,500.

For more information visit: www.osim.com

Electrolux launches combi steam deluxe oven

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ith the Combi Steam Deluxe oven, you get three levels of steam to help you achieve the best flavour. With the help of excellent insulation, this oven is 20% more energy-efficient than A-rated ones.

It keeps the heat inside, so you can set a new standard for energy use. It includes help functions and 100 pre-set cooking

programs. Plus you can save up to 20 of your own favourite programs. This FoodProbe gives you a virtual look inside your food so you can check on how it is cooking. What’s more, it switches off the oven when your dish is ready. It is priced at `1,51,600.

For more information visit: www.electrolux.in/builtin

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NEWS SNIPPETS DOMESTIC

Choice Hotels India announces the opening of Clarion Hotel Chennai

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IHG announces the launch of the first Holiday Inn in Punjab

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he ne we s t e d i t io n i n the IHG por tfolio, the Holiday Inn Amritsar, marks the seventh Holiday Inn hotel in the country. The 145 room property on Ranjit Avenue is located in Amritsar’s premier commercial district.

The hotel offers a full range of facilities and amenities to guests, including an outdoor pool and fitness center. The rooms are contemporary fitted with 32” plasma screens, highspeed internet, Wi-Fi and

a multimedia hub for easy connectivity.

Z iva i s t he hote l ’s a l l day dining restaurant, Bella Ita lia n Trat tor ia , proudly claims to be Amritsar’s first and only authentic Italian restaurant; and The Lounge, serves a selection of gourmet tea , cof fee and rela xing cocktails. For business events, the hotel’s Grand Ballroom c a n a c c o m m o d a t e up t o 450 people. Kunal Shankar, General Manager, Holiday Inn

Amritsar sums up to say, “Our hotel has a winning formula: a contemporary, comfortable hotel, in the centre of the city, combined with great service. Both international and domestic travellers can expect a world-class experience.”

In India, IHG now has 15 hotels open across 10 cities in the country: seven Holiday Inn hotels and Resorts, six Crowne Pla za hotels, one Holiday Inn Express hotel and one InterContinental hotel.

he newly launched hotel is the group’s second property in Chennai, taking its portfolio up to 26 hotels across 19 cities in the country. The hotel features a 100 contemporary style rooms with modern amenities which include a 52” LED television, Wi-Fi and an electronic safe lock.

Speaking on the occasion, Vilas Pawar, CEO, Choice Hotels India said, “Our aim has always been to offer our customers an experience of world class services at best value proposition. The Clarion Chennai hotel has been designed keeping in mind all details for convenience to delight both business as well as domestic traveller.”

For dining there is “Twenty Fifth Hour”, the all-day restaurant, Pan Asian restaurant “Her Name Is Ming” and “Purple Room”, the lounge bar. The property focuses on offering good technology and catering services for holding events in its banquets and conference venues.

Accor announces its seventh Novotel in Ahmedabad

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f ter the recent launch of Novo t e l i n t he p op u l a r leisure city of Goa, Novotel is next ready to open in the business and commercial city of Ahmedabad.

Comment ing on t he launch, Jean-Michel Cassé, Senior Vice President, Operations, Accor India, said, “We are delighted with the rapid grow th of our Novotel network in India. The opening of Novotel Ahmedabad reinforces our focus on India as a key market for development. At

Novotel Ahmedabad, we hope to set new standards in the hospitality industry as the property will deliver globally-renowned contemporary accommodation along with allied services and facilities, raising the bar for business hotels in the city.”

The property features modern rooms including 6 Master Suites, 8 Studio Suites, 4 Junior Suites, 46 Twin Rooms and 120 King rooms.

For dining, The Square is the brand’s flagship all day dining outlet with several live counters. For

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MICE, the property offers flexible banquet offerings – occupying an area of over 10,000 sq. ft. of indoor

and outdoor space. And rounding up is the hotel spa and fitness centre with an outdoor swimming pool.

S GHM announces its first Swiss property The Chedi Andermatt, opening this month

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two hour train journey from Zurich brings you to The Chedi Andermatt, designed by renowned architect Jean-Michel Gathy.

Featuring 106 guest rooms and suites, The Chedi uses traditional materials such as warm woods and natural stone to create a warm and inviting environment.

Designed by SPIN Studio le d by Ya su h i r o K oic h i ,

The Restaurant, the all-day dining venue, offers Central Swiss and European cuisine plus preparations from the Far East and features an eye catching, five-metre high cheese cellar. The other dining options include The Japanese Restaurant, serving authentic Japanese cuisine, The Wine and Cigar Library, The Bar and Living Room, The Lobby, The Courtyard and The Pool plus

24-hour in-room dining with a comprehensive selection of traditional Swiss, Western and Eastern dishes.

The property also features a 2,400 sq m spa and wellness center and a temperaturecontrolled outdoor lap pool.

The gymnasium is fitted with Technogym fitness equipment a nd they a lso of fer yoga classes and personal training sessions.

Jaquar at Saudi Fair in Riyadh

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aquar, the global bath brand, showcased its latest and innovative bathing concepts and products at Saudi Build, Riyadh. Saudi Build is the largest business to business construction fair in the Middle East region, targeting consultants, architects and trade partners across Saudi Arabia.

923 exhibitors from 38 countries across the globe participated in this year’s Saudi Build fair which was visited by over 28,976 professionals.

In line with its vision to be a complete bathing solution enterprise, Jaquar today has presence in over 30 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Europe. ISH in Frankfurt or Saudi Build in Riyadh, all such events, are part of its initiative to bolster its global presence.

At the exhibition, Jaquar showcased its eco friendly and ergonomically designed bath fixtures in line with future bathing trends and local needs. Explained Sandeep Shukla, the company’s Head of Marcomm, Global Operations, “In line with the key themes of Saudi Build, Jaquar showcased the latest in bathroom trends, with a wide range of coordinated bath displays showing bath spaces of the future as a singular identity rather than a combination or assimilation of various products”.

tarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide sig ns ma na gement a g re ement s to operate the Aggie Grey’s Hotel & Bungalows and Aggie Grey’s Lagoon, Beach Resort & Spa on the island of Upolu Samoa. The hotels will join the Starwood Hotels & Resorts group immediately, and will relaunch as the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel and the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Resort, respectively, by mid2014 following extensive multi-million dollar renovations. The signings mark Starwood’s debut into the region, with Sheraton once again the first international hotel brand to enter the market.

Matthew Fry, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Development, Starwood Asia Pacific, continued: “The signing of Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel and Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Resort further solidifies Starwood’s position as a market leader in the Pacific Region and we are proud to be the first international brand to offer accommodation in Samoa.”

The Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel will feature 198 guest rooms and suites, situated in a stunning waterfront location in the centre of Apia, Samoa’s largest commercial hub and capital.

Located 45 minutes from the airport, the hotel will also offer over 17,000 square feet of meeting space making it an enticing option for business travellers.

The Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Resort is conveniently positioned five minutes from the airport, and will feature 140 guest rooms and suites all set on stunning lagoon beachfront on the west coast of Upolu. Each guest room will offer white sand beach and ocean views.

The resort will have tennis courts and offer nearby golf facilities.

Both properties will offer Sheraton Fitness Progra mmed by Core Performance, LINK @ Sheraton experienced with Microsoft, a signature restaurant and bar, full service casino, and a large outdoor resort style fantasy pool and pool bar.

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NEWS SNIPPETS INTERNATIONAL

Starwood Hotels & Resorts debuts in Samoa with two new hotel signings

PEOPLE RIZWAN SHAIKH General Manager Fairmont Jaipur

SUNJAE SHARMA Area Director, South India Hyatt Regency

He will be responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the hotel. In 2010 Rizwan joined the first Four Seasons Hotel in India, at their property in Mumbai, as the Hotel Manager and joins Fairmont from his most recent position as Hotel Manager, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore where he transferred in 2012. Rizwan holds an Executive Masters of Business Administration from the Institute of Management & Information Science, Bhubasneswar, India.

He has been associated with the hospitality industry for over 24 years and possesses a diversified experience panning across several hotel brands. He has been associated with Hyatt International for over a decade and has handled multiple roles at Hyatt’s most iconic properties across the country, the most recent one being Area Director for Bengaluru, Chennai, Hampi, Kathmandu and Kolkata. Sunjae started his Hyatt innings with the Grand Hyatt in Delhi as Director Food & Beverage.

MANISH DAYYA General Manager Novotel Goa Shrem Resort

ASEEM KAPOOR Area Director, North West India Hyatt Regency

He comes with 16 years of experience in hospitality industry. He has been entrusted with the responsibility of spearheading the operations of Novotel Goa Shrem Resort. Making use of his expertise in opening of hotels, licensing, leading a diverse range of operations entailing accommodations, F&B operations, sales & revenue, P&L accountability, costs control, and budgeting, Manish is the perfect choice.

He began his hospitality career in 1989 as a Management Trainee with Holiday Inn Mumbai and in 1990 joined The Oberoi Mumbai as Catering Sales Executive. Aseem joined Hyatt in 1995 as Assistant Director of F&B at Hyatt Regency Delhi and was subsequently promoted to Director of Food and Beverage in 1997. In July 2001, Aseem was the first member of the pre-opening team of Hyatt Regency Mumbai when he was transferred as EAM -F&B and subsequently promoted to Hotel Manager in 2003.

SANDEEP JOHRI General Manager Novotel Ahmedabad

ALOK CHAKRAVARTY Director of Sales and Marketing Shangri-La’s - Eros Hotel, New Delhi

He brings with him a rich and varied experience spanning over 20 years in the industry. In his current role he is responsible for the successful launch of Novotel Ahmedabad, establishing it as an epitome of hospitality standards in the city. In his previous assignment, he was designated as Area Director with Sarovar Hotels where his responsibilities included expanding the company’s base in the region, launching new hotels and operating and managing the existing hotels.

He brings with him knowledge and skills in diverse areas of both corporate and leisure business. Prior to this assignment, Alok held the position of Director of Sales at the Leela Palace New Delhi. He has also worked with the Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, Intercontinental Hotel Group and Carlson Group. In his current role, he will conceptualize and implement sales strategies that support business and financial objectives to further strengthen the group’s efforts.

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PEOPLE RAKSHIT TALWAR Director of Sales and Marketing Novotel Goa Shrem Resort

KUMAR SHUBHAM Assistant Director of Sales Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon

He comes with about 11 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Rakshit’s action oriented nature combined with excellent communication skills and expertise in customer management makes him the perfect choice to head the sales and marketing team for the first ever Novotel Resort in the country.

In this role, Rakshit will be responsible for driving the sales and marketing strategies, promoting brand strategies and initiatives and providing the best hospitality experience to the guests at the property.

He will be reporting to the Director of Sales Ashish Rajput, and will be responsible for generating avenues for further business, owning and facilitating team meetings, driving team strategic outbound prospecting efforts and leverage the presence of global sales offices to drive more business in potentially client servicing driven destinations. In his current role, Kumar Shubham would focus on overseeing, implementing and executing all aspects of sales analytics in the property.

SANDIT SHAH Director of Sales and Marketing Novotel Ahmedabad

HARPREET KAUR Human Resources Manager Park Inn by Radisson Gurgaon Bilaspur

Prior to his current appointment, Sandit was Director of Sales and marketing with Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre wherein he took care of all the major goings-on in a Pre-Opening hotel as per the IHG Standards. He was associated with the group till May 2013. Before moving to Ahmedabad, Sandit was with Swissotel, Kolkatta. He was associated with the group from October 2011 till September 2012.

Prior to that Sandit was associated with Holiday Inn Cochin.

She started her new role in August 2013 at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. She handled a wide range of assignments including statutory compliances, talent management, organization development and performance and compensation management. She is also strongly inclined towards employee relations. Some of her qualities are – Corporate Social Responsibility, keeping the fun element alive by providing opportunities to employees to interact and connect.

PEGGY FANG ROE Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Asia Pacific, Marriott International

SHASHANK GULATI Food & Beverage Manager Park Inn by Radisson Gurgaon Bilaspur

Reporting to Simon Cooper, President and Managing Director of Asia Pacific, Peggy is a key member of the regional leadership team of Marriott International and in charge of orchestrating its sales, marketing, revenue management, public relations and e-commerce functions to drive business growth. Prior to joining Marriott International, Peggy worked for General Electric in marketing, product development and operations and was certified in Six Sigma process improvement & design.

He brings more than 11 years of diverse and rich hospitality experience wherein he has worked in all spheres of Food & Beverage and will be responsible for the entire gamut of F&B operations and shall be reporting to the GM. His previous assignments include a five year stint with Crowne Plaza, IHG and he has also been associated with hotels like Uppal’s Orchid, The Grand, Grand Hyatt and Marriott Welcome.

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LAST PAGE

Readying your Hotel for Sale With transaction volumes in early 2013 being 50% ahead of the level in early 2012, many owners today are asking themselves if this is the right time to sell. This article has been shared with us by HVS, and was first published in LodgingMagazine.com. We reproduce this for the benefit of our readers.

By William G Sipple, Nov 18, 2013

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ith transaction volumes in early 2013 50 percent ahead of the level in early 2012, many owners today are asking themselves if this is the right time to sell. They see very low cost capital that is abundantly available, contributing to higher values. Yes, interest rates have ticked up from their recent lows, but long term, fixed rate debt is still priced in the low five percent range on a 25 year amortization schedule to 70 percent of value/cost. For buyers, this translates into cash on cash returns in the low to mid teens on almost any deal.

After a number of years of living with their properties underwater, sale prices have now increased to the point where owners might not just clear their debt, but may actually see a profit. Imagine moving from loan modification discussions with your lender, to tax planning discussions with your accountant.

Improving operating metrics support the sell scenario and are driven by relatively low supply growth numbers. While RevPar growth has been moderating in many markets of late, RevPar’s are hitting historical highs across the country, unadjusted for inflation. That said, earlystage new supply continues to see additions and owners understand that it may become more difficult for older properties to maintain their competitive positioning.

There is a real danger that NOI growth will moderate, or that NOI’s may even erode in the coming years. Consider the risks associated with increased labour costs (some states like NJ are increasing minimum wages), higher health care costs, more government regulation, ADA compliance and taxes. Savvy owners know they should leave some upside on the table for buyers, so for many, these conditions represent an ideal time to monetize their assets.

Once you’ve made the decision to sell, the next question is how to maximize value on a sale.

There are a number of steps that should be taken in readying a property for the marketing process.

Physical Asset There are certain property-level items to consider before putting a hotel on the market. The hotel should be critically examined for any areas ripe for creating value increases. Look at all aspects of the property with an eye toward additional revenue potential or cost savings. Even if this 66 HOTELSCAPES • December 2013

may require some capital expenditures, you will want to either complete the work or be able to articulate the costs/benefits of the opportunity for buyers. Another often overlooked angle is the potential for expansion or redevelopment of the asset. Sellers should be able to explain the potential upside and risks associated with any opportunity for expansion/redevelopment.

The best thing to do is to try to view your hotel as if you were buying it today. Would you keep the F&B the same? Are there neglected CAPEX items that should be addressed? Is the brand appropriate for the facility? Are other, more desirable brands available and at what cost?

Operations Hotels are operating businesses with a significant real estate component. They are valued off their income streams and so maximizing NOI is the most critical step a seller can take in preparing for a sale. This includes both a revenue and an expense audit to identify and implement strategies for improvement. Since a property’s trailing 12 NOI is heavily weighted in any buyer’s pricing model, the sooner an owner gets started in this area, the better. Any good broker will assist in crafting a story to “sell the dream,” but reality is always the easier case to make. On the revenue side, examine your sources of revenue and market mix. What is the “income efficiency” of each of your customer segments? Are you or your manager actually pursuing the “highest income guests? ” Some property managers have fallen into the habit of going after only the low hanging fruit and don’t want to put forth the effort to capture the higher-rated business.

A f ter revenues, expenses shou ld be examined for possible reductions. Owners need to be careful not to put their property’s market positioning at risk by cutting essential expenses, particularly in the area of marketing.

A personnel review is critical in reducing costs.

Look for efficiencies and potential for combining of roles. We were recently marketing a property where a reduction of over $300,000 in payroll and benefits was able to be realized. This goes straight to the bottom line, increasing value significantly. You should also critically examine all contracts and leases for the property. There are usually some older agreements that can be renegotiated or bid out to achieve sometimes material cost savings.

Lastly, a critical factor in any transaction is transparency in reporting. A competent broker will review your financials and look to eliminate any non-recurring items to get to a “normalized” NOI. This is impossible without detailed, well-documented financial reporting.

Sellers should help the buyer get to the highest possible underwritable NOI. Market/Competition The market in which the hotel operates needs to be understood and monitored. Are there other properties on the market or being considered for sale? How does your hotel fit into the market in terms of its competitiveness. If you’re not already doing this, Trip Advisor and other similar services should be reviewed to gain an external view of your asset. Every buyer we survey uses these tools in evaluating a purchase. Are there hotels in your market with attractive brands that may be leaving that brand? Is there a potential rebranding opportunity for your property that would add to its value to a buyer? Is the market improving, stable or declining? These factors will have a major impact on a buyer’s and lender’s view on valuation and collateral security.

Capital Stack Sellers should be familiar with the current capital stack for the property. Factors like debt prepayment, assumability, terms and leverage levels are all important to completing an effective sale. If your property is saddled with high-cost, non-prepayable debt, this will be reflected in any buyer’s view on valuation. The reverse is also true, so Sellers should investigate the existing debt as well as the potential market for new debt.

This will allow the seller to be realistic in terms of pricing and terms for their sale.

These are just a few of the factors sellers should consider in the decision to enter the market and how to effect the best transaction.

As always, a good advisor can be instrumental in achieving the most beneficial execution. Hotel asset sales are complex and require knowledge of both hotel operations, and hotel capital formation as well. Without the former, the best case for value cannot be made. Without the latter, the seller has a very hard time evaluating the various offers for their veracity. ■ Previously published in www.LodgingMagazine.com 11/12/2013

Date of Publication: 16/12/2013

RNI No. DELENG/2012/47318 No.U(C)-105/2013-2014, Posting Dt. 16-21/12/2013 Reg. No. DL(C) 01/1353/12-14