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Editorial
HOTEL Business Review
HOTEL B u s i n e s s
R e v i e w
An Exclusive Business Magazine for the Hotel Industry
Publisher cum Editor
Rajneesh Sharma
rajneeshhammer@gmail.com
Associate Editor
Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor
Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Layout & Design
Hari Kumar V Dev Kumar
Production Assistant
Mamta Sharma
Advertising Sales
Delhi: Debabrata Nath, Sumesh Sharma Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhre Subscription Sales
Dattaram Gangurde Director Sales
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Director Operations & Finance
Rajat Taneja
Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi:
Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1202, Pragati Tower, 26, Rajindra Place, New Delhi-110008, India Phone: 91-11-45084903, 25854103 Telefax: 91-11-25854105 Mumbai:
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E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net Website: www.hbrmag.com © 2015 Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. No article can be reproduced in part or as whole without prior permission of the Publisher. Hammer Hotel Business Review is a bi-monthly magazine, printed and published by Rajneesh Sharma on behalf of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1202, Pragati Tower, 26 Rajindra Place, New Delhi. Printed at Print Creations, C-112/3, Basement, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase- 1, New Delhi 110 028. Annual Subscription rate within India is Rs. 450 and overseas US $110, for surface mail. Single issue is available for Rs. 90 in India and US $25 overseas. Cheques are payable to Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Editorial Policy : Editorial emphasis in Hammer Hotel Business Review
magazine is on educational & informational material specifically designed to assist those responsible for managing instututional Hotel business. Articles are welcome and will be published on the sole discretion of the editor.
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One of the distinctive socio-economic and sociocultural features of the late twentieth century and the early twenty-first century post-modern India is the growing presence and prominence of women in the workplace. Thankfully, the Indian hospitality industry hasn’t been an exception to this trend. Today one can see women entering almost every segment of the Indian hospitality industry and proving to be successes in these professional endeavours. Women as Chefs and bartenders are also seen in hotels, as are women in the senior management positions across hospitality properties. Many prominent women hoteliers are now seen making huge impacts in the industry. All these developments are praiseworthy, necessary and not at all sufficient. The Indian hospitality industry is still sadly skewed in favour of male work force and this needs to be changed fast. Still a great majority of Chefs and bartenders are males; still women are much less in numbers than their male counterparts across top management positions in the Indian hospitality industry; still women heading hotel chains are a rarity in the country. What about women chauffers and women bouncers, and women DJs? We need many more of them in the industry. Succinctly, we need more participation of women across all the segments of the Indian hospitality industry, especially across those segments where their presence is still minimal or negligible. This needs more attitudinal shifts in the society and more friendly work environment across hotels and resorts in the country towards their women personnel. Moreover, special focus must be laid on the security of all women employees across hospitality properties in the country. For the hotel industry cannot afford to ignore the unimaginable potential of feminine force or feminine vision in the realm of hospitality, where care, sensitivity and eye for detail are mandatory requirements. We have discussed the growing role of women across hotels and resorts in the country, in our Cover Story. Backed by the rising wave of health consciousness and the growing need to look presentable and beautiful across the urban Indian society, the fitness industry in the country is booming. The Indian hospitality industry should explore the business potential of this growing fitness trend in the urban Indian society in a more widespread and proactive manner than it is doing now. The Business Story of our issue deals with factors that Indian hotels and resorts should keep in mind for becoming more fit towards addressing the evolving fitness needs of their discerning and often well-informed guests. Besides these relevant issues for the industry, the profile of a company committed to develop quality hotels in the mid scale and upper mid scale segments, targeted at the business travellers, can make for interesting reading. The Design section of our issue shows how a hotel can merge art with nature to create a wonderful hospitality experience. The growing role of banquets in the hotel business is being probed through our F&B section. Overall, this comprehensive package of information, opinions and perspectives between the covers is expected to give our valued readers an engrossing time and may even induce them to introspect.
HOTEL B u s i n e s s
inside
R e v i e w
An Exclusive Business Magazine for the Hotel Industry
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COVER STORY
Women today form an intrinsic part of the hospitality industry. It is the feminine touch which has greatly contributed to the grace and elegance of the hospitality industry.
PROFILE
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PROPERTY
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DESIGN
Naveen Jain is a veteran hotelier, known for his enthusiasm and passion for excellence. He carries more than three decades of experience in the Indian hospitality industry across investment, treasury, corporate finance, operations management with various prestigious organisations.
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BUSINESS
Hotels and resorts thinking of setting up a gym must keep into account of various factors. First of all, the gym should have adequate space and must be spruced with a wide range of quality fitness equipments. The hotels’ and resorts’ gym should also have trained fitness instructors, who also need to be sensitive about the different fitness requirements and varying physical limitations of their guests.
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F&B
Banquets have emerged as a major revenue source for big and luxury hotels in the Indian hospitality industry. The needs and demands of the increasing numbers of discerning guests in the Indian hospitality industry have evolved greatly over the years and banquets in hotels and resorts need to keep pace to cater to these changing requirements. And they are doing so.
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SPA
Winner of many prestigious awards and accolades, Aura Spa at The Park New Delhi has an impressive spa menu, a gym and a salon.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli can be described as the smart hospitality option for savvy business travellers. The property is located in the city’s new IT & financial area, Gachibowli.
EllBee Ganga View not only presents you with great hospitality options along with a splendid view of the pristine and light green Ganga, flowing majestically from the sombre green hills to the crowded plains. Here the splendid and serene views of nature can be complemented by the enchanting art works, which are displayed across the walls of the corridors and also inside the 32 rooms of the property.
DEPARTMENTS 04 Event 08
News Scan
18 Appointment 20 Focus 50
Product Preview
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Business Opportunity
52 Interview
Cover Pix:
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli
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Event
HOTEL Business Review
SIAL CHINA 2015
Scripts a Grand Success Story
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he 16th edition of SIAL CHINA was held during 6th-8th May 2015, at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. On May 6th, a delegation of ministers, ambassadors, consuls and trade officers participated at the opening ceremony of SIAL CHINA 2015. The event was spread across 115,000 sq. m exhibition area, which was 20 percent more than that of the SIAL CHINA 2014. The event attracted 2734 exhibitors, which was 14 percent higher than that of SIAL CHINA 2014, from 61 countries and regions. SIAL CHINA 2015 garnered 61,296 visitors. 58 international pavilions and 21 Chinese provinces and association pavilions brought their high quality products to the visitors and buyers from all over the world. 89 percent of the exhibitors and 96 percent of visitors were satisfied with the show. The mega show had 21 product zones including meat, wine, dairy, fruit & vegetable and more. For this year’s edition of SIAL CHINA, USA was the Guest Country of Honor. USA had a strong representation during the SIAL CHINA 2015 with more than 100 companies presenting pork and poultry in hall E3 and a great diversity and quality of American food, food ingredients and beverage products in hall E1. Heilongjiang was the Guest Province of Honor with 40 companies showcasing rice, edible fungus, blueberry wine and other health and organic products. The Poland pavilion was located in hall W4, spread across a surface of nearly 1,000 sq m. It featured dairy products of high quality, traditional meat and poultry products, fruit and vegetable preserves, natural juices, alcoholic drinks and other beverages as well as confectionery products. SIAL CHINA 2015 hosted many wonderful events. 94 innovative products
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from 56 companies, from 22 countries and regions participated at the SIAL Innovation competition. The SIAL Innovation finalists and the SIAL Innovation Gold/Silver/ Bronze awardees were selected by the juries to highlight the best of the best innovative products exhibited at SIAL CHINA 2015. This year the Gold Award went to LISE BACCARA from France for its ParfumCulinaire; the Silver Award went to BROOKLYN BREW SHOP from USA for its Beer Making Kit; the Bronze Award went to TPT INTERNATIONAL GROUP (CHINA) CO., Ltd. from China for its range 3+3 Fruit Honey! SIAL CHINA also hosted La Cuisine by SIAL. The competition was endorsed by World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS) for its 2ndyear. Under this event, keen competitions among 12 top international Chefs from USA, Italy, Malaysia, Thailand and 12 top national Chefs from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Zhejiang were held. During the award ceremony on 7th May, Malaysia team won the Special Gold award, and Thailand and USA won the Gold medals. The pavilion organisers from Poland, Japan, and USA also animated the La Cuisine by SIAL area with their excellent culinary demonstrations and products during the three days. Retail & Hospitality Forum covered a range of topics from food innovation and trends to food safety, from private label to food quality, from organic food to imported food and many more. At SIAL CHINA 2015, World Tour by SIAL helped to understand the specific characteristics of the food market by geographic area. Moreover, in this edition of the show, with the strong support from Café Culture
Magazine and Australian Asian Specialty Tea Association (AASTA) and sponsored by Brita Water Purification System, the first edition of China National Specialty Tea Brewers Cup Event was launched by SIAL CHINA successfully. At SIAL CHINA 2015, the 4th edition of Chocolate World saw 14 sessions being successfully held within three days, which attracted over 550 professional visitors. The third edition of The Fresh – Right Seafood Right Wine was held together by CAPPMA and SIAL CHINA. 14 sessions within three days attracted 251 professional visitors and more than 40 journalists. The 5th edition of SIAL WINE WORLD reached a new height by co-locating with SIAL CHINA 2015 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The show greeted 210 exhibitors from France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Portugal, Greece, Russia, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and China, and 11,631 visitors, covering 6000 sq m exhibition area in hall W5. The Wine Innovation Forum also attracted huge crowd. Wine Innovation Forum brought new perspectives to Chinese wine audience on its understanding of Chinese wine business and wine business in general. In partnership with WINE100 — one of the most professional and authoritative wine rating agencies in China, Best Buy China Competition brought an effective platform to showcase exhibitors’ star products. The grand success of SIAL CHINA 2015 is expected to be superseded by SIAL CHINA 2016. The next edition of the mega show on food & beverage will be held during 5th-7th May 2016, at Shanghai New International Expo Centre.
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HOTEL Business Review
EVENTS’ CALENDER
TRAFS 2015: Presenting Huge Business Opportunity
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he 9th edition of Thailand Retail, Food & Hospitality Services (TRAFS), Thailand’s renowned event pertaining to food ingredients and equipments, hotel and retail supplies, is returning with more exhibit space, products and new features for its forthcoming edition. Kavin Kittiboonya, the Managing Director of Kavin Intertrade Co, the company which is the forthcoming show’s organiser, said the show which will be held during 16th -19th July at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand, was expected to attract participation of almost 130 exhibitors, representing more than 350 product brands, from almost 30 countries worldwide. There would be country pavilions from China and Malaysia. As a member of the US-based Diversified Communications, which is known worldwide for the world’s biggest seafood shows in Boson, USA and Brussels, Belgium, Kavin opines that TRAFS 2015, the fastest growing food, hospitality and retail show in Thailand, offers a “one stop shop” for products pertaining to food service/ hotels/retail businesses. The range of products on display at the event will be relevant to hotels’ guests rooms (mattresses, bed sheets, linen) and will include kitchen equipments for Chefs and Pastry Chefs (oven, chilling/freezing equipment, bakery, food ingredients and raw materials), products for dining rooms for F&B (table wares, wine and drinks, coffee/gelato machines and ingredients), cleaning equipment and supplies for housekeepers and laundry (soft and hard ones), food technology products, and also IT technology (software and hardware) for hotel reservations, restaurants and retail outlets. According to Kevin, besides product displays, TRAFS 2015 will also include many new features/highlights to provide maximum possible benefits to buyers/visitors during their visit to the show. Newly added for this year’s edition of the event was the ASEAN Halal Food Zone. “Halal food operators/manufacturers from ASEAN member countries will showcase their products to visitors/buyers at TRAFS 2015,” Kevin pointed out. Returning in the TRAFS 2015, following its success in the last edition of the show, is the ‘simulated full bar’ concept, where pub/bar/restaurant owners/professionals can meet and discuss with exhibitors of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and supplies, on business opportunities. That is not all. At the TRAFS 2015, the popular Mater Classes on live demonstration of 8 trendy food and bakery menus will be conducted by renowned Chefs from Thailand Culinary Academy with recipe handouts to all attendants, so as to enable them to prepare these recipes at their restaurants/establishments themselves. Kavin went on to say that TRAFS 2015 will be co-located with the 11th Thailand Franchise & Business Opportunities 2015 (TFBO) show, the largest international franchise show in ASEAN. Approximately 130 franchise exhibitors representing 150 brands from 10 countries, including the US, New Zealand, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, are taking part in this year’s TFBO.
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NRA 2015 16-19 May 2015 McCormick Place, Chicago, US www.show.restaurant.org/ Thaifex- World of Food Asia 2015 20-24 May 2015 Impact Exhibition and Convention Center, Thailand www.worldoffoodasia.com TRAFS 2015 16-19 July 2015 BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand www.thailandhoreca.com/ Asiafruit Logistica 2-4 September 2015 Hongkong Asia World-Expo, Hongkong www.asiafruitlogistica.com HOSFAIR Guangdong 2015 10-12 September 2015 China Imports & Exports Fair complex, Guangzhou www.hosfair.com IBA 2015 12-17 September 2015 Munich Messe München http://www.iba.de Annapoorna World of foods India- 2015 14-16 September 2015 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.worldoffoodindia.com Horeca India 2015 16-18 September 2015 Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore Email: info@horecaindia.in The Hotel Show 2015 28-30 September 2015 Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai www.thehotelshow.com ANUGA 2015 10–14 October 2015 Cologne, Germany www.anuga.com Fi & Hi India 19 – 21 October 2015 Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre, Mumbai www.fi-india.com
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A Show That Can Facilitate Hospitality
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mbiente India & Heimtextil India, the leading business events for the interior décor & home furnishing industry in the country, opened its threeday fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 25th June. Located at halls 8, 9,10, 11 & 12 of Pragati Maidan, the event was open to trade visitors. The co-joint fairs showcased a variety of fabrics, designs and other products in the realm of home furnishing, pertaining to bedroom, bath linen, table linen, kitchen textiles, window decorations, textile floor coverings, etc. along with premium choices in dining, living and giving products from over 150 companies from seven countries. Many of the products on display at the co-joint fairs also have great relevance for the hospitality industry, particularly for spas and salons. For example, carpets, curtains, glassware, candles, linen, cutlery, decorative objects, lighting, etc. displayed on the fair can have relevance for classy hotels and resorts. No wonder the diversified visitors’ profile at joint show included segments like hotels, spas and salons too. Present at the joint inauguration of the trade fair was the Minister of State (independent charge) for Ministry of Textiles, Santosh Kumar Gangwar. “India is home to some of the world’s biggest manufacturers of home textiles and the country has emerged as the world’s second largest textile exporter, behind only China. This extraordinary gathering of textile fraternity members along with interior décor and furnishing industry players at Ambiente India & Heimtextil India reaffirms that India continues to be an attractive market for domestic and
international consumer good brands.” He also was all praise for Messe Frankfurt. “I congratulate Messe Frankfurt for creating this international level show, which will provide the much-needed opportunity to domestic traders to enhance their business and facilitate the growth and promotion of Indian textiles,” asserted the Minister. Having made its debut in India only last year, the combined show has recorded an increase in exhibition space as compared to the last edition, and also the level of internationality; attracting leading companies from China, Germany, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and the USA at the combined fair. Some of the attractions at the event included stylish new collections by D’décor’s, Dicitex Furnishings, Rumours, Raymonds, Thanor Pottery, Welspun, Ritterwerk, Borosil Glassworks and many more; Experience Zones designed by famed industry designers featuring four bold themes for interior spaces: Collision, Infinity, Phoenix and Introspection; seminar on sustainability by sector specialists covering three key components of textiles: cotton, silk & polyester; and live sessions on window dressing, creative textiles and on the role of furnishings in interior décor. The vast gamut of interior products from India and abroad could easily have fascinated many of the prospective and actual buyers at the event. Overall, the platform offered quality experiences in terms of business and industry networking.
Sarovar Hotels & Resorts Expands in Africa Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of The Zehneria Portico, Nairobi, in the recent past. With the opening of this 56 room hotel, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has further strengthened its connection with Nairobi, Kenya. This will be the company’s second hotel in Nairobi after The Heron Portico, and the third in Africa. The hotel management company has the New Africa Hotel in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania within its brand ambit. Sarovar now looks at opening a premiere property in Nairobi, in the mid of 2016. Centrally located and close to the city’s major shopping malls, and in close proximity to the commercial West lands area of Nairobi, The Zehneria Portico offers a calm and peaceful oasis for business and leisure travellers. The name of the hotel is derived from the traditional Kenyan flowering plant Zehneria. The hotel commits to offer ‘earthiness’ in genuine hospitality, ‘beauty’ in rejuvenation, and ‘quality’ in service delivery and efficiency. “At present we are focusing on expanding in East Africa as we are well-versed with this market and we consider it as a second home for our company,” affirmed Anil Madhok, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts. “Africa is a key market where a lot of Indian companies are expanding, and we are looking to cater to this growing demand,” said Ajay K Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts.
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Wyndham Hotel Group Unveils Multi-Million Dollar Marketing Campaign Wyndham Hotel Group has recently announced the global launch of its groundbreaking new loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards®, with the debut of a multi-million dollar, integrated umbrella marketing campaign. Conceived and produced in partnership with People Ideas & Culture’s Group Company CY&N by PI&C, Wyndham Rewards is investing 100 million USD in the new campaign. To celebrate, Wyndham Rewards is kicking-off a summer promotion where members can earn 3,000 bonus points after just one qualified stay, from 11th May to 7th September. “We are thrilled to launch a marketing campaign that uses a fun, whimsical approach to show how simple and easy it is for members to earn and redeem the rewards they deserve across our portfolio of iconic brands,” said Josh Lesnick, the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Wyndham Hotel Group. “We are transforming the landscape of loyalty and launching the richest program in the industry; rewarding our members with what they want most – a free night,” he elaborated.
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Hall of Fame for Hotel Marine Plaza Hotel Marine Plaza, located in Mumbai, has announced that it has been recognised as a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence ‘Hall of Fame’ winner. The Certificate of Excellence award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to those establishments that consistently achieve great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. The ‘Hall of Fame’ was created to honour those businesses which have earned a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years. Winners include hotels, eateries and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a superior customer experience. “Being awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence five years in a row and inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ is a true source of pride for the entire team at Hotel Marine Plaza and we would like to thank all of our past guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor,” said Sanjeev Shekhar, General Manager, Hotel Marine Plaza. “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by one’s customers. The accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence,” he pointed out.
HICC Bags an Award Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), managed by Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator, has received ‘Best Green Meetings and Conference Venue’ Award by South India Travel Awards. The annual event was attended by more than 120 stalwarts from the tourism industry. Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) is a state-of-the-art convention facility located in Hyderabad. It offers an amazing landscape and atmosphere for the guests. Here it deserves a mention that Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre and Hyderabad International Convention Centre regularly conduct audit like ISO 14001 and are committed to sustainable development through Planet 21, a program involving all Accor hotels. While speaking on the occasion, Neil Paterson, General Manager - Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC said, “We are delighted to receive the award and this is indeed a moment of great pride for Hyderabad International Convention Centre. HICC is like a ‘Green Paradise’ in the centre of Hyderabad’s IT district; committed to the environment. It maintains a greener and healthier surrounding by taking active steps to reduce carbon footprint, saving water & energy. It is truly the Best Green Meetings and Conference Venue.” 10
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Daiwik Hotels Enters Platinum Rating by USGBC to Jaypee Shirdi After debuting with a unique concept of specialty pilgrimage Vasant Continental, hospitality with the launch of its first property in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Daiwik Hotels Private Limited has launched New Delhi its second property in Shirdi, Maharashtra. Daiwik Hotels Shirdi aims to provide a holistic pilgrimage experience to the consumers. With the growing influx of middle income and high income group pilgrims in the country, there is a huge unmet demand among domestic and inbound pilgrims for quality hotels and a stress-free holistic pilgrim experience, which Daiwik Hotels Shirdi can cater to. Daiwik Hotels’ focus on Shirdi as its second destination is induced by the recent trend of repeat visitors to the pilgrim destination. It is estimated that Shirdi receives around 6-7 million visitors every year. Daiwik Hotels Shirdi has 56 well appointed rooms. The four categories of rooms are Standard, Superior, Family Deluxe, and Junior Suite. The hotel also has a banquet hall, activity room, spa, conference room and business centre facility, and a unique Pilgrim Assist Desk offering detailed information about temple rituals, their timing and amenities. Ahaan, the multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant of the hotel, offers special food requirements like Jain food and also pure vegan cuisine on request. The property is located in the heart of Shirdi, but still it manages to be away from the noise of the religious town.
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Jaypee Vasant Continental, New Delhi has been accredited with the ‘Platinum Rating’ by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council). This LEED certification recognises the hotel’s continuous dedication towards sustainable development and green building initiatives. Manju Sharma Receives the Coveted Certificate The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is a Washington-based private non-profit organisation that promotes sustainability in the way buildings are designed, built and operated. It is well-known that USGBC is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC is best known for its development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems and its annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green buildings. LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognises best-inclass building strategies and practices. There are four levels of certification - the number of points a project earns determines the level of LEED certification that the project will receive. The typical certification thresholds are Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum, with Platinum Rating, that Jaypee Vasant Continental, New Delhi received, being regarded as the most prestigious among the four certifications. Here it deserves a mention that LEED certified buildings are expected to save money and resources and have a positive impact on the health of occupants, while promoting renewable, clean energy. “It is a great honour for Jaypee Hotels and Resorts to receive this recognition. It is the result of the consistent efforts of the management and our team to promote and implement sustainable practices and solutions to control and reduce environmental impact. This achievement signifies our commitment to the environment. Moreover, this prestigious award gives us confidence in our ability to design and build the kinds of sustainable structures that our society requires,” elaborated Manju Sharma, Managing Director, Jaypee Hotels and Resorts. The abundant sweep of greenery sprawled across Jaypee Vasant Continental, New Delhi makes it extravagantly noticeable. This five-star deluxe hotel caters holistically in terms of business and leisure. A gleaming swimming pool and a full-fledged health spa — Tamaya — are among the highlights of the property.
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HOTEL Business Review
The Stupendous Growth of OYO Rooms Continuing with its rapid expansion drive, OYO Rooms has recently crossed the landmark of being a budget hotel chain with a network covering 4,500 rooms in 400 hotels across India. According to a press release, this distinction makes OYO Rooms India’s largest budget hotel chain. In fact, the growth of OYO Rooms is nothing short of astonishing, especially if we take into account of the preceding two sluggish years for the Indian hospitality industry. OYO Rooms has grown its network to 400 hotels in 16 cities from one hotel in Gurgaon less than two years ago! OYO Rooms currently operates in 16 major business and leisure destinations in India including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Goa, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, Manesar, Neemarana, Kolkata, and Varanasi among others. Funded by Lightspeed, Sequoia, Greenoaks Capital and DSG Consumer Partners, OYO Rooms also said that the company had set itself a revised target to expand its network to 2,000 hotels in 45 cities by this year-end. Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of OYO Rooms said, “India’s budget hospitality market is ripe for disruption and as the market leader, we are best poised to lead this change. Our customers’ feedback and loyalty encourages us to redouble our growth efforts as we are keen to bring the OYO experience
to as many Indian travellers in as many different cities as possible, and at the earliest.” Growth of OYO Rooms is also complemented by the brand’s initiatives towards customer satisfaction. OYO Rooms has recently launched its mobile app that promised a hotel room booking in less than 10 seconds. The OYO Rooms mobile app allows guests staying at an OYO to order room service directly from Ritesh Agarwal, CEO and Founder, their smartphones. According to OYO Rooms a press release, the app has already crossed more than 100,000 downloads within a month of its launch.
Another Feather in the Cap for The Leela Palace New Delhi The Leela Palace New Delhi has been awarded as the Best Leisure Hotel in India at CNBC-AWAAZ Travel Awards’15 for its unmatched hospitality and exceptional guest experiences. Voted as the Best Luxury Hotel in India in 2014, and Best Business Hotel in India in 2012 and 2013, this is the fourth consecutive year where The Leela Palace New Delhi is being honoured. Commenting on the recognition, Louis Sailer, General Manager, The Leela Palace New Delhi said, “We are thankful to the viewers of CNBC-AWAAZ who have recognised The Leela Palace New Delhi yet again. It is an honour to be acknowledged for our tireless efforts that go into weaving magical and memorable stays for our guests. Each of these accolades motivates us further to continue excelling on our guest expectations and redefining the benchmark of luxury hospitality in India.” Since its inception, The Leela Palace New Delhi has earned various distinctions and laurels from many prestigious publications. The hotel is known for its Lutyens’ inspired architecture, opulent interiors reminiscent of royal Indian residences, the state-of-the-art technology, unique collection of restaurants with two of the New York famed gourmet institutions, MEGU and Le Cirque, and holistic relaxation choices featuring ESPA, a fully equipped gymnasium and the capital’s only rooftop temperature-controlled infinity pool.
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Keys Kochi Launched Keys Hotels, a chain of mid-market hotels, has announced the launch of Keys Kochi, its second hotel in Kerala and its16th hotel across India. Hotel Keys Kochi is located close to Kerala’s famous backwaters and to the Corporate Park. With its proximity to MG Road, Fort Cochin and the Info Park, the hotel proves to be an ideal option for both business and leisure travellers. Commenting on the launch of Keys Kochi, Anshu Sarin, CEO of Berggruen Hotels, said, “We are committed to expand our footprint in India and provide our guests with the best services and amenities. With the launch of Keys Kochi, we have strengthened our presence in Kerala and further strengthened our presence in South India. It reaffirms the rapid growth story of the brand.” “Kochi as a destination is renowned for its offerings to both the business community and leisure travellers. Guests will be enthralled by the smart functional rooms at the Keys Kochi, which provide a great view. We are excited about this hotel and hope our guests too will be fascinated by the experience at the hotel,” she added. Here it deserves a mention that Berggruen Hotels launched its
N ews Sca n brand Keys Hotels in January 2007 and opened its first hotel in 2009, under this brand. The 151 room hotel is endowed with banquet facilities for conferences and receptions. Many of the rooms of the hotel offer breathtaking views of the backwaters. Mineral water and tea-coffee are complimentary in each room and guests can also enjoy the 24hour room service and Wi-Fi access. For guests who prefer more space, Keys Kochi has three well designed suites – Junior Suite, Suite and Balcony Suite. The Keys Kochi has 10 rooms which have been designed to cater to the specific needs and requirements of lady travellers. They are located on a separate floor, which is under 24/7 CCTV surveillance. Additionally, video door phones installed in each of these rooms help guests identify the person/s at the door before letting him/her/them in. Similarly, keeping in mind the needs of differently-abled guests, Keys Kochi has a specially designed room to meet requirements of these guests. The Keys Café at the hotel provides an exciting range of cuisine options ranging from Indian, Chinese and continental. There is also a specially-designed menu called Ghar Ka Swad that provides guests with home-style cooked food. The café also provides its guests the option to have ‘Breakfast on the Go’ which allows them to carry their breakfast when in a hurry.
Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere Gets LEED Silver Rating Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, the luxury backwaters resort located in Vayalar, in Kerala, has been conferred the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver rating by the Indian Green Building Council’s (IGBC) LEED India for New Construction Rating system. The LEED Silver rating has been conferred for Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere’s performance in energy, water efficiency, and waste management. The LEED Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. Dr. Vasudevan Parameshwarath, the resort’s promoter, said, “While traveling these days, consumers are presented with a wide range of hotels from which to choose. The growing supply of so many different types of hotels makes it all the more important for hoteliers to create a product that will stand out and be different from its competitors. Green certification is a tool that hoteliers may use to distinguish themselves from others. It can also be used to increase profits, enhance image, expand marketing opportunities, and provide clarity.” Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere is a premium five-star resort, located on the tranquil backwaters of Vayalar; in the Alleppey district of Kerala. The hotel offers 60 luxurious accommodations including tastefully appointed floating cottages and houseboats. These are complemented by luxury spa services, elaborate on-site dining options, recreational and wellness facilities.
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Appointment
HOTEL Business Review
Puneet Sharma Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon has appointed Puneet Sharma as the new Food & Beverage Manager for the hotel. Sharma will be responsible for the day to day operations of the F&B unit, achieving revenue targets and driving strategic food and beverage promotions in the hotel. Sharma comes with over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. He joins Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon from Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield where he was a part of the pre-opening team and operated as a Director of Events. He has an understanding of international food and beverage trends, restaurant management and event operations.
Craig S Smith Craig S. Smith has been appointed as the President & Managing Director – Asia Pacific for Marriott International, Inc. He has succeeded Simon F. Cooper. He is based in Hong Kong. In his new capacity, he oversees more than 180 hotels and 49,000 employees. Having launched his career leading teams in the rooms department of a hotel, he knows the hospitality business from the ground up. Craig has been named Marriott International’s General Manager of the Year three times and been the recipient of numerous marketing, finance and leadership awards during his illustrious career. Prior to his current position, Craig served two-and-a-half years as President of Marriott’s Caribbean and Latin American region.
Sanjay Thomas The Suryaa New Delhi has appointed Chef Sanjay Thomas as its F&B Director. In this role, Chef Thomas will oversee all of the hotel’s food and beverage programming including menu creation and execution for high-profile events, galas and weddings hosted at The Suryaa New Delhi. Collectively, Chef Thomas has over two decades of culinary experience and specialises in developing new menus, planning and strategising for the F&B department.
Vimal Bhat Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield has announced the appointment of Vimal Bhat as the Associate Director of Sales. Vimal comes with sales experience of nine years in the hospitality industry. He has worked with well known hospitality brands in India. Vimal began his journey with the Marriott six years ago. At Marriott Whitefield he played a critical role in the successful opening and positioning of the hotel where his market knowledge and excellent business relationships came into play.
Somusundaram Thevar Keys Hotels has appointed Somusundaram Thevar as the General Manager for its hotel in Mumbai. Somsundaram who holds an MBA from the Institute of Technology and Management in Thane, has invested over 15 years in the industry. He began his career as a Trainee Cook with the Oberoi and has since worked with some of the most renowned names in the hospitality space such as the Taj and the Royal Caribbean, gaining comprehensive experience in food & beverage, hotel operations, administration, budgeting and statutory compliance processes.
Ajit Abraham Keys Hotels has appointed Ajit Abraham as the General Manager for its hotel in Ludhiana. Ajit’s experience in the hospitality space spans thirteen years in which he has worked in several areas like front office operations, business development, operations management, customer relationship management among others. He began his career at The Pride Hotel, Ahmedabad and subsequently has worked with the Flora Grand Hotel in Dubai, Hotel Inder Residency in Udaipur and the Lords Hotels, Gujarat.
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Srinivas Srirangam Srinivas Srirangam has been appointed as the General Manager of the soon to be launched Novotel Imagica Khopoli. The property is scheduled to open its doors in August 2015. With an extensive 20 year experience of working in the hospitality industry, Srinivas will be spearheading the operations of Novotel Imagica Khopoli. Srinivas has extensive work experience in Dubai, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Within the country too he has successfully opened Novotel Hyderabad Airport and has launched Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences.
KM Chengappa The Leela Palaces Hotels, and Resorts has appointed KM Chengappa as the General Manager of The Leela Palace Chennai. Chengappa has been long associated with The Leela Group and was previously the Resident Manager at The Leela Palace Bangalore. In his new role, Chengappa is responsible for overseeing the 326-room Platinum Leed certified Palace hotel, spanning six verdant acres with magnificent views of the Bay of Bengal. Chengappa was an integral part of the pre-opening team of The Leela Palace Bangalore. He was also instrumental in the growth and success of the hotel’s food and beverage operations, where he introduced a dynamic approach, mentored his team, and introduced some fine F & B concepts.
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Focus
HOTEL Business Review
For Business, Wellness and Weddings JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, which opened its gates to the public recently, boasts of a wonderful location in the heart of the vibrant suburb of Andheri. The hotel is located just a short drive from both the Mumbai’s airports – domestic and international. The hotel’s dining options include an Italian restaurant, a 24-hour coffee shop and a lobby lounge. This is the second JW Mariott hotel in the city – the other one is at Juhu. The General Manager of the newly opened hotel, Saied Heidari, claims that there is place for both hotels to co-exist. In a one-on-one interview with Ashok Malkani, he iterated that both hotels have a different set of guests. Excerpts from the interview follow:
What was the need for another JW Marriot in Mumbai when one is already operational at Juhu?
I believe, the market in Mumbai still has room for many more hotels. Mumbai being the financial capital of India has a great influx of movement of travellers owing to business. The JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu has been successful in creating a strong positioning as that of a destination where ‘leisure meets business.’ The hotel is known for its established food outlets/ offerings. Being centrally located, the hotel is frequented by various Bollywood celebrities and it plays host to various luxury events of the city. The newly opened JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar is situated 1 km away from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and is more suited for business travellers. It is a perfect transit destination for a business traveller who seeks understated luxury. Our meeting spaces also make JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar a suitable venue option for hosting large to small scale conventions and events. JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar offers large indoor and outdoor convention spaces of 56,000 sq.ft., with 11 well-appointed meeting rooms, which can attract the corporate crowd. Besides these, our vibrant
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dining options make our hotel a perfect networking zone; for not just the in-house guests but also for residents in the vicinity and for our Marriott Rewards guests. Do you believe that the competition between the two would affect the business of both the hotels?
No, I don’t think so. There is market for both to co-exist. The JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, as a result of its proximity to the airport attracts more
transit travellers and MICE business. We also attract weddings owing to our vast outdoor spaces. The JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu is more centrally located and caters to a different set of guests. What are the distinctive features of the hotel that you think can promote it further?
The first Spa by JW in Asia-Pacific is housed in the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar. Our guests can revel in an array of
Focus treatments and therapeutic massages at the hands of our therapists and emerge completely relaxed and rejuvenated. This 24 hour spa compromises of seven treatment rooms, including one couple treatment room and one Ayurvedic treatment room, that provides goodness of age-old beauty recipes made from fresh and natural ingredients. The Spa by JW facilities include private jacuzzi for couples, a dressing and make-up room, two steam and sauna rooms and two separate jacuzzi for men and women. Fusion Chair is a unique feature at the Spa by JW, offering treatments as simple indulgences. The two express pods (chairs) allow our guests to revive with 12 minutes, 25 minutes and 40 minutes dry massage for the back, neck, shoulder and hands. Aptly suited for the business traveller, our guests can walk-in to unwind and de-stress with our dry massages on specially designed express chairs, and experience moments of serenity. For individuals who want a place to relax, work, think, or read alone, private treatment pods are available. These spaces allow each guest to focus on her/ his own sense of well-being. Guests feel a sense of privacy without isolation. Guests can plug-in, connect to Wi-Fi, work, read and/or listen to music from their own devices or from the JW Music Collection. The guests can also opt for a foot massage while relaxing. Then there is the Retail Zone, where an array of aromatherapy products is there to help guests achieve the desired result as per their needs. What are the steps do you take to ensure that the employees are updated about new technology and processes?
Training is the most crucial factor in this regard. We have various training programs such as e-webinars and as well as manual training to ensure our associates are updated about new technologies and processes.
What is your marketing strategy to promote the hotel?
We strongly believe that the best form of marketing is through ‘strong word of mouth,’ which can help build brand loyalty. We do that well by delivering our brand promise of crafted products
HOTEL Business Review
and intuitive service to make our guests’ every stay memorable. From marketing perspective, we have our presence across various online portals. We leverage our presence through social media too and are looking at lucrative tie-ups with other luxury brands that can help us to leverage more visibility. Our marketing strategy would be to attract key influencers with our authentic food and beverage offerings and curated services that will facilitate us to increase the numbers of our brand loyalists. Furthermore, we have a great sales and marketing team in place, which helps generate awareness and facilitates business through regular sales calls, customer events, advertisement, public relations and innovative marketing strategies. Are you planning to promote your hotel as a destination wedding venue? If so, how are you going about it?
Our guests can choose from multiple indoor and outdoor venues to accommodate the entire gamut of wedding events ranging from the wedding, mehendi, sangeet, cocktail and reception. The pillar-less Grand Ballroom with an area of 10,350 sq.ft. is an apt venue to host large wedding ceremonies. The Grand Ballroom provides natural day light for day functions and transcends into a romantic setting in the evening, with the help of LED mood lighting options. The spacious patio and prefunction area serve as apt area for the buffets, live stations and cocktail lounge for the wedding events. The lush JW Lawns (12,900 sq.ft.) and outdoor dining theatre with stage are also ideal for weddings and social gatherings alike. Again our strong national sales team and on property sales team are instrumental to help drive business from weddings.
F&B and banquets play an important role in the revenue intake of hotels. How are you planning to promote these?
For F&B, we are engaging in a lot of customer lead events; ensuring that more and more guests visit the property. For banquets sales, calls supported by our marketing efforts bring business to the hotel.
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HOTEL Business Review
Cover Story
Indian Hospitality Gaining Feminine Force
Today women form a growing part of the work force. According to ILO, 40 percent of the world’s work force comprises of women. Today women have entered all fields ranging from IT to armed forces to the hospitality industry. Ashok Malkani takes a look at two aspects of how the Indian hospitality industry meets the demands of the aspiring ladies. The first part talks about the inroads that women have made in the Indian hospitality industry. You find them effectively tackling issues in the kitchen as well as adroitly handling the assignments in the HR, marketing, sales and other departments of hotels and resorts. Today you can find them managing hotels as GMs as well as Directors of reputed hotels. Women have even have made a foray in the male dominated bartending sphere. 22
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Cover Story
HOTEL Business Review
W
omen today form an intrinsic part of the hospitality industry. Women have excelled in this sector not only in India but all over the world. It is the feminine touch which has greatly contributed to the grace and elegance of the hospitality industry. It would not be erroneous in stating that today the Indian hospitality industry holds more potential for women than it did ever before. Gone are the days when people believed that women would not be able to withstand the steep stress levels and crisis management which are common to this industry. Women have proved those beliefs to be wrong. Women are also making their presence felt in management roles in the Indian hospitality industry in a more pronounced manner than they did before, and some among them have even broken through the proverbial glass ceiling. And experts opine that the opportunities for women in the Indian hospitality industry will only increase in the times to come.
Breaking Barriers It seems that the hesitancy of the Indian society towards the fair sex entering the hospitality industry is now a thing of the past. Today they occupy place of pride in this sector. Ranju Alex, General Manager, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa stated, “In India, people are becoming more open to the hospitality industry. Earlier there was a mind block because of shifts and late nights and families used to perceive the hospitality industry as a ‘shady’ career. However, with international brands entering the market, people now look at the industry in a different way and it has
Ranju Alex
now even become prestigious to join the industry as people are becoming aware of career growth prospects that the industry entails. Positive work experiences shared by women who are already in the industry have also led to a change in the way people look at the hospitality industry. Moreover, India as a country has matured and opened up. There has been a specific paradigm shift which has helped our case.” “Women in India these days are more empowered and educated to make own career choices and feel the need to break the conventions. The families and parents are learning to accept changes and have become more supportive and accommodating to the women’s ambitions. Until few years back hotels were not the first career choice for women in India owing to social taboos about night shifts, long and odd working hours and safety issues, but times have changed and so have the notions. Hospitality is not only about glamour but also about keenness to serve guests at all hours, positive attitude, warmth, perseverance, sense of urgency and ability to generate business. Women, having these attributes inherent in them, make them best suited for this industry,” affirmed Pamela Dutta, Assistant Manager – Revenue, Hyatt Pune. “Recruiters are today more open towards hiring women Managers, Directors and General Managers. International hotel chains like Marriott International also offer the opportunity for employees to take up positions in
international locations, which can give their women employees more exposure and a wealth of new prospects,” observed Stephanie D’Silva, Director of Sales and Marketing, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu. “Women in India have become progressive over the years, and have influenced their parents/spouses/partners to shed the wrong inhibitions that the hospitality industry isn’t safe,” averred Chander Sarvagyam, COO, TGB Banquets & Hotels. “The percentage of women employees in organisations all across India has increased significantly over the past decade. In fact, the hospitality industry traditionally has always seen more women employees compared to other industries even in the era where the ratios were skewed heavily in favour of men. Hospitality is now seen as a successful, viable and a ‘socially acceptable’ career in India, hence the women’s numbers in it have further increased,” opined Hemant Tenneti, General Manager, Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan. “Awareness and knowledge about the industry in general are the key reasons for the increasing number of women in the Indian hospitality industry. The dogma associated with this industry are now a matter of past. People now understand that this is a growing industry which provides professional work environment with unlimited opportunities for career growth,” articulated Vidyashankar S, Director, Human Resources, Grand Hyatt Goa.
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HOTEL Business Review
Jenika Sapam
The Omnipresence of Women Women are making inroads in almost all the sectors of the Indian hospitality industry. “Women employees in the Indian hospitality industry are making inroads in all fields, including the areas like kitchen and operations, which are perceived to be physically challenging. However the areas where they have been extremely successful are human resources, sales and marketing, and general administration,” averred Tenneti. “Women making headways in the Indian hospitality industry, across departments like HR, sales & marketing are passé now. Women are now making inroads in food & beverage and are becoming Chefs, They are making impacts in the IT, purchase and/or finance departments of the hotels and resorts and are showing great acumen because of their inherent skills like anticipation of needs and eye for detail. In a service-oriented industry like hospitality these skills are core competencies and it has been proved that women have them in abundance,” iterated Sarvagyam. “In India, we are now seeing women in every department of hotels. Be it HR, sales & marketing, front office, kitchen, finance, housekeeping, the empowering presence of women is there in every department of the hospitality sector. They have excelled in every department of the hospitality sector,” asserted Mohammad Labban, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Pune. “Women have always been the preferred face in front of the house departments in hotels and resorts like front office and sales & marketing. However, during the recent times they have stormed into all the sectors of 24
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the Indian hospitality world including revenue management, finance, kitchen and HR. Also, women make excellent housekeepers and are pretty successful in running the housekeeping department of hotels,” declared Pamela. “Today in India one can find women working in all the departments of hotels like HR, sales and marketing and even finance. There is no single department in the Indian hospitality industry which can now be regarded as an absolute male bastion,” explained Stephanie, enthusiastically. “Women are there in all the avenues of the Indian hospitality industry. They are a great addition to the industry because hospitality is something that comes naturally to them. They definitely have great potential to become successful in the hospitality industry,” concurred Vidyashankar. “In Goa Marriott Resort & Spa, we have very successful women managing and leading departments such as housekeeping, finance, sales & marketing, human resources and food & beverage. Above all, here we have a woman in the General Manager’s position, leading the entire hotel to a successful finish line! We can confidently say that women are making inroads in every area of the Indian hospitality industry,” averred Ranju, smilingly.
Towards a Culinary Career However, still there are miles to go as far as proportion or percentage of women’s presence in the Indian hospitality industry is concerned. While at home kitchen is considered as a woman’s domain, in the hospitality industry it is still rare to find women
Pamela Dutta
Vidyashankar S as Chefs or Bartenders. Women Chefs and Bartenders are there in the Indian hospitality industry, but their numbers need desperate and quick increases across the length and breadth of the Indian hospitality industry. “A hotel’s kitchen is considered to be primarily a male dominated place. It is probably one of the most stressful places as well, but I think that gender biases should belong to history books. If you are tough enough, the world is your oyster, irrespective of the gender,” pointed out Chef Veena Arora, Executive Thai Chef, The Imperial, New Delhi. Sarvagyam sounded equally optimistic. “We have very successful women Chefs, and there are many who are raring to achieve greater laurels in the years to come. Earlier there were very few women Chefs in the Indian hospitality industry as the technological developments in the kitchen equipments and their processes were minimal and kitchen operations were highly labour-intensive. But now as the world is progressing, the only hitch remaining in kitchen operations in hotels is the very demanding working hours. But women with passion are ready to make their dreams come true by venturing into any branch of the hospitality industry,” proffered Sarvagyam. “At Goa Marriott Resort & Spa, we have a young lady as Assistant Pastry Chef who leads the pastry section. She is remarkable with guests. Practically every guest who visits the restaurant always commends her on her products and her guest service. However, I will admit that the influx of women in the culinary sphere of the Indian hospitality industry should have been more than where it stands right now,” admitted Ranju.
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Tenneti maintains that the number of senior Chefs in the Indian hospitality industry who are women is still limited. “However,” he added, “the younger generation is increasingly opting for this career, so in the future we hope to see many more lady Executive Chefs.” Pamela feels that women have made successful entry into the field of food preparation in hotels and have created a mark for themselves in this area. “One such success story would be that of Hyatt Pune’s very own Chef Sarika Kamble (Chef de Partie), who has been instrumental in upholding Hyatt’s high standards of food quality and service,” Pamela asserted. There is no denying the fact that things are improving. “If you travel around hotel management campuses across India for recruitment you will find more young girls opting for culinary domain as a career than in the past,” stated Vidyashankar. “Cooking comes very naturally to women, so they are very successful as Chefs as well, which once used to be an extremely male dominated profession in India. In the last decade, the number of women Chefs in the country has considerably increased owing to changes in the work environment,” pointed out Stephanie.
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Indian women have also forayed into bartending as a career option. Recently when French alcobev maker Remy Cointreau unveiled India’s first women’s bartending competition, it wasn’t quite prepared for the overwhelming response. “Bartending and mixology as a profession have been associated with only men for a long time in India but with acceptance of a growing number of women bartenders in the country, we believe that this is a good time for women to venture into this profession,” said Rukn Luthra, Managing Director, Remy Cointreau, Indian subcontinent and Gulf. That women are ready to challenge the stereotype and enter this profession is clear from the response to the La Maison Cointreau competition, he observed. Shatbhi Basu is regarded as India’s first woman bartender. She has a long and successful journey through mixing drinks for over 32 years. She said that at her institute, she had been increasingly training girls from Jaipur, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai. Shatbhi runs a professional bartending academy named STIR. She thinks that in the light of exciting new techniques like molecular mixology and flash bartending now accessible in India, bartending has become an exciting career option for young Indian women who are exploring unconventional career routes. Today, there are several young women who have taken up bartending. Priyanka Kandalkar is one of them. During her hotel management studies at the University of Mumbai, Priyanka found alcobeverages as one of the challenging subjects and joined a bar training academy to develop her skills. That was the start of her interest in bartending and mixology. Her first job at the Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, where the rooftop bar AER Lounge was being set up,
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Hemant Tenneti helped her develop a greater interest in her specialisation. “I didn’t work in the bar then, but we all picked up in-depth knowledge about how a bar is set up, how it is arranged, etc.and I found it all very interesting,” she said. It was this growing interest that helped make up her mind about training and certification as a sommelier for three levels of the British Wine & Spirit Education
HOTEL Business Review
Trust. “I have then worked at the bars of Yauatcha restaurant in Mumbai, at Shangri-La hotel and at Tulleeho bartending academy. I love the job and don’t think that I have ever faced any disadvantages because of the fact that I am a woman,” she asserted. Jenika Sapam, working at The Oberoi, Bengaluru said, “Before I became a bartender I did not even know that it could become a career option. I accidentally entered the profession but loved it from the first try.” She is an electronics engineer who now works as a freelance bartender in Bangalore. “I was not trained to become a bartender, but when it came to finding a job, I wanted to try something which I was always intrigued about, and that was the hospitality industry. Bartending followed hospitality and ever since I entered the profession in 2011, I am in love with it,” Jenika added further.
Women Managing Hotels Women in senior management positions
Mohammad Labban in the Indian hospitality industry are also increasing in numbers during the recent years. Of course, the names of prominent women hoteliers like Priya Paul, Jyotsna Suri and Sonica Malhotra come first to mind while discussing this topic, but there are many other ladies who have risen to the top of their professions in the Indian hospitality industry. Stephanie rightly believes that “Women can excel
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HOTEL Business Review
Chander Sarvagyam in all the departments of the hospitality industry.” She disclosed that Marriott International had a number of women working in senior leadership roles. “It is well accepted that a women can excel in any field. There is nothing that a man can do and women cannot. There are numerous examples that we see around us. For example at the Grand Hyatt Goa, we have Betty Remedios as our Director of Sales & Marketing, Sarah Raina & Dacia Pereira as our Directors of Sales, our Resort Centre Manager is Nora Kohli, and our Outlet Manager is Vinaya Shinde,” pointed out Vidyashankar. Ranju iterated that women had broken all barriers and risen in the ranks to occupy some of the top positions in the Indian hospitality industry. “At the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa, besides me, as the General Manager, we also have Abanti Gupta as the Director of Human Resources, Melissa Colaco as the Director of Sales and Shilpa Kampani as the Executive Housekeeper. In addition to these very successful women, Marriott
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has, in other properties, many more women occupying positions as Directors and Managers in every department, including the engineering department and loss prevention department,” pointed out Ranju. Pamela also talked about some exemplary women who have risen to the top management with Hyatt. She cited the examples of Monica Wadhera —Director of Revenue, Hyatt Pune, Britta Leick-Milde — General Manager, Hyatt Regency Kolkata, Nilanjana Gupta — Area Director of Sales & Marketing, North India, Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Shaista Khan — Regional VP Sales, Hyatt Hotels Corporation among others. “These are only some of the lovely women of our industry who are success stories in themselves. The place they have reached today talks of their achievements and years of hard work. They have broken all myths that survival of women in our industry is difficult,” elaborated Payal. Tenneti feels that gender is immaterial and women can succeed in any field. “We, at Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan, have 20 lady employees in our hotel. They are at all levels, from managerial to line staff. All of them have been exceptional performers,” he stated.
The Need for More Women However, despite such impressive inroads made by women in the Indian hospitality industry, mostly during the last decade or so, the ratio of men and women workforce in the Indian hotel industry still seems to be weighing very much in favour of men. This is unfortunate, but thankfully things are changing, and they are changing fast. According to Stephanie there is a 30:70 female to male ratio at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu. “Almost 20 percent of our workforce consists of women associates. The ratio of 20:80 at Grand Hyatt Goa is slightly above the industry trend,” claimed Vidyashankar. “We have a ratio of 25 women to 75 men at Hyatt Pune,” pointed out Pamela. Tenneti disclosed that the ratio of women to men at the Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan was 20:80. “Women comprise approximately 30 percent of the work force at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa,” informed Ranju. According to Labban, almost 20 percent of the total employees at Hyatt Regency
Priyanka Kandalkar Pune are women. However, given the potholes, the inroads women have made during the recent years in the hitherto male dominated Indian hospitality industry is praiseworthy. But still there are miles to go before we can see 50-60 percent senior management positions in the Indian hospitality industry being run by women. Research has confirmed the importance of the female contribution to hotel management. In many ways, more women in top management roles can be advantageous for the bottom lines of hotels and resorts. Women senior managers can improve the quality of communication, flexibility and adoptability in the organisational structure of the hotels and resorts, which can prove to be the crucial factors in the near future to stay ahead of competition. The need for a feminine perspective or a feminine vision to the management is the need of the hour in today’s world, and our hospitality industry should be proactive to strengthen this perspective and vision. In fact, by inducting more and more women in all areas of the Indian hospitality industry, the hoteliers and resort owners in the country can facilitate better care and better sensitivity towards guests and as well as better eye for detail, as caring, sensitivity and eye for detail are among the women’s millions of strong points. And these qualities are incidentally the fulcrum of the hospitality industry. So the time to induct more women across all levels of the Indian hospitality industry is now! * The second part of the feature would explore many other facets of this issue.
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Business
HOTEL Business Review
Hospitality Needs
More Fitness By Swarnendu Biswas
I
n these days, the health consciousness and the craze for fitness are on the upswing in urban India. This trend is much visible, especially among the upper echelons of urban India. Consequently, fitness is gaining more business potential, which is manifested by the mushrooming gyms and health centers across urban India. Slowly but surely, visiting of spas and gyms is graduating from a lifestyle statement to an integral part of one’s life among a significant section of the upwardly mobile population in the Indian metros. This trend is percolating in smaller cities and towns of the country too, and also among the typical middle class pot-belied men and housewives. No wonder that the fitness industry in the country is projected to reach an awe-inspiring figure of Rs.50,000 crore by 2030. It is a market that the Indian hospitality industry can ill afford to
ignore. Though gym in five-star hotels across the country has emerged as a mandatory business requirement, but there is no reason to believe that a business traveller staying in a three-star or a two-star hotel would not mind skipping her/his everyday exercise regimen just because she/he is travelling. Succinctly, the fitness wave in the Indian hospitality industry must gain more momentum than it is generating at present.
Rightly Equipped However, hotels and resorts thinking of setting up a gym must keep into account of various factors. First of all, the gym should have adequate space and must be spruced with a wide range of quality fitness equipments. Of course, the standard of fitness equipments could vary with the profile of the hotel/resort, but they should be of good quality, irrespective of the profile of the hotel/
resort. “The selection of the fitness equipment does vary according to the customer profile & objectives of the fitness centre of a hotel,” said Deepak Dewan, Chairman & MD, Cardio Fitness India Pvt. Ltd. While discussing popular fitness equipments in the India’s hospitality sector, Dewan talked about various brands which Cardio Fitness India represents. According to him, “The ‘Integrity’ Series Cardio Range from Life Fitness has intelligent engineering, pleasing design and trusted reliability. The ‘Integrity’ series offers something for every exerciser. It has a wide range of cardio equipments including treadmills, cross trainers, recumbent and upright bikes, etc.” He also talked about Life Fitness ‘Discover’ Series Cardio Range and Life Fitness ‘Insignia’ Series Strength Equipment and Helo Infrared Sauna Cabin in detail. While talking about the Life
Kiran Sawhney
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Business
Fitness ‘Insignia’ Series Strength Equipment he said, “This series of products are thoughtfully designed and distinctively crafted. Each of the 21 pieces features nuanced design elements that result in a natural feel and a memorable experience. The selectorized line is appealing to exercisers of all fitness levels.” Here it deserves a mention that Cardio Fitness India is an important player in the fitness equipment industry of India. It is engaged in marketing cutting-edge fitness and spa products to help meet the fitness and health goals of its customers. Cardio Fitness India represents 16 of the top global fitness and spa equipments and accessories brands, which includes Life Fitness among others. Cardio Fitness India has proved itself as a one-stop-shop with total fitness and wellness solution. “As the leaders in commercial fitness equipment in the country, we offer a wide range of cardio and strength training products and support services,” Dewan offered. “The configuration of the equipment can be decided based on the users’ profile. Thereafter the fitness trainer in hotels and resorts should play an important role in helping guests achieve their fitness goals by keeping in mind their fitness levels & age,” observed Dewan pragmatically. By his own admission, Cardio Fitness India has “A very wide range of fitness equipments to cater to the fitness needs of varied types of people and age groups.”
Towards Customised Fitness The hotels’ and resorts’ gym should also have trained fitness instructors, who also need to be sensitive about the different fitness requirements and varying physical
HOTEL Business Review
limitations of their guests. “All gym instructors, whether they be employed by stand-alone gyms or by health clubs or by gyms in hotels/resorts or by sports clubs must be certified trainers,” asserted Leena Mogre, who can be easily regarded as one of the pioneers of fitness training in India. Here it deserves a mention that Leena Mogre started her own signature brand of fitness centres, which is known as Leena Mogre’s Fitness, by launching her first gym at Khar, Mumbai in December 2005. Presently, her brand of gyms are located at Khar, Shivaji Park, Thane and Vashi (all in Mumbai), and also in Bangalore, Nashik, and Chandigarh. Of these the outlets at Vashi and in Bangalore and Chandigarh are franchised and others are company owned. Kiran Sawhney, one of the most eminent fitness instructors in the Indian fitness industry, however, has a slightly different take on the matter. “For fitness trainers certifications are important, but more than the certifications, credentials, knowledge and experience of a trainer matter,” she opined. “A fitness trainer should have thorough knowledge of fitness, anatomy, physiology and kinesiology. She/he should have knowledge and expertise in multiple fitness regimes like yoga, pilates, tai chi, aqua aerobics, etc.,” she pointed out further. One should also remember that good fitness regimen may often need to be customised, for a fitness regimen which is ideal for the body constitution of one person, may not yield similar results for the other. In fact, with people of all shapes, sizes and medical history taking
recourse to gyms, the individualised fitness plans have become the need of the hour in India’s fitness industry. “The role of individualised training in the fitness industry is most important as we have to consider the fact that ‘no two individuals have the same body.’ The exercise schedule which suits one person may not be good for the other. Besides different body compositions, the lifestyles of people also differ, and as also their requirements and fitness goals,” explained Leena. Therefore the fitness trainer employed by the hotels/resorts should have a sound understanding of the physique of her/ his clients and also should have detailed information about her/his clients’ medical history before prescribing suitable exercises for them.
Plan at the Beginning The designing of the fitness centre/gym in a hotel also has its own challenges. “Designing a fitness centre for any kind of facility needs careful planning and smart design. It is essential to begin the design process of a gym when the hotel is at the drawing board / planning stage itself so as to avoid choice of wrong locations, miscalculation of space & product offerings,” averred Dewan.
Leena Mogre May-June ’15
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HOTEL Business Review
“The other important point to keep in mind is that the hotel/resort should have the architect and fitness partner on the same page so that proper provision of space, electricals, plumbing, flooring, etc. for the gym/fitness centre can be planned at the planning stage itself,” stated Dewan. The corporate honcho is totally against starting to work out the details of the gym when the hotel/resort is almost complete. “In fact, it is already too late to get into the design details of a health club/fitness centre/gym even when just the structure of the building is ready as constraints are then placed due to load bearing structures & pillars,” the entrepreneur noted. Cardio Fitness India also specialise in the designing and setting up of fitness centres & spas for corporates, clubs, hotels, resorts, hospitals and even for residential apartments. Location of the gym in the hotel/ resort can also contribute to its popularity. “For instance a resort or a hotel should have the fitness centre and spa overlooking the pool or at least they should have a pleasing view. In addition to it there should be wellness activities like outdoor yoga to supplement the fitness solutions offered at the gym,” pointed out Dewan. It is better if the location of the gym is decided at the planning stage of the hotels and resorts.
For Increasing Footfalls There are various ways by which the hotels and resorts can enhance their footfalls to their gym. “To increase footfalls to their gym, hotels / resorts should explore the option of opening up gym memberships to guests who do not
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the health and fitness of their guests,” observed Kiran. “Hotels and resorts can also take inputs from the celebrity trainers to set up their gyms more effectively and efficiently,” she pointed out further. Kiran said that she had been invited world over by hotels and resorts to disseminate her knowledge and talent in the realm of fitness.
Innovative Fitness Regimens Deepak Dewan
stay in their property/properties that is to the non hotel residents. They can also introduce group workouts like Zumba, group crossfit classes, cardio kickboxing classes or yoga classes by hiring trained professionals,” explained Leena, the great fitness diva. It can also be a savvy business option for hotels and resorts to invite celebrity fitness trainers from time to time(say twice a month) to impart special fitness tips to their in-house trainers, to suggest new fitness regimens, and to supervise and suggest improvisations in the fitness infrastructure of the hotel’s or the resort’s gym. Leena sounded quite enthusiastic at the idea. “Yes, this can be a pragmatic option to enhance the standard of the gyms in hotels/resorts across India. We have already been invited by the hotel and resort gyms as guest trainers. They have seen improvement in their in-house trainers as a result of our supervision, which has been translated into compliments from their guests,” explained Nikhil Mogre, who looks after new projects, back-office, administration, accounts, finance management, legal requirements and software management of all the centres under the ambit of Leena Mogre’s Fitness. He has been associated with this nationally renowned brand of fitness centres full time, since 2007. Kiran also feels that it would be a great idea for hotels and resorts in the country to invite celebrity fitness trainers or instructors from time to time, on a more proactive basis. “In fact, hotels and resorts should promote and advertise this facet, and by doing so they could market themselves as conscious and aware group which is taking responsibility for
The role of innovative fitness regimens to attract the discerning crowd to the hotels and resorts should not be discounted. According to Kiran, hotels and resorts in the country should be more proactive to introduce innovative and uncommon but very effective fitness regimens, which include Aerial Silk/ Aerial Workout/Aerial Yoga, Battle Ropes, Fitness Ladder among others. She talked at length about the aerial silk. “Here the only piece of equipment needed is a simple piece of cloth hanging from the ceiling; from the carabineer to be precise. Dancers and ballerinas have already incorporated this regimen into their fitness schedules. Now it is spreading among the masses too as people are beginning to realise that no other form of fitness can give them the exhilaration of flying in the air. This exercise regimen can especially enhance the upper body strength, which is normally neglected in other forms of fitness. Here you learn to climb, hang and pull yourself up. However, you need strength in the first place to practice it,” elaborated Kiran. “Battle Ropes are heavy ropes that you move quickly. It is a full body strengthening and toning workout that burns lots of calories and fat,” Kiran asserted while talking about Battle Ropes, which Priyanka Chopra was seen using in the movie Mary Kom that caught the fitness enthusiasts’ imagination. She also showed me Foam Roller, which according to her can facilitate to increase core stability, balance, poise and abs’ strength. I tried my hand at Battle Ropes and Foam Roller clumsily and unsuccessfully, much to the amusement of Kiran. Talking about the Fitness Ladder, Kiran explained, “It involves lots of challenging activities, targeted to improve your agility, functional strength, and cardiovascular endurance. This
Business
HOTEL Business Review
fitness regimen entails lots of jumps and propulsion movements, which give a high impact and high intensity workout.” The fitness guru also suggested aqua aerobics, which entails workout in water bodies like swimming pool. “These workouts are done in a waist high or maybe shoulder high water. The water has resistance and hence makes the workout more intense or challenging,” Kiran expressed. Exercising in water is like bearing lots of weight and doing workout simultaneously. However, water produces resistance but also gives buoyancy. “In aqua aerobics, since you are working against the resistance of water, you end up burning eight times more calories than any regular normal floor aerobics. Yet the buoyancy of water works to help you in the movement. Moreover, you can strengthen & stretch much better in water. Movements are naturally balanced in water. Muscles that are tight on land are stretched with buoyancy in the water, whereas lax muscles are strengthened with the
resistance of water,” elaborated the fitness guru while talking about the benefits of aqua aerobics. Moreover, doing workouts in water, though challenging, can be refreshing at the same time, as a result of water’s inherent rejuvenating quality.
Summing Up Overall, going by the fitness wave spearheading through urban India, one can easily infer that hotels and resorts in the country should be more proactive in housing gym within them. Gyms should not only be a feature of five-star and fourstar properties, but of hospitality properties in the country having lesser stars too.
But at the same time, hotels and resorts should keep into account of various factors while constructing gym or health club or fitness centre within their precincts. They should not only be prudent about the location and careful about the stringent quality of fitness equipments, but should hire only qualified and sensitive fitness trainers. At the same time, they should try to introduce innovative fitness regimens from time to time to attract the discerning guests, and preferably should take time to time advice/supervision of nationally renowned fitness icons in order to continually improve on the expertise of their fitness trainers, and also on their infrastructure and equipments. The fitness icons can also suggest new fitness regimens for the hotels’ and resorts’ guests from time to time, which can enhance footfalls to those hospitality properties’ gyms and health clubs. If all these factors are heeded together, the Indian hospitality industry can exploit the huge market of the Indian fitness industry in a much better manner than it is doing now. n
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May-June ’15
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F&B
HOTEL Business Review
Hotels Emphasising on
Banquets By Sharmila Chand
B
anquets have emerged as a major revenue source for big and luxury hotels in the Indian hospitality industry. The needs and demands of the increasing numbers of discerning guests in the Indian hospitality industry have evolved greatly over the years and banquets in hotels and resorts need to keep pace to cater to these changing requirements. And they are doing so. The banqueting operations in India, like almost every other facet of hospitality business, have embraced the latest trends. It involves theme concept, food styling, table layouts, bar set up, crockery, cutlery, choice of linen, staff uniform, flower decoration… in fact, the list of things to make a successful banquet event seems to be endless. A major contributor to the revenue of hotels today, we look into the F&B challenges that come with the banqueting operations.
Evolving Business Now more guests in hotels in India have exposure to international travels than they had a decade before. Thus they are likely to be exposed to what is available in banquets, internationally. Many discerning 34
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guests (whose numbers are increasing in the Indian hospitality industry) are also looking for innovative ways of celebrating important events in their life. Thus the banqueting business in hotels and resorts in India need to match international standards and be innovative. “There is vast potential in the banqueting business today. What is required for a successful banqueting business is innovation, while keeping the personal touch intact,” averred Mayuresh Deodhar, Director of Sales and Marketing, Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre. “Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre aspires to be a preferred venue for business, and celebrations and weddings is one of the largest segments for the hotel. People
“We provide competitive packages to our clients for hosting wedding receptions. We also market our brand on all social media platforms to ensure maximum possible reach.” Navin Suchanti, Managing Director, Sinclairs Hotels & Resorts
of Ahmedabad are well travelled and prefer to have menus with a blend of traditional and international cuisine,” he added further. “Live and interactive food counters with Chefs in action are preferred by the guests,” observed Deodhar while discussing the banqueting trends in hotels.
Banqueting Challenges Banqueting has an advantage to drive in high volumes of business, which can lead to higher profitability. As is the case with all businesses, banqueting also has its fair share of challenges. “We don’t see any unmanageable challenge in the banqueting business, which cannot be handled. Each guest has his/her own needs and expectations with the hotel, which have to met. We see most of our weddings have a large room requirement and this can sometimes be a challenge, while balancing the corporate and the social demand,” affirmed Deodhar. “Satisfying each & every taste bud can be a challenge in big weddings. Also forecasting portions can be challenging as well as the presentation of cooked food in chafers. Food safety & hygiene is a
F&B big challenge for big events,” explained Kumar Sambhav, Director, Food & Beverage at The Grand New Delhi while talking about the challenges in hosting wedding banquets. “The major challenge in wedding banqueting for hotels is anticipating requirements of wedding parties. Keeping up with wedding trends is also a challenging task. Wedding trends keep on changing. Something that is trendy now could be passé in no time,” asserted Navin Suchanti, Managing Director, Sinclairs Hotels & Resorts. Of course, cost is certainly a major factor to be taken into account while hosting banquets in hotels. Suchanti emphasised on this factor. Food, decoration and other aspects of banqueting have to be chosen in such a way that they are cost-effective for both the hotel and the hosts. Besides costs of course, several other factors also needed to be kept in mind for hosting successful banquets in hotels. The profile of the guests, the cuisine, the infrastructure are only some of the important issues which needed to be taken care of. “Some of the factors we keep in mind are the guests’ demographic profile, the type of seasonal fresh ingredients available in markets, the balance between live cooking & food counters, weather, and the cuisine we are strong at,” Kumar Sambhav said.
Playing to Strength Running a successful banqueting facility in a hotel requires a fine eye for details pertaining to infrastructure, services and marketing. “We at the hotel host food tasting sessions with the client, personally attended by the Executive Chef. Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre has a team
HOTEL Business Review
“Wedding banqueting business is going to grow at a very fast pace in the future. Everyone wants a great wedding and many want their weddings to be different. In this regard, hotels must keep up with the demand from the guests by regularly upgrading themselves & training their teams. They need to keep experimenting with new food concepts and cuisines. Hotels who regularly upgrade themselves will create a niche for themselves and can be ahead of competition.” Kumar Sambhav, Director, Food & Beverage at The Grand New Delhi
of dedicated Crown Meetings Manager to ensure that we meet the expectations of the clients,” said Deodhar. More importantly, he added, “The hotel is crafting special wedding packages for non-auspicious wedding dates to attract incremental revenue.” “Sinclairs has properties in several exotic locations and that is our USP. In Port Blair, one can have the banquet with us, with the sea as the backdrop; in Ooty our three level gardens make the venue adventurous and interesting. Similarly in Chalsa, you can have the function amidst pristine green surroundings. For the bride and the groom, we also offer pre-wedding casual and candid photography sessions,” pointed out Suchanti. “IHG that operates the Crowne Plaza brand has partnered with celebrity Chefs to form a panel of ‘Culinary Ambassadors,’ each of whom have contributed bespoke recipes that can be incorporated in the wedding menus. This helps to elevate the F&B profile of the event and facilitates to attract new customers apart from retaining regular customers,” proffered Deodhar.
“The entire business of hosting great weddings needs a very special approach with a lot of emotional involvement and flexibility to adapt to the different needs of different communities.” Mayuresh Deodhar, Director of Sales and Marketing, Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre.
The Role of Marketing Right marketing and advertisement is required to facilitate the guests and potential guests are aware of the banqueting facilities in the hotel. “Our wedding banqueting marketing strategies are manifold including, tieup with celebrity Chefs, developing specialised wedding brochures; developing a panel of vendors specialising in weddings and organising wedding fairs and jewellery exhibitions,” expressed Deodhar. Kumar Sambhav told that the marketing focus of their banqueting is through word of mouth. Generating leads for the current events and offering rewards for the bookers are some of the other marketing endeavours for The Grand New Delhi to market banquets, according to Kumar Sambhav. “Weddings are more of creating an experience as it is a once in a lifetime event and we would prefer to focus more on the overall feel and the experience of the client and the rest follows,” summed up Deodhar.
For Profitable Wedding Banquets I queried on the tips to run a profitable wedding banquet operations in a hotel to the experts. “Creating an unmatched experience and concentrating on the quality without compromising on delivery standards can lead to a profitable wedding banquet in a hotel,” observed Deodhar. “Keep on innovating in set-up, keep on investing in props to create nice set-ups, do proper menu planning and control wastage. These are the factors needed for a profitable wedding banquet in a hotel,” stated Kumar Sambhav. n
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Spa
HOTEL Business Review
Discover Your Aura By Sharmila Chand
W
inner of many prestigious awards and accolades, Aura Spa at The Park New Delhi has an impressive spa menu, a gym and a salon. This luxury day spa is located in the heart of the capital with a splendid view of Lutyen’s Delhi. The spa offers exotic treatments as well as traditional beauty rituals. The décor is soothing in shades of bluish green, accentuated by the Mughal architecture. The circular wall mosaics, dark slate and use of shells and pearls further add to the ambience. The use of natural teak renders a warm and cosy look to the spa. Glowing glass arches and a glass wall with a water cascade is the central feature of the spa. 36
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HOTEL Business Review
The spa is linked by an outdoor timber staircase to the first floor Sun and yoga deck and then by pergola and glass elevator to Aqua, the poolside restaurant below. It completes the sequence of water related elements in the hotel. The gym has state-of-the-art equipment and overlooks the Jantar Mantar. The reception and salon use white marble, pebbles and mirrors to reflect light and give a clean fresh look to the wellness spaces. Within the walls of the four therapy rooms, coloured in hues of green, pure essential oils blended with handpicked ingredients are used to purify and detox your body. The spa therapists at the Aura Spa at The Park New Delhi have extensive training in a variety of styles and massages that can be customised to suit specific requirements. The treatments at the Aura Spa are created using the panchmahabhuta concept, which harness the power of the five elements of nature, to facilitate holistic well-being.
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May-June ’15
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Spa
HOTEL Business Review
Directing the Flow of Wellness By Sharmila Chand According to Dr. Harish Kalathil, Director Spa — Group Coordination – Training, Aura Spa at The Park Hotels, “At Aura Spa we use all natural and organic products. We offer unique and customised therapies to customers; suiting their requirements. Moreover, the therapists at Aura Spa are trained extensively. We hire freshers and groom them from the very basic stage. Also we have recently introduced the unique Gem Stone Massage.” I had an interesting discussion with the wellness expert, the excerpts of which are given below: What are the kinds of changes you have witnessed in the Indian spa industry during the past five-six years?
Spa industry in India has evolved during the last few years from being a small component of five-star hotels to an independent branch with various verticals of its own. The focus of treatments and services has become more holistic and personalised. Now getting a customised therapy for oneself is not a difficult proposition across the spas in India. Again the wellness options have also increased exponentially! Now a spa connoisseur in the country has great options to choose from. Spa guests have become more worldly and discerning. They compare the treatments and techniques. Arrival of many affordable stand-alone day spas in urban India has also made the spa culture accessible to the common man in the country. Spa is no longer treated as a luxury but is being perceived as a necessity by many spa goers in the country. Presently, many spas have started positioning themselves to be a wellness abode rather than just a place for luxury and beauty. Spas are going to great extent to develop natural and unique products for wellness so that they can stand out amongst many. Top spa trends that we can see are sleep therapy, customised spa diets for individual clients, ‘happiness’ therapies like ‘vibration process,’ etc. The beverages offered in spas have become very unique and health specific. What are the key challenges towards opening a spa?
As discussed before, spa is no longer being treated as a place only for beauty and luxury. A complete spa has various components going into it to make it a perfect one. In this backdrop, guest-friendly design of spas is of paramount importance. 38
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The concept behind the design, therapies relevant to the concept, qualified therapists, their training and SOPs, etc. are equally important, and they have to be addressed before you can even consider opening your spa to the public. If I have to put my finger on the single most challenge in opening a spa in today’s times, it will be to develop a team of qualified and uniformly trained personnel before opening the spa.
products. All therapists with Aura Spas undergo extensive hours of training for the therapies. All the services that we carry out are done in a manner that are unique to Aura Spas alone. To cite an example is the Aura Gemstone Massage. In this we use actual gemstones like topaz, carnelian and aventurine for the therapy.
How do you decide on the spa menu? What factors have to be kept in mind to chalk out a decent spa menu?
Yes, we do give customised services according to the guest’s needs. Most of the packages that guests avail in Aura are tailor-made according to their needs. As a process, the guests are given a questionnaire to understand their needs and dislikes. Spa Executive or the Manager then will advice the guest the therapies ideally suitable for him/her. Therapists also make the necessary adjustments in the therapies according to the guest needs, without wavering from the SOPs. We also have therapies customised to suite the season. We call it Aura Touch!
Various aspects go into the making of a good spa menu. Many times people make it complicated by putting too much information into it. Many spa goers don’t have so much time to go through all those information. So the thumb rule is to make it simple in content, having specific therapies relevant to the concept of the spa, having clearly demarcated services with pricing and time duration and having spa rules. One important thing to consider always with spa menu is to have a good balance between your signature therapies and packages with other traditional and contemporary therapies. What do you enjoy the most about being a Spa Director/Spa Head?
Being a Spa Director, I enjoy streamlining the spa operations and training. I get the greatest pleasure and contentment when I receive appreciation for the services rendered by my therapists, trained under me. Could you tell us the USP of your spa? In what ways it is distinguished from others?
Aura is the brand of spa of The Park. Aura Spas are unique as here we give extreme importance to the natural and organic
Do you have some customised treatments? Please explain
What is your favourite treatment and why it is so?
My favourite treatment in our menu is the ‘Aura awakening’ package. This package in our menu is unique to Aura. With this guest is able to experience three different signature therapies of Aura, viz ‘Dalim’ Scrub, Aura Signature Massage & Crystal Face Massage. Any other point you wish to make?
Spas are considered major contributors to the wellness industry. However, these days many unregulated spas are also mushrooming in urban India, which is leading to a great amount of shortage in skilled therapists/ staff. Point that I would like to assert here for the readers is that never patronise spas that do not employ trained professional staff.
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Profile
HOTEL Business Review
Creating Hit Duets in Hospitality D
uet India Hotels was established in 2007 by a group of leading institutional investors with a focus to develop and own hotels in the internationally branded upper mid scale and mid scale segments across key cities in India. DIH’s current portfolio comprises of five operational hotels having 876 rooms across five cities of India, which are under strategic tie-ups with Starwood and Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG). Besides these, four hotel projects under Duet India Hotels are there under various stages of development. DIH continues to look for opportunities to expand its portfolio in other emerging cities of India. It is a completely Indiafocused hotel development chain, with no hospitality projects outside the country. The company is perhaps the first hospitality focused company in India funded by foreign institutional investors. Duet India Hotels has also forged an equity tie-up with a global hospitality major - Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) - for bringing the Holiday Inn Express to India. DIH entered into this joint venture with IHG in 2011 where DIH holds 76 percent stake and 24 percent is held by IHG. DIH recently launched Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli, which is its fifth hotel to become operational. In addition to that DIH owns two more Holiday Inn Express properties that are operational in Ahmedabad and Chennai Mahindra World City, and two Four
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Points by Sheraton properties, which are operational in Jaipur and Pune. Furthermore, there are four hotel projects under the ambit of Duet India Hotels, which are under various stages of development. They include a Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Chennai on Old Mahabalipuram Road, an upscale hotel in Indore and a joint development of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express in Mumbai. Four Points by Sheraton Jaipur(operational since October 2009), Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Serviced Apartments, Pune(operational since February 2011), Holiday Inn Express Ahmedabad Ashram Road (operational since November 2012), Holiday Inn Express Chennai Mahindra World City (operational since December 2013) and Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli (operational since December 2014) are the operational properties developed by Duet India Hotels. The Holiday Inn Express, Chennai (in OMR) and Upscale Hotel, Indore, both of whose civil structure has been completed, Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn, Navi Mumbai, whose predevelopment planning are in progress are the four properties of Duet India Hotels, which are under various stages of development. Development capabilities of Duet India Hotels’ team have been recognised and they have received many prestigious awards for their hotels. Holiday Inn Express Ahmedabad that opened in November 2012, has received three awards till date namely, ‘World’s Leading New Mid-Market Hotel 2012’ by World Travel Awards, which is also known as ‘The Oscars of the World Travel Industry’, the ‘Best New Hotel of The
Year’ at HICSA 2013 in the budget segment, and the ‘Deal of the Year’ award in the budget and mid-priced segment at the Hotel Investment Forum India 2014. Holiday Inn Express Chennai Mahindra World City that has been operational only since December 2013, has recently received the ‘Deal of the Year’ award in the budget and mid-priced segment at the Hotel Investment Forum India 2015. Looking at the gaps in the market for good vendors providing satisfactory project development services, DIH evolved the complete project development team in-house. Also given this gap in the market and based on requests from hotel owners, DIH is now also providing third party project development services to hotel owners for end to end development of hotels. DIH also has an active asset management function that supervises the operations of the hospitality properties in its ambit and is constantly looking at avenues for increasing revenues, deflating operational costs and maintaining the product quality to ensure seamless guest experiences. According to Naveen Jain, the President of Duet India Hotels, “Duet India Hotels is a very cost conscious and time conscious hotel development company, where great prudence is employed on money and time invested.” The company doesn’t believe in overspending on projects and do finish its projects on time. The company is completely focused on mid scale and upper mid scale hotel segments in India.
Sp a Profile
HOTEL Business Review
Aspiring to Lead from the Middle Naveen Jain is a veteran hotelier, known for his enthusiasm and passion for excellence. He carries more than three decades of experience in the Indian hospitality industry across investment, treasury, corporate finance, operations management with various prestigious organisations. In the past, he has held senior positions with The Oberoi Group, DLF Hotels and Hotel Leelaventure. Naveen Jain joined Duet India Hotels (DIH) in 2008 and presently heads the organisation as the President of the company. DIH, held by leading institutional investors including Goldman Sachs and Forum Partners, is focused on owning and developing mid-market internationally branded hotels. Under his management, DIH has establisWhed its presence as one of the prominent players in the Indian hospitality industry. Recently Naveen Jain, the President, Duet India Hotels, had a detailed discussion with Rajneesh Sharma, the Editor of Hotel Business Review. The interview revealed interesting observations and perspectives of the seasoned hotelier about Duet India Hotels and as well as about the Indian hotel business in general. The excerpts of the interview follow: Describe a dominant trend in the Indian hotel business, which does have the potential to eventually change the character of the industry
The business travellers in India are increasing in numbers, perhaps with each passing day, as a result of rapid development of tier-II and tier-III cities in the country, where business opportunities are increasing. The overall domestic travel is also increasing significantly. These trends would eventually give a fillip to the mid and upper mid scale hotel segment in India. Moreover, due to increase in disposable incomes people are graduating from guest houses or unbranded hotels to branded hotels, which again is giving a boost to the mid and upper middle segment of hotels’ popularity in the country. Tell us a bit about Duet India Hotels
Ours is a company established in 2007 by a group of seasoned hospitality and investment professionals. We are into developing and acquiring mid scale and upper mid scale hotels, and our prime clientele are the cost conscious business travellers. We are focusing on developing hotels which provide good facilities to the business travellers with reasonable cost. Duet India Hotels will continue to focus its investments on developing mid scale and upper mid scale business hotels within India only. We are a company run by professionals, and we are a very cost conscious and time conscious hotel developer. We do not
overspend on projects, and we do finish our projects within stipulated time. One can say economy of time and cost, along with great quality is our USP. Our aim is to have 4000 rooms by 2018. Already we have 876 operational rooms across five of our operational hospitality properties. And four of our hotel projects are under various stages of development. We are looking at destinations like Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi-NCR, and Goa to expand our hotels’ portfolio further. Our aim is to become the number one hotel developer in the country, in the mid scale category. Do you forsee a problem of oversupply of rooms in the Indian hotel business, in the coming years?
I do not think the Indian hospitality industry will be facing the problem of oversupply of rooms in the near future. Yes, many hotel projects were launched during 2006-2008 when the Indian hospitality industry was doing very well, and suddenly we saw too many hotels coming up in the country, leading to the problem of oversupply of rooms. But now the investors have become cautious and you would not see too many new hotel projects coming up in the country, in the near future. Many real estate investors are perhaps now realising that investing in haste in hotel projects, without the adequate experience in this line to back up, has a great chance of getting the fingers burnt. In fact, many investors/developers had to
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HOTEL Business Review
shelve their hotel projects during the sluggish period of five years, which has just been over. I think the present room supply would be absorbed by the growing demand in a year or two. And how do perceive the improvements in occupancy levels, in the near future?
The room rates have rationalised, and with rationalisation of room rates the occupancy is also expected to improve. And as the occupancies improve, the ARR would increase. It is a cyclical process, governed by demand and supply. However, we are not forseeing any exponential growth in the Indian hotel business, in the near future, though overall the mood of the hospitality business in India is buoyant. We are very optimistic about the industry’s future. What is your take on the companies which are engaged in managing hotels?
I think many of the hotel management companies should realise that their interest needs to be aligned with the interest of the investor/s in the hotel projects. Many internationally reputed hotel management companies should also comprehend that they may have brand value which is recognised internationally, but still they need to tweak their offerings to suit the local requirements. However, I must admit that they are becoming more flexible during the recent years, and are no longer reluctant to modifying their products for catering to the local requirements.
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Profile Does Duet India Hotels manage hotels which it builds?
No, we are not engaged in managing hotels. We believe in handing over the hotels build by us to professional hotel management companies having internationally renowned brands, to manage the hotels for us. They have to manage the hotels within our stipulated cost. We do a close monitoring of the performance management of the hotels build by us. What are the major challenges for a hotel developer in India?
Delay in project’s approval process, and finding the land at the proper price are big challenges. What according to you would be the dominant vertical in the Indian hotel business in the short-run; management contracts or franchised hotels?
I think management contract will be the dominant trend in the country, as compared to the franchised hotels, for quite a number of years in the future. How important is social media in your marketing efforts?
I think social media can be used as a great marketing tool and this media should be exploited to its full potential for marketing in the hospitality industry. We attach great importance to the social media in our marketing efforts. We use it to improve our services and communicate with the guests.
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Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli
Facilitating Comfort in Business Travels
H
oliday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli can be described as the smart hospitality option for savvy business travellers. The property is located in the city’s new IT & financial area, Gachibowli. Here it deserves a mention that Gachibowli has emerged as an important IT suburb of Hyderabad, a post-modern city with rich historical legacy which is frequented by both business and leisure travellers in hordes. Holiday Inn Express & Suites is also close to HITEC City, another IT hub, and HITEX Exhibition Centre. Just 25 minutes drive away from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, the hotel’s location gives its guests easy accessibility to the business district and city centre. Here it deserves a mention that Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli is the third Holiday Inn Express branded property in India. The hotel is within close proximity to the software hub in Hyderabad and also close to the tourist attractions of the city like Golkonda Fort, Chowmahalla Palace, Qutb Shahi Tombs, Gachibowli Indoor Stadium and the beautiful Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy Botanical Garden. The property has been operational since December 2014. In fact, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the location of Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad
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Gachibowli can become its USP. “The hotel being located close to some of the top IT firms and banking institutions and having an excellent access from the airport, we are confident that it will cater to the growing numbers of inbound business travellers in the city,” observed Naveen Jain, President, Duet India Hotels. Duet India Hotels is the developer of the hospitality property. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli
Sp a Property
comprises of 232 rooms, tailored for a great stay. The property offers free high speed Wi-Fi to its guests. Besides free Wi-Fi, the other value added benefits for the guests is the Free Express Start Breakfast. The Free Express Start Breakfast includes fruit, cereal, pastries, egg, sausage and beverage selections. Besides this, there is the Grab and Go breakfast option for guests needing to rush off. This can be a convenient option for the business travellers needing to rush to a meeting in the morning. High quality bedding solutions with choice of soft and firm pillows and power shower can refresh the guests in the hotel for a hectic day ahead. The 232 rooms of the property include 193 Guest Rooms and 39 suites. The suites comprise of 30 Junior Suites with large living and bedroom areas and 9 Executive Suites, with separate living and bedroom areas. The hotel has a self service Business Center and 24 hour laundry service. Besides the rooms for the guests’ stay, the hotel has three meeting rooms, which can cater to the interests of the business travellers. Two of them have seating capacity of 15 persons each in theatre style, and one of them has seating capacity of 49 persons in cabaret style. Each of these meeting rooms has projector screen, teleconferencing equipment and free Wi-Fi. The hotel has a total of 130.9 sq. m of meeting space. Modern cardio equipment such as bikes, elliptical machines
HOTEL Business Review
and treadmills are there in the health and fitness center of the property, which can attract the fitness and health enthusiasts among the guests. The hotel guests can have 24 hour access to the fitness room. The food & beverage options at the business hotel are spread across The Great Room, Jonathan’s Kitchen and Komatose. Located at the lobby level, The Great Room is for having breakfast. It is open as a restaurant from 6:00am to 10:30am. During the day you can use this area as a smart place to lounge around or surf the net; using the free high speed Wi Fi. Jonathan’s Kitchen, also located at the lobby level, comes across as an all day dining concept, specialising in Italian inspired international cuisine with added options of Indian and oriental dishes. The place is characterised by sophisticated, minimalistic décor comprising natural stone, brick and teak, which together manages to lend an aura of understated elegance to the place. Jonathan’s Kitchen serves lunch and dinner. At Komatose, the lounge bar of the hotel, DJs and live music aptly complement the unconventional beverage offerings. It is interesting that regular visitors to the bar even got their names etched on their favourite tables. Overall, one can say that Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hyderabad Gachibowli has the potential to facilitate wellbeing and comfort in the business travels of the business travellers, which can help to make their business a pleasure. n
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Design
HOTEL Business Review
Where Art Complements Nature By Swarnendu Biswas
T
he demands of the present day hospitality industry from the growing numbers of discerning and well-heeled guests are not limited to comfortable stay and great food. In today’s hospitality industry, the winning edge comes largely through uncommon value additions to the guest experiences. There are various ways by which hotels and resorts can create uncommon value additions to the guest experiences and thereby outpace or outsmart the competition. One of the elegant ways to achieve this is through artistic expressions. A hotel adorned with paintings of renowned artists in its rooms or a hotel with aesthetically appealing architecture can have the advantage of creating first 46
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impressions on the guests easily. Of course, these first impressions need to be supplemented with scrupulous adhering to the basics of hospitality to create lasting impressions, but then that is another story. Recently, during my visit to a stately hotel in Rishikesh, I came to realise how art can play a crucial role in hospitality. Earlier I only understood the concept, but now I realise it. EllBee Ganga View not only presents you with great hospitality options along with a splendid view of the pristine and light green Ganga, flowing majestically from the sombre green hills to the crowded plains. While staying at this property in the heart of Rishikesh, the panoramic view of the serene hills
overlooking the Rajaji National Park and the majestic view of the light green Ganga with a small deep green jungle island in its midst, can be complemented by the enchanting art works, which are displayed across the walls of the corridors and also inside the 32 rooms of the property. Here nature made and human made aesthetics merge together to create a wonderful feeling.
Colours of Creativity The paintings which together captures vignettes of the sylvan life of ancient India and also elements from our mythologies in myriad colours and captivating designs, have given a new dimension to the hotel. I couldn’t help marveling at the painting of Lord Shiva, which embodies
Sp a Design
HOTEL Business Review
Sahil Gulati the signature elements of Rishikesh. The entire ambience facilitated to seep in the feeling of serenity, though we were only 235 km from the maddening Delhi. The fact that the aesthetically designed property is only 16 km from the Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun and only 25 km from the Haridwar Railway Station can also contribute towards its popularity among both inbound and domestic tourists. The property comprises 32 rooms, which are segmented into Deluxe, Premier, Executive Suite, and Ganga Royale. The entire flooring of the hotel is done with marble. “There are 13 Deluxe rooms, 14 Premier rooms, one Executive Suite, and four rooms belonging to the category of Ganga Royale,” informed Sahib Gulati, Director, Marketing, EllBee Hospitality Worldwide Pvt. Ltd., the company which owns and manages the hotel. The guest rooms are spread from the first to fourth floors only of the eight storeyed property. Here it deserves a mention that EllBee Ganga View in Rishikesh emerged into a reality in April 2013. Though the present property has been operational since 1987, but since April 2013 it has emerged before the world of tourists with a new name and in a new avatar. Earlier the property was named as Hotel Mandakini. The family of Sahib and his elder brother Sahil Gulati bought the property in 1998 and renamed it as Hotel Ganga View. In April 2013, the largely refurbished hotel was re-branded as EllBee Ganga View. However, the art elements were introduced in the elegant hotel only in the recent past. The art installations in the hotel, depicting the ancient life and perennial mythologies of India
through lifelike oil paintings, became an integral part of the aesthetic décor of the hotel in November 2014, after nine months of creative and painstaking efforts, undertaken by a team of 12 artists who came from different parts of India to carry out this massive exercise in creativity. “The idea behind infusing the art element in the décor with a focus on Indian mythology and on the rural ancient India was fostered by the desire to present to the tourists the spiritual essence of the holy town of Rishikesh and also to give them a feel of our ancient culture. The other objective behind this endeavour is to stand out from the crowd of competition from other hospitality properties in this holy town,” explained Sahib logically. According to Sahib, the infusion of art in to the décor of the hotel also adds to the brand value of EllBee Hotels; the brand which includes EllBee Ganga View in its ambit. This creative decision from the part of the management of the hotel can attract not only religious tourists but also tourists with a deep-seated interest in ancient Indian culture to the hotel, in more numbers than it did before. “Before EllBee Ganga View was transformed into an art hotel, our average occupancy levels per year was ranging between 50-60 percent, but now since the last few months, it has escalated to 70-80 percent,” proffered Sahib. Today one can say that EllBee Ganga View is among the few art hotels in India. “In my endeavour to introduce art element in the décor of the hotel, I have
Sahib Gulati attempted to present different forms of divine powers like Shiva, Krishna and Buddha by employing different techniques of art like glass cut paintings,” pointed out Surender Grover, the senior Mumbai-based artist who headed the creation of art works at the hotel during Feb 2014-Nov 2014. According to Grover, whose lofty aim was to make EllBee Ganga View an icon of Rishikesh through his artistic endeavours, the paintings at the entrance of the hotel and the corridors revolve around the theme of meditation and devotion.
Intelligent Positioning Lots of thought have gone into the creation as well as in the positioning of the oil paintings. The placing of the art works have been done intelligently. Here it deserves a mention that all the Ganga facing rooms have paintings inside the rooms so that the view of the Ganga and the forest and hills beyond is not
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Design
HOTEL Business Review
obstructed by human made art, while the rooms which do not face Ganga (the Deluxe rooms) have quality art works inscribed on the glasses of the hotel. At the reception, a painting depicting Lord Krishna with his cowherd friends hints to the fact that just behind the hotel there is a huge cowshed. The room where we stayed (Ganga Royale) had a painting, which looked as three women from one angle and the face of a tiger or tigress from another angle. According to Grover, it is a creative example of illusion art. “The painting is an ode to the eternal nari shakti, it symbolises the inner tigress in women,” Grover affirmed. I realised that though the themes of the paintings in the hotel may be ancient or perennial, but modern artistic styles have been employed to give them appeal to the twenty-first century guests. Even the signage reflects creativity of the team of artists.
Traditionally Sustainable I came to know that like the pluralistic character of India’s culture, EllBee Ganga View too has managed to creatively combine the apparently conflicting manifestations of rich heritage and state-of-the-art modernity within its structure. The décor of the hotel that includes intricate marble works, represents time-tested aesthetic dexterity. This is adequately complemented in the employing of post-modern KABA locking systems, in the environmentally-friendly LED and LED Light televisions, and through air-conditioners with energyefficient VRV technology, across the guest rooms of the property. The solar water heating system also keeps with the sustainable character of the property.
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Surender Grover “The marble inlay work in the hotel has been done by experts from Agra whose families are descendants of families that built the Taj Mahal! The delicate process involves cutting and engraving marble shapes manually in intricate patterns,” informed Sahil Gulati, the Director, Operations, EllBee Hospitality Worldwide Pvt. Ltd.
Eating with the Elephants The hotel’s restaurant named Sitting Elephant is located on the fifth floor of the hotel. The uncommon name of the restaurant is derived from the silhouette of elephant that can emerge from the mountains across the Ganga, through exercise of observation with imagination. The design of the strictly vegetarian restaurant is also quite interesting. The profusion of bamboos in the interior décor of the 100 cover restaurant is to establish the elephant theme, as elephants are fond of this giant grass. The elephant theme is further reinforced by the paintings and artifacts within
the restaurant, through which quaint elephants are being showcased. The elegantly designed restaurant has seating arrangement for 50 people within the bamboo walls of the restaurant, and there is seating arrangement for 50 other persons on the outside open-air area of the restaurant, which affords a wonderful view of the light green Ganga and the greener mountains. “From the restaurant, the guests, if they are lucky, can also see actual elephants taking a dip in the Ganga, which happens mostly during the summer season,” observed Sahil. The elephants can be seen strolling in the woods situated amidst the river, during summers. I couldn’t help marveling at the design idea behind this restaurant, which served two important objectives of hospitality — gastronomy and tourism — together.
Wellness with a View The Spa located on the sixth floor, which presents a skillful synthesis between ageold therapies and modern spa technology, has two rooms whose interiors(except for the marble flooring) are clad in bamboos. The brick and mortar used in the construction of these two rooms of wellness are expected to remain latent to the naked eye. “The marble work in the shower cubicle also adds to the design element of the spa,” expressed Sahib. The spa facility also has steam generators. All the twelve forms of Suryanamaskar are depicted on the glass window of the spa through a captivating art work. The décor of the spa includes two oil paintings, which are complemented by vivid sketches showcasing spa therapies. The top floor of the hotel also has designing value, from where the panoramic view of the entire town of Rishikesh can be derived by the guests. Overall, the design and décor of the hotel present an ideal combination of artistic imagination, exquisite craftsmanship and sophisticated technology. As our car drove to Delhi, I couldn’t help but think on the need of more art hotels across the concrete jungles of our metros. They would provide such a refreshing relief to the weary business travellers and even possibly to the ‘been there seen it all’ segment of leisure travellers. Today the Indian hospitality industry must realise that there can be great value in art. n
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P ro d uct Previ ew
HOTEL Business Review
HERBAL EXPERIENCE COMBII Organochem was established in 1978, incorporating 20 years in the field of research and application of botanical & mineral materials on the human body. COMBII, the brand owner of HERBLINE, is one of the largest, the most assured and the only manufacturer and vendor of natural skin & hair care products with ISO 9001:2008 accreditation in India. HERBLINE brand has won international acclaim for quality and service at the ‘Quality Summit’ in Madrid, Spain, which was being held in 1999. Having commissioned a new state-of-the-art, modern plant in the Himalayas at scenic Bhimtal (close to Nainital); an excise free industrial area, the company uses natural spring water to manufacture the products. Being the largest purveyor of guest toiletries to the hotel industry in India and Nepal since 1978, COMBII has been a market dominator since its inception. HERBLINE purveys to the leaders in the industry – Oberoi Hotels & Resorts (Trident), Marriott, Crown Plaza (Nepal), Yak & Yeti, Radisson (Shimla & Nepal), Chioce Hotels, Charlet Hotel (Mumbai), Park Plaza and scores of other chains & stand-alone properties. The HERBLINE product range includes all the guest toiletries and health club & spa products. HERBLINE products are also exported to international clients in countries like Mauritius, the Czech Republic, Japan, Maldives, Hungary, Cyprus, UK and USA, to name a few. Manufactured in a modern FDA and ISO approved plant, using internationally approved formulations that have been developed in-house through extensive and ongoing efforts of the R&D team, the complete range is based on ‘Naturally Derived’ ingredients and well researched ‘Ayurvedic’ properties of plant and mineral matter. In-house microbiology and quality assurance laboratories ensure that perfect, international quality standard products are manufactured and dispatched from manufacturing facilities. All HERBLINE products are gentle and effective on the human body, are biodegradable, eco-friendly, and are not tested on animals. Moreover, they use recyclable packaging materials. COMBII Organochem Pvt. Ltd. info@herbline.com
HOSPITALITY LINEN Home Comfort Texo Fab is a leading manufacturer and supplier of bed and bath linen to the hospitality industry in india. The company has made its presence felt in this market with its quality products. The company has entered into the manufacturing and marketing of quality bed and bath linen under its brand name Home Linen. It has been catering to the ever-growing demands of the home textiles and bed linen segments in the domestic markets (retail & institutional markets). The skilled and semiskilled workforce, under the watchful guidance of the management with experience of well over 20 years, are constantly working hard to maintain the quality of products; to be supplied to their esteemed clients across the country. The company’s range of products includes quilted duvet, pillows, cushions, duvet and pillow covers, mattress protectors to name a few. Home Comfort Texo Fab sandeep@homelinen.co.in
WARDROBE SLIDING DOOR SYSTEMS Ozone has recently introduced Wardrobe Sliding Door Systems for effortless door gliding. Sliding doors on wardrobes are in vogue these days as they offer lots of creative space to achieve designer, trendy and classy look in the limited space available. Wardrobe Sliding Door Systems from Ozone come as top sliding system & bottom sliding system. These systems from Ozone can not only provide comfort to the users but can also easily gel well with modern day furniture styles and interiors’ aesthetics. Ozone Overseas Pvt. Ltd. corpcomm@ozone-india.com
The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. In any case, it does not represent the views of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
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Intervi ew
HOTEL Business Review
Enhancing the Brand Image By Sharmila Chand
With over 23 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Shafiul Alam Ishaque is currently heading RK Sarovar Portico, Srinagar as the General Manager. Earlier he has worked with well-known hospitality brands like Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Cambay Hotels, and Keys Hotels. In his present tenure, besides providing a strategic direction to the hotel’s business, Shafiul Alam works towards operational excellence and guest relations. He leads his team through adhering to a systematic and process oriented approach towards fostering business excellence. He is a proactive team leader with skills of good staff management, maintaining friendly and respectful relationships and taking new initiatives for the growth of the business. Above all, he considers every problem a challenge so that he can successfully resolve it and seek some learning lessons from it. The excerpts of the interview follow: What is the USP of your property?
The location of the hotel is its biggest USP. We are in the heart of the city yet away from the noise as we are located on a hillock, near Shankaracharya Reserved Forest. The central location, value for money price and warm efficient service distinguishes us from other hospitality properties in the same bracket. We present to guests a feel of staying at home away from home. Ours is a branded hotel in the midmarket segment, which offers full range of services and facilities. The hotel is positioned to meet a broad spectrum of clients’ business and leisure requirements. What is the marketing strategy you have adopted to promote your property?
The hotel is well established and one of the most recognised names in the market since the last two years. I would like to further embellish this image by ensuring that both our old and new guests always keep a personal connection with the hotel and its team. We ensure that we continually innovate in all aspects of guest service delivery, be it in room welcome and stay experience, packages for the MICE market and new food and beverage promotions. Could you reflect on the future plans and new initiatives you wish to
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undertake in your property?
We are planning to have a Spa & Fitness Centre. What is the most crucial issue to tackle in the Indian hospitality industry these days?
I think manpower is the most crucial issue to tackle in the present day of the Indian hospitality industry. As more and more hotels are opening, the critical issue to tackle in the industry today is to be able to develop and retain talents. Paucity of skilled and talented manpower across all levels in the Indian hospitality industry is increasingly becoming a big challenge. What do you enjoy the most about being at the helm of affairs at the hotel?
I believe that the best part of being a hotelier is that you can interact with a variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures. This has great learning experiences. What do you think makes for a good General Manager of a hotel?
To become a good General Manager of a hotel, you have to have the ability to understand your team members and the ability to take the right decisions at the right time. This generally comes with years of experiences and learning.
What is/are your strength/s, professionally?
My vast experience in the hospitality industry and especially in the food and beverage department is my strength. I have the experience of working in different states which exposed me to different work cultures/atmosphere. This has helped me to adapt to my new role fast, without much of a hindrance. How do you de-stress?
Listening to music and watching TV are my options to de-stress. I like catching up on news every night, after work. What is your working mantra, that is your guiding philosophy in work?
It is ‘work hard with honesty, and the result will follow.’ What would you like to say about the tourism scenario in Kashmir? Is the business good this season?
I can easily say that this place has huge potential for tourism and it is one of the best places for tourists. But unfortunately the business is not good this season. Anything else you would like to say?
Srinagar deserves better tourism figures as people here are very hospitable. This is a must visit place in the country and there are lots of tourist spots here, which need to be explored.
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Oct-Nov ’14
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