Hotel Business Review

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) Sub-Editor

Tapapriya Lahiri Layout & Design

Hari Kumar V Narender Kumar Photographer

Mahendra Singh Mehta Production Controller

Vinay Goel Production Assistant

Mamta Sharma Advertising Sales Delhi: Kunal Gujral Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhre Subscription Sales

Dattaram Gangurde Director Sales

Sanjay Anand Director Operations & Finance

Rajat Taneja Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi:

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1202, Pragati Tower, 26, Rajindra Place, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 45084903, 25854103 Telefax: 25854105 Mumbai:

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 105, 1st Floor, Aarpee Centre, Gufic Compound, 11th Road, MIDC, Near Tunga Paradise, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400093 Phone: 28395833 Telefax: 28388947

E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net Website: www.hbrmag.com Š 2011 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.

2

Nov-Dec ’11

With the rise in health consciousness, disposable incomes, and awareness about global trends in the society, the wellness industry in India is gathering momentum. Since 2002, the wellness industry in India has shown a burgeoning growth of 250 percent. The concept of wellness has also become more broad-based and holistic over the years. It combines alternative therapy, fitness, rejuvenation, and of course, conventional medical treatments within its ambit.

Spa is one of the important sectors of the wellness industry, and the rising demand for innovative wellness and healthcare solutions has contributed to the growth of the spa culture in India. Already there are reported to be more than 2000 spas across India, with 1000 more expected to come up by 2015. Earlier spas were by and large frequented by the elite class women, but nowadays both genders of upper middle class and even middlemiddle class profile are also seen availing an array of curative and rejuvenative treatments at the mushrooming spas across the urban landscape of India.

Spas are now fast emerging out of the concept of luxury, and are being treated as an integral part of the hospitality industry. The role of spas has also expanded a great deal over the years, as sizeable sections of the discerning and aware consumers are no longer visiting spas only for a massage and/or a facial.

Instead, they are seeking the fulfillment of mind, body and spirit through their comprehensive wellness solutions at the spas. They are visiting spas not only for beauty treatments, but also for cure and rejuvenation and to seek relaxation from the day-to-day stresses of their busy lifestyles. Taking cue from this evolving consumer trend, many top-end spas in India, housed in hotels, resorts or outside, are now providing holistic curative, rejuvenative and relaxing treatments where both the ancient traditions of Ayurveda and yoga, and the trendy and innovative western treatments find their respective places in the wellness menu.

All these sounds well for the wellness industry, but the bottlenecks of the paucity of trained spa therapists and other related personnel in the industry, the absence of a monitoring authority to set standards and accreditation for the industry, the rampant lack of proper training facilities and certifications for the aspiring spa therapists, prohibitive real estate prices can together impede the growth potential of the spa culture in India. We have to address these issues quickly and effectively if we want to keep the momentum of the spa culture in India to keep its desired pace in the long-run. Here we have attempted to explore some high-end spas and the growth of the spa culture and also its impediments within the Indian context, in the Cover Story of this issue, which we hope our readers would find refreshing and rejuvenating.

The issue of severe dearth of quality hospitality personnel in Indian hotels has been explored in detail in the Business Story, which is an issue that can easily jeopardise the growth of the Indian hospitality industry in the near future. In our Property section, we have exhaustively covered the newly opened Le Meridien Coimbatore, which happens to be the first internationally branded five-star hotel in this southern city. Besides these, all our regular sections are geared to give your mind enough reading space between the covers.

I am hereby ending this short note while wishing all our readers not only a very happy and prosperous new year, but also a wise and beautiful life ahead, where we would have the ability to think and read more than what we are able to do in this seemingly busy and cluttered life.

HOTEL B u s i n e s s

R e v i e w

An Exclusive Business Magazine for the Hotel Industry

28

inside COVER STORY

Wellness is no longer viewed as an elitist concept, and combines alternative therapy, fitness, and medical treatment within its holistic purview. With health and wellness taking precedence in our fast-paced lifestyles, spa treatments are now becoming popular.

34

BUSINESS

The Indian hospitality industry, which has been suffering a high rate of attrition and shortage of qualified personnel, needs more high quality educational institutes to meet the increasing demandsupply gap.

PROPERTY

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has launched its 100th Le Meridien property globally at Coimbatore. It is the first internationally branded five-star hotel in the city.

INDUSTRY

Rooms are one of the chief revenue generators for the hospitality industry and one of the most important things a traveller or a tourist seeks in a hotel room, irrespective of her/ his business or leisure predilections, is a night or a few nights of comfortable sleep.

F&B

With a dip in temperature, the desire to have a hot, yummy food and nice warm beverage soars. This has been the perennial trait in human nature since the dawn of civilisation, but the modern hospitality industry can address this need effectively with a comprehensive winter menu.

54

40

46

50

SPA

A luxurious urban retreat, Heavenly Spa at The Westin Pune Koregaon Park provides a one stop service for revitalising your health, appearance and wellbeing in the heart of Pune.

DEPARTMENTS 04

Event

08

News Scan

20

Appointments

24

Report

57

Product Preview

58

Business Opportunity

60

Interview

Cover Pix: Leela Palace Kempinski Udaipur

Nov-Dec ’11

3

Event

HOTEL Business Review

E V E N T S’ C A L E N D E R

3-7 March 2012, at Paris-Nord Villepinte

E

uropain and Intersuc, the world bakery, pastry, ice-cream, chocolate and confectionery exhibition, is dedicated to offer all professionals from the artisan and industrial baking and food service industries a new window onto innovations and trends relevant to their work.

The exhibition is scheduled from 3-7 March 2012, Europain will welcome the new SuccessFood exhibition dedicated to ‘reinventing food services,’ and in doing so will become the first event to combine the worlds of baking and food services. This unique event is expected to attract around 1000 exhibitors and brands, and 85,000 visitors. The area of the exhibition, providing the natural link between Europain and SuccessFood, will be given over to the creators of innovative new concepts to explain their economic model. More than 1000 sq.m will thus be dedicated to winning bakery and foodservice outlet concepts.

Amongst Asian countries, there are also those that offer an extensive range of bakery and pastry products utilising industrial processes in order to make high quality goods available to all.

Together, Europain and SuccessFood also provide these countries with simple, appropriate solutions focussed on raw materials, processes, a range of small and large equipments, and training solutions to promote their local products and capitalise on local knowledge and skills.

Europain will shine the spotlight on ‘Innovation Stars’ by hosting: • The 2012 Innovation Area to promote innovative products and equipments in a variety of categories; • The Europain Innovation Awards to reward leading innovators; • The 2012 Intersuc Collection to demonstrate the very best sugar and chocolate creations.

4

Nov-Dec ’11

Exceptional Events at Europain The Bakery World Cup This world-wide competition will gather 36 of the most talented bakers from 12 countries. The countries that have made it through to the 2012 final are: South Korea, Costa Rica, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Sweden, Senegal, the USA, Taiwan and Japan. The three members of each national team will each take part in a final challenge according to their speciality — baking, pastry, and the artistic centrepiece.

International Confectionery Art Competition This competition constitutes an unmissable show involving teams from 16 countries battling it out for four days, and is the only international competition to place men and women on an entirely even footing, recruiting only mixed-gender two-person teams.

SuccessFood — the unique exhibition reinventing food services at the heart of Europain Faced with the growth of multifaceted food services and, amongst other factors, the new shift in the bakery market towards food services that the professionals need to adapt, the new SuccessFood exhibition will provide them with creative, innovative, relevant and diverse responses.

The Success Food Innovation Trophies will shine a light on the best food service ideas for each market sector.

The SuccessFood Awards will reward inventive food services (commercial and institutional food services, branded stores and cultural venues).

For further information: Raj Anand General Manager Promosalons India Tel: +91-22-25504471/42604160 Cell:+91-9833685256 Fax: +91-22-42604165 www.europain.com

TRAFS 2011 26-29 January 2012 (was postponed to these new dates) Thailand Retail, Food & Hospitality Services Hall 103, Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Center (BITEC) www.thailandhoreca.com Gulfood 2012 19-22 February 2012 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai www.gulfood.com PIFBEX 2012 & Horeca 2012 Philippines 1-4 March 2012 Philippines International Convention Centre, Manila www.pifbex.com Europain & Intersuc 2012 3-7 March 2012 Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris www.europain.com Aahar 2012 12-16 March 2012 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.aaharinternationalfair.com Alimentaria 2012 26-29 March 2012 Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via Venue Barcelona, Spain www.alimentaria-bcn.com Ethnic Foods Europe 2012 27-29 March 2012 Brussels Exhibitions and Conference Centre, Brussels www.ethnicfoodseurope.com HOTELEX 2012 9-12 April 2012 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China www.hotelex.cn FHA 2012 17-20 April 2012 Singapore Expo, Singapore www.foodnhotelasia.com NRA Show 2012 5-8 May 2012 McCormick Place, Chicago, USA www.restaurant.org SIAL China 2012 9-11 May 2012 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center Shanghai, China www.sialchina.com Thaifex–World of Food Asia 2012 23-27 May 2012 Impact Exhibition Center, Bangkok, Thailand www.worldoffoodasia.com

Event

HOTEL Business Review

Thaifex – World of Food Asia 2012

T

haifex – World of Food Asia is the Asia’s leading food and hospitality trade event. In this year’s edition it is set to spread across 50,000 sq.m space. Thaifex will be held from 23rd to 27th May 2012, and is scheduled to be held at the IMPACT Exhibition Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The show will showcase an expanded array of the latest products, services and technologies from the food and beverage players across the globe. Thaifex – World of Food Asia will feature more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 25 countries. Thaifex – World of Food Asia 2012 is set to welcome over 23,000 visitors from key markets such as Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States.

Organised into 13 focussed segments covering the entire food and beverage industry value chain, the 9th edition of Thaifex – World of Food Asia will continue to spotlight key trends and technologies in markets across the region.

Visitors at Thaifex – World of Food Asia will be greeted by more than 1,000 suppliers in the food services industry, offering an extensive range of products for the food and beverage, food service, and catering industry in South-East Asia.

The only regional trade fair to spotlight Asia’s growing Halal segment With more than 225 million Muslims in the region, South-East Asia is fast becoming an important and competitive regional market for Halal products, catering to the rapidly growing number of Muslim consumers around the world. Thaifex – World of Food Asia continues to provide opportunities for players in this dynamic segment to further its reach in the region and globally. Thaifex–World of Food Asia will feature a dedicated Halal zone which will have Halal food producers as well as showcase equipments and technologies for Halal food production.

Promoting Asia’s exports to the world Thaifex – World of Food Asia has witnessed participation from seafood exhibitors doubling since 2008. Reflecting the region’s focus in growing its seafood and fishery exports market, the seafood zone at Thaifex will feature pavilions hosted

6

Nov-Dec ’11

by fisheries associations from Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The segment will also continue to feature a wide array of the latest products and innovations from leading seafood players, covering fresh, frozen packaged and processed seafood.

Asia is also fast becoming the world‘s leading processed food producer. The Asia-Pacific canned food market generated a total revenue of US$14.5 billion in 2010 and the market is expected to reach US$18.1 billion by the end of 2015. As the largest platform for major food exporters to congregate and keep updated on advanced technologies and best practices in the preparation and packaging of processed food, the food technology segment at Thaifex – World of Food Asia is expected to include more than 1,000 exhibitors from key food exporters and importers across the globe.

Combining culinary art and science According to Unilever Food Solutions’ 2011 World Menu Report, an estimated 500 million people in South-East Asia dine out at least once a year. Together with over 1.3 million food outlets across South-East Asia, the food service industry represents enormous sales potential for food service operators in this region, with restaurant concepts and management set to take the lead in 2012. Further capturing the vibrant landscape of the food and beverage industry in Asia, Thaifex – World of Food Asia will also feature events aimed at engaging Asia’s culinary talents. The annual Thai Chef ’s Competition, as well as the Fruits and Vegetables Carving Competition will be back again, pitting the skills of industry’s-leading Chefs from across the region.

Michael Dreyer, Vice-President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse said, “Thaifex – World of Food Asia is set to present a gastronomic experience to our visitors and participants.

As the largest gathering of leaders in the food and beverage industry, Thaifex – World of Food Asia has established itself as the premier marketplace for the world’s food and beverage buyers and sellers. We are delighted to join hands with the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) and Thai Chamber of Commerce once again to showcase Asia’s food and beverage innovations to the world.”

9-11 May 2012 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center Shanghai, China

www.sialchina.com

Get Ready for SIAL China 2012

T

he 13th edition of SIAL China promises hospitable, revolutionary and fundamental events for business. SIAL 2012 show is going to welcome 40,000 professional visitors, and 1,800 exhibitors from all over the world.

SIAL is organised by the group COMEXPOSIUM, the top events organiser in France. SIAL will showcase exclusive Wine & Gourmet World which will bring to the buyers the largest wine & spirit, and gourmet offer in China.

SIAL China has successfully become the unique meeting point in the HoReCa industry of China.

SIAL CHINA will set the benchmark for overseas companies stepping into China as well as providing valuable insights and trends of the Chinese food & beverage market to the overseas buyers.

Attracting exhibitors from the past 10 years, SIAL China has been the leading event for the Chinese food market. Domestic and international producers and manufacturers of food products, wines and spirits, and food service equipment have contributed to make a success story of this Asian event. The unique trade show with 50 percent international exhibitors and 50 percent national exhibitors is the foremost reason to visit SIAL 2012.

SIAL China 2011 was spread across 60,000 sq.m of exhibition space. The event attracted 1,520 exhibitors from 76 countries and regions, and 33,265 visitors.

HOTEL Business Review

News Scan

Nita Ambani Becomes Additional Director of the EIH Board Nita Ambani, the eminent educationist, maverick enterpreneur and the visionery philanthropist, has been appointed as the new Additional Director in the board of EIH Ltd. Nita Ambani was a special invitee in the EIH board meeting. The company has also appointed Robert Burns as the Additional Director.

According to Himani Singh, the analyst at Mumbai-based brokerage firm, Elara Capital, “Nita Ambani’s appeal on the board will help to nurture and strengthen relationship of RIL with the Oberoi family without making any difference in operations. Giving a board seat to RIL will not make much of an operational difference to the company since it enters as a strategic investor.”

Hotels to Shell Taxes for DTH Service Tamil Nadu hotels will have to shell out 30 percent of entertainment tax for DTH (Direct to home) broadcasting service in every room.

The Gazette of the Amendment to the Tamil Nadu Entertainments Tax Rules, 1939, says, “In case of hotel or restaurant, each room or premises where signals of DTH broadcasting service are received shall be treated as a separate place of entertainment.” For that purpose, the proprietor of the hotel or restaurant shall be the subscriber for all the rooms or premises which receive the DTH signals.

According to T. Natarajan, the Secretary of South India Hotels and Restaurants Association, “Already we have the highest luxury tax, besides VAT and other taxations.

Moreover, the hotels are paying a hefty sum to receive transmission rights for certain satellite television channels. Adding additional entertainment tax on DTH services offered in each room will further increase our cost.”

The Claridges, New Delhi Registers its Best Financial Month The Claridges, New Delhi has announced its excellent financial results for the month of November, 2011. The figures for the hotel showed positive upward trend and November 2011 has been recorded as the best financial month ever in its history. The hotel witnessed occupancy exceeding 93 percent and ARR above Rs. 12,000, during the month of November. The total revenue increase was over 15 percent as compared to the same month last year.

Markus O.Schneider, the General Manager, The Claridges, New Delhi, commented, “We are extremely delighted on our financial performance. I would like to thank all staff associated with the hotel and our esteemed guests; without their support this would not have been possible.” He further added,” We are taking aggressive sales measures in the coming months and the outlook for Jan-March 2012 looks equally promising.”

HOTEL Business Review

...And the Award Goes to Lemon Tree Hotels Lemon Tree Hotels has been bestowed with the National Award in 2011 by the Ministry of Social Justice And Empowerment, Government of India. The hotel chain has been adjudged as the ‘Best Employer – Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities’. The award was received by Davander Singh Tomar, Vice-President— Security, Administration & People, Lemon Tree Hotels from Mukul Wasnik, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, at a ceremony held to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi.

This category of award was introduced in 1969 by the Government of India. The national award comprises Rs. 50,000 in cash, a shield, a citation and a certificate.

Rahul Pandit, the President and COO, Lemon Tree Hotels, said, “Lemon Tree Hotels believes in being an equal opportunity employer and this award reinforces our resolve to continue to bring differently-abled employees on board. Currently, Lemon Tree Hotels employs 111 differently-abled employees and intends to take this number to more than 300 i.e. 10 percent of our staff strength by 2013.”

10

Nov-Dec ’11

News Scan

Crowne Plaza Today Lifts Up ‘Best Business Hotel’ Award Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla has lifted up the ‘Best Business Hotel India 2011’ award. The award was presented at the 7th Hospitality India & Explore the World Annual International Awards. TKA Nair, Advisor to the Prime Minister of India presented the award to Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla, which was the judge’s choice.

Crowne Plaza is the first managed property of the IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) in New Delhi. While sharing his excitement, Barun Jolly, the GM of Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla, said, “It is a great recognition of our efforts, and is highly motivating and encouraging as the team continues to take that extra step and succeed in differentiating themselves from a good hotel to a great hotel, thereby reinforcing our belief that we are on the right path towards being a great hotel that guests love.”

HOTEL Business Review

News Scan

Taj Coromandel Has a Swanky Facelift The Leela to Liven Habitués of Taj Coromondel in Chennai will now experience a new refurbished look in their next visit to the property. Taj Coromondel has created a rejuvenated luxury Up Chennai Soon experience, with a perfect fusion of rich, South Indian design and classic European elegance. With The Chambers —the elegant lounge, which has emerged as the city’s exclusive power statement; the newly-updated luxury rooms, the lobby, the in-house lifestyle store named Taj Khazana, the property has re-opened its doors with a plush facelift.

The magnificent hotel sports an entirely new look; beginning with its striking landscaped driveway. It is created by the international design firm Belt Collins where the driveway has been designed to create a feeling of arriving at an oasis of serenity amidst the hustle-bustle of the city.

The refurbished lobby is a delightful fusion of local elements, comprising water bodies and temple motifs; evoking a sense of tranquility and creating a breathtaking synergy. The ambient sound of the flowing water and elegant Tanjore paintings on the walls of the Tea Lounge are geared to create a charming feel of relaxation.

The new swimming pool of the property is a 25 meter lap lane pool, which is designed to offer optimum sun angles. Clean lines define the pool edges and give it an infinite look. The Jacuzzi is located on the center line of the pool and is surrounded by cabañas.

12

Nov-Dec ’11

The Leela in Chennai will bewitch the senses with its first ever beachfront luxury property, abutting the Bay of Bengal and in close proximity to the landmark of Chettinad Palace at Santhome. The architectural grandeur will unfold its aura in the first quarter of 2012. The 14-storeyed high-rise property will house approximately 329 rooms’ suites. The area covering 36,000 sq.ft. will be dedicated to extensive meeting and conferencing facilities.

The Leela Chennai property will be spread across a 6.25-acre site, which would also include a software park, facing the Bay of Bengal. The architecture of the hospitality property on the anvil is inspired from the royal, opulent Chettinad dynasty, which will be complemented by the grand expanse of the azure blue waters.

HOTEL Business Review

News Scan

ITC Hotels Wins National Royal Orchid Hotels Spaced in Award for ‘Best Employer’ Gurgaon ITCHotels bagged the 2011 ‘Best Employer’ National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. Mukul Wasnik, the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Government of India, handed the award to Dipak Haksar, the Chief Operating Officer of ITC Hotels.

The award ceremony was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 3rd December 2011. ITC Hotels has been bestowed with this award in recognition of the company’s philosophy of being an ‘equal opportunities’ employer in keeping with its policy to ensure respect for human rights and prevention of discrimination at workplace.

ITC Hotels’ human resources approach promotes diversity while keeping ITC’s core values intact and offers equality of opportunity to all employees, thereby fostering meritocracy in the organisation. This is achieved by ensuring that a nondiscrimination policy and practice is embedded across the company, in line with corporate principles and benchmarked business practices.

14

Nov-Dec ’11

Royal Orchid Hotels Limited has established its footprints in Gurgaon with Hotel Central Blue Stone. With this launch, the Royal Orchid Hotels has established its potent presence in the northern part of the country.

Hotel Central Blue Stone houses 50 deluxe well appointed rooms, spruced with efficient amenities along with a chic business centre, a conference cum banquet hall with a seating capacity of up to 150 guests, and a board room dedicated to business meetings, conferences and corporate proceedings. This plush hotel will offer varied gastronomic delights with scrumptious options for the guests to relish on. ‘Pinxx’, a multi-cuisine restaurant, will dish out tempting delicacies, thereby indulging travellers to take culinary delights throughout their stay at the property. To pull young crowds, the signature lounge bar ‘Mix’ will proffer right mix of cocktails to pep up the spirits.

According to Chender K. Baljee, the Chairman and Managing Director of Royal Orchid Hotels Limited, “The DelhiNCR region is reputed for its unfailing economical operations.

The optimistic business environment and exceptional growth of Gurgaon offer a choice of space to launch new operations.”

HOTEL Business Review

News Scan

An Orchid of Award and Expansion Royal Orchid Hotels Bags National Energy Conservation Award Royal Orchid Hotels Limited, one of the fastest growing hospitality chains in the country, has bagged the ‘National Energy Conservation Award’, 2011. The group won the award for its contribution towards saving energy consumption in its Bangalore property —Royal Orchid Central.

The award was given by the Union Ministry of Power at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi.

The Ministry of Power has initiated the National Energy Conservation Award for various sectors, which includes hotels, hospitals, shopping malls, that have taken special efforts to reduce energy consumption while maintaining their production and services.

Being the recipient of the most prestigious award from Govt of India, the Chairman & Managing Director of Royal Orchid Hotels Limited, Chender K. Baljee said, “It is a very exhilarating and significant landmark for Royal Orchid Hotels Limited, as we are focussing on expanding our footprints across the nation.

Keeping in mind the strong competition in the hospitality industry, awards like these boost our morale. We always aim at raising the bar of our services and assure to make our patrons proud in the coming years as well.”

16

Nov-Dec ’11

Orchid Mumbai to Add More Rooms The Orchid Hotel Mumbai has announced its expansion of inventory to 400 rooms from the present 245 rooms, in order to meet the growing demands of the business travellers in the financial capital. The company has invested Rs. 100 crores to fuel this expansion. The luxury hotel will have three additional banqueting halls, club floor, a rooftop restaurant overlooking the airport, and a spa as part of its expansion plans. It is one of the largest luxury hotels in India and Asia’s first certified eco-friendly five-star hotel, strategically located adjacent to the domestic airport.

The Orchid Mumbai currently offers well appointed environment friendly rooms and suites which are elegantly designed, each boasting of lavishly adorned décor and luxurious ambience.

On the verge of the developments, Pradipta Biswas, the General Manager – Operations of Orchid Mumbai, said, “Mumbai has witnessed momentous growth in the influx of business travellers and there is a shortage of world class hotels located near the airport with attractive product offerings.” The 74 international awards reiterate the efforts of the hospitality property of being a pioneer amongst environment friendly hotels.

News Scan

HOTEL Business Review

Marriott Honchos to Move With New Leadership Marriott International, Inc. has made several key leadership appointments as it approaches its 85th anniversary in 2012.

The board has elected J.W. Marriott, Jr., as the Executive Chairman and Chairman of the board who is presently heading as the Chairman of the board and the Chief Executive Officer. Arne Sorenson has been named as the President and the Chief Executive Officer, who is presently holding the position of the President and the Chief Operating Officer. He will be the third CEO in the company’s history. The board also appointed Robert McCarthy, as Marriott International’s Chief Operations Officer, who currently holds the position of Group President of the company. All the three appointments will be effective from March 31, 2012.

J.W. Marriott, while walking down the memory lane on the declaration ceremony said, “It is an amazing feeling to me that what we have accomplished over the years together; from a small root beer stand in Washington, D.C. to a global lodging powerhouse with operations in more than 70 countries. As we are soon going to celebrate the 85 th birthday of our company in 2012, I will proudly celebrate my 60 th year of service. On this note, I have decided to recommend to the board that Arne Sorenson takes over the CEO responsibilities.

An elated Arne Sorenson said, “I am grateful to Bill

Marriott and the board for their confidence, and I am tremendously optimistic about the future of our company, which continues to benefit from Mr. Marriott’s wise, visionary and steady leadership. With deeply embedded core values that have enabled us to succeed for 85 years, I am looking forward to an exciting road ahead for Marriott International.”

Melt-in Spa Candles to Soothe Senses Sun Kandles —the first of its kind UK’s handmade body massage candles—has been launched in India. The spa inspired skin care product is designed to moisturise and nourish the skin.

Soothing process begins by lighting up the body candles, which will produce melted warm and aromatic massage oil. The product is comprised of rich cocoa and shea butter, enriched with essential and fragrant oils. The melted Vitamin E enriched butter is drizzled onto the skin for a wonderful massage which soothes the body, mind and soul.

The UK’s handmade massage oil candles can be used for superior skin nourishment with added therapeutic benefits. The healing oil will work to combat upon ageing skin, itching, and inflammation. It also soothes eczema and psoriasis. Sun Kandles are available in four variants namely, Exotic, Relax, Calm and Sensual.

Sofitel to Shine in Mumbai Sofitel Luxury Hotels, a flagship brand of the Accor Group, will open its doors to its esteemed guests on December 26. The property is being developed in partnership with city-based realtor Shree Naman Group. Sofitel Mumbai will feature 302 rooms, which include 31 suites. The interior décor of the hotel is embellished with French designs, with Indian motifs and patterns embedded in it. The hotel will offer six distinctive restaurants and bars.

Accor has invested $16 million or Rs. 71 crore for a 40 percent stake. Sofitel encompasses 120 hotels, 30,000 rooms and suites across 40 countries within its ambit. According to Bernd Schneider, the General Manager of Sofitel Mumbai, “We are seeking about 40 to 50 percent occupancy rate in the first year.

The new hotel will initiate a plush blend of French elegance and Indian culture.”

18

Nov-Dec ’11

Appointments

HOTEL Business Review

Ankush Sharma Marriott International has announced the appointment of Ankush Sharma as the General Manager for Courtyard by Marriott, Chennai. Ankush Sharma comes with an experience of over 15 years in the hospitality industry.

Previously the Director, Operations, of Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre and Courtyard by Marriott, Hyderabad, Ankush graduated from IIHM Aurangabad in the year 1997 and started his career as a Management Trainee with Taj Group of Hotels.

Ankush has worked in different locations across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Goa and Bangalore, and most recently was back in India after nine years.

Ankush said, “Chennai is an exciting place to be in, especially with so much happening in the city presently. I am sure my stint here would be an exciting and enriching one.”

Fumiko Yasuda The Westin Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Fumiko Yasuda as the Complex Japanese Business Development Manager, for The Westin Gurgaon and The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa.

20

Nov-Dec ’11

Fumiko brings a comprehensive understanding of the Japanese business culture to the Westin. Prior to joining the Westin, Fumiko was closely associated with Japan Airlines and travelled extensively to Milan, Amsterdam and Singapore.

Fumiko, on being part of The Westin, said, “I am highly excited to be working with The Westin Gurgaon New Delhi and The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa as my first assignment in India.

Westin is already a popular traveller’s destination with its strategic location and world-class service. I am much confident about my positive contribution, which will take Westin a notch ahead.”

Marco Saxer Marco Saxer has been appointed as the General Manager of Swissôtel Kolkata, the internationally renowned Swiss hospitality group’s maiden property in India. He brings with him over 20 years of experience from international hotel chains across Europe, the Middle-East and other parts of Asia.

Saxer will bring on board creativity and a hands-on approach along with his extensive knowledge of rooms and F&B divisions. As the General Manager of Swissôtel Kolkata, his focus will be on planning sales & marketing as well as finance, while overseeing the operations of the hotel. He speaks German, English, French, and also holds a Diploma in Strategic Management from Cornell University NY, USA. His last tenure was as the General Manager of Mövenpick Hotel in Kuwait. His commitment to implementing the highest quality standards and premium customer service have resulted in the hotel gaining immensely in terms of brand value and superior guest experience.

Sandit Shah Sandit Shah has been appointed as the new Director of Revenue and Marketing of Swissôtel Kolkata. Shah’s previous expertise in business development, operations management and guest services will place him in good stead to handle this role. He has to head the sales & marketing, revenue and reservation departments at Swissôtel Kolkata.

With a career spanning 17 years with various prestigious hotel companies across India, Shah brings with him extensive experience and strong networks with the corporate and travel trade. His career began with Bass Hotels & Resorts and until recently he was with Holiday Inn Cochin as the Director of Sales & Marketing. In between, he worked with The Westin Pune in Koregaon Park, Le Méridien Ahmedabad, Taj Chandigarh, and Taj Residency Ummed in Ahmedabad.

Robert Murray Accor has announced the appointment of Robert Murray to the newly created role of the Chief Operating Officer for Accor in South-East Asia and NorthEast Asia. Formerly Senior VicePresident for Accor Greater China,

Appointments

HOTEL Business Review

Robert joined Accor in 1993 and has since held various positions in Australia and New Zealand, and has led Accor’s business in China since 2005.

With this new appointment, he will lead Accor’s business in South-East Asia and North-East Asia, which consists of141 hotels and 32,000 rooms, and which is poised to expand by another 82 hotels over the next four years. This region includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

Thomas Guss

Dritiman Kabade Dritiman Kabade has been appointed as the new General Manager of Spree Lotus Valley, the first property of Spree Hotels that marked its entry into the Indian hospitality industry in the recent past. In his current role as the General Manager of Spree Hotels, his focus will be on the overall up-keep and management of the hotel. In addition to this, he is also responsible for human resource development, client servicing and improving corporate public relations.

With a career spanning over 18 years, Kabade is a skilled professional and entrepreneur and brings on board hands-on approach and extensive knowledge in the hotel, food and beverage Industry. He is recognised for his exemplary achievements, unrelenting commitment to his role and leadership qualities. His last assignment was with Estique Hotels as the Corporate General Manager.

His career began as a Trainee Captain in Hotel Sagar Plaza, Pune. He then moved on to work with hotels like Centaur and Le Meridien, followed by The Food Link Court, Pune where he was the General Manager.

22

Nov-Dec ’11

Thomas Guss is the newly appointed General Manager of JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai. With over 24 years of experience, Guss had worked with renowned brands across the world such as Starwood, Movenpick, Renaissance Group and Marriott Group Hotels.

Thomas joined Marriott in 1998 as the Director, Food and Beverage, at the first Courtyard by Marriott in Neuilly sur Seine, during Nicolas Sarkozy ’s term as Mayor of the city.

After spending more than three years there, Thomas moved to Egypt as the Director, Food and Beverage, and managed Marriott’s biggest international hotel operations at Marriott, Cairo with an inventory of 1250 rooms, 16 food and beverage outlets and a casino. He was elevated as the General Manager in 2004, at the Renaissance Alexandria. He relocated to Berlin thereafter, where he managed Marriott’s flagship hotel in Europe.

Gaurav Singh The Leela Mumbai has announced the appointment of Gaurav Singh as the new Executive Assistant Manager for the

five-star deluxe property. In his new role, Gaurav has the responsibility of managing the day-to-day operations as the hotel consolidates its leadership position in North Mumbai, and subsequently the metropolis.

Gaurav’s career graph has been illustrious with his name associated with some of the biggest chains in the luxury hospitality sector. Prior to taking this new role at The Leela, Gaurav was the Executive Assistant Manager with The Oberoi Udavilas, in Udaipur.

Gaurav’s professional repertoire has a decade span including time spent as Food and Beverage Manager at The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, and as part of the opening management teams at ITC Grand Central and ITC Grand Maratha, both in Mumbai.

An alumnus of the Mayo College, Ajmer, Gaurav graduated with a degree in hotel management from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal and has a post-graduation from the Welcomgroup Management Institute, Gurgaon.

Nilay Saran IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), has announced the appointment of Nilay Saran as the Director of Sales at Holiday Inn Cochin. Nilay will be responsible for building and establishing business relations, operations management and customer relations. As Holiday Inn Cochin, begins to scale operations at the 212 room property, Nilay will be instrumental in strategising on these projects.

With over 11 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing, Nilay has worked with several hospitality leaders including the Sarovar and Ambassador Group of Hotels. His association with the IHG brand also included a stint as the Sales Manager in Crowne Plaza, in Delhi.

Looking towards his new role, Nilay said, “I am delighted to be taking on these responsibilities at Holiday Inn Cochin. Joining the team in the postlaunch phase of the hotel, I am looking forward to collaborating with the team, to strengthen customer relations, build the brand, and improve sales.”

One Stop Solution For SUPERSHINE

Supershine

World Class Laundry Equipment

has been successfully installing and maintaining Commercial Laundry Equipment since 1990, in India and its

neighbouring countries.

Supershine

offers TURNKEY SOLUTIONS for any kind of Laundry projects. It represents world’s leading brands

specialising in Laundry and Drycleaning equipments. The company has pan-Indian presence to provide quality services and spares as per the requirements of the clients. The list of our clients range from the best in Hospitality Industry - Oberoi, Taj, Hyatt, Sheraton, Le Meridien, Radissons, Marriots, Leela etc., Healthcare Industry - Apollo, Escorts, Medanta - The Medicity, Bombay Hospital, AIIMS, etc., Defence - Major Hospitals, AFMC, various establishments and units of Army, Navy, Air Force & Assam Rifles and Garment Exporters & Commercial Laundries.

SUPERSHINE LAUNDRY SYSTEMS PVT. LTD H.O.: 3, G.F., Padma Tower-II, Rajendra Place, New Delhi-110008 Phone: +91-11-45142222 • Fax: +91-11-45142255 Mumbai: 022-28805617, 32959681 Bangalore: 080-65835148, 09916357921 Chennai: 09003180088 Kolkata: 033-40011975, 09903120095 Goa: 07738377505 E-Mail: north@supershine.in, corporate@supershine.in Website: www.supershine.in

Report

HOTEL Business Review

Floating Luxury D

o you prefer to savour a unique dimension to your hotel stay, so that stay stays on your mind for ever? If yes, then your visit to Kolkata must include a date with the Floatel, which is being claimed in the website of the hotel as India’s only floating hotel. This singular property has been conceived, designed, constructed and built by Manab Pal, the Managing Director, Manor Floatel Limited. The entrepreneur strongly believed that a city as progressive in its ideas as Kolkata needed a hotel as unique and as spectacular as Floatel, and his vision eventually was given shape into this floating reality.

This four-star property floats on the banks of the Hooghly river, only a hundred yards from the shore, facing the busy Strand Road. Floatel, which commenced its operations from November 2006, was built in Singapore at Selco Shipyard and was towed to its present location in 2004. Floatel is registered with Indian registrar of shipping and maintains highest safety standards.

Floatel is completely secured by 16 anchors but goes up and down about 20 feet every day during tides. However, Floatel does not move from one place to another; it remains in its wonderful location on the edge of the river Hooghly. It doesn’t deserve a mention that the hotel affords great scenic views of the vast expanse of Hooghly, especially during sunrise and sunset, and during festive occasions like Diwali when the black waters get sparkled with fireworks. It is indeed a visual treat to stay in this unique hospitality property.

The 49-room floating hotel, permanently anchored in the City Centre of Kolkata, is based on the concept of combining the best qualities of a luxury cruise ship with that of a world class hotel.

The model followed for the Floatel is based on conceptual design of coastal vessels, which are moored in various cities of Europe.

Every room of the property is spruced with state-of-the-art facilities and world-class amenities which business travellers and leisure tourists expect from a global hotel.

The land along the floating hotel comprises a promenade walkway by the river (the only one of its kind in the city), a verdant landscaped garden, centrally air-conditioned reception areas, open air banquet halls which are ideal for weddings, booklaunches, music concerts or business parties, and a promenade

24

Nov-Dec ’11

deck that can serve as the ideal platform for parties, events, celebrations, and business meetings. The shore and the Floatel are connected by a specially designed, internationally accredited and tested gangway, which gets adjusted to the change in the water levels at high and low tides.

The Bridge, the multi-cuisine restaurant of the property, is located on the top floor or ‘The Top Deck’ which is open 24 hours.

The restaurant brings to you the best of the global cuisines, which include Italian, French, Mexican, oriental and traditional Indian cuisine and definitely Floatel’s signature colonial cuisine.

The Anchorage Tavern Lounge Bar with its impressive collection of spirits, along with outdoor dining option, gives you a heady view of the Hooghly. The exclusive bar is located at the ground floor level of the ship-hotel. Boat rides on the Hooghly, meditation and jogging at the nature park in the vicinity, and angling are some of the other leisure options provided at the hotel.

Floatel, besides its unique appeal to the leisure tourists, is ideal for banquets too. Four open-air banquet areas literally next to the river provide a wonderful location for a variety of events.

Five indoor banquet venues on the river and beside the river are ideal for official functions and corporate meetings while simulating an idyllic resort like setting with scenic views, river walks and dinner options under the stars. The Floatel also has a high-tech business center with board room surrounded by glass windows, which affords views of the serene waters of the Hooghly.

Besides its inherent character, the hotel is also entirely environmentally friendly, using global standards of environmentally conscious tourism as the basis for all its services. Water conservation & preservation are among the environmental practices at Floatel. The hotel has reduced the consumption of water by limiting the flow to 6 litres per flush, and here aerators and flow restrictors are used to reduce the flow of water.

At the hotel, the solid garbage produced by vermicomposting is being recycled. The hotel recycles 15 kg of solid waste daily, which is a commendable endeavour. Furthermore, green bin is used for recycled material, white bin is used for dry garbage such as tin, juice bottles, etc. and black bin is used for wet garbage. Red bin is being used in the hotel for non-recyclable garbage. The hotel also conducts eco-audits and surprise checks in each of its departments, to ascertain what environmental practices on ground are being practiced in the respective departments.

HOTEL Business Review

Cover Story

Enter the

(s)Paradise!

Feeling jaded after a tiring and taxing week? Spa is the ideal answer to soothe your tired muscles and tensed up nerves. With health and wellness taking precedence in our fast-paced lifestyles, spa treatments are now becoming popular.

What was considered to be a feminine domain is now gaining popularity among the males too. With the corporate honchos and the senior executives now seeking solace in the spas, star hotels are finding it imperative to have spas to cater to their guests’ needs. Ashok Malkani takes a look at some of the top-end spas launched by the hotels in India.

28

Nov-Dec ’11

Cover Story

I

n India, the wellness industry has shown a growth of 250 percent since 2002. According to a study done by Ernst and Young, in India, the wellness industry stands at Rs.110 billion, with the possibility to increase by 35-40 percent over the next few years. The reason for this demand for wellness is the growing middle class with disposable incomes, and the increasing awareness about wellness in the society.

Wellness is no longer viewed as an elitist concept, and combines alternative therapy, fitness, and medical treatment within its holistic purview. Succinctly, wellness covers all aspects of mental elevation, physical invigoration, and spiritual rejuvenation. Today wellness denotes holistic physical and mental health, and the spas are the right addresses to address your wellness solutions.

Healthcare industry is having an extremely healthy growth in India and this has given rise to a new trend – that of the spas. The word spa is popularly believed to be derived from the ancient Belgian town of Spa, which had been famous since the Roman times for its healing hot springs. By the nineteenth century, some spas had sprung all over Europe, and they catered to the wealthy classes. They were focused solely on the water treatments.

Massages and facials with rejuvenating and healing dimensions were not in vogue. However, then spa business was hardly an industry to reckon with.

Today, ever increasing stress and hectic lifestyle are leading to the witnessing of the mushrooming of spas in all parts of the country. According to the experts, there are more than 2000 spas in India and they mainly target the health-conscious generation residing in metros and the outbound tourists who come to visit this modern nation within an ancient civilisation.

HOTEL Business Review

The Growth of Spa Culture It is expected that by 2015, about 1000 more spas will spread their wellness solutions in the market. Earlier, the spas were frequented only by the rich and the famous, but nowadays, middle classes are also opting for this holistic wellness recipe.

Even two decades back very few men would visit a spa. Now in some spas in India and abroad males comprise a sizeable clientele. The upwardly mobile younger generation is also fuelling the wellness revolution through the route of spa. Today the concept of spa in India have become so inextricably linked to the well-being that some major hospitals are also planning to set up spas in their properties to provide the options of holistic healthcare.

The hospitality industry, which endeavours in catering to every need of the guest, has been keeping abreast of the spa trend. While international hotel chain

Starwood launched its spa brand ‘Westin Heavenly’ in 2008, Indian hospitality players have geared up to develop their own spa brands. The Park Hotels with its spa brand named Aura, Taj Group of hotels with its spa brand Jiva, and The Bharat Hotels with its spa brand Rejuve – The Spa are there to bolster the spa hospitality in India.

Industry sources say the profit margin for a spa located in a hotel is as high as 60 per cent, though the capital outlay initially is also high. A spa entails an investment of around Rs. 4,000-5,000 per square foot, which is not a small amount by any standards. However, the popularity and hence the consequent profitability of spas is giving a fillip to the spa industry in India.

Rejuvenative therapies and treatments are normally the most important services provided by a spa. The most popular among the spa treatments is massage,

Nov-Dec ’11

29

Cover Story

HOTEL Business Review

solutions. We discuss some of them below:

Not Just Spa, it is ESPA Spread across 5000 sq. ft of verdant landscape, the state-of-the-art spa at The which of course, encapsulates wide varieties. Massages have been around in India and elsewhere for millennia, but lately the popularity of specialised massages at spas have increased manifolds.

The age-old treatments along with an impressive array of modern day western wellness solutions are all found in highend spas of India, where people flock to derive a wonderful experience.

As far as massages are concerned, the spas offer not just simple massages but also specialised reflexology treatments such as pedicure, manicure, Shiro Dhara, aromatherapy, thalassotherapy, hydrotherapy, herbal body glow, Hawaiian massage, Thai and Balinese massage, among many others.

Most spas in India have graduated over the years to include an exhaustive list of therapies, which include aromatherapy, relaxing body massage, hot stone massage, head massage, back, neck and shoulder massage, lymphatic drainage, reiki, salt scrub, and reflexology among others.

Seminal Ayurveda solutions in spa have attracted great popularity among domestic as well as outbound tourists. Today in India, there are several top-end spa addresses in hotels and resorts, where the guests can enjoy the world class treatments and rejuvenative therapies.

Ananda of the Soul One of the leading spas in India is Ananda, nestled the lap of Himalayas in Tehri Garhwal of Uttaranchal. Ananda In The Himalayas is one of the premium destination spas of India The pristine location of the spa affords a rejuvenating retreat for fatigued bodies, overworked minds and tensed souls. The spa offers an extensive menu entailing more than 80 body and beauty treatments which synthesise eastern and western techniques of revitalising the body and mind.

With its impressive team of expert trainers, masseurs and Ayurveda therapists, Ananda can easily find place among the best spas in the world. Ananda focusses on Ayurvedic and yoga and endeavours to attain synthesis between traditional and

30

Nov-Dec ’11

modern approaches to wellness. The personalised therapies at Ananda cater to individual wellness needs and goals, which include detoxification, revitalisation, destressing, cleansing, deep relaxation, weight loss, inch loss and anti-ageing, along with proper nutrition and exercise regimes.

Besides such top-end destination spas, there are spas in five-star hotels. It has now become almost mandatory for the five-star properties in India to have a spa facility attached to them. However, the spa remains a value-addition to most of the five-star properties, which they offer to their guests. An in-house guest to a hotel property seldom chooses the hotel for the sole purpose of enjoying its spa facilities.

In most cases, neither the guests at five-star hotels spend their entire stay immersing in the spa experience, for say three days at a stretch. They have other interests, distractions and commitments too. And therefore the spa experience in five-star hotels has less possibility of matching the spa experience of a quality destination spa. However, that is not to say that the five-star hotels do not always have spa facilities matching that of a destination spa. These days, a number of spas in five-star hotels of India are providing international class wellness

Leela Mumbai promises the discerning guests a superlative level of relaxation and rejuvenation. It is known for using 98-100 percent natural ingredients across its product line. Here the use of the finest quality natural ingredients can help to enhance your outward appearance of health as well as could endow you with a sense of inner well-being.

‘The Spa’ offers ESPA treatments that are individual and specific, and tailor-made.

The philosophy behind this spa is to enhance an individual’s lifestyle in a way that is both holistic and versatile. Some of the must try signature ESPA treatments at this spa are Essence of Leela, Energy Enhancer with Hot Stones, Mind and Body Rebalancer, and Shirobhyanga. The Spa also boasts of a special menu for men, called ‘ESPA for Men’ to combat the environmental, physical and mental stress of modern day living. The treatment involves the usage of natural ESPA skin care products.

Whether the guests are travelling on business or leisure, the spa offers a selection of single and couple treatment rooms. Such a well-defined luxury of unwinding has indeed made the spa feature in the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler USA Hot List of 45 Best Spas in the World, in May 2010.

Cover Story

HOTEL Business Review

Quan Spas with Marriott With the opening of the much-awaited Quan Spa in August 2011, the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa completed an extensive and exhaustive renovation. Quan, a Chinese word that literally means ‘a source of pure water’ also refers to all things good and pure. It is an auspicious word to represent a spa that seeks to provide a path to wholeness and well-being. Quan Spa at Goa embraces the time-honoured healing practices of its local culture, infusing them into Quan’s basic philosophy that water is at the core of the ultimate health-enhancing experience.

The Quan Spa at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa has five treatment rooms and a couple’s massage room, besides a steam room, sauna and a whirlpool. Some therapies from the menu are Marine Algae Bath, Rose & Ashwaganda Milk Bath, Aroma Fusion Massage, Deep Renewal Massage, Earth & Ocean Hot Stone Massage, Quan Foot Ritual, Divine Head Massage, Foot Reflex Massage as well as body therapies like Goan Sun Recovery, OGT Body Scrub, Ocean Scrub, and Purity Ritual Body Scrub.

“Goa is a dynamic city, which plays host to over 2.5 million tourists, domestic and foreign, every year. Having become a favourite with Goans and visitors alike since the past 11 years, we now offer a totally refreshed property with the additional introduction of the signature Quan Spa. With the launch of the premium Quan Spa, our guests will be able to indulge and discover a whole new world of luxury and rejuvenation,” explained Pavithran Nambiar, General

Manager, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. The Quan Spa has well appointed five treatment rooms and a couple’s massage room as well, besides a steam room and a Jacuzzi. There is also a brand new fitness centre (gymnasium) and a Kids Club as part of the recreational facilities.

The architect responsible for the creative thought process and design inputs of the spa is Barry Withington of Island Design Studio Ltd., based in Hong Kong. The design was conceptualised with inputs from the management and owners of the hotel.

The fundamental concept of Goa Marriott Resort & Spa’s Quan Spa is based on the five basic elements — earth (ira), water (jal), air (vayu), fire (tejas) and wind (akash). This theme is predominant in the décor of the spa and the five treatment rooms are also named after these elements.

There is also an attempt to create positive energy in the treatment rooms by having Tibetan singing bowls and raw crystals placed in strategic locations of the treatment rooms. Elemental based unique music for each treatment room and public areas like the relaxation lounge are the other signature features.

The spa has eight therapists trained in a gamut of western, oriental and Indian therapies. They are also certified in Thalgo La Beaute Marine- France. In the waiting area you are welcomed at the beginning of your spa experience with a welcome drink and a wet towel. There is also a relaxation lounge where you can complete your spa experience amidst enjoying detoxifying teas. ‘Goan Magic’ is the signature treatment of Quan Spa in Goa. Western, Indian and Oriental methodologies have

merged to create this signature massage.

Another signature package in the spa is the ‘Celebration Wedding Ritual,’ which is a program of relaxation inducing spa treatments involving steam, body polish, aroma fusion massage, facial, milk bath taken together in the comfort, privacy and luxury of the couple’s room to calm prewedding stress.

With water there are no boundary, no religion, no difference. Water has the ability to cleanse, balance and heal, across geographies and traditions. This philosophy is manifested at the Quan Spa, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Mumbai.

The pragmatic and exotic philosophy of ‘health through water’ is apparent from the moment you walk into the Quan Spa, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Mumbai. An enigmatic water wall installation by the local artist Sunil Padwal greets you with the implied promise of an experience as soothing as the sound of water and as rejuvenating as water is to all of life. Infused with the ancient therapeutic traditions from the Indian culture, here the Quan Spa opens a whole new world of wellness, health and beauty in mind and body.

Located on the lower ground level of the JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai with central access to the Heat Experience areas, gymnasium and juice bar, Quan Spa is a world away from the relentless whirl of the bustling Mumbai, as it welcomes guests to a hushed ambience inspired by the Chakra décor and the hypnotic sound of water.

Water is at the heart of the Quan spa immersion; offering a rejuvenating journey that includes Vichy showers, baths, and treatments using Thalgo products, created with ingredients from the sea. The healing properties of water, combined with Ayurvedic and other Indian life-enhancing therapies, define the memorable experience at Quan Spa in Mumbai.

A Heavenly Experience When at Hyderabad, escape from the traffic and tensions of the cyber city and take a detour to the heavens. I mean take a retreat at Heavenly Spa at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace.

Tailored to revitalise and rejuvenate the body and soul, and soothe your frayed nerves, this renowned spa with six treatment rooms, which is located at the ground floor of the property, also combines the best of wellness from the ancient east and the innovative west. The treatment

32

Nov-Dec ’11

Cover Story rooms include the Heavenly Spa Suite, Aquatherapy Room, and Shirodhara Room.

All of them feature signature scent, ambient music, the quiet murmur of flowing water, and soft lighting; together creating a blissful atmosphere.

The treatment rooms spell rejuvenation with their steam, Jacuzzi and shower facilities. The Heavenly Spa menu includes blissful paraffin foot and hand treatment, fragrant oil massages, radiant facials and more. Choose your preferred treatments and let the spa’s professionally trained therapists guide you on a pathway of renewal. Do not forget to try the 60 minute long Rollerssage treatment, which is the highlight of the Heavenly Spa. The Heavenly Spa by Westin offers a comprehensive menu of treatments that honour traditions from every corner of the planet. From Rollerssage and Shirodhara treatments to aromatherapy and their signature Heavenly® massage, the spa with its professionally trained therapists and artisans seeks to promote a sense of well-being that lasts beyond your stay.

HOTEL Business Review

approach to wellness. Inspired by traditional Indian healing wisdom, Jiva believes that a spa unfolds a holistic path of life that opens out channels to nurture one’s life force. Jiva Spas embrace a deep understanding of mind, body and spirit; their individual needs and their interdependency.

Here it deserves a mention that the rituals at Jiva Spas reflect the essence of ancient Indian wisdom and culture. The spa experiences with Jiva Spas are offered by trained experts, using exclusive natural products in a fresh and harmonious design setting. With Jiva Spas, you undertake the journey within, through an array of enlivening holistic treatments, meaningful

Get Enlivened at the Jiva Spa Then there is Jiva Grande Club & Spa — a three-tiered tower block getaway abounding with nature’s charms, located at the elegant address of Taj Wellington Mews, in South Mumbai. Eighty thousand square feet of landscaped gardens, sprinkled with water fountains, and a jogging track winding charmingly through it makes the place all the more enticing.

The spa comprises of six treatment rooms, which include an Ayurveda room.

Here rejuvenation treatments, aromatherapy, body scrubs & wraps and more leave you refreshed and revived to face the tough challenges of life again.

The gymnasium, enclosed in crystalclear glass, affords an invigorating view of the gardens. The rooftop swimming pool gets you floating in sky high seclusion. If it’s company you prefer, energetic group workouts, and yoga and meditation sessions await you at the fitness studio.

The philosophy of Jiva Spas is inherently rooted in India’s ancient

rituals and ceremonies for a truly calming experience.

The signature treatments exclusive to Jiva, which have been carefully recreated from the fabled lifestyle and culture of Indian royalty and the healing therapies that embrace Indian spirituality are Samattva (balance), Vishrama (deep muscular), Shushupti (relaxation), and Vishuddi (detox). The Jiva Spa in Mumbai also has yoga sessions and offers scrubs and wraps exclusively prepared from fresh fruits, vegetables, Indian herbs, sea salts and pure essential oils.

There are many other premium spas across various hospitality properties of India, which include the spa at the newly opened Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai, Club Prana Spa at Hyatt Regency Mumbai, Aura Spa at The Park New Delhi among many others. We can say that spas in five-star properties have come of age in India.

Wellness Evolves in India This trend has happened or is happening because over the years there has been a perceptible shift in the industry’s perception towards spa, and this shift is also evident in India. Spa is no longer viewed as a luxury but a necessary feature of the hospitality industry. The change in hospitality industry’s perception is being influenced by people’s evolving attitude towards spas, which has also undergone a marked shift over the years. “Apart from the regular beauty and relaxation treatments, people are now seeking alternative healing approaches with an emphasis on holistic treatments; connecting mind, body and spirit,” asserted Nisha Javeri, the dynamic Founder and CEO of Myrah — the luxurious and upscale day spa in Mumbai.

According to her, “The purpose of a visit to the spa today cannot be squarely defined as one for beauty or massages. Customers are discerning and expect an overall experience of fulfillment and wellness of mind, body and spirit. Spa’s experience must appeal to the customer’s individual needs for stress and relaxation, of both mental and physical.”

However, besides continually striving to adhere to these exacting creative standards, the spa industry in India, despite its significant growth, is also beset with a number of other challenges. Spa is still by and large an unregulated industry in India, facing constant dearth of trained therapists. “The lack of qualified and skilled personnel along with the prohibitive real estate prices have always poised to be the biggest challenges for the industry in the future,” averred Nisha.

The good news is that the government is planning to grade the spas. With the hectic life and nick-of-the-time schedules of a majority of the people today, proper care and rejuvenation is the need of the hour. So enter one of the spas in star hotel or a resort or for that matter a destination spa of your choice in the city, or away from the city.

Then lie back, relax and rejuvenate with indigenous herbs and exotic oil massages, and other impressive variety of treatments offered by the trained personnel at these spas. And come out with a new you… ■

Nov-Dec ’11

33

Hospitality Needs

Quality Manpower

34

Nov-Dec ’11

With TV programmes like Master Chef India having proved to be popular and entering its second session, careers in hospitality industry are, at last, gaining their due prominence in India.

However, the Indian hospitality industry, which has been suffering a high rate of attrition and shortage of qualified personnel, needs more high quality educational institutes to meet the increasing demand-supply gap.

Ashok Malkani finds that the hoteliers’ contention is that most of the existing institutes don’t impart the requisite training which will enable the candidates to immediately start work after qualifying from the institutes. This is probably one of the reasons why some of the larger chains undertake their own training programmes.

There is thus ample opportunity for entrepreneurs willing to start quality hospitality educational institutions.

B us i n e s s

O

ver the last decade and half India has emerged as an important business hub for investors across the globe and this has in turn has given a fillip to the room rates and occupancy levels in the country.

The successful growth story of the hotel industry in India can be rivaled only with that of China in the Asia-Pacific region. This is the overall scenario in the recent years, despite the two bad years of recession.

The Challenge of Supply According to ICRA’s report on the Indian hotel industry, in India, the

HOTEL Business Review

demand or occupancy-led recovery that started with the return of domestic travellers late in calendar 2010, received a boost with foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) picking up in the subsequent months. Though according to the same report the Indian hotel industry is still in the nascent stages of recovery and is yet to make the transition from an occupancy-led cycle to one supported by rising average room realisations (ARRs), but the fact remains that the demand and supply for hotel rooms in India is growing appreciably in India.

HVS India states that India’s rank in world tourism arrivals is 41, which has a

potential to be in the top 20. Today India attracts about five million outbound tourists annually, a figure which is expected to escalate to 18 million by 2016. India’s domestic tourism market is also burgeoning, with 540 million domestic travellers a year.

All these tourist arrivals would increase the demand for hotel rooms in India significantly, in the near future.

Indian hotel industry is expected to add 60,000 quality rooms by 2012.

Many MNC players in the hotel industry are seeing India as an attractive destination, and they are forging joint ventures with Indian partners and are in

Nov-Dec ’11

35

B us i n e s s

HOTEL Business Review

the process of establishing their footprints in India. However, with the growth of the hospitality industry in India over the years, the demand for hospitality professionals has increased significantly as compared to their supply. There are already 150,000 branded hotel rooms and 300,000 hotel rooms in the unorganised sector, across the country, for which there is a severe dearth of trained manpower.

According to a study undertaken by the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) sometime back, there were, on an average, 2.28 staff members, which included Managers, Supervisors and staff, per room in five-star deluxe hotels in India.

This staff to room ratio plummeted to 1.84, 1.82, 1.84 and 1.30 in five- star, four- star, three- star and two-star hotels respectively. The figures were dismal, to say the least. I am sure the ratio has not changed drastically in the present times.

Now in the backdrop of the promising potential of the Indian hospitality industry, where the room inventory is expected to almost double in the next five years, the demand for quality hospitality personnel is expected to increase even further. The importance of competent hospitality professionals in the industry is increasing with each passing day as five-star hotels and resorts are mushrooming around the country.

According to a Deloitte report, the next couple of years are pregnant with at least 400 projects involving 70,000 branded rooms, under various stages of development, spread across the country.

As per the indications of the industry estimates, the hotel industry is characterised by a huge shortfall of 30 to 40 percent in terms of supply of quality workforce. With many hotels expected

36

Nov-Dec ’11

to come in the near future, the seriousness of the manpower issue is only expected to gather momentum in the Indian hotel industry, in the near future.

According to Manav Thadani, the Managing Director, HVS India, as the hotels are expanding at a rate 20-25 percent annually, the manpower shortage is not only becoming evident in the senior levels but also in lower levels.

In the last few years, the government has taken some proactive steps to bridge this gap between the demand and supply of manpower for the hospitality industry, but there are still miles to go in this regard. Without the requisite manpower it would be difficult for the Indian hospitality industry to sustain its growth in the long-term.

One of the impediments in addressing this issue is the lack of comprehensive data on the demand for manpower in the Indian hospitality industry. It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in the industry when one finds that there is very little data about the demand for trained manpower in the hotel, restaurant and catering industry in India.

The Reasons for the Scarcity However, the numbers of students graduating each year from hotel management institutes is not meagre.

Each year, India’s government and privately run hotel management institutes together churn out more than 10,000 graduate students. But still their supply can’t keep pace with the demand.

According to the estimates of various industry analysts, just the premium section of the hospitality industry in India will require more than 50,000 trained employees by 2012.

Part of the reason for this gap can be found in the attitude of the Indian society, which still does not regard the hotel industry as a lucrative career option, while the poor pay package and long erratic working hours make up for the remaining important reasons.

Moreover, a good many graduates coming out of a plethora of hotel management institutes across the country do not have the requisite skill set needed to be employable by the hospitality industry. In this regard, it would not be far-fetched to say that in many cases the quality of hospitality management education in India is not tailored to meet the industry’s requirements. “A great many people who enter the hospitality industry are not employable. Most hotel brands prefer to hire the best of the lot in a given year,” affirmed Rustom Vesavevala, VP (Learning & Development), Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. Besides, trained hospitality personnel from India also have their demand in overseas, and many of them are opting for those greener pastures, thereby making the challenge of finding quality manpower an even more onerous task for the hotels. Here it deserves a mention that International Institute of Hotel Management trains about 700 students a year on a nationwide basis, out of which 200 opt for overseas jobs.

One of the solutions to address this momentous problem is to increase the number of hospitality management institutes. Shalini Khanna of IIHM Bangalore opines that the problem of manpower shortage in the hotel industry can be addressed only through more professional institutes. Of course, it is true. But that seems to be simply a necessary condition and not a sufficient

India's Biggest Annual Food & Hospitality Exhibition

HOSPITALITY INDIA Exhibition on Hotel & Restaurant

2 0 1 2

Organisers: India

Trade Promotion Organisation Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Equipment and Supplies

FOOD INDIA Exhibition on Food, Processed Food & Beverages

SPECIAL EVENTS • Culinary Show • Seminars

Hall Nos. 7 - 12 A 14 & 18

March 12 - 16, 2012 (Monday-Friday) Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

Timing : 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from 12th to 15th March, 2012 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 16th March, 2012. exclusively for Business Visitors 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. 16th March, 2012 for General Public

Co - Associate :

HOTREMAI

The Hotel & Restaurant Equipment Manufacturers' Association of India 'HOTREMAI' is a leading association of equipment manufacturers, suppliers, service providers and consultants to the hotels, restaurants and food service industry.

Established in 1982, 'HOTREMAI' is a non profit organisation. 'HOTREMAI' strives to safeguard the interests of its members in particular, and the industry in general, by taking up issues with the government bodies, hotels, restaurants and their associations.

'HOTREMAI' has been closely working with India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) to organise'AAHAR' annually since its inception.

'HOTREMAI' organises from time to time events & meets with the Heads of Departments from the Hospitality Industry for its members to introduce & promote their products and services.

'HOTREMAI' publishes a quarterly periodical called ' HOTREMAI REPORTS' for the information update for its members and the industry.

For Booking Stalls At AAHAR 2012 Contact : The Hotel & Restaurant Equipment Manufacturers' Association of India

D-20, Local Shopping Complex, (Upper Ground Floor), New Rajender Nagar, New Delhi 110060.

Phones : 011-28745698 Mobile : 99100-48121 Email ID : info@hotremai.org Website : www.hotremai.org

Be a proud member of 'HOTREMAI' and enjoy the benefits of being together ...

B us i n e s s

HOTEL Business Review

one. The institutes must also provide quality industry-friendly education to its students on a more extensive basis.

Need for the Right Training An industry expert feels that there has been mushrooming of hotel management institutes across the country, but they mostly tend to go about the course in a short-cut way.

Many of their quickly trained students, according to him, come out without a proper understanding of the hotel industry. This contributes to faster burnout and higher rates of attrition.

However, KV Simon, Regional VP, American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute has a different take on the subject. He expresses confidence on the students coming out with a diploma or degree in hotel management. “They can be productive workers from the very first day of their tenure, provided they are boosted with the right opportunity, support and challenges.

Dr.Rahul Kanagat, the Director of Gujarat Institute of Hotel Management (GIHM). also doesn’t believe that the industry’s allegations against the institutes are justified. “Industry professionals scouting for recruitment must realise that they are looking for freshers who are aspiring to become great hoteliers in the future. It is not right to expect from them to know everything before you hire them; such misplaced expectations are sure to lead to disappointment, “explained Kanagat.

“Moreover, these hotel industry professionals responsible for recruiting freshers should also understand that these new recruits are expecting good remuneration,” added Kanagat. And we all know that the packages at the entry level for the hotel industry are not at all lucrative. Kanagat also firmly thinks that the hoteliers should be “more welcoming to the freshers and cease treating them as labour.” He lauded the endeavours of some hotels which have assigned mentors to bridge the gap between freshers and the permanent staff.

Curriculum is the Key The credibility of hotel management educational institutes in India is very much related to the issue of the course curriculum offered at many of these institutes. There is a common complaint

38

Nov-Dec ’11

that the syllabi offered at many of these institutes are dated and doesn’t allow for the inclusion of new trends.

However, what is outdated and what is trendy is often a matter of opinion and debate. Let us take the case of gueridon flambe service which is now very rarely used in the restaurants anymore, but at the same time the skills acquired for doing this service will stay with the hospitality professional and hold him in good stead. But there is no denying the fact that presently relevant task-based and management-based subjects should get priority in the course curriculum of the hotel management institutes.

In order to make the students aware and knowledgeable about the latest trends in the hospitality industry, the faculty should also be updated of the latest developments in the industry.

Besides focussing on the course curriculum, efforts should also be made by the management of the plethora of mushrooming hotel management institutes in the hospitality industry space of India to keep their faculty updated with the changing industry trends. The faculties should make a proactive initiative on their part as well in this regard.

Moreover, the opening of new hotel management institutes should also be complemented by a number of institutes who would train the blue-collared workers for the hospitality industry.

Otherwise we would have a situation where there are more managers than workers in our hotels. The Food Craft Institutes were originally constituted to cater to the need for down-the-line work force in the hospitality industry, but more needs to be done in the direction.

Besides providing qualified faculty and state-of-the-art infrastructure, the hotel management institutes should cooperate more vigorously with senior hospitality industry personnel in areas of curriculum development so as to make the curriculum more tailored to the requirements of the industry. More industry personnel should be invited as guest lecturers and exhaustive training of faculty members in the hotels should emerge as the norm among the hotel management institutes.

However, the question remains that who will bell the cat. Would the onus of quality control in hotel management institutes fall on the government? In such case, given the governments’ track record, we might find ourselves in a more messed up situation. Neither one can say with certainty that the government acknowledged institutes are bringing out better quality hospitality management professionals. Perhaps hotel industry should become more proactive in urging the hotel management institutes to refrain from churning out graduates who eventually become redundant for the hospitality industry, and instead focus on creating budding quality professionals for the future.

Thankfully, some well-known hotel chains in India are seen running acclaimed private hospitality management institutes which can facilitate the recruitment and training of those students according to the industry’s requirements.

Succinctly, we can say that besides the demand-supply mismatch of the room inventory, the acute demand-supply mismatch of quality human resource in the Indian hospitality industry has emerged as one of the nagging woes for many hoteliers that refuse to go with the passage of years. Yes, in this context, the demand for hospitality training institutes is immense but one has to pay heed to the specific manpower needs of the industry. The quality of education provided also needs to be tailored to the I industry’s specifications.

Property

HOTEL Business Review

Le Meridien Coimbatore

– Redefining the Business of Leisure

By Ashok Malkani

S

tarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has launched its 100th Le Meridien property globally at Coimbatore. It is the first internationally branded five-star hotel in the city.

Strategically located, Le Meridien Coimbatore is situated just three and a half kilometers away from the Coimbatore Airport and comprises 254 guestrooms and suites including a Presidential Suite; reflecting timeless chic design and flexible workspace.

Owned by Appu Hotels Limited, this ultra-luxurious hotel sets a benchmark in modern luxury and offers a perfect combination of comfort and extravagance within its surrounds.

It is here that interesting elements combine to give one a new perspective on art and culture.

It doesn’t deserve highlighting that rooms at Le Meridien Coimbatore offer their guests comfort and state-of-the-art facilities. The décor of the rooms is creative, and the headboard is defined by verses from the Tamil epic Thirukural; highlighting verses relating to hospitality as a conversation stimulus.

However, Le Meridien Coimbatore reflects not only great luxury but also good business sense. With nearly 3,500 square meters of meeting and event space and eleven

40

Sept-Oct ’11 Nov-Dec

smaller meeting rooms, the hotel offers the largest meeting space in South India with flexible and customised meeting solutions for inspired large-scale social gatherings as well as state-of-the-art conferencing.

Besides its proximity to the Coimbatore Airport, the property is also located near the major businesses, and a new IT park.

It is an ideal space for sophisticated business professionals. For thoughtful and personalised weddings, the hotel also features a temple on-site.

“Le Méridien has undergone a comprehensive brand transformation in the past six years since it was acquired by

Starwood,” said Eva Ziegler, the Global Brand Leader, Le Méridien and W Hotels Worldwide. “In this new era for Le Méridien, after a comprehensive brand relaunch and portfolio consolidation, we are proud to celebrate Le Méridien brand’s best portfolio ever with the grand opening of our 100th hotel worldwide —Le Méridien Coimbatore,” she added.

The Art of Arrival Le Méridien Coimbatore showcases the signature Le Méridien arrival experience, curated by the international arts provocateur Jérôme Sans, the brand’s Global Cultural Curator since 2006. The arrival experience ranges from the moment guests arrive at the hotel doorsteps, and stays on in reality space (in memory it may remain forever) till they have opened the door to their guest rooms. It is designed to make the first ten minutes of the guest’s stay memorable and special.

Succinctly, the arrival experience at Le Meridien Coimbatore consists of four elements — large scale artwork in high impact areas; the sensory experience through Le Meridien signature scent, sound and use of light; an artist designed key card collection that

Property

HOTEL Business Review

not only offers access to the guestroom but also to Le Meridien affiliated contemporary cultural centers; and the elevated experience of riding an elevator through different sounds.

Le Méridien’s transformation of the arrival experience with high impact ‘art work on arrival’ creates a visual effect that surrounds the guests. The experience aims to reset the guests’ minds and signify their entrance into a creative space with art at its center. The ‘art work on arrival’ creates intrigue, and encourages the Le Méridien guest to engage in a dialogue with associates and gain more information about the intriguing art works. Le Meridien Coimbatore’s ‘art work on arrival’ features ‘Spectrum’ and ‘Terrain’ by LM 100 Belgian artist Gwen Vanhee.

The hand painted murals created by well-known local artist Santhanam are made entirely of local materials and handicrafts and are placed on either side of the hotel lobby. These depict the local culture and civilisation and afford exploration into the lifestyle of the people of Tamil Nadu. The murals show the vignettes of Kongu culture, including activities like agriculture and festivals.

The longest and the largest chandelier in Asia mesmerises you as you walk into the lobby. The astounding piece of art made of crystal is 28 meters long and has been specially designed for the property by the Beby Group S.P.A based out of Milan, Italy.

Sumptuous Dining Options The hotel also features a wide range of cuisine and bar options, including Latest Recipe — Le Méridien brand’s signature all-day dining option— with an interactive, open kitchen serving a selection of international cuisines; Peacock — an authentic Indian restaurant serving a variety of regional cuisines from around the country, the Pan-Asian restaurant Ponzu, characterised with an open kitchen, serving authentic Mongolian, Chinese, Thai and Japanese dishes; and Le Méridien’s signature Italian restaurant, Favola. The Illy Café reiterates the brand’s point of view on coffee culture, while Latitude 11 offers an ideal location to enjoy fine wine or signature cocktails.

Here it deserves a mention that the entrance to the Latest Recipe restaurant is marked by a spectacular Gazebo Dome. It weighs 1500 kilograms and gives one the feeling of grandeur. It

Nov-Dec ’11

41

HOTEL Business Review

Property

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Envisaging Ambitious Indian Expansion

has pillars made of pure onyx and at night these light up from within, giving the whole area a magical touch.

Le Meridien Coimbatore’s Latitude 11 Bar and lounge evokes the economic and historical powerhouse of Coimbatore — cotton – and offers whimsical wordplay in tracing the evolution of a cotton bud, with references to Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin – a machine Whitney invented to separate seeds from the cotton, thereby saving on huge amounts of labour involved in the process.

Interestingly, the decals on the bar’s glass façade serve a dual purpose. Besides reflecting the cultural aspects of Coimbatore, they offer a measure of privacy to guests who may prefer not to be seen drinking alcohol.

Other Distinguished Features One of the highlights of Le Meridien Coimbatore is the magnificent Lilly Pond which adorns its ingress with a royal touch. The pond holds about 4 lakh liters of water, and is designed by the famous Pentago Landscape based out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The blossoming beauty of the rich purple and orange lilies welcomes the guests into the luxurious premises. An ornate gazebo at the center of the pond adds to its majestic beauty.

Le Meridien Coimbatore is the first five-star hotel in Coimbatore that has a mini theatre built in within the premises.

The theatre can accommodate up to 100 people and can be used for special movie screenings, business conference calls, video conferencing, etc. Le Meridien Coimbatore is possibly the only hotel in the country to have a temple on site. Lord Appu Vinayagar resides here and blesses guests at all occasions. The temple is built at the porch of the Grand Kovai Ballroom. This means that all the rituals of a traditional wedding can take place within the premises of the hotel.

To relax after a busy day at work or to welcome the morning with a splash, set out for a refreshing swim at Le Meridien’s outdoor swimming pool that is equipped with a resto bar. The swimming pool is lined with cabanas and date palms, making the atmosphere so relaxing that you wonder whether you are actually in the middle of a bustling industrial town. The gentle breeze and rustling palm leaves at the exotic poolside simulates an urban resort experience.

The hotel will also feature an international spa and a night club, both of which are going to be realties in the near future. ■

42

Nov-Dec ’11

Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ brand hotels —Westin, Element by Westin, W, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Aloft — have their own distinctive clientele. The brands are not categorised by the room rates, disclosed Dilip Puri, the Managing Director, India, and Regional VicePresident, South Asia at Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts, and Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, Le Meridien and W Hotels Worldwide, in an exclusive interview with this publication. Excerpts from the interview follow: Kindly give a brief feel of the arrival experience at Le Meridien Coimbatore

Eva: Le Meridien has undergone a comprehensive brand transformation since it was acquired by Starwood. Le Meridien Coimbatore has its own arrival experience. Every guest is offered a drink on her/his arrival in the lobby. The drink is specially concocted of herbs to energise the person after her/his journey. The guests then experience the scents and sounds, which are trade marks of Le Meridien, as they approach the reception desk and go up in the elevator.

How do you visualise business at Le Meridien Coimbatore, since Coimbatore is no more a textile centre, which it once was?

Dilip: Le Meridien Coimbatore is a significant addition to our portfolio in South Asia region and we believe the opening of this hotel will reinforce the strength of this brand. There is a great potential for Coimbatore to emerge as an ideal MICE destination. It is also close to the hill stations in the Nilgiris like Ooty, Kodaikal, Munnar and wildlife sanctuaries, which makes

Property it an ideal destination for the leisure traveller. Its growth as a medicare and educational centre, and its engineering and textile industries will provide fillip towards its growth as a strong industrial hub.

Being an American company is your growth confined more in the States?

Dilip: I would like to emphasise that Starwood is not an American company.

Though Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide’s headquarter is based in the US, Starwood is a global company.

Eighty percent of our future growth will be coming from outside the United States. A major part of this is from the Asia-Pacific region.

A good example of how we demonstrate our commitment to this part of the world can be gauged from the fact that a few months ago the entire team of Starwood, including the Board of Directors, shifted their headquarters to China for a month. The idea was to experience and understand the countries from which our real growth was coming from.

That is how we operate in most parts of the world.

How do you distinguish your brands?

Dilip: All our brands are lifestyle brands. We are not a company which distinguishes its brands on the basis of prices. For example, within our portfolio we have three

HOTEL Business Review

brands which are in the upper bracket —Le Meridien, Sheraton, and Westin. The chances are that if all these brands were on the same street they would be similarly priced. The choice of the hotel which the guest would choose would depend on his mindset.

What are your expansion plans in India?

Dilip: We operate 33 hotels under different brands, in the country. India is the fourth largest market for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide globally. Hopefully India would become the third largest market for Starwood, in the next year. We have 19 hotels under development in the country and hope to reach a target of 50 hotels in India.

When I joined the company I was skeptical about the projections given to me but today looking at the pace at which the market has grown, I believe the projections were fully justified. We are planning to have eight of our nine brands in India, in the near future.

In the last three years, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has opened more hotels in India than Basin, Hyatt and Marriott combined. Before the end of this year, we are planning to sign up more than 12 hotels for development.

The hospitality chain expects to operate 50 hotels in India by the end of 2012 and the country is second only to China in its plans for future growth. The ambitious expansion plan will result in doubling the company’s presence in India, just within the space of two years.

■

Nov-Dec ’11

43

Design

HOTEL Business Review

Design Decks Up Hospitality Business

By Tapapriya Lahiri

Attractive architectural design in Indian five-star hotels is emerging as an awe-inspiring feature of the Indian hospitality industry. Eye-catching designs in five-star properties have the potential to increase the footfalls of the guests tremendously and thereby can give an impetus to the overall hospitality business in India.

In this regard, the décor of the lobby plays a crucial role in translating the cursory visitors into regular guests over a period of time. The interiors and ambience of a hotel is a thing that a guests and party goers rave about, often after the party is over.

However, nowadays the guests to the five-star and even four-star properties in India often have sufficient global exposures, and their discerning tastes not only prefer a décor that is aesthetically appealing, but also which is aesthetically appealing as well as extremely unconventional or out-f-the-world at the same time.

India’s one of the finest hotel architects and interior designers Bobby Mukherji has created and renovated many five-star hotels which have turned out to be great hotspots for elite socialists, celebrities and the young upwardly mobile crowd. Excerpts of the interview with the renowned architect and interior designer follow:

Nowadays, designing lounges are a growing business. Recently you have developed Kitty Su Lounge in The LaLiT New Delhi.

What kind of thematic design you have applied in the Kitty Su?

Everything about Kitty Su is an embodiment of luxury. The heavy touches of gold at the entrance are geared to fill your heart with excitement of what is in store. A dim and lush ambience pervades through the lounge. Kitty Su can be aptly described as a network of large salons, which is spread across two levels.

The dance floor area is huge with lots of wood paneling, amber backlights, deep bronze detailing and deep red velveteen couches to sprawl on. The sound system and lighting display simply stand out. In the capital, where the thin but defining lines between nightclubs, bars and restaurants generally tend to get overlapped, Kitty Su has clearly identified itself as a club.

The room in the vicinity to the main

44

Nov-Dec ’11

area is aptly named as The Salon, offering an exciting amalgamation of designs. Kitty Su also has a Champagne Lounge that is known as ‘The Dressing Room’, which adheres to the design styles of the rest of the club. A DJ console and flashing LED lights are complemented by the heavy tapestry and intricate wood work on the walls; the latter reminiscent of an erstwhile era. And of course, there is a VIP area named ‘The List’ — decked in deep red velvet and classy black leather and characterised by a sophisticated lighting system.

Kindly throw some light on your Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar project, which has given the well-heeled west Delhi crowds a classy partying destination.

Firstly, I want to say that all my projects are dissimilar from each other. Moreover, before we start any new project, I write an architectural story like a film script is

written. Radission Blu Hotel Paschim Vihar has emerged as the watering hole for the west Delhites. At the same time, the property has an impressive banqueting facility. In Radisson Blu Paschim Vihar I have especially focussed on permanent festive architecture, where the razzle-dazzle weddings can take place with élan.

Radisson Blu has a themed setting with shiny black, white and chrome colours incorporated into the designs. White glossy marbles, lac, velvet and red light fixtures, the understated elegance of the décor have intensified the glamour quotient of the hotel.

Jaipur Marriott is also one of great architectural success stories in your career. Kindly talk a little bit about it

Jaipur Marriott is one hotel that is whole-heartedly dedicated to the people of Jaipur. The historical city is not only the capital of the princely state of Rajasthan, but is also emerging as the biggest

Design wedding destination of the country. Earlier, the swish set of Jaipur had to travel down to Delhi for their lavish weddings and other functions, which can now be catered to by the Jaipur Marriott. The hotel displays the finest blend of contemporary architecture with subtle ethnic design elements which bring in the local flavours.

‘Sense of place’ is the most important facet that an architectural design should reflect. Therefore, I chose Spain as the place to procure design materials for this hotel, because Rajasthan and Spain have quite a similar culture and many of the design elements are also similar. The reason behind procuring the materials from Spain is also to offer a toned down look, as the local materials from Rajasthan are very bright in colour. However, I have used local Rajasthani stones to infuse an ethnic element in the contemporary look.

Jaipur Marriott has been a huge success. The kind of positive feedback that I have received from my clients is very impressive. The clients those who know me personally had especially called me to congratulate.

Which is the best time for the transformation work?

In very lean seasons, the hotel authorities offer me three months time to refurbish, by blocking up certain areas. It requires almost nine months to chalk out the design for refurbishing, and about three to four months for the execution of the design.

Many five-star hotels are coming up in Kolkata.

Are you designing any of the upcoming hotels in that city?

Yes, I will design the Great Eastern Hotel in Kolkata, a project I am very much looking forward to. Being a Bengali it gives a grand feeling to work for my state. However, I have not done much work in Kolkata till now. We are also bidding for some other projects in Kolkata. But they are yet to be finalised.

While designing Great Eastern Hotel, I want develop a world class product within Bengali context. The hotel design will have a bit of local influence. I want bring out the Bengali culture as a whole, including the Kolkata culture, in a more stylised and contemporary manner before the guests.

My idea is to inscribe Rabindranath Tagore’s timeless poetry and paintings with a more contemporary look and feel. I would also like to add that understanding the nuances of alpona painting (painting with liquid grinded rice) and Jamini Roy’s paintings are an added advantage for an architect to design a hotel in a culturally vibrant city like Kolkata.

Nowadays in hotels spa is the most talked about space. Are you into spa designing?

Presently, spa has emerged as the most relaxed and reserved space inside the hotel. After a prolonged week of hard work people want to calm their nerves and senses with a relieved body massage under expert supervision. I have designed many spas during my tenure, which include the Rejuve -The Spa in Intercontinental The LaLiT Mumbai, and the spa at the Radission Blu Hotel Paschim Vihar. We are also designing the spa at the Great Eastern Hotel, which is soon to become a reality.

■

Nov-Dec ’11

45

Industry

HOTEL Business Review

By Swarnendu Biswas

T

hough in these busy days we tend to spend less than a third of our lives on sleeping, the quality of the remaining two-thirds or more of our lives is influenced by the quality of our sleep.

Yes some things in life don’t change, but they can certainly improve. A case in the point is the myriad bedding options for the hospitality industry. Of course, the importance of sleep in the ever busy hospitality industry cannot be overstated.

Rooms are one of the chief revenue generators for the hospitality industry and one of the most important things a traveller or a tourist seeks in a hotel room, irrespective of her/his business or leisure predilections, is a night or a few nights of comfortable sleep. This is the basic expectation from guests from a hotel room in general.

However, the guests at four-star and five-star properties are not only content with comfortable sleep; they want comfort with ample dosages of luxury from the bedding solutions of their premium stay.

This is true of the world, and how can it be any different in India. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that classy bedding solutions in a hotel can go beyond its utilitarian value and contribute to the décor of the hotel and resort room.

46

Nov-Dec ’11

According to Sareena Kochar, General Manager –Housekeeping, The Lemon Tree Hotel Company, the most essential attribute that she and her team look for in a mattress or a pillow or any other bedding solutions for the Lemon Tree properties is the ability to guarantee “Refreshing sleep experience for our guests.” She further added that “The choice of materials should be as per our specifications and the products should provide optimum durability.”

Sareena Kochar

Springing Comfort and Luxury Succinctly, despite the prevalence of rampant mediocrity in the bedding solutions industry in India, one can gauge the trends and arrive at the conclusion that the bedding solutions in the Indian hospitality industry have by and large, become more sophisticated. No wonder the trend of high-end bedding is gaining popularity in the Indian market. The demand for high-end bedding solutions in up market Indian hotels and resorts is fuelling the mass market for mattresses and pillows too.

“The mass market players are waking up and trying to provide world class comfortable mattresses to the Indian buyers,” acknowledged Manu Malhotra, CEO, Snoozer Bedding Ltd. He conceded that “The comfort element in bedding solutions is getting better in India,” but in the same breath also criticised the fact that “still most of the bedding solutions offered in India is of ‘third world quality’ acceptable standards.” He opined that many players venturing into the mid or high-end bedding segments have been making the low quality rubberised coir or foam mattresses, which are now no longer in use anywhere in the developed world.

Here it deserves a mention that

Industry Chandigarh-based Snoozer Bedding Ltd.. is one of the prominent players in India, in the field of providing bedding solutions for the hospitality industry. The exclusive Snoozer Bed was first customised in 1995 for discerning guests at elegant hotels and spas in India. According to Malhotra, Snoozer is the “acknowledged pioneer of spring mattresses in India.” The beds and mattresses of Snoozer provide not only luxurious comfort but also orthopedic support, with the clients having the options of choosing from soft / medium / hard firmness levels. As pioneers of inner spring mattresses since 1994 Snoozer has solely focussed on the top-end technology and high-end buyers who want the very best.

“As pioneers of the industry, we have been able to stay ahead of the curve by anticipating customers’ ever evolving needs, and offering them innovative products, no compromise quality, door to door delivery, individual customisations, and national level consistent branding,” elaborated Malhotra, when asked about the USP of Snoozer’s products. Today Snoozer has a brand presence in nearly 40 Indian cities, and according to Malhotra, “has been growing at a rate of nearly 50 percent annually, for the last few years.”

However, besides Snoozer Bedding there are many other players who are fostering the quality and growth of international quality bedding solutions in the Indian hospitality industry. “Hospitality segment in India is booming at an unprecedented pace. Today hotel guests are not merely looking for a place where they could spend their night/s. They are expecting much more from hotel, and this heightened expectation extends to their slumber too.

Naturally, hotels too do not want to only satisfy their guests but want to delight them. This provides for a huge opportunity for bedding solution companies in India where a spring mattress is still considered as a luxury product,” explained Arun Pandita, Deputy General Manager — Institutions, Springwel Mattresses Pvt. Ltd. The Delhi-based Springwel Mattresses is an important player in providing comprehensive bedding solutions ranging from various types of mattresses, PUF/ foam sheets, head boards, bases, pillows, roll-away beds, duvets, duvet covers, bed sheets, and mattress protectors, among others. The company is into institutional sales besides having an impressive retail network. As far as the hospitality sector is

HOTEL Business Review

concerned, the clientele base of Springwel Mattresses is spread across various prominent hotel chains, which include The Park Hotels, Radisson, Best Western among others. According to Pandita, Springwel Mattresses happens to be India’s largest selling spring mattress company.

Springwel does export its mattresses too, though its major volume of sales is derived from the domestic market only.

At Springwel, innovation, up-gradation and coming up with better sleep solutions are part of the work culture. “We wish to create an identity, wherein whenever people think of high-end sleep products in India, they needn’t have to look beyond Springwel,” said an official spokesperson of the company. The company notched an impressive turnover of Rs.106 crore in the last fiscal. “At present, we have 16 exclusive showrooms across the country with the brand name of Planet Bliss and Tempur,” informed Pandita.

Manu Malhotra

Springwel is also ambitious on its expansion plans, which perhaps reflect in some way the growth of bedding solutions market in India. “We are coming up with a big production plant in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, which shall be operational in a couple of months. At the same time, we are coming up with 10 more exclusive showrooms in different cities, in the year 2012,” informed Pandita.

Sleepzone Mattress from Real Innerspring Technologies Pvt. Ltd, is another of the important players in the industry, supplying high-end bedding solutions for homes and the hospitality sector. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of spring mattresses in India. Each Sleepzone mattress is a unique combination of science, comfort and aesthetics. They are made on high-end

imported computerised machinery, using rich raw materials for high quality end products, thereby ensuring extra support or right firmness needed for your body for undisturbed sleep and better health. The company’s Supreme Bonell Spring Mattress, Deluxe Bonell Coil Spring Mattress, Supreme Pocket Coil Spring Mattress, Deluxe Pocket Coil Spring Mattress, and rollaway beds are all statements of elegance, luxury, comfort and healthy sleep.

Some months back, Indian mattress and bed company Springfit Marketing Inc. did enter into a collaboration with the UK-based bed manufacturer Hypnos with the objective of providing high-end beds for the Indian hospitality industry.

Initially, the collaboration was to focus on the contract market, serving the needs of the Indian hospitality sector.

Springfit Marketing Inc. is a prominent manufacturer, supplier and exporter of spring mattresses, mattress protector, mattress topper, base and headboard, pillows and cushions, rollaway bed and many more. It is one of the primary companies in India to get ISO 9001: 2000 Certification for providing an extensive range of spring mattresses and its related accessories. The company’s adherence to the latest technology, supported by its designing capabilities has enabled it in developing unique and elegant collection of spring mattresses.

On the other hand, Hypnos has been engaged in manufacturing beds using natural materials and has a century-old reputation in the industry of making some of the most comfortable beds in the world. Hypnos has been practicing and perfecting the art of making luxury pocket spring beds by hand since the Edwardian era. This strategic alliance was a natural progression between the two companies following the completion of a successful pilot supply chain project in 2010 to manufacture Hypnos beds, under license, for the Premier Inn, Delhi.

The mattresses, duvets, pillows, bed sheets are among the most well-known bedding solutions found in Indian hotels, which supports the bed in giving the quality of sleep. “We provide India with high-end ultra luxury pocket coil technology based mattresses & box spring beds,” affirmed Malhotra, while adding, “We have been suppliers to most five- star deluxe hotel chains in India.” Furthermore,

Nov-Dec ’11

47

Industry

HOTEL Business Review

Snoozer has been exporting to individual clients who, according to Malhotra, find its quality and prices unmatched as compared to what is locally available in their country.

Here it deserves a mention that Snoozer’s esteemed hospitality clientele include/ included chains like ITC WelcomGroup, The Oberoi Group, Hyatt, Taj, JW Marriott, The Park, and Radisson among many others.

Down With Feathers Going by the emerging trends, one can see that very soon simple spring mattresses and beds would eventually become passé in Indian hotels, if they are not already so.

In all likelihood, the emphasis is to shift towards down & feather bedding solutions, which caters to luxury hotels and apartments.

Here it deserves a mention that feather beds has the potential to provide for a much more ‘soft slumber’ which is likely to be unmatched by pillow top beds, memory foam beds and an array of top of the bed solutions. Springfit is placing emphasis on the ‘down & feather’ bedding solutions which are wanted by luxury hotels, resorts and apartments. Here it deserves a mention that the ‘Down and Feather Collection’ of Springfit Marketing Inc. comprise unique luxurious mattresses designed for those who want to experience soft and fluffy feel while sleeping. Manufactured from down feather, the ‘Down and Feather Collection’ provides extra softness and comfort during sleeping.

The primary ingredient in feather beds is a mix of feathers and down. The more the down in the mixture the softer the feather bed will be. However, there is no hard and fast rule that an international quality bed should have to be a feather bed only.

Apart from feather and down there are a plethora of ingredients which go on to make a classy statement in bedding solutions. “There are nearly 40 different inputs which go into making our mattresses, which are geared to provide long lasting comfort and support,” elaborated Malhotra, while asserting that, “We create without compromise.”

Exclusive Sleeping Solutions Overall, there is no denying the fact that in order to cater to the sizeable numbers of discerning class of domestic and outbound tourists, the statement of opulence in bedding solutions is reaching new heights

48

Nov-Dec ’11

in the Indian hospitality industry. The Natura Collection Spring Mattress of Springfit Marketing Inc. is a case in the point. The elegant product adjusts in accordance with your body temperature to keep you cool in summers and warm in winters. Individually wrapped soft spring layer, unique imported pincore, top layer of natural latex don’t create any pressure point at heavy parts of the body during sleep and assist in getting complete relaxation and exquisite comfort.

Similarly, Springwel Comfort Plus, a value-added bonnell spring mattress from Springwel, has a thick layer of natural latex as main stuffing for more luxurious feeling. This way, it gives perfect support of bonnell springs with added comfort of natural latex.

At the same time, the new-age bedding solutions are becoming endowed with

Arun Pandita

health quotient too. The Posture Collection Spring Mattress of Springfit Marketing Inc. is highly recommended by orthopaedic and medical experts. This spring mattress provides the right posture and support to your body and facilitates to maintain the natural ‘S’ shape of your spine.

Customising the bedding products according to specifications has also become necessary for the hospitality industry, as the industry is essentially becoming more serviceoriented with time. In fact, its discerning consumers are inducing them to be so. “We customise each and every mattress order be it for a retail buyer or for an international chain, which wants us to meet their specifications,” stated Malhotra. He informed that the first Shangri La property in India went to them to provide ‘No need to flip’ feature mattress and Snoozer customised that for them as well. Pandita also

aired a similar point. “We need to customise the bedding for each hotel, in terms of sizes, comfort, etc.” The signature state-of-the-art mattress technology of Sleepzone is also customised as per the mattress so that each guest’s individual needs are met.

Potential and Reality All these innovative players with the technological innovations and market range at their disposal can ensure that in the near future a great majority of the Indian hotel guests in India can be empowered to get a refreshing sleep, after a hard day of work or a hard night of partying, Yes, today reaching bliss through sleep is very much possible in India, and here we are not talking of any abstract philosophy, but bliss in terms of sheer material comfort. But the hospitality industry must make a proactive effort to make this possibility or potential into a regular but welcome reality.

However, there are challenges. For example, discerning the quality of mattresses can be a deceptive exercise.

According to Malhotra, mattresses have great scope for compromising on the inputs inside. “They initially may look and feel the same but the comfort and the support levels decline quickly for the relatively inferior product,” informed Malhotra. The technological and capital bottlenecks of the unorganised players in the bedding solutions industry is another impediment towards making India providing world class bedding solutions for its hospitality industry on a more mass scale.

According to Sareena, “The Indian hospitality sector can now find a comprehensive range of bedding solutions in India itself. Whether you want a mid scale or a high-end bedding solution, they can be tailor-made for you, and components will of course vary according to your cost requirements.” She also expressed optimism on the present state of the mattress production in India among the large organised players. “Leading mattress companies in India have a great infrastructure and they have the potential to develop creative mattresses with any specifications.” She informed that “memory foam mattresses are also available in India.” All these sound good…but will they provide the perfect lullaby for the guests, who have to be often pampered like children in these competitive times?

■ Only time and the industry can tell.

HOTEL Business Review

The Warm Tastes of

Winter

By Sharmila Chand

W

ith a dip in temperature, the desire to have a hot, yummy food and nice warm beverage soars. This has been the perennial trait in human nature since the dawn of civilisation, but the modern hospitality industry can address this need effectively with a comprehensive winter menu.

I have come across many Chefs who have geared up to chalk out an interesting winter platter to endow your winters with appetising aromas. Well, it is not an easy task. As I discussed with some of them that how they are planning the winter menu, I realise the various factors to be kept in mind, what sells the best, etc. Let us read the views from the experts and get ourselves winning recipes to cook up a tasty winter.

The Winter Menu of Barista Lavazza Barista Lavazza is all geared up to add to people’s tastes and provide warmth to their souls, with its all new winter menu featuring the best of Italian flavours, spruced with a true Italian coffee drinking experience.

The new Barista Lavazza Winter Menu features some of the

most sumptuous delights like the Spicy Creamy Chicken; a mouth watering recipe with roasted chicken, onion, red capsicum julienne tossed in tangy, spicy, creamy and eggless mayonnaise, served in ciabatta bread.

Winters without hot brews and sinful and sensuous deserts are incomplete! Keeping this in mind, Barista Lavazza has introduced a delightful range of beverages to its menu which include Café Tiramisu, Café Gianduja, Affogato Italiano, and Café Amaretto.

Café Gianduja, which a blend from northern Italy, happens to be a hazelnut flavoured coffee, while Café Amaretto is laced with dark rum and Amaretto-based syrup, served with whipped cream and almond biscotti.

“Winters become enjoyable by indulgence with food and savouring hot drinks; accentuated by a warm and cosy atmosphere. This season, we are inviting our patrons to sit back and enjoy some of the masterpieces from the world of coffee. We are pretty sure that people would be greatly impressed by the mouth-watering offerings from this year’s Barista Lavazza Winter Menu, as they give our guests an opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of Italy with leisure, here in India,” explained R Shivashankar, Director — South Asia, Lavazza.

What Would You Eat This Winter?

Gaurav Gidwani, Head Chef — Mocha Coffees and Conversations also believes that winter is the right time to indulge on rich foods. “Winter is the perfect time to indulge a little with richer foods, which happen to be less forgiving to your system in the warmer months. It is also a time when we need more energy and heat-inducing food to tide us through the day, so all Mocha menus that will be designed for this season will keep these factors in mind,” informed Gidwani.

“Homely, comfort food is the Mocha signature style, so we have a large scope to create winter specials that include hearty meats, good carbs in the form of pastas or risottos, and even hot beverages like cider and hot chocolate. We also have a lot of citrus fruits that are grown in India during this time of the year,

50

Nov-Dec ’11

F&B

HOTEL Business Review

“

We believe in providing absolute Italian coffee experience to our guests, thereby enhancing their sense of delight. Launch of this year’s winter menu is yet another step towards realisation of this aim as our core principal.

”

— R Shivashankar, Director — South Asia, Lavazza. which could be incorporated into the menu,” he added.

According to Sahil Arora, the Executive Chef — Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon, it is not right to drastically change the menu for the winter season. “Make a few additions but avoid eliminating the contents featuring in the present menu,” he advised. “While everyone loves new flavours, guests may not accept a total makeover and would prefer to see their regular favourites when they visit your outlet,” affirmed Arora.

Girish Krishna, the Executive Chef, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre advises to pick up those vegetables and fruits which are grown during winters to infuse the best flavours to the winter menu.

“The vegetables and fruits grown in the winter season will give positive effect to your body during winters. Use ingredients which have a quality to keep your body warm.

Eat hot food, low fat and high carbohydrate laden food such as pasta. Add vitamin C to your winter menus,” elaborated Krishna.

Essential Elements in Winter Menu I queried Gidwani about the essential elements of a winter menu, and he stressed on incorporating heat-inducing food elements in the winter menu. And he cleared the concept of heat-inducing food elements too. “By this, I don’t just mean hot infusions like chilli or pepper, but also wonder foods like dry fruits, and grains like barley, oats and corn. Moreover, spices like cinnamon, garlic, ginger, turmeric and cloves can also play great roles in the winter menu,” he elaborated.

Furthermore, besides heat-inducing food elements, according to Gidwani, energy packed nourishing dishes, especially comfort food like meats, stews, soups, etc. which are filling yet don’t lead to lethargy are great winter food items. However, Gidwani advises to avoid red meat.

Nov-Dec ’11

51

F&B

HOTEL Business Review

“

At our restaurants we balance our menu as per the season, using lots of seasonal produce. We do food festivals every season and menus are crafted as per the season. Live barbeque is also a very interesting option.

”

— Girish Krishna, The Executive Chef, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre.

Arora viewed that “The basic notion is to prepare food for the winter menu with heat-inducing ingredients and those dishes which are best enjoyed when they are piping hot.”

Arora believes that the essential elements of a winter menu should include, “Root vegetables like beetroots, carrots and red meats like lamb and mutton.” He opines that going a little extra on the herbs and spices front is always appreciated during the winters. “Also add fun cocktails with a brandy or liqueur base to accompany the meal,” conferred Arora.

According to Krishna, food with lots of carbohydrates, and winter vegetables like beet root, carrots, red cabbage, and brussel sprouts should be the essential items in the winter menu. “Spinach, sarson saag, fenugreek leaves, mutton, pork, beef, and duck meat cooked with spices or in roast form are very good options,” explained Krishna.

Krishna called for consuming spices like cinnamon and clove in the food and washing them down with hot beverages during winters. “The tulsi and ginger tea concoction is one of the best beverages to keep you warm during the winters. Usage of jaggery during winter is also a good option instead of regular sugar,” conferred Krishna.

■

Chefs’ Choice of Five Dos and Don’ts for a Winter Menu Gaurav Gidwani Dos: 1. Always work with fresh products and seasonal produce.

2. Do incorporate whole grains as well as pulses/legumes that are useful in keeping the body temperature warm.

3. Use a lot of spices that improve blood circulation as well as keep the body warm.

4. Nuts and dry fruits like almonds, walnuts and cashew nuts are a great addition to winter dishes.

5. In winter, the vegetables that help your body stay warm are root vegetables and hearty winter greens.

Any vegetable that takes time to grow and whose edible part grows beneath the surface of the ground, or any vegetable that likes the cold weather, is usually warming and a good vegetable to eat in the winter. It should be included in the winter menu.

Dont’s: 1. Don’t overdo fried or heavy food just because it is winter. These items cause lethargy and laziness.

2. Avoid excessive oil or ghee in the food as it is a myth that if the fat content in the food is high it will keep us warm internally. Instead it leads to various complications.

3. Avoid red meat and heavy dairy products wherever possible.

4. If it is very cold in your area in winter, it is advisable to avoid green salad completely. However, in some areas where it is not quite as cold, it can be very beneficial to have a Romaine salad with chicken. If you love fish, one way to have a winter fish meal is to serve it with root vegetables, winter greens or potatoes, instead of rice.

5. You can avoid the food items which come from very far away, or which clearly aren’t in season in this region of the planet.

Sahil Arora Dos: 1. Know your guests’ preference. Do

52

Nov-Dec ’11

adequate tasting sessions before bringing out any changes.

2. Add plenty of seasonal vegetables and fresh ingredients.

3. Keep food presentation and garnishing in mind.

4. Create multi-cuisine options if your restaurant is not a specialty restaurant.

5. Be mindful of the appropriate accompaniments, breads and drinks with the new winter menu.

Don’ts: 1. Do not make any drastic changes in the menu.

2. Do not make changes which cannot be prepared comfortably by your associates.

3. Do not make changes which are beyond the scope of the price range of your restaurant.

4. Do not concentrate on a single course; instead create a balance between appetisers, entrees and desserts.

5. Do not change the ingredients of the present dishes for the winter season.

Girish Krishna Dos: 1. Eat fresh greens like spinach and sarson saag.

2. Have a balanced intake of food with carbohydrates.

3. Balance your menus with peanuts and other nuts.

4. Red meats and game meats are good options during winters.

5. Make your food a little spicy during winters.

Don’ts 1. Don’t eat too much of comfort food.

2. Don’t drink too much of liquids, irrespective of whether they are hot or cold.

3. Don’t eat too much of fatty food.

4. Don’t consume icy drinks and cool desserts during winters.

5. Don’t stay hungry for long.

Spa

HOTEL Business Review

A Heavenly

Retreat!

By Sharmila Chand

A

luxurious urban retreat, Heavenly Spa at The Westin Pune Koregaon Park provides a one stop service for revitalising your health, appearance and well-being in the heart of Pune.

Aptly named, the spa renders heavenly experience by embracing a deep understanding of the mind, body and spirit, and the individual’s nuanced needs.

As you set your foot into the Heavenly Spa, an invigorating aromatic fragrance will envelop your senses.

From carefully selected music, mantras, and wellness areas, to the world class spa therapies, the plush yet subtle charm of the Heavenly Spa effortlessly manages to soothe your city-jaded nerves.

The spa is equipped with four individual treatment rooms and two couple treatment rooms. Each treatment room provides complete privacy by housing the steam, shower, change area and the relaxing area within it.

Holistic Wellness Solutions Guiding you through individually

54

Nov-Dec ’11

tailored treatments under the supervision of an Ayurvedic doctor, Dr. Girish Baria — the Spa Manager of the Heavenly Spa— the spa’s skilled therapists offer exclusive herbal elixir and healthful dark chocolate prior and post to your treatment sessions respectively, which can endow your wellness journey with Heavenly Spa with a holistic flavour.

The comprehensive treatment menu includes the relaxing and rejuvenating western and Ayurvedic massages, skin refining facials, invigorating body polishes and body envelopments, healing foot reflexology, etc. Caviar Facial, Mango Body Scrub, and

Chocolate Body Wrap add to the exclusivity of the menu. To experience complete rejuvenation, opt for the Rollerssage, a signature therapy which uses warm precious stones to alleviate stress and heal you from within.

The spa also tantalises your taste buds with its healthy spa cuisine, offering a large selection of the Westin Signature Superfoods, which are rich in antioxidants. WestinWORKOUT combines state-of-the-art equipment and high-performance workouts to create a customised solution for guests who are committed to maintain an active lifestyle during their travels.

The spa also houses the state-of-the-

Spa

HOTEL Business Review

Facilities at the Heavenly Spa

art Westin Workout gym. Accessible 24 hours a day by the resident guests, WestinWORKOUT boasts of the finest equipments combined with the best audio system to make working out a pleasure.

WestinWORKOUT provides a comprehensive range of equipments that you would be needing for a satisfying workout — from treadmills to a spinning cycle, dumbbells, medicine balls, fitness magazines, headphones, complimentary bottled water and more. A full locker room with steam and sauna is also present to

• Pevonia products, which are 98 percent natural.

• Heavenly signature treatments.

• Each treatment room equipped with steam room.

• Water bed treatments.

• Temperature controlled beds.

• Couple room with a Jacuzzi.

• Treatments under supervision of a qualified doctor.

• Four treadmills, two cross trainers, two bikes, free weights, and multi-stations to nurture every body type.

• Weight gain, weight loss programs.

• Muscle strengthening, muscle toning, and endurance training facility.

• Gym open for 24 hrs.

• Medicinal balls, gym balls, exercise tubes and power workouts.

• Two professional squash courts.

• Yoga & aerobics room.

• Westin Kids Club.

• Adult swimming pool of 34 ft. long & a kiddies swimming pool.

Nov-Dec ’11

55

Spa

HOTEL Business Review

Signature Treatments at the Heavenly Spa

refresh guests after a rigorous workout.

If a guest is not in a mood to work out, he /she can simply relax by or in the spectacular swimming pool. Spend quality time with your kids and play with them in the kid’s pool. Both the pools are ozone treated and chemical free, thereby making it completely safe for everyone to swim.

WestinWORKOUT has more to offer in the form of two professional squash courts, and an aerobics studio.

I

Rollerssage This unique massage, exclusive to Heavenly Spas, gives a new spin on hot stone treatments. Heated pure crystalline spheres; selected for their energy enhancing qualities, are rolled over the body, melting away tension and relaxing tight muscles, while restoring balance to one’s energy source. This is an experience not to be missed.

Heavenly Massage A warming heat pack is applied to the back, thereby releasing tensions. It is followed by a powerful aromatherapy remedy which would release any remnants of tension still held by the body. This massage is ideal for improving the blood circulation and boosting one’s energy levels. One can select from the aromatherapy oils of White Tea Aloe, Green Tea Grapefruit, or Chamomile Lavender to further awaken and refresh one’s senses. Relaxation comes from the harmonious balance of scent and touch.

Jetlag Reliever Travel sometimes adds to the stresses of life, giving you problems like jet lag.

Relax yourself after a long tiring journey, in the rejuvenating ambience of the Heavenly Spa, with this jet lag relieving massage. The treatment begins with a firm full body massage, which relaxes tensed and knotted tissues, thereby also improving the circulation.

This is followed by a Dead Sea salt infused bath in the Jacuzzi (subject to availability) to relieve any stiffness or muscle aches that might have crept during the flight. Follow it up with steam to open the pores and eliminate toxins from your body. The experience is simply exhilarating.

In Conversation Dr Girish Baria is a practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine, and sports physio studies and has over 14 years of experience in the spa and hospitality industry.

Dr Baria strives to provide guests with holistic and relaxing services. He calls his hands,”Healing hands” and he has been highly appreciated for rendering ‘healing touch’ during his extensive tour to many countries like the UK, France , Dubai & Brazil.

Having worked with well-known spas, resorts and health clubs across the world, Dr.Baria emphasises the importance of maintaining health and wellness to all his guests and is committed to excellence in wellness. He takes pride in listening to his guests’ needs while delivering the most personalised of services.

Dr. Baria has also been a great athlete and a fabulous sportsperson all through his career. The excerpts of the interview follow: What are the current top general trends in the spa industry?

The spas are striving to create an identity, which can facilitate them to better understand and deliver the requisite wellness services. There has also been a rise in demand for top branded products, and spas with exclusivity in terms of design, location and services are becoming vogue.

What are the kind of changes

56

Nov-Dec ’11

you have witnessed in your field during the last 5-6 years, in the context of the Indian spa industry ?

training and certifications for therapists, etc. are few important factors which need to be resolved and regulated.

Changes have been both positive and negative, as the wellness industry struggles to educate the importance of spa and its true benefits to the people.

The absence of a monitoring authority to set standards and accreditation for the industry, the paucity of qualified therapists, the rampant lack of proper

What are some of the latest trends in spa operations and spa design?

They are innovative architecture, demarcating appropriate space for relaxation, and emphasis on zen décor.

Well-trained and motivated teams in spas are also gaining currency.

■

Product & Service REDEFINE THE RESTROOM FIXTURES FCML, an elegant restroom fixture company, has launched new and luxurious bathroom collections named Majestic from Milldue. The Majestic Collection by Milldue showcases luxe as a revision of traditional style with a modern twist and a work of art.

Wash basins from the Majestic Collection are coated with platinum or gold.

Mirror, countertop profile handles are made in steel or gold.

FCML Projects sales.fcml@fcmlindia.com

HIGH DENSITY CAMSHELVING® CAMBRO Manufacturing Co., USA has introduced a new product aimed for the hotel and catering kitchen storage areas such as the freezers and dry storage areas.

The new High Density Camshelving® by Cambro is a perfect space saver and is ideal for operations with limited space. The new High Density Camshelving® maximises storage space by eliminating aisles, increasing storage capacity by 30 percent-40 percent and is easy to assemble and configure. Camshelving stationary units act as the system anchor. Mobile units with exclusive high density casters and track kits complete the system. The track simply

connects to the bottom of the stationary camshelving unit. There is no need to drill into the floor to bolt the track down.

Shelving units and raised track are easy to clean and will remain rust free. The Cambro High Density Camshelving® is ideal for walk-in freezers as cold as – 38 degrees centigrade and thus makes it an ideal shelving for freezers. Camshelving can also be used in any dry storage area of hotels and catering establishments.

Aksai aksai@vsnl.com

HOTEL Business Review

ELECTRIC CART Nilkamal has launched a new electric cart model named—NKGC4 to commute in an environment-friendly way within the outsized premises. It’s a four-seater electric cart which has capacity to carry weight of 360 kg.

The outsized premises can be malls, IT parks, amusement and water parks to name a few.

The four seater electric cart can travel a maximum distance of 80-100 km with a moderate speed of 18-24 km/hr. It is a batterydriven cart of 48/192 V/Ah unit having fully automatic efficiency pulse charger. The vehicle is comprised of 1800 mm of overall height, 1160 mm of overall width and 2430 mm of overall length.

Nilkamal mhe@nilkamal.com

CITRA CLEAN CONCENTRATE Charnock offers quality cleaning solution to maintain the optimal standards of hygiene at your premises. To take care of all your cleaning requirements, the company has introduced biological compounds from bio-productions. It provides best in class solutions that are efficient, durable and eco-friendly. Citra Clean may be used successfully for all types of janitorial and most industrial cleaning applications. In undiluted form it will remove chewing gum and tar from carpets as well as grease, ink, adhesive and sealant from almost any surface. Citra Clean is great on walls, painted surfaces, concrete and terrazzo and will quickly remove sticky finger marks as well as black shoe scuffs. For the caterer, Citra Clean lifts grease and carbon from ovens, cleans griddles, BBQ’s and all types of ducting and extraction filter equipment. In the industrial market, this remarkable product removes greasy grime and oil from machinery, vehicles and work areas, as well as oil and diesel spillages from drives and floors. It is a low-foaming and easily rinsed, bio-degradable, highly dilutable product.

Charnock Auto Products sales@charnock.biz

WAKE WELL WITH SLEEPWELL Now wake up refreshed every morning with the Springfresh range of mattresses from Sleepwell.

These mattresses are equipped with an innerspring system that supports the spine. It has state-of-the-art comfort technology that adjusts itself to the contours of the body to give the best night’s sleep. It incorporates the internationally recognised ‘Zero Turn TM’* technology for ultimate comfort and durability.

To add to the visual appeal, these mattresses sport plush fabrics and international stitching styles, which are easy on the back and eyes too.

The Springfresh mattresses come in two variants. The Pocket Spring System prevents partner disturbance and rolls together. Pocket Spring mattresses are available in Bliss, Harmony Royale and Tranquil Royale models.

Bonnell Spring System ensures optimal spinal alignment. Bonnell Spring System is available in Serenity, Harmony, Tranquil and D’light models. A Sleepwell Springfresh mattress guarantees a perfect balance of comfort and support and years of peaceful sleep.

Sheela Foam Pvt. Ltd. contactus@sheelafoam.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.

Nov-Dec ’11

57

B U S I N E S S

O P P O RT U N I T Y

At just Rs. 600 pcc. (minimum 5 x 1 col), Classified Advertisement is the cost effective way of promoting your product & services to your potential market. Ask for special frequency rates for multiple issues. Contact us at hammerpublishers@vsnl.net

1015, Vikas Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi - 110018

Su b s c r i b e r s . . . !

Are you interested in Advt. for ... Lost / Found ... Tenders / Corrigenda ... Appointments ... Flea Mkts for Used Goods ... Buy-n-Sell of Assets ... Franchise Opportunities ... Event Mgmt Contact our Advertisement Executive at 011-25854103 / 05 or Email us at hammerpublishers@vsnl.net for special rates.

58

Nov-Dec ’11

B U S I N E S S

O P P O RT U N I T Y

ASK FOR YOUR 2011 Hotel & Institutions Buyers’ Guide TODAY! The 2011 Hotels & Institutions Buyers’ Guide provides comprehensive information on more than 8000 products and over 5000 companies. It is the only editorial driven guide, providing latest updates and trends on the products & services. To get your 2011 Hotels & Institutions Buyers’ Guide contact our branch offices or e-mail us.

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Delhi: Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1202, Pragati Tower, 26, Rajindra Place, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 45084903, 25854103 / 05 Mumbai: 105, 1st Floor, Aarpee Centre, Gufic Compound, 11th Road, MIDC, Near Tunga Paradise, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400 093 Ph.: 91-22-28395833 Telefax: 91-22-28388947

E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net

A D V E R T I S E R ’S I N D E X COMPANY AKSAI

PAGE NO.

COMPANY

PAGE NO.

05

OCEAN GLASS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

ALPHASTACKHAIRS PVT. LTD.

35

ONITY INDIA PVT. LTD.

ARMOUR ELECTRONICS PVT. LTD.

14

PIFBEX 2012

49

COMBII ORGANOCHEM PVT. LTD.

13

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT GROUP

43

DEXTROUS INFOSOLUTIONS PVT. LTD.

14

PUSHKAL TEXTILES

DHOBIGHAT

16

RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD.

FCML PROJECTS

15

RATIONAL INDIA

FHA 2012

51

REMINGTON STEEL ARTS

58

HOTREMAI

37

SAMRAT FURNISHERS

12

IFB INDUSTRIES LTD.

07, 19

09 FIC

10 BIC 08

SHEELA FOAM PVT. LTD.

31

ION EXCHANGE INDIA LTD.

16

SIAL CHINA 2012

39

JAYGEE IMPORTS

12

SMOKE SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD.

45

KRONA LIQUATEC LTD.

10

SNOOZER BEDDING

LOOM CRAFTS FURNITURE (INDIA) PVT. LTD.

26, 27

17

SOFT SENSATIONS PVT. LTD.

BC

M+V MARKETING & SALES PVT. LTD.

41

SPRINGWEL MATTRESSES PVT. LTD.

21

MEHTA FURNISHERS

25

STACKWELL

55

MITORA MACHINEX PVT. LTD.

18

SUPERSHINE LAUNDRY SYSTEMS PVT. LTD.

23

MITZVAH ENGG. INC.

58

VENUS INDUSTRIES

01

NEELKANTH INDUSTRIES

11

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

58

* BC - BACK COVER

* FIC - FRONT INSIDE COVER

* BIC - BACK INSIDE COVER

Nov-Dec ’11

59

Interview

HOTEL Business Review

From F&B to Managing the Show

By Sharmila Chand

With nearly two decades of experience in the hotel industry, Sanjay Gupta, the General Manager at Le Meridien Coimbatore, doesn’t believe in shortcuts towards achieving results. Having begun his career with Hyatt Regency Delhi where he launched La Piazza — the signature Italian restaurant. He went on to open many other landmark restaurants. Over the years, Gupta has graduated to take over the reins of the management.

He has already worked with a 200-room Royal Orchid property in Bangalore as the General Manager. Buoyed by the experience as well as confidence he is heading the team at the newly opened Le Meridien Coimbatore. The excerpts of the interview follow: Firstly, tell us about your areas of expertise and strength?

I have had a long stint as a food and beverage personnel in the industry but now I have developed my skills in the area of general management, which includes sales, marketing and PR, finance and controls, human resource and employee engagement and other facets of management. Presently, I look into every facet of the general management at Le Meridien Coimbatore.

What are the distinguishing factors of Le Meridien Coimbatore?

Le Méridien Coimbatore is the only internationally branded hotel in Coimbatore, located just 3.5 km from the airport. The property can be best described as an urban resort. It has the maximum combined strength of hotel rooms and convention space in South India.

The theme of contrasts is emphasised by the hotel’s chic guest rooms, which entail modern luxury and offer a seamless blend of style and technology in a destination with age-old mountain ranges, waterfalls and temples that are part of its cultural history; dating back to the 12th century.

Le Meridien Coimbatore gives its guests a new perspective in hospitality, with its chic, contemporary, spacious rooms with great dining options, bars and mini theatre within the hotel.

If you go into the details, I would say that the hotel offers wonderful continental cuisine, rooftop swimming pool, an aura of timeless elegance, relaxation at the indoor/ outdoor spa, health club, and unrivalled 60

Nov-Dec ’11

sophistication at Vertigo —the city’s only night club. Besides, the property has 350 undercover cars space and 150 outdoor cars space. There is an old temple within the hotel which becomes the highlight for the weddings.

international dishes and Favola happens to be the trendy Italian restaurant. Apart from this we also have the Peacock — our Indian restaurant — and Ponzu, our Asian restaurant. We offer a wide variety of cuisines and authenticity of food.

What is the marketing strategy you have adopted to promote your property?

What is the most crucial issue to tackle in the Indian hospitality industry today?

We have adopted the marketing strategy to drive business through MICE, as Coimbatore has already emerged as a major MICE destination in India. Also we have a fair share of corporates and leisure travellers, who come and stay with us. The hotel offers competitive rates, which further attracts the customers. We also market our hotel through our vast food and beverage offerings to cater to the local market.

The most crucial issue in the Indian hospitality industry today is to get good manpower and minimise attrition. With so many hotels coming up, there is a scarcity of skilled manpower and average time span of an individual to continue serving in one hospitality property has reduced greatly.

What according to you is the role of F&B in getting business for a hotel? How much importance do you give to this department?

Good F&B and entertainment options in any hotel have the potential to drive a lot of business for that property. The hotel becomes buzzing with crowd and gets to be known, especially in the local market. This helps the hotel to be continually in the news, which in turn facilitates its marketing and promotion.

Tell us a bit about your F&B outlets?

Latest Recipe is our all day dining restaurant serving regional and as well as

What are your professional strengths?

I try to set high professional standards and also strive to achieve them. Also I think I have the requisite physical stamina to cope up with the demands of my job.

How do you de-stress?

I am a good cook and I cook for my family in my free time. I also try to read whenever I get time. These creative endeavours help me to unwind.

What is your work mantra or your guiding philosophy in work?

It is fairly simple to state but not so simple to practice. It is working hard as there is no substitute for hard work. I believe in working honestly and being fair to people, which I believe is my work philosophy.