Registered with Registrar of Newspapers under RNI No. MAHENG/2009/34648, Postal Registration No. MH/MR/N/98/MBI/12-14 Published on 7th of every month., Posted at Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai-400001, Posting date: 8th & 9th of every month Total number of pages 104 Volume 5|Issue 1|January 2013|`50
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INTERVIEW
SOFITEL APAC HEAD MARKLAND BLAIKLOCK
TECHNOLOGY
CHECK-IN OPTIMISED
INTERIORS
HOTELIER INDIA AWARDS 2012 PROFILES OF WINNERS AND RUNNERS UP ACROSS CATEGORIES
CURTAINS & WALL COVERINGS
TRINITY OF SUCCESS A SNEAK PEEK INTO DISCUSSIONS THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN HOTELIERS AND ARCHITECTS AT THE ROUNDTABLE
ANIL MADHOK
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER An ITP Publishing India Publication
MARKET DATA KATHMANDU | SUPPLIER INTERVIEW BARRY CALLEBAUT | HOTEL TRIVIA THE IMPERIAL NEW DELHI
CONTENTS
6
18
34
91
96 16 GM’S DIARY
87 INTERVIEW
The GM of Sixteen Degrees north in Goa talks about his life as a hotelier, supplier woes and what actually led him to open a hotel.
Michelin star chef Felice De Basso was in India for a truffle festival that he is spearheading at Travertino, at The Oberoi Gurgaon.
18 MARKET DATA
91 INTERIORS
Kathmandu’s location draws hoardes of tourists. In addition, the market hasn’t seen new five-star hotels in about a decade.
Wall coverings and curtains form the backdrop to all the in-room amenities and services provided to guests.
34 COVER STORY
96 TECHNOLOGY
Talent woes aside, the industry is teeming with skilled and dedicated individuals who strive to reach new heights of professionalism.
Room reservation is an online or over-the-phone experience. Check-In is the first touch-and-feel experience for the guest in a hotel.
80 EVENT
99 PICKS OF THE MONTH
A sneak peek into the discussions that took place between architects and hoteliers at the second leg of this roundtable.
Hotelier India’s round-up of the latest arrivals in the market and of the must-have products for your hotel.
85 SUPPLIER INTERVIEW
100 10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW
We chat with Garnet Ply about new solutions, old and new markets. A guide to where you can avail of good quality vinyls.
In a brand new section, we delve into lesserknown facets about our capital’s content. This month, we focus on the Imperial, New Delhi.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
99
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Property-level
range of products
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What Hotelier India Awards mean to the industry
January 2013 | Volume 5 | Issue 1
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“If I don’t win the award, I will be kicked out,� quipped one of the general managers shortlisted for the top Hotelier India Award. Somewhat taken aback, jury members Dilip Puri, MD, India, and regional VP, South Asia, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Kapil Chopra, president, The Oberoi Group; Rajiv Kaul, president, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts; Vijay Thacker, director, Horwath HTL India; and Sanjay Sethi, managing director and CEO, Berggruen Hotels, quickly exchanged glances before bursting into peals of laughter. Clearly, the remark cut no ice with the jury members. However, they assured the GM as he wound his way out that there were enough people in that room who would happily offer him a job if he lost his position because of this reason. While this may have been a particularly extreme case of hard sell, to be honest, it wasn’t the only one. Dressed to impress, the 15 general managers tried to hide traces of nervousness as they presented themselves before the no-nonsense jury members at the conference room of The Westin Gurgaon on December 14. In fact, tension rent the air even before the GMs entered the conference room as they paced up and down the hallway. And there was no let up long after they left the room as some stayed back to speculate, some to exchange notes and still others to make a last ditch-attempt to push their luck. For instance, one GM complained to the hostess that he hadn’t been properly briefed by event managers before the interview so he deserved bonus points. For a hotelier, life is full surprises — and the beauty of this business is that no two days are alike. But, by all accounts, for every single GM who was there, this was a day unlike any other. And the good news is that, in his or her own way, every single one of
them proved what we all know: that the success of a hotel was not about glittering glass and concrete, cutting-edge technology or, for that matter, the state-of-the-art facilities it offered. Instead, it was about the level of service and the people who delivered them. Star ratings are the label but every discerning guest knows it is the people running the show who are the real stars! And it was these ‘real’ stars that the Hotelier India Awards trained its spotlight on. They were honoured at a glittering ceremony that saw 670 hoteliers from across the length and breadth of India converge at The Westin Gurgaon ballroom on the evening of December 14. (There were 15 award categories — from laundry managers to chefs, marketing experts to IT managers and spa professionals to engineers.) :KHQ WKH DZDUGV ZHUH Ă€QDOO\ SUHVHQWHG to key players and, of course, general managers across three categories — luxury, upscale and midscale — the suspense ZDV Ă€QDOO\ RYHU After waiting with bated breath to hear whether they had made the grade, the excitement was palpable as winners danced their way back with their trophies while their peers cheered them on. &OHDUO\ WKH FRQĂ€GHQFH URDULQJ DQG WKXQdering in the evening was a far cry from the afternoon when some of the same general managers were somewhat nervously preVHQWLQJ WKHLU FDVHV Ă€JKWLQJ WR PDNH WKHLU point and selling themselves to the jury. However, as they all partied late into the night, it was interesting to see that it no longer mattered who had won or who hadn’t as everyone joined in to celebrate the triumphs. If anything, this is what makes hoteliers so different. In the true spirit of hospitality, everyone’s a winner. Three cheers, folks! And a very happy New Year.
Deputy managing director S Saikumar Publishing director Bibhor Srivastava Group editor Shafquat Ali EDITORIAL Editor Babita Krishnan T +91 22 6154 6042 babita.krishnan@itp.com Managing editor Raynah Coutinho T +91 22 6154 6043 raynah.coutinho@itp.com ADVERTISING INDIA Business head Gurmeet Sachdev T +91 9987 208866 gurmeet.sachdev@itp.com Regional manager - South Sanjay Bhan T +91 9845 722377 sanjay.bhan@itp.com MIDDLE EAST Publishing director Diarmuid O’Malley T +971 4 444 3000 dom@itp.com Commercial director Sarah Worth T +971 4 444 3000 sarah.worth@itp.com STUDIO Head of design Milind Patil Designer Reshma Jhunjhunwala PRODUCTION Deputy production manager Ramesh Kumar ramesh.kumar@itp.com CIRCULATION Distribution manager James D’Souza T +91 22 6154 6032 james.dsouza@itp.com Cover Image Shalini Rao
Disclaimer The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Printed and Published by Sai Kumar Shanmugam, Flat no. 903, Building 47, NRI Colony, Phase – 2, Part -1, Sector 54, 56, 58, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400706, on behalf of ITP Publishing India Private Limited, printed at Repro India Limited, Marathe Udyog Bhavan, 2nd Floor, Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai 400 025, India and published at ITP Publishing India, Notan Plaza, 3rd à RRU 7XUQHU 5RDG Bandra (West), Mumbai - 400050 Editor: Babita Krishnan
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January 2013 | Hotelier India
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9
ADVISORY BOARD Our distinguished advisory board has been assembled to help guide Hotelier India to become even more representative of its community. Members have been invited from the highest levels of the industry to ensure that the magazine continues on its path of success.
Homi Aibara Partner, Mahajan and Aibara Management Consultancy Division
Chender Baljee Chairman and managing director, Royal Orchid Hotels
Uttam Davé President and CEO, Interglobe Hotels
Vijay Dewan Managing director, Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels
KB Kachru Executive vice-president – South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Rajiv Kaul President, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
Akshay Kulkarni Regional director – Hospitality, South & Southeast Asia, Cushman & Wakefield
Anil Madhok Managing director, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts
Kamlesh Barot Ex-President, FHRAI
Rajeev Menon Area vice-president India, Malaysia, Maldives and Australia, Marriott International
Dilip Puri MD, India and regional VP, South Asia, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts
Sanjay Sethi Managing director & CEO, Berggruen Hotels
Vijay Thacker Director, Horwath India
Manav Thadani Chairman HVS South Asia
Naveen Jain President Duet India Hotels
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Hotelier India | January 2013
NEWS
12
Kathmandu... p18
News&people s 2EPORTS s !PPOINTMENTS s !NALYSIS s 0ROlLES s /PENINGS
Sofitel announces So project in Mumbai Several So openings announced for various parts of Asia EXPANSION Following close on the heels of the launch of the Sofitel BKC in Mumbai last year, the luxury hotel major has announced plans to also bring its So label into the region. “Our plan is to continue growing the Sofitel So The So and Sofitel hotels planned in Mulund, Mumbai. brand in trendy, contemporary locations around the Sofitel So property in the second world like Singapore and Mumbai” quarter of 2013. The Sofitel Mumsaid Markland Blaiklock head and bai Mulund and Sofitel So Mumbai senior vice president, Sofitel Asia Mulund are expected to be up and Pacific, who visited Mumbai to running by 2015. Sofitel So caters to travellers announce the openings. So, which is Sofitel’s designer- seeking luxury amidst accommofocussed, boutique hotel brand, dation that expresses the essence is a collection of stylish hotels in of the destination. Each boutique buzzing locations. Southeast Asia hotel will combine the iconic Sofisaw the opening of the first Sofitel tel art de vivre with the signature of So hotel in Bangkok earlier this an international designer from the year and Singapore will see its first fashion, art or design fields.
Michelin star magic...p 26
GHM’s first Indian project To have a Michelin-star-chef- run restaurant NEW ENTRANT GHM’s first property in India will be all-suite 42-keys Aayu Mumbai, scheduled to open by the end of this year or the first quarter of 2014. The Aayu Mumbai, which will be located atop Kohinoor Square’s Central Tower, the tallest commercial building in the city will boast several other USPs. The country’s first restaurant by 28-Michelin star chef Joël Robuchon, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon will be part of the luxury hotel. The works of culinary genius Hide Yamamoto will be
showcased at the charcoal Robata grill, homemade ramen noodle bar and sushi and sake counter. The Kohinoor Square complex comprises of corporate, commercial, retail and residential space. Design will be undertaken by interior designer Jaya Ibrahim, who previously partnered with GHM on The Legian Bali, The Chedi Muscat and The Nam Hai.The hotel overlooks the historic Shivaji Park and offers sea views to the west, and the island mainland to the east. Another USP is the hotel’s spa, which will offer in-room treatments.
Milestone for ICF Celebrates 25 years and ninth awards edition CELEBRATION The Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) celebrated its Silver Jubilee on December 6, 2012. The ceremony was held at Hotel Hans Plaza in New Delhi. The milestone cel-
January 2013 | Hotelier India
ebrationalso witnessed the inauguration of the ninth annual Chef Awards. Prominent names from the culinary fraternity such as ITC’s Chef Manjit Gill, Le Meridien’s Chef D.K. and Chef Manisha Bhasin were present at the event.
INITIATIVE
ITDC organised an ethnic art exhibition at The Ashok, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The week-long exhibition, held between December 10 and 17 showcased the artwork of celebrated artist Sandhya Arvind. Her works include the tribal art of Western Indian, warli and local art of Madhubani region in the state of Bihar.
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NEWS
14
MOVERS & SHAKERS Ramasamy Natarajan , Director of sales Ramasamy Natarajan joins the Fairmont Jaipur as director of sales. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management from Welcome group Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal, Ramasamy started his career with ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers, Kolkata. Prior to joining Fairmont Jaipur in March 2011 as associate director, sales & marketing, he has also worked with Kingfisher Airlines and Ananda in the Himalayas as a sales manager — corporate and travel agency sales.
Pradeep V Chief sales officer Pradeep V joins as Berggruen’s their new chief sales officer, bringing with him over 20 years of sales experience across various sectors. He has a proven track record in delivering first class results across corporate sectors in telecom, IT and hospitality services. A graduate of Hotel Management and having done his post graduation in Marketing and Sales Management, Pradeep brings over 15 years of product, services and technology experience with companies such as NCR India, HCL Infosystems, AryaOmnitalk Wireless Solutions Pvt Ltd and five years in managing hospitality operations, having worked with Taj group of hotels early in his career.
Priyanka Jena marketing manager Jena joins The Westin Mumbai Garden City as manager marketing and communication. She holds a masters degree in Luxury Brand Management from Istituto Marangoni, London and Bachelors in Mass Media degree from Bhavans College, Mumbai. Jena has over five years of experience in marketing and PR. Her last assignment was as corporate communication manager, Scomi Group. Previous appointments include PR manager at Lowe Lintas and brand communications specialist at GAS Jeans.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
Two more overseas hotels for Sahara
Chiranjeevi announces starstudded promo plans
Acquires two iconic properties in New York
Will use his cine-connects to rope in film-stars
TRANSACTION Sahara Group has acquired the New York Plaza hotel and the Dream New York, both situated in the buzzing Manhattan Central Park locality. The transactions was reportedly closed at an nearly US The iconic New York Plaza hotel is one of the two acquired properties. $800-million – promoter Subrata Roy will now have venor House in London, in late 2010. Industry sources say that the a 75% stake in the New York Plaza hotel, bought for US $570 million chain is expected to bid for more and a 100% stake in the Chatwal- hotels in New York with the aim of establishing a firm footprint of promoted Dream hotel. The deals follow fairly close on the luxury hotels in the business and heels of the acquisition of the Gros- leisure tourism hub.
PROMOTION India’s new (union) Minister of Tourism K Chiranjeevi will leverage his position as very popular film star down south, with almost 30 years of experience in cinema to seek the cooperation of the country’s various filmstars to promote Incredible India! Soon after he assumed charge, Chiranjeevi, while acknowledging the country’s vast tourism potential with its variety of flora, fauna and monuments, said that it is yet to be exploited to its maximum. The Minister is believed to discuss bottlenecks and constraints in the development of tourism infrastructure with various other ministries.
NEWS IN BRIEF Kolkata-based Hotel Hindusthan International (HHI) has forayed into Karnataka. The 59-room HHI Select has been taken over from Emilion and remodeled into a value-for-money business hotel. Westin Hotels and Resorts has launched a fitness gear-lending programme in partnership with New Balance. A study conducted by the brand demonstrated that over two-thirds of surveyed guests (under a pilot programme launched in 10 markets during 2010) would be more likely to return to a Westin because of the gear-lending prgramme which eliminates the hassle of packing gear, they listed as a key barrier to working out while traveling. For US$ 5, guests can borrow running shoes with disposable insoles, as well as a variety of men’s and women’s New Balance apparel including shorts, shirts and socks for men and shorts, capri pants, shirts, sports bras and socks for women.
Marriott’s Autograph Collection has made its debut into Asia Pacific with the independent The Stones Hotel Legian, Bali. It is the brand’s 36th hotel internationally. The Stones features 308 guestrooms including 22 suites and a 1,950 sq m presidential suite spread across three floors. Additional hightlights being promoted as USPs include a 3000 sq m pool surrounded by cabanas and its vertical gardens. There is one European and one Indonesian restaurant and a poolside bar and grill.
GM’S DIARY
16
Leisure, without any deadlines It was an unpleasent experience that made Pankaj Kumar develop his own hotel. He now wants to ensures that each guest has a memorable experience PANKAJ KUMAR General manager Sixteen Degrees North
The most important guest you hosted? We haven’t had any high profile visits, but we have had unexpected ones. Some contestants from Femina Miss India 2012 who had a performance in Goa, visited our hotel as their event coordinator had shortlisted it. It gave our pleasantly surprised staff members’ day a touch of glamour. The biggest disaster you averted? We haven’t had any major ones so far. We’re hoping to cash in on the good run. Minor ones are a part and parcel of the job. The time you learnt a good lesson, vis-à-vis a supplier? Toughened glass, as you know is two and a half times the price of regular glass, with the only visible difference being that when the former breaks, it shatters and is thus safer. We were invoiced for the former while our supplier had actually fittted the latter. A section of his payment was heldback, so we called and asked for him to change the glass, he completely vanished. The best thing about your job: It is very fulfilling to have so many people enjoy what I have created. It enriches the whole purpose of setting up a hotel. The worst thing about your job? With bouquets, brickbats also follow. The market or city you find most exciting as an hotelier? Amsterdam. The Maldives is also very interesting. The turning point of your career so far? It happened during a holiday in Goa, when my kids were asked to leave the swimming pool of the hotel quite early in the evening due to hotel reg-
January 2013 | Hotelier India
ulations. We got into an argument with the management. The outcome is unimportant but the incident inspired me. I wanted to open a hotel where guests can come and unwind like one should on a vacation. The key ingredient that goes into being a successful hotelier? The mindset is what matters. Mine is that I want to create an experience for every guest. Being a hotelier is not just about erecting a building that’s heavy on the traveller’s pocket. If not a hotelier, what would you be: I would have been a tourist guide. What’s the best way for a hotelier to unwind? Try getting hold of your guest comments book. It is encouraging how everyone has something different to share about one location. Your pet peeve, as far as hotels are concerned? Fixed check-out time and the breakfast time limit. I believe, there shouldn’t be any pressure to end or begin a day while on vacation. The best change you have seen in the hotel industry? The transformation in the guest’s outlook. The customer’s demand has evolved from accommodation for a night to a wholesome experience. What’s your check-in style? Self service kiosk or front desk? Front desk. When was the last time you booked yourself for a spa treatment, while on a holiday? It was just last month in Goa. I was not on a holiday, but Goa leads you to towards it [wellness].
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MARKET DATA
18
Peaking with potential Kathmandu’s location draws hoardes of tourists. In addition, the market hasn’t seen new five-star hotels in about a decade while demand has grown continuously CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD epal is predominantly a landlocked mountainous country, with eight mountain peaks at a height of more than 8,000 meters. It lies in the Himalayas, surrounded by China in the north and India in the south, east and west. Nepal houses eight cultural heritage sites recognised by UNESCO and two natural heritage sites. Nepal is mainly renowned as a trekking destination with trek routes scaling the Annapurna and Everest. Nepal has a per capita GNI of US$ 742 estimated as of 2011-12, which increased at 3.3% in comparison to the year before. As per WTTC, the direct contribution of tourism to Nepal’s GDP was 4% in 2011. It has been forecasted to rise by 4.7% in 2012 and thereafter at the rate of 3.7% per annum between 2012 and 2022. Though Nepal has two-third of its population under
N
January 2013 | Hotelier India
agriculture, the services sector is showing higher rate of growth with each passing year. In 2011, the services sector grew by 4.52% more agriculture. Nepal envisions of meeting a target of two million tourist arrivals by the year 2020. Two cities, Kathmandu and Pokhara are the main centre of attraction in Nepal with Kathmandu being the capital city. Kathmandu district has the highest population of a little over 1 million with the population density of 2,739 per square kilometre. The urban population in Kathmandu grew by 4.67% per annum as per census 2001. As per NPR (National Population Report) 2011, Kathmandu’s population has been estimated to be 1.47 million in 2011 and 1.86 million in 2021. Total tourist arrivals in 2011 by air and land put together was 0.736 million, which makes about 50% of the estimated population of Kathmandu district in that year. Source: Economic Survey of Nepal
2011-12, Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2012 Nepal, Nepal Tourism Statistics 2011
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN KATHMANDU Kathmandu offers the architecture of ancient Nepal with various cultural activities and magnificent woodcarvings. Most of the museums are based in Kathmandu and has a number of shopping centres too. Out of the ten heritage sites in Nepal, four belong to Kathmandu. One of the main attractions is the, Kathmandu Durbar Square, located in the old city centre. It is a royal complex that was residence to the Nepal’s royal family. Kathmandu also boasts of eight of the nine five star hotels in the country. Most of them offer casinos too. Hot air ballooning, paragliding, bungee jumping and rock climbing some of the activities that draw tourists. Shivapuri National Park in the Kathmandu valley offers good opportunity for trekking and
accessibility is high as it lies only 12 km from the centre of the city. Besides this, Kathmandu offers excellent short trekking trails which can be completed in one or two days.
HOTEL MARKET PERFORMANCE Kathmandu has over 10,700 keys across various star categories as of 2011. These keys are spread over approximately 500 hotels. Five star hotels comprise 14% of the total inventory, with three star hotels contributing about 6% to the total. However, two star category has the third highest inventory contribution after five star hotels. Standard tourist hotels take the lead and comprise 62% of the inventory. The international hotel brands present in Nepal are IHG’s Crowne Plaza, Carlson’s Radisson, Hyatt Regency and Shangri La. There are no new hotels that have entered Kathmandu in the four and five star hotel categories
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MARKET DATA
20
Major Demand Drivers for Tourism Sector in Nepal 1970
2010
2011
% increase in 2010-11
Holiday/Pleasure
91%
Trekking
1%
10%
4%
-52.10%
11%
11%
Mountaineering
23.10%
0.20%
1%
1%
Business
19%
2%
4%
2%
-15.50%
Pilgrimage
-
17%
9%
-37.10%
Official
3.30%
4%
3%
-8.80%
Conference/Conv.
-
2%
1%
12.60%
Rafting
-
0%
0%
198.80% 96.90%
Travel/Visit
-
33%
54%
Study/Research/Employment
-
1%
1%
2.60%
Others
2%
8%
4%
-35.70%
Not Specified
-
10%
10%
22.10%
Source: Nepal Tourism Statistics 2011, Tourism Policy, Possibilities and Destination Service Quality Management in Nepal, 2009
Hotel Market Performance in Kathmandu USD 140
66%
USD 120
65%
USD 100
64%
USD 80 63% USD 60 62%
USD 40
61%
USD 20
60%
USD 0 2009
2010
2011
ARR
RevPAR
Aor
Source: Cushman& Wakefield Hospitality
Total Tourist Arrivals 600000
30%
500000
25%
400000
20%
300000
15%
200000
10%
100000
5% 0%
0 2009
2010
2011
Year By Air
January 2013 | Hotelier India
By Land
% Annual Growth Rate
The Hyatt Regency hotel in Kathmandu is one of Nepal’s nine five-star hotels. for more than a decade now. However, most of these star hotels did undergo partial renovation in the past one or two years. It involved refurbishment of rooms to expansion of inventory to opening of refurbished specialty restaurants. The launch of new banquet facilities was also witnessed. ARRs in the three to five star categories increased by 3% in 2010 over 2009 and decreased by 2% in 2011 over 2010. However, the Average Occupancy Rate (AOR) initially increased by two percentage points and then decreased by one percentage point over the same period. The slight decrease in ARRs and AORs in 2011 as compared to 2010 is a result of mismanagement and labour issues in the casino business and increased competition resulting from the opening of new casinos in India – in Sikkim and in Goa. Source: Nepal Tourism Statistics 2011, The Kathmandu Post
TOURIST ARRIVALS Kathmandu is the only city in Nepal that has an international airport situated in it namely ‘Tribhuvan International Airport’. Tourist arrivals via air have reached a record high of over 0.55million in the first 11 months of 2012, up by 10.4% year on year. Arrivals from India comprised 28% of the total, up by 15.6% over the last year. Arrivals from China have made 8.7% of the total in 2012, up by 20% as compared to the January to November 2011 period. Though Nepal Tourism Year 2011 missed
its target of one million, 2012 arrival figures by air and land put together is likely to cross 8,00,000. April, October, November and December are the peak months of tourist arrivals in Nepal. June and July are usually the slow months. Source: Nepal Tourism Statistics 2011, The Kathmandu Post
OUTLOOK Special emphasis is being laid on the development of tourism sector. In mid 2012, the Nepal cabinet has approved high level committee’s report on its as a national priority. Thus, various plans and programmes will be implemented between the government and the private sector. Nepal has witnessed ever increasing tourists from India, the US, the UK and China. Chinese nationals were earlier considered to be budget travellers but this perception is undergoing a change, as the nature of the Chinese market evolve. Chinese carriers see a lot of potential in increasing frequency as demand has outrun the seat capacity given to them. Chinese air arrivals by 77.6%. increased by in 2011 Ten new flights per week have been requested besides the existing 14 flights per week. The average length of tourist stay has almost doubled over the last decade and jumped to 13.12 days as of 201112. Political instability as a result of failure to draft a new constitution has created a little dilemma in the mindset of potential tourists in mid2012 but this is expected to subside with time. Source: The Kathmandu Post HI
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The International Tourism Partnership collaborates with five-star hotels to garner “life skills” that will help them across sectors.
CSR can create talent International Tourism Partnership’s YCI initiative focuses on delivering “life skills” to deserving underprivileged youth, also creating a bank of talent for hotels to tap into. We chat with the company’s director, Stephen Farrant BY RAYNAH COUTINHO HI What value do hotels see in partnering with you? Hotels are involved with CSR initiatives, but not everyone may have the resources. Hotels engage YCI for different reasons: mainly to help bridge the skills gap while creating opportunities for young people to consider careers in hospitality, while at the same time giving back to the community. Some of the programme graduates decide to pursue careers in other sectors such as retail or call centres. Also, YCI can be used as a tool to develop skills in hotel staff themselves, such as project manage-
January 2013 | Hotelier India
ment, facilitation skills, mentoring and coaching. The programme therefore has a very positive effect on staff-engagement. HI What does the training of the candidates include? Give details and examples The training calendar puts them through a minimum of 15 different departments of the hotel, covering all major areas like F&B service, kitchen, housekeeping and front office. The training that these youth (aged between 18 and 21 years) receive is not only practical (60%), but also classroom-based (40%). The classroom sessions include
training on life skills (such as personal finances, teamwork and inter-personal communication) and transferable work skills (such as customer service, work safety and work ethics). The aim is to expose them to a wide range of departments and functions within a demanding and dynamic business environment with the highest standards of operation. HI Who are your current hotel-partners? Why full-service? We work with full-service hotels because of their high standards of operations, their large range of departments and functions, their culture of education and train-
ing, and the availability of human, technical and operational resources to run the programme well. A full-service hotel typically has an independent training department with good facilities to conduct classroom-based training. And also because we know that these hotels like to involve the supervisors and managers in delivering training programs. For example, the Four Seasons runs a supervisory development program and the various modules of this training program are delivered by the directors of the various departments, not solely by the training department. Our approach is similar in that the supervisor or manager of a depart-
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of the Oberoi group, the HIFI hotel investment conference and Accenture among others.
YCI chose five-star hotels due to the professional, classroom -based training offered, besides hands-on mentorship.
YCI’s candidates are trained across departments, from banqueting to rooms and front-desk.
ment teaches the YCI participants in a classroom setting, and when they are being trained on the job, they have someone to relate to. In Mumbai we have partnered with the Courtyard by Marriott, Four Seasons, Hyatt Regency, JW Marriott, The Park Navi Mumbai, Renaissance Convention Centre & Hotel, and The Trident BKC. HI In India, what is your definition of disadvantaged? What NGOs have you tied up with? From an early stage, we worked in consultation with local partners (NGO partners and hotels) to define what YCI understands by “disadvantaged youth”. One key factor is the ability of the participants to take advantage of the training opportunity that YCI provides. Kherwadi, our partner NGO in Mumbai, focuses the recruitment process in deprived areas in Mumbai. All hotels agreed that the profile of eligible candidates would be: s Minimum age: 17 years and 6 months (at the time of starting the training). s Maximum age: 24 years old s Minimum education requirements: 10th standard s English proficiency: at least two years of English minimum (which should be the case of candidates with at least 8th grade standard)
HI How come they move to other sectors after being trained within hospitality?
January 2013 | Hotelier India
YCI focuses on transferable work skills — job preparation skills, customer services and work ethics, which gear them for various business sectors HI What are the benefits that hotels get in terms of the labour crisis that they face — especially in terms of loyalty? YCI participants spend 24 weeks absorbing the culture of the hotel where they are training, working alongside hotel staff from so many departments, that by the end of the programme they very much feel part of the hotel team.
HI Tell us a little about your screening criteria? How do you identify deserving candidates? We have set up the criteria in consultation with our local coordinating non-profit partner, the Kherwadi Social Welfare Association, and the local participating hotels. Since they are the ones who are likely to be the future employers of these young people, we ensure that we keep the criteria of age and minimum education as close as possible to that which will acceptable by the hotels. In India we know that most organisations would not be able to hire a person who has not completed 10th grade, Stephen Farrent so we make
that a strict criterion. Also in terms of age, we have decided on a group of 18 – 24 years. Once the basic criteria are set, we scan through applications and ensure these are met. Then the applicants are divided into groups based on their location and are sent for interviews to the closest hotel. This results in the hotels retaining their freedom of choice, while all applicants experience a job interview. HI Tell us a little about your hospitality and hospitality-related stakeholders and their various contributions (monetary and others) to the cause? All participating hotels provide in-kind contributions such as dutymeals, uniforms, their staff’s time as volunteers to coordinate and deliver the training programme including senior staff, training materials, access to in-house doctor, as well as cash contributions in the form of a monthly stipend or allowance (Rs. 2000, per month) for each student. The YCI programme is supported by a wide range of partner organisations, including many of the leading international hotel companies, who work with the International Tourism Partnership. In India we are also delighted to have the support
HI What are the challenges that you are facing in India? How do you think these can be bridged from your experience in other countries? The biggest challenge that we face is convincing these young people to stick to the program. If the participants find that they can earn Rs. 500 more by standing at a stall and selling clothes in the short term, they will often take it, without considering their longer term careers. They fail to see the advantage of going through a training program in comparison to earning a little more money for a short period of time. This is our primary focus; we counsel not only the applicants, but also to their parents — we brief them on how their child will benefit, and once they are on board, it is easier to convince the candidates to stick to the program. Operational challenges do arise from time to time, but maintaining a healthy dialogue with the team on the ground and keeping the GMs involved ensures consistency.
HI How many candidates must a partner hotel take up? We recommend that a participating hotel takes up a minimum of eight to 10 students.
HI What is the objective of the training? Define ‘life-skills’ and tell us how it helps, versus departmental training? The aim of YCI is to empower vulnerable young people to make career choices and improve their long-term economic prospects by improving their employability. YCI helps participants to learn and develop and to be able to better manage their lives and careers, including health, nutrition and exercise, job preparation, career development, problem solving and financial literacy. The positivity brought to participants through this training often has a ripple effect, igniting enthusiasm in friends and family around longer term career opportunities and helping them to take control of their lives. HI
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The making of Michelin star magic
Chef de Basso says that food presentation cannot be taught and is simply an expression of the chef’s creativity.
Michelin-star chef Felice De Basso was in India for a truffle festival that he is spearheading at Travertino, The Oberoi Gurgaon. We quiz him on all things culinary BY RAYNAH COUTINHO HI As a Michelin star chef, give our readers five tips for a perfect restaurant, which are often overlooked. Surely the Michelin star is an important milestone and is one that is most desired and sought after among chefs. It requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice A combination of the right staff, a good location, quality ingredients, effective PR and a rapport between the restaurant manager, chef and
January 2013 | Hotelier India
supplier are integral to a restaurant’s success and each is required for a restaurant to achieve the perfect stature – no point in isolation, will be able to achieve this.
No, I do not believe in changing anything in India or elsewhere. Italian chefs have a mania to maintain the authenticity regardless of the place and venue.
Italian chefs are often the most particular about not localising the cuisine, with the obvious benefit of retaining authenticity. Give us your opinion - will you be making any alterations to your recipes while at Travertino to suit the Indian palette which prefers bold flavours?
Tell us about how your use of the white truffle is unusual – is there something that you think all Indian chefs must try? Since truffles are very expensive one has to be careful about its usage and not everyone can afford it – I use a very light base and use the
HI
HI
truffles on top as truffles have a very strong flavour. A point to be noted is that being seasonal; its price fluctuates every year. HI Which suppliers, in your opinion, can Indian chefs procure the best Italy-based ingredients from? I am not sure about this part of the world. However in Italy the trusted suppliers are Longino and Selecta, which is a very fine supplier in Italy — all the Michelin Star restaurants use his supplies.
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CHEF AVIJIT GHOSH Callebaut Chocolate Ambassador (Corporate Pastry Chef for Leela Hotels and Palaces
LEMON MADAGASCAR CHOCOLATE CAKE A sinfully indulgent Madagascar Single Origin Chocolate mousse cake with a twist of candied lemon, apricot jelly and crunchy hazelnut crisp CHOCOLATE BISCUIT 350gm Eggs 75gm Liquid glucose 125gm Sugar 75gm Almond powder 120gm Flour 7.5gm Baking powder 25gm Callebaut Cocoa Powder CP-777 150gm Cream 75gm Melted butter 100gm Dark Chocolate 811NV 20gm Butter unsalted Beat eggs with liquid glucose and sugar Add almond powder, flour, baking powder, cocoa powder cream and melted butter Add dark chocolate and butter. Sprinkle some dark chocolate chips on top and bake it at 180oC in a flexipan. CANDIED LEMON 150gm Lemon. 500gm Brown sugar. Cut lemon into halves. Cook with brown sugar for 8hrs on a slow flame. Cool down and cut the candied lemon in very fine dices. DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE 500gm Madagascar Chocolate 66% 8 nos Egg yolk 50 gm Castor sugar 125gm Milk 450gm Whipped cream. 35gm Candied lemon. Prepare a custard with egg, sugar and milk. Add to the chocolate cut in small pieces. Cool down the mixture to 27-30 C. Fold in the cream and add the candied lemon pieces.
PRALINE CRISP 800gm Hazelnut Praline Paste PRA-663 200gm Milk Chocolate 823NV 800gm Paillete feuillentine Melt chocolate and mix with praline paste and Paillete feuillentine. APRICOT JELLY 500gm Apricot Puree 150ml Water 100gm Sugar 8gm Agar agar Boil all the ingredients together. While warm, pour in square frame of ½ cm height. Set in the freezer. CHOCOLATE SPRAY 125gm Cocoa Butter CB-665 125gm Dark chocolate 811NV ASSEMBLY Line a square mould with Chocolate biscuit. Give a thin layer of chocolate mousse and line with the praline crisp. Fill half the mould with chocolate mousse. Set in the fridge for 10 minutes. Then line the mousse with a thin layer of apricot jelly. Finally top the mould with rest of the chocolate mousse. Set in the freezer. Finish with chocolate spray and decorate.
For more details contact: Barry Callebaut India Pvt Ltd, #401 Times Square Building, 4TH Floor, Western Express Highway, Near Sai Service, Andheri East, Mumbai 400069 Tel: 91-22-67 21 3080 to 3087 Website: www.callebaut.com http://www.chocolate-academy.com/in/en Email: salesindia@barry-calllebaut.com
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Chef de Basso picking out fresh, authentic truffles.
health benefits go a long way in drawing a diner to a dish. Truffles are a rich source of protein, and are rich in minerals as they are found in the soil
Quality ingredients are key to the success of restaurants, says Chef de Basso.
LUSCIOUS AND LUCRATIVE Like white truffles, there are some ingredients, mostly imported, or at least rare, which have value by virtue of how exclusive and highend they are. Doing a food festival around these, on the lines of the festival that The Oberoi Gurgaon has just concluded with Chef Felice De Basso, at their restaurant Travertino, could be a lucrative revenue opportunity. Here are some: Caviar Australian lamb Alba truffles Sushi Sashimi Rare mushrooms Foie gras Wagyu Iberico ham Kashmir morels
January 2013 | Hotelier India
HI Tell us about the dishes at the festival. s Poached eggs with creamed onions and provolone sauce sauce, shaved white truffle and gold leaf s Cream of pumpkin soup with roasted chestnuts and white truffle s Risotto with Castelmagno, carrot cream and white truffle s Praline sauce with parmesan liquid with green apple, bacon and white truffle s Steamed meringue ice cream with bitter chocolate and white truffle s Risotta with Castelmangno cheese with Carrot Puree and white truffle is my favorite
HI How can F&B managers promote any health benefits of white truffle — hospitality industry and F&B folk often say that besides exclusivity,
HI Is there an Indian ingredient that you would like to make use of? For me it is the first time in India, but I am very attracted by the spices and already use quite a few such as ginger, sesame seeds, red chillies,
HI A few presentation areas, where you feel that even professional chefs don’t put enough focus. Do give us tips from your experience. Food presentation is a reflection of the chef’s experience and exposure to different cultures. Also important is personal acumen towards creativity. Besides this, one needs to be very focused while plating. Presentation should come from the chef’s soul and should excite him. It cannot be taught
HI Tell us about your biggest, or most difficult, or most profound moment as a chef. Once a well known Italian gourmand told me that I can never become a Michelin star chef — this really had an impact on me. However eight months later, I was awarded the Michelin Star rating. Later he came to dine at my restaurant. He didn’t say much but he acknowledged the award!
HI You have probably met, trained and groomed lots of young chefs in your career — tell us what you think about what do you think the criteria should be for allowing an aspiring chef into catering college. This is something that I dwell on. I think that the teaching at hotel schools today is not the same as it used to be. I feel hotel schools need to communicate that a chef has to make a lot of sacrifices before achieving a following; everyone wants to immediately become a star- television also encourages this notion. However they fail to tell them that this work is made up of many facets and that you must have passion in your heart.
HI Your take on shows like Masterchef that are likely to influence people to want to become chefs in terms of the way kitchen decorum is portrayed — no gloves, untied (and uncovered!) hair and the youcan-become-a-chef-overnight carer graph portrayed, when in fact it takes years of training? TV shows work to educate people as they provide viewers with insights into the nuances of our work. Unfortunately, they don’t give the full picture and fail to display the amount of time and labour that is spent in the kitchen. However I have no complaints! But of course, we need to follow rules about clothing. And personal hygiene is also very important. HI
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So boutique! Sofitel Asia Pacific senior vice president Marland Blaiklock shares his thoughts on boutique hotel design, explaining investments, owners and expansion in India, during a recent visit to announce new agreements related to the brand BY RAYNAH COUTINHO HI While the segment is nascent, the term boutique has been misconstrued. How will you battle the notion that boutique is associated with budget hotels? When used with relation to our So brand, boutique is only in relation to size. We will try and limit the use of the word boutique in out B2C communications and would perhaps put more focus on intimate, to ensure that a potential guest is clear on the brand and its offering.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
HI From an owner’s standpoint, what is the difference between a So hotel and a Sofitel property? A Sofitel would require a spa, extensive meeting facilities and a specialty restaurant. This is not so in the case of a So hotel. Sofitel properties target an older generation that looks for a classic hospitality product. A So hotel targets a younger audience. Then there’s a third Sofitel brand, Sofitel Legends, that a leisure market would probably be more attracted to. These are heritage properties
for those who want a luxurious, yet legacy-filled hotel stay. So hotels are simply expected to be reflective of a destination. For instance, in Mauritius, there has been extensive use of hibiscus flowers as a motif, given that it is the national flower. In Bangkok, the staff’s uniforms are made from Thai silk. Our property in Bangkok is actually four hotels in one — it was designed keeping in mind the four elements in Thai culture, namely water, wood, metal and earth.
HI Didn’t the design demand additional investment; what did the owner have to say? It required a substantially larger investment. That property would not have been possible without a joint investment plan. We, as operators, also put in some funds. The owner had initially signed up for a Sofitel property but he seemed more oriented to a So-branded hotel.
HI Explain the philosophy of having a brand focused on distinct hotels
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US$ 300,000 TO 400,00 The average price of a So room, excluding land
190
The number of rooms at the Sofitel So Mumbai Mulund
230
The number of rooms at the Sofitel Mumbai Mulund
2%
The increase in Guest Satisfaction Scores worldwide, after the Sofitel rebranding
The number of distinct components and room layouts at So hotel in Bangkok. The design drew inspiration from the four elements of the earth in Thai culture
30%
of Sofitel’s network is comprised of resorts
in a hospitality landscape where brand standards, look and feel are clearly defined and are unbendable in most cases? We don’t believe in this. When we repositioned the Sofitel brands, part of the plan was defining brand standards. We found 2,500 of them and cut it down substantially. We will continue to do so till it is a reasonable figure. We believe in acting differently in different markets. Each demands different treatment.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
HI Also, most hotel chains swear by defining segments based on pricepoints. That’s not the case with Sofitel’s three brands; why so? We decided to respond to the experience that the guest is willing to pay for. Even within the same price-point, guests have distinct expectations. We have differentiated our brands based on these expectations.
HI Tell us about the So and Sofitel properties planned in Mumbai. The hotels will be iconic. The architecture is out of this world – the properties will appear as two buildings suspended in space. Sofitel So Mumbai Mulund will have 190 keys and the Sofitel Mumbai Mulund will have 230 keys. The mixed-use complex, which will also comprise of retail, will also have a very large convention centre, measuring 1760 sq metres. We picked a new area, for largely the same reasons that we chose BKC for our first Sofitel in Mumbai and in India. The developer told us that the area is on a growth and development spurt. He also told us that it will appeal to a younger audience, which is very much in line with the audience for So hotels. A later phase of the developer’s project will perhaps see more Accor-branded hotels coming into the complex.
HI What is the average development cost of a So room? Excluding land, anything between US$ 300,000 and US$ 400,000.
HI Can we expect to see some signings related to Sofitel Legends properties in India? We are always on the lookout for heritage properties but only those that have been hotels in the past. Legendary is the key word here — besides heritage, we would want to give the guest an experience of having stayed in guestrooms where history’s legends have also been hotel guests.
HI What has guest feedback been to the rebranding that took place about a year-and-a-half ago? Besides positive feedback, guest
Markland Blaiklock, senior VP, Sofitel Asia Pacific
EVEN WITHIN THE SAME PRICE-POINT, GUESTS HAVE DISTINCT EXPECTATIONS. WE HAVE DIFFERENTIATED OUR BRANDS BASED ON THESE EXPECTATIONS. satisfaction scores increased from 94% in 2010 to 96% in 2011. HI Hospitality and economic analysts predict that luxury retail brands will enter the hospitality fray in the coming year or two. What are your thoughts? I don’t know about co-branded hotels like Bvlgari and Versace, but hotels are focusing on style as a part of their branding. Each of our hotels has a signature — some of them focus on design, others focus on art and certainly, I can certainly foresee hotels that will focus on the fashion world.
HI There appears to be a divided approach to technology doing the
rounds. In some cases guests want the most advanced technology while the other point of view is that they require a break from it. How will your properties cater to both? This duality is part of the era we live in. For the business guest, I think we will need to keep abreast with the technology offering constantly. In Bangkok, we have paperless rooms. A MAC mini does everything that needs to be done from room service menus, to placing an order. However, for our 30% leisure network, this is a need we see as important to respond to. But it is best to leave the choice to the guest. Don’t control what they do, but give them the option. HI
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THE WINNING MILE The very best in the hospitality business gathered at The Westin Gurgaon on December 14, 2012 to find out which of India’s top hoteliers would take home a coveted Hotelier India Award. Here is your exclusive guide to the winners and those who attended the event RAYNAH COUTINHO AND LENDELL PATEL It was an evening to cherish, as a packed-to-the-seams ballroom at The Westin Gurgaon watched shortlisted nominees cross their fingers and hold their breath in anticipation, as hospitality heroes of the year marched up, dewy-eyed, to collect their trophies, cheered on by thunderous applause from seniors and team-members amongst an audience of 670 senior hospitality professionals. Hotelier India took pride in celebrating individuals who excel in their roles — who go beyond the call of duty to deliver superior service, increase revenue and establish best practices, across award 20 categories. The excitement was palpable as winners — chosen from among 500 nominations across 50 hotel chains in India — stepped off the stage and whipped out cellphones to let colleagues at home know that they would be bringing home the prize of recognition. Much of this provided an abundance of evidence to demonstrate the power of team work.
For many, it added to the allure that this recognition came from industry heavy-weights who comprised the grand jury. Judging was more challenging than ever before, with debates, discussions, votes and re-votes, the grand jury strived to reward and recognise only the best in the business. Hotelier India, together with the jury, focused tremendously on credibility, transparency and fair play. Jury members even stepped aside during judgements of nominees from their own hotels, and let consultants take the lead in shortlisting general managers of the year, not to mention that they spent the morning of the awards scrutinising aspiring winners face-to-face. In the pages that follow, we present you with facts and figures that led these stars of our sector, to their moment under the spotlight. Those among our readers, who attened the awards night, will agree that it was a pleasure to catch the industry in off-duty mode. For those who didn’t, we hope that we’re able to transport you there as you flip through our pages.
Vikram Oberoi congratulates Anil Madhok.
The grand jury: Homi Aibara, Rajiv Kaul, Sanjay Sethi, Dilip Puri,Vijay Thacker, Kapil Chopra, KB Kachru and Suresh Kumar.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
Patu Keswani receiving the Hall of Fame from Rajiv Kaul.
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ITP Director Greg Wilson; architect Sanjay Puri; Otis director APAC and China, Sameer Joshi present ITC executive director Nakul Anand with the award for sustainable luxury.
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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
Anil Madhok MD, Sarovar Hotels His win was met with thundering applause, and when he stepped off the stage, friends and cronies rushed towards him to shower him with congratulations and embraces. But it isn’t exhilaration or pride that he names as his reaction to winning the award: “It is nice of the magazine to give me an award,” he said simply. When asked to take us on a stroll down memory lane, Madhok recounted, “Starting Sarovar was a key milestone for me. And it was not without challenges either. Finding people was difficult because it was truly just a start-up at that time. When we opened the Park Plaza in Ludhiana and the Marine Plaza in Mumbai, people began to warm to the brand. We had proven that we could do turnarounds. Back then, we just about managed to balance our topline and bottomline — but the organisation grew and a strong reputation was built. Of course, I had to identify and put in the funds for the initial infrastructure of 15 to 20 hotels.” Today, Sarovar Hotels manages and franchises 60 hotels and resorts across 40 cities in India. It also manages corporate hospitality services at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Hindustan Unilever Limited’s corporate training centre in Mumbai and The Indian School of Business at Mohali, besides Geoffrey’s, the popular English Pub brand that operates at multiple destinations across India.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
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HALL OF FAME WINNER
Patu Keswani CMD, Lemon Tree Hotels Patu Keswani is a proud man — he’s tremendously proud of his people. “I’m pleased with this recognition because it reflects on Lemon Tree, my team and how far they have taken the brand,” he said. “I’m also glad its not the Lifetime Achievement Award because I’m definitely much too young for that!” he jokes. He’s happy that there’s a platform recognising excellence because he feels like it will further the careers of deserving hospitality professionals. There’s a host of milestones that he’s proud of. And all recent! “With the opening of our Delhi hotel, we’re now the third largest hotel chain in India. Earlier this year, we had the largest FDI investment in hospitality from Holland-based APG. Then there was the JV with Rattan [Keswani] and another JV to begin Headstart, a hospitality training centre,” he said. But that is not all. He goes on to talk about the launch of Grey Fox that develops, designs and gets hotels up and running. “We have now touched 2,500 owned rooms. We’ve already signed our first two contracts with Rattan [Keswani],” he added. What is next for Patu Keswani? “I want to have 10,000 rooms opening over the next three years — 5,000 each under management and ownership,” said our Hall of Fame winner.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
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UTC PRESENTS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO HOSPITALITY AND SUSTAINABLE LUXURY
Nakul Anand Executive director, ITC ITC hotels is the first hotel chain in the world with all its eight Luxury properties LEED Platinum certified. There’s several other firsts: ITC Royal Gardenia was Asia’s first hotel to receive a LEED platinum rating, ITC Maurya was the first hotel in the world to be rated as a Leed Platinum rating for an existing building, and ITC Sonar was the first hotel in the world to receive carbon credits. In an interview with Hotelier India last year, Anand said, “Hotels have a comparatively lesser damaging effect on the environment than many other industries. Nevertheless they present an excellent platform to spread the green message in terms of the number of people they employ. I would imagine the project costs to be anywhere between 20 and 30 per cent higher, but the returns are yet to be seen. My message to people is to invest now and get the returns later.” Despite all the pioneering moes, there is no time to rest on laurels, for Anand and his team at ITC. “We must walk the talk. We must continuously identify more methods to reduce our carbon footprint, segregate and recycle more waste, reduce our emissions and remember simple but important things like turning off taps and lights,” he said.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
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JCKRC PRESENTS EDITORIAL CHOICE SPA & FITNESS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Ashok Khanna MD, IHHR Hospitality Hyatt now manages his hotels portfolio so Ashok Khanna can now focus his energies on India’s best-known wellness destination — after Kerala, of course — Ananda in the Himalayas. He got six Ista hotels up and running within six years and when he handed them over to Hyatt for management, he said that while he will focus on expanding Ananda, he is counting on Hyatt to take the once-Ista hotels to the next level. Coming back to Ananda, the Hotelier India jury insisted that there are only a few places in India where wellness is being practiced and tapped into with dedication. Ananda, they said, was at the top of this rather small pyramid in India. What Khanna has achieved is building one of India’s only destination spas. In the opinion of many hospitality veterans, it is a model for the kind of wellness formats that will draw tourists in seek of a spa experience, to India
January 2013 | Hotelier India
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PHILIPS PRESENTS HOTEL DESIGN AWARD
Rajiv Puri VP project management APAC, Marriott International Rajiv Puri’s purview of responsibility covers project and design management, architecture and construction for Marriott International for Asia Pacific region. Over his 25 years in the hospitality industry, he has completed the new construction and renovation of over 50 projects across political, geographical and star-category boundaries. There are may reasons as to why he’s good at what he does — he knows exactly how to identify and plug loopholes in a system. Only a month before being presented with the award, he told Hotelier India, “Initially, there was little or no development, so the country’s interior design firms had no experience. And when development began, hotels used international companies.” He’s hoping for better as he gets geared for the nearly 10 Marriott hotels, set to open in India by 2015.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
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AEROCON PRESENTS GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR – LUXURY
Jay Rathore
RUNNER UP: KO VAN DEN HIL,
Vice president and GM, The Oberoi, New Delhi
Jay Rathore joined The Oberoi in New Delhi on January 11, 2008. Since his joining, he has been re-designated as vice president and general manager which has delivered him new responsibilities such as the Oberoi Cecil, Shimla and the Clarkes; in addition to the prime responsibility of the Oberoi in New Delhi itself. Guest satisfaction is growing every year. This time last year, Rathore witnessed an 88.96 per cent guest satisfaction rate, now it is at 89.75 per cent. The property’s growth in the last year was at 6 per cent. The revenue generation and enhancement implemented during his current tenure focus on in-room, F&B and social media a considerable amount of work was undertaken in each division.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
GM, The Westin, Hyderabad Mindspace ROGER WRIGHT, GM, The Leela Hotel and Residences, Gurgaon
THE SHORTLIST: SANJAY SHARMA, GM, The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa and The Westin, Gurgaon THOMAS GUSS, GM, JW Marriott, Mumbai www.hotelierindia.com
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AEROCON PRESENTS GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR - MIDSCALE
Somnath Mukherjee General manager, The Gateway Hotel Ganges and Nadesar Palace, Varanasi Somnath Mukherjee joined the industry in the late 90s and worked his way up to the post of general manager in the last three years. In the LC in the years 2011 to 2012, he managed to achieve a 92% success rate as well as a 4.9 out of a possible 5 in the Key Result Area rating, topping all its parameters. His hotel’s Employee Satisfaction Survey (ESS) score was at 100% for the last three years that is from 2009 to 2010, 2010 to 2011 and 2011 to 2012 consecutively. The total revenue of the entire property over the years 2009-2009 to 2001-2012 went from Rs. 1966 lacs to Rs. 2,860 lacs thereby showing an increase of 45.47 per cent. The Guest Satisfaction Tracking System (GSTS) on a whole showed a 97.36 per cent success rate over the above mentioned years.
RUNNER UP: AVNEESH KUMAR MATHUR, GM, Country Inn and Suites by Carlson, Jaipur
THE SHORTLIST: KUNAL BANERJEE, GM, The Floatel, Kolkata MANOJ SHARMA, GM, Royal Orchid Central Akota, Vadodara MOHINDER PAL SINGH, GM, Lemon Tree Hotel, Chennai SANJAY KUMAR DAS, GM, Lemon Tree Hotel, Aurangabad January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
GERMANY
50 COVER STORY
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AEROCON PRESENTS GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR – UPSCALE
Martin Wuerthrich GM, Sheraton Brigade Gateway, Bengaluru With a distinguished career spanning over 17 years across various continents, Wuerthrich has had many interesting and enriching experiences as a general manager. Prior to joining the Sheraton, Bengaluru, Wuerthrich was the hotel manager of the multi-award winning Sheraton Saigon Hotels and Towers, Vietnam. He has initiated a daily yield report system at the Sheraton Saigon since his joining in May 2010 during its construction, as compared to traditional yield meetings conducted in other hotels. The system deals with undertaking a complete detail on the city, events, peaks and valley dates as also helps forecast and plan the manning to deliver the right service. Wuerthrich maintained a 100-percent occupancy level of guests within the first working week of the hotel in May 2011. He has aided in keeping a consistently strong performance and therefore during the first year of operation the GOP budget of the hotel exceeded by 89 per cent. In 2012, the hotel maintains its GOP for the full year with the current growth being at 215 per cent.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
RUNNER UP: DHIRAJ MEHTA, GM, Trident, Udaipur MAHESH AIYAR GM, Vivanta Taj Whitefield, Bengaluru.
THE SHORTLIST: MOHD SHOEB, GM, Novotel Varn Beach, Vishakhapatnam PARUL THAKUR GM, Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad ROGER BRANTSME GM, Hilton, Chennai www.hotelierindia.com
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IDEAS PRESENTS SALES & REVENUE PERSONS OF THE YEAR
Tarun Sobti Director of sales, The Trident, Gurgaon, and The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, New Delhi Tarun Sobti has created synergies between the sales and reservations departments. Group co-ordination especially from the corporate market is handled by personnel from the reservation team which gives them a first-hand experience of client apprehensions and expectations. Sales executives are encouraged to maintain focus on retaining clients and growing revenue. Meanwhile, for offline requests, key accounts and groups are assigned a reservations manager. Sales strategy meetings also involve joint participation of sales, reservation and front office teams.
Prakhar Kapoor Assistant manager, revenue management, The Trident and The Oberoi, Gurgaon Prakhar Kapoor is the overall in-charge for both hotels managing revenue and inventory for the complex. Integrating revenue management with reservations operations resulted in effective practice of revenue management and eventually higher revenue for both hotels,” says Prakhar. In the second half of 2011, The Oberoi in Gurgaon sold 19,800 rooms at an average rate of Rs. 15,700, creating a new segment in the city of Gurgaon altogether. The average rate was at a premium of 80% over Gurgaon city’s average rate. In the coming year, Gurgaon and Delhi airport will witness seven new hotels opening, with a combined room inventory of 2000 rooms. This is almost a 50 per cent increase in room inventory compared to a 20 per cent CAGR growth which was registered in the last five years.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
RUNNER UP: DEBANJAN KUNDU, The Westin, Hyderabad Mindspace SIDDHARAJ SOLANKI, The Leela, Mumbai
HONOURABLE MENTION: ANANG CHATURDEVI, Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad www.hotelierindia.com
54 COVER STORY
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GARNET PLYWOOD PRESENTS UNSUNG HERO OF THE YEAR
Parthiban P Chef De Partie, Radisson Blu Resort, Temple Bay Parthiban P joined the Radisson Blu resort in Temple Bay on August 23, 2007. He has been working in the main kitchen as chef de partie. specialising in Indian cuisine. His care for his fellow colleagues is immense and he is always looked at as a person of rightfulness and hard work. After a taxing event held for 100 persons, by the Radisson Blu resort at the Chettinad Hospital on May 7, 2010, the exhausted team was returning home in a vehicle which came across an accident. After the accident took place, he, in his injured state, successfully helped pull out his co-workers and gave them an assurance that everything was going to be alright till they were found and given help. After being hospitalised for over three months, he returned to his job with a limp only to keep the satisfaction of his guests at a very consistent level, as was before his unfortunate accident.
RUNNER UP: KRISHNA TUKARAM JADHAV, Evershine A Keys Resort, Mahabaleshwar January 2013 | Hotelier India
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WINSAR PRESENTS MARKETING/ PR PERSON OF THE YEAR
Hema Hariramani
Director of sales & marketing, JW Marriott, Mumbai Hema Hariramani says, “Working with the brand JW has given me a broader spectrum to utilise my passion in marketing. We have recently repositioned the hotel, with newly renovated rooms and launched the iconic Spanish restaurant Arola. The prime objective of the initiative is to bring the buzz back into the hotel,” says Hariramani. She has successfully launched promotional initiatives related to the hotel completing a decade in January 2012. She also bagged the contract for the Paris Hilton visit in September 2012. She has undertaken various partnership events with renowned organisations. These include the launches of premium companies like Aston Martin and Omega and events such as the World Cricket Summit, and a do with the Rajasthan Royals. She also has e-commerce ties with burrp.com, SEO participation and OTA promotions. During Paris Hilton’s stay at the hotel, Hariramani garnered a valuable coverage of Rs8 crores and also another coverage worth Rs14 crores during Arola’s opening.
RUNNER UP: JYOTI ROY, Hilton, Chennai
January 2013 | Hotelier India
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58 COVER STORY
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CALLEBAUT PRESENTS CHEF OF THE YEAR
Glenn B. Eastman Executive Chef, The Leela Palace, New Delhi Chef Glenn B Eastman directs complete and serious attention in areas such as the multi-cuisine restaurant, as well as in breakfast and lunch buffets. In buffet presentation, according to Eastman, it is kept small and inversely proportional to the number of guests just so that fresh portions can be refilled continuously. Eastman states that his food cost is at 26.5% for a projected 62 crore revenue expected by the close of this year. He uses standard methods but he says, “We’re hyper-observant.” They use standardised recipes both to keep costs in control as well as to ensure a consistent preparation. Eastman spends a lot of time in online classes from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to keep up with food trends and techniques. He also reads trade journals to identify new items to incorporate in daily operations. Eastman has an extensive program around wine and food pairing. He constantly updates this, in partnership with wineries and liquor distributors.
RUNNER UP: SANDEEP KALRA, The Trident, Gurgaon
THE SHORTLIST: KUNAL KAPUR, The Leela Gurgaon Hotel and Residences MANISH MEHROTRA, Indian Accent at the Manor, New Delhi January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
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CAPARO SPINKS PRESENTS HOUSEKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Archana Gupta Executive housekeeper, The Westin Gurgaon and The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa, New Delhi Archana Gupta, oversees the housekeeping operations for Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi and the Westin Sohna Resort and Spa. This is especially challenging in housekeeping because of the properties’ rather distinct room styles. She has been an instrumental part of writing the success story for both the hotels. A year ago, she was involved with the complete housekeeping operations of both hotels including the pre-opening of the Westin Gurgaon. She was fundamentally involved with both project and operations of the property in Gurgaon since it was not completely operational at the time. Gupta currently manages one of the industry’s biggest housekeeping teams, with approximately 130 members. She has implemented imperative mores to draw synergy between the housekeeping associates, wherein depending upon the movement of the day, in-house and contractual staff are rotated and encouraged to help each other.
RUNNER UP: KIRAN KUMAR, The Leela, Goa
HONOURABLE MENTION: NEERAJ SHARMA, The Oberoi, New Delhi January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
62 COVER STORY
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SONY PRESENTS IT PERSON OF THE YEAR
Sumit Mathur Systems manager, The Oberoi, Gurgaon
Sumit Mathur began his career at The Oberoi Group from the month of May in 2010. The IT setup at the Oberoi group is a multi-property setup. The entire IT infrastructure at Trident, Gurgaon is also currently managed from the Oberoi, Gurgaon. With the consolidation of IT at Trident with the Oberoi, there is optimisation of resources and tremendous beneďŹ t to the guest and the staff. Mathur and his team have used the latest Blade server technology in the data centre due to which as many as 21 servers have been accommodated in a mere two racks. This has led to massive saving in space and electricity consumption. Virtualisation has led to power saving as the computers consume 20-30W power as compared to 130W consumption in desktop. This has led to saving of almost Rs4 lakh per annum. Also, it does not generate heat so there is a lower load on air-conditioning. As the environment is virtualised, the recurring cost of AMC’s for desktops is eliminated.
RUNNER UP: M. VENKATACHALAM, The Oberoi, New Delhi
HONOURABLE MENTION: MANOJ S, Berggruen Hotels January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
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ARTIZE PRESENTS LAUNDRY PERSON OF THE YEAR
Rakesh Kumar Dureja Laundry manager, Leela Palace, Chankyapuri, New Delhi Rakesh Kumar Dureja joined the Leela Palace in New Delhi on November 14, 2011. In one year since his joining, he worked his way up to laundry manager. He has undertaken the task of improving the general outlook towards cleaning and ironing of uniforms. By doing this, he helps improve the general appearance of the presentation of F&B line; the feel of bath linen; ABC analysis of guest feedbacks; discussions with team members where they went wrong and frame a standard operating procedure (SOP) about the same so that aws, if any, are not repeated. His proposal to bring down the cost factor is to lay emphasis on the synchronization of the load factor and utilise optimum manpower, chemicals and machinery. Utilities are a big laundry cost factor.
RUNNER UP: ATTAR SINGH, The Westin, Gurgaon
THE SHORTLIST: R SHIVAKUMAR, Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa, Greater Noida January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
66 COVER STORY
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HARMAN PRESENTS PROCUREMENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Joseph Pereira Materials manager, The Westin, Mumbai Garden City Joseph Pereira was part of the pre-opening team and had joined the Westin Mumbai Garden City as F&B controller on February 10, 2009. He was promoted from purchase to materials manager in April of 2012. To enable smooth operations, he ensures that each purchase request (PR) is executed at priority without any delays and at the best price. Each PR is also reviewed to ensure that the order does not result in over stocking of items thus avoiding blockage of the working capital of the hotel. Joseph Pereira helped enter the hotel into a rate contract with paint distributors, chemical companies, electrical suppliers and bulb distributors for a certain percentage discount on the MRP. He took an initiative to replace premium diesel with regular diesel for running the DG set, boilers and identiďŹ ed an additive Thermosol that is mixed with the regular diesel to deliver similar results. The cost of additive is cheaper than premium diesel. Through this initiative, the hotel incurs a monthly saving of Rs. 1.65 lakh on diesel cost.
RUNNER UP: AJAY NAIDU, Radisson Hotel, Pune
THE SHORTLIST: AMOL POTDAR, Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai NARESH KUMAR, Lemon Tree Hotels NITIN SONI, Radisson Blu Hotel, Indore January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
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LASVIT PRESENTS PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Kuldeep Singh Bhamra Deputy general manager, Lemon Tree Hotels Kuldeep Singh Bhamra joined the Lemon Tree Hotels on the July 7, 2007, and has maintained his post as project manager since then. He monitors actual cost vis-a-vis the approved project budget cost by minimising design changes, thereby bringing about immense cost-control. In order to effectively instigate cost-control he freezes the design at preliminary stages to avoid deviation during the critical hotel development stage. His impeccable time management ensures that projects are completed on time. His involvement in guiding the execution of parallel activities also goes in the favour of timely delivery. He also monitors day-to-day site progress with respect to scheduled BAR/CPM chart. He personally checks material bought by vendors with respect to speciďŹ cations and workmanship, as a result ensuring quality control.
RUNNER UP: RAVIKUMAR SHARMA, Novotel-Ibis, Bengaluru Techpark
SPECIAL MENTION: RAJIV PURI, Marriott Hotels India January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
70 COVER STORY
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SCHOTT ZWIESEL PRESENTS F&B MANAGERS OF THE YEAR
Rathijit Dutta Restaurant manager, The Oberoi, Gurgaon
Diksha Pande
Food and beverage manager, The Oberoi, Gurgaon Rathijit Dutta and Diksha Pande are the two cornerstones of the F&B department at the Oberoi in Gurgaon. The total F&B revenue for the hotel grew by 26 per cent over last year until October 2012, and is expected to rise to 35% by the end of the year. Increase in the percentage of beverage sales over the last year is at 31 per cent. This is primarily due to innovative techniques of beverage up-selling and wine sale-related initiatives. The banquet average per cover is estimated at Rs3,800, and is the highest among all the ďŹ ve star deluxe category hotels in the city. Also the F&B average per cover in banquets is the highest at Rs5,000 in the city. An interesting ancillary revenue opportunity introduced by Dutta has been to create winter barbecue hampers to be made available at the Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen. These have been a major success. These hampers include a Weber grill with marinated meats, freshly baked breads, wines and cheese from different countries and different sauces that go well with barbecues.
RUNNER UP:
NISHANT VISHWANATH, Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre
THE SHORTLIST: AMIT GUPTA, Crowne Plaza, Bengaluru Electronic City FAIZ ALAM ANSARI, The Oberoi, Gurgaon GAURAV WATTAL, Goa Marriott Resort and Spa
January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
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SLEEK MODULAR KITCHEN PRESENTS HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Raja Sadhukhan HR manager, The Gateway Hotel Ganges, Varanasi Raja Sadhukhan started off at the Gateway Ganges and Nadesar Palace in Varanasi in February in 2008 and has held the position of manager of human resources till date. In the batch of 2011-12 he topped the Employee Self Service (ESS) with a result of 100 per cent. In that same year he cleared the Training Program Administration Manual (TPAM) with an increased score from 75 to 78 per cent. He ensures a 100 per cent computer literacy rate for all his associates. He co-ordinates with the HR team on the processes as laid down by the corporate ofďŹ ce and the unit. He has conducted competition surveys to understand their compensation and incentive packages. He introduced a welcome kit for better understanding of the policies of the organisation, SBU, unit and department for each new employee. Attrition at the property saw a relatively low increase from 1.23 per cent to 1.71 per cent.
RUNNER UP: PM SRIRAJ, The Leela Palace, Bengaluru
HONOURABLE MENTION: NILESH MITRA, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, South Asia January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
74 COVER STORY
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GRUNDFOS PRESENTS CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
L.TheGanesan Westin, Hyderabad Mindspace L Ganesan was promoted to the post of director of engineering on April 1, 2012. He entered the hospitality sector in 1994 and has had more than 18-years experience. He has implemented several passive cooling techniques such as an evaporating pad cooling system, an awning for glass to protect wind and sun rays as well as a green wall. The pad cooling system makes an annual saving of 240,000 units per Rs. 14,40,000. His many efforts have included personally monitoring electrical complaints and integrating fire alarm systems integrated with BMS. He conducts briefings everyday with brand standard green cards. He is a great team worker and provides counselling and care for associates during illnesses and family crises. He has also introduced a system wherein, for each quarter, his team collectively selects one associate as energy conservation project leader to implement that quarters’ conservation activity, with Ganesan’s support.
RUNNER UP: SURESH KUMAR PILLAI, Hilton, Chennai
HONOURABLE MENTION: SHANMUGHAM, Radisson Blu Resort, Temple Bay, Mamallapuram January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
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Rahul Pandit, Lemon Tree Hotels; Gangaprasad Gururaja Rao, Grundfos; Shanmugam, Radisson Blu Temple Bay honourable mention for chief engineer of the year.
Surya Kumar Singh & Brijbhushan Jairath, Caparo Spinks; honourable mention for housekeeper of the year Neeraj Sharma, The Oberoi New Delhi; Manav Thandani, SAMHI.
Deepak Uppal, Vatika; honourable mention HR person of the year Nilesh Mitra, Carlson Rezidor; Deepak Sapru, Sleek International.
Chef of the year runner-up Sandeep Kalra, Trident Gurgaon; Deepak Haksar, ITC Hotels; Abhiru Biswas, Barry Callebaut.
Runner up chief engineer of the year Suresh Kumar Pillai, Hilton Chennai; Rahul Pandit, Lemon Tree Hotels; Gangaprasad Gururaja Rao, Grundfos.
Runner up F&B person of the year Nishant Vishwanath, Pune Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre; Sumedh Singh Mandla, Aspri Spirits; Pesi Engineer, Schott Zwiesel.
Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur & Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon; runner up GM of the year — luxury Ko Van Den Hil, The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace.
Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur & Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon; runner up GM of the year — luxury Roger Wright, The Leela Gurgaon.
Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur & Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon; runner up GM of the year — midscale Avneesh Kumar Mathur, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Jaipur.
Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur & Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon; runner up GM of the year — upscale Dhiraj Mehta, The Trident Udaipur.
Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur, Aerocon; runner up GM of the year — upscale Mahesh Aiyar, Vivanta Taj Whitefield, Bangalore; Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon.
Runner up housekeeper of the year, Kiran Kumar, The Leela Goa; Brijbhushan Jairath & Surya Kumar Singh,Caparo Spinks; Manav Thadani, SAHMI
January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
77 COVER STORY
Deepak Uppal, Vatika; a colleague accepts the runner up plaque for HR person of the year P M Sriraj, The Leela Bangalore; Deepak Sapru, Sleek International.
Sanjay Sethi, Berggruen Hotels; Amitabh Srivastava, Sony India; runner up IT person of the year M Venkatachalam, The Oberoi New Delhi.
Puneet Gauba, Artize; runner up laundry manager R Shivakumar, Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort; Vijay Thacker, Horwath HTL.
A colleague accepts the plaque for runner up marketing & PR person of the year, Jyoti Roy, The Hilton Chennai; Kapil Chopra, The Oberoi Group; S M Edward, Winsar Infosoft
Ajay Naidu, Radisson Hotel Pune; Shafquat Ali, ITP accepts the plaque for runner up procurement person of the year; Rattan Keswani, Lemon Tree; Karan Kathuria, Harman International India, Ankush Agarwal, Harman International India
Filip Simek, Lasvit; Uttam Dave, InterGlobe Hotels; honourable mention project manager of the year, Ravi Kumar Sharma, Novotel ibis Bengaluru Techpark.
Dipak Haksar, ITC Hotels Division; chef of the Year, Glenn B Eastman, The Leela Palace New Delhi; Abhiru Biswas, Barry Callebaut.
Rahul Pandit, Lemon Tree Hotels; chief engineer of the year L Ganesan, The Westin Hyderabad Mindsapce; Gangaprasad Gururaja Rao, Grundfos.
Suresh Kumar, Fortune; Gurmeet Sachdev, Hotelier India; Sivaprasad Gangadharan, IDeaS; honourable mention sales/revenue person of the year Anang Chaturvedi, Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad.
www.hotelierindia.com
Suresh Kumar, Fortune; Gurmeet Sachdev, Hotelier India; Sivaprasad Gangadharan, IDeaS present Tarun Sobti and Prakhar Kapoor with the sales/ revenue person of the year award.
Suresh Kumar, Fortune; Gurmeet Sachdev, Hotelier India; runner up sales/ revenue person of the year Siddharaj Solanki, The Leela, Mumbai; Sivaprasad Gangadharan, IDeaS.
Sales/revenue runner up Prasoona Akkunoor; Sivaprasad Gangadharan, IDeaS.
Sanjay Puri, architect; runner up for unsung hero of the year Krishna Tukaram Jadhav, Evershine Keys Mahabaleshwar; Aditya Kejriwal; Garnet Ply; Bibhor Srivastava, Hotelier India.
Hotelier India | January 2013
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Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur & Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon; GM of the year — midscale Somnath Mukherjee, The Gateway Hotel Ganges and Nadesar Palace Varanasi.
Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur, Aerocon; GM of the year — upscale Martin Wuerthrich, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway; Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon.
Sanjay Puri, architect; unsung hero of the Parthiban P, The Radisson Blu Temple Bay; Aditya Kejriwal, Garnet Ply; Bibhor Srivastava, Hotelier India.
Deepak Uppal, Vatika Hotels; HR person of the year, Raja Sadhukhan, The Gateway Hotel Ganges and Nadesar Palace Varanasi; Deepak Sapru, Sleek International.
Sanjay Sethi, Berggruen Hotels; IT Person of the Year Sumit Mathur, The Oberoi Gurgaon; Amitabh Srivastava, Sony India.
Rattan Keswani, Lemon Tree; procurement manager of the year, Joseph Pereira, The Westin Mumbai Garden City; Ankush Agarwal & Karan Kathuria, Harman International India.
Surya Kumar Singh & Brijbhushan Jairath, Caparo Spinks; housekeeper of the year Archana Gupta, The Westin Gurgaon; Manav Thandani, SAMHI.
Puneet Gauba, Artize; laundry manager of the year Rakesh Kumar Dureja, The Leela Palace New Delhi; Vijay Thacker, Horwath HTL.
Dilip Puri, Starwood; Atul Kapur, Aerocon; GM of the year — luxury, Jay Rathore, The Oberoi New Delhi; Madhusudan Mokashi, Aerocon.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
Marketing/PR person of the year Hema Hariramani, JW Marriott Mumbai; Kapil Chopra, The Oberoi Group; SM Edward, Winsar
Sumedh Singh Mandla, Aspri Spirits; Pesi Engineer, Schott Zwiesel; F&B persons of the year Rathijit Dutta and Diksha Pande.
Filip Semek, Lasvit; Uttam Dave, InterGlobe Hotels; S Saikumar, ITP; project manager of the year Kuldeep Singh Bhamrah, Lemon Tree Hotels.
Dipak Haksar, ITC Hotels Division; Rekha Chaudhary, JCKRC Wellness Spa Group, Babita Krishnan, Hotelier India accepting the spa & fitness person of the year on behalf of Ashok Khanna, IHHR.
www.hotelierindia.com
EVENT
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Trinity of Success A sneak peek into the discussions that took place between architects and hoteliers at the second leg of this roundtable, that took place in the capital BY AMRITA CHHABRIA chneider and ITP publishing have co created the Trinity of Success as a platform for discussing the burning issues around the three vital points of design, execution and management in hospitality. The roundtable was chaired by Akshay Kulkarni, regional director, South and South East Asia, Cushman & Wakefield. It included participants ranging from interior designers, to architects, developers and hotel brand representatives.
S
The Trinity of Success roundtable in action.
The discussion began by highlighting that the hotel brand development team would have three types of clients, the owner, the architect and the parent brand company. Akshay Kulkarni raised the point that while the local architect or developer may be proposing something which may meet local development and construction norms, it may not be sanctioned by the global brand standards and the parent brand company. The panellists also
discussed the disparity between global brand sanctioned regulatory norms and local regulatory norms. They agreed that local norms vary between states and are generally lenient compared brand-sanctioned norms. However, the architects prefer to follow the stricter norms to reduce risk and liability. Amitabh Tyagi, director, design & technical services, South Asia, Starwood Hotels opined, “The reason for such differences is that most of the international brand companies are American and all brand standards and design directions
originate in North America. Once the company enters the Asia Pacific market via the European market, they need to be localised. Localisation is the key and helps convince the owner and the architect why some things are being insisted upon. The best way out of such differences is a collaborative approach and there has to be a lot of convincing done by the development team using logic rather than referring to the brand standards and design guidelines as a bible”. Kulkarni then pointed out that common perception is that the
lower you go in the value chain, the more stringent the design guidelines and brand standards become. Tyagi gave the example of the fire and safety aspect which would be the same for all brands irrespective of value as this is something that no international chain would compromise upon. This would also be to the benefit of the owner and the operator since it is a liability issue and as most operators are international companies, they could be sued for any lapses in their home country. R Kalyanasundaram, director — projects, IREO added a new dimen-
Deepak Uppal,Vatika Hotels.
Akshay Kulkarni, Cushman & Wakefield.
Ritu Bhatia,Total Integrated Design India.
Ambrish Arora, Lotus Design Services.
GLOBAL V/S LOCAL STANDARDS
January 2013 | Hotelier India
www.hotelierindia.com
Our footprints in India Total number of pages 108
Registered with Registrar of Newspapers under RNI No. MAHENG/2008/33387, Postal Registration No. MH/MR/N/146/MBI/10-12 Published on 30th of every previous month. Posted at Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai-400001, Posting date: 3rd & 4th of every month Total number of pages 86
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Volume 04 | Issue 07 | October 2012 | `50
Ideas, inspiration and insight for architects and interior designers
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SURPRISES RUSSELL BERMAN, CEO MORE.MEGASTORES, SPELLS OUT HIS PLANS
EVENT
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Sanjeev Kumar Jain, Premier Inn.
Sundeep Jain, JLL.
Rahul Kumar, Rajinder Kumar Associates.
Mansoor Adil, Sarovar Hotels.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
sion stating that not branding alone, but both architecture and delivery are aspects which boost brand image. Sound architectural principals need to be associated with good construction in order to deliver on the brand promise. Our panel chair agreed with the point made however emphasised that only once there is acceptance of the brand standards and guidelines, does the question of delivery arise. “We are currently struggling with understanding the brand standards and convincing developers who think that meeting local norms is enough. Also brand standards are mostly at a higher level than local building norms and we need to understand what the real need of the project is,” he said, and then called upon Rahul Kumar, principal architect, Rajinder Kumar Associates to add depth with the architect’s point of view. Kumar continued with the example of fire and safety stating that though global brand standards may be stricter compared to local requirements, architects would prefer to meet which one is the more stringent of the two. According to Kumar, “The challenge from an architect’s perspective arises when a branded product has been developed globally with design guidelines and a brand book; however there is no physical product for that brand. The operator does not have any practical feedback for the new brand. When localising these new inventions, even if all parties agree that the prototype should not be followed as it may not be practical, it still creates an internal dilemma. The same prototype and design guidelines may not be appropriate to a mid-town location in a city versus a temple town”. He added that while your basic elements like room sizes may not change, architecture as mentioned earlier is a form of branding; the type of architectural design which fits in with a temple town may not be applicable for a city location. Mansoor Adil, senior executive VP and director, Sarovar Hotels pointed out that India did not have stringent regulatory norms until recently whereas globally countries
are far more structured. Every state has its own codes and the variables are huge. In India, the concept of taking public liability insurance was never the norm but foreign brands are very insistent on the same. Also India is lax about these norms while the foreign brands are strict about the same since they can be sued overseas and lose billions. Some fire and food safety norms are just entering the Indian regulatory system and on the other hand some of the local regulations are draconian and need to be logical. Still the brand requirement should be tempered by practicality. He agreed that localisation of the branded product is imperative. The brand may require the same, however practically given the location and customer base of the hotel; certain elements may not be needed. Eventually, given the evolution and education of the architect community in India, the country will evolve towards more appropriate regulations and norms in the future. Deepak Uppal, executive director, Vatika Hotels commented that even when selecting a brand - market research, analysis of the product offering of the competition set as well projection of the average daily rate need to be completed. The broad thumb rule is approximately for every Rs. 1000 in room rental; total development cost should not exceed Rs. 10, 00,000 per key. Post surveying the market, analysing similar products offered by the comp-set, the developer and the branded operator need to work together to finalise which brand would work in the market and also select the brand whose standards agree with the developer’s vision. Then the design needs to be developed with a good architect and ensure localised impact in terms of what should be the mix of room sizes, banquet sizes etc. In North India banquet sizes are very important as weddings need to accommodate upwards of 2000 guests. A differentiator needs to be created in the design. Uppal gave an example of the Aura room explaining that “About 8% of our travellers are women executives, so we designed an Aura rooms and they account for
8% of our inventory. The emotional design impact of the Aura room ensures that our guest has a memorable experience apart from the aesthetics and the design elements of the room.”
SUSTAINABILITY, INNOVATION AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT The discussion then entered into the current hot topic — sustainability initiatives and LEED certification — and then segued into a topic close to every panellist’s heart: ROI. An insight generated was that operators and developers are flexible on the ROI of a flagship property which sets the stage for the brand’s entry into the market. Kalyanasundaram, had earlier mentioned that platinum LEED certification has also evolved into a brand component. Adil took the point forward stating that while LEED certification is important to preserve the environment for the next generation. Today project costs when applying for LEED certification go through the roof. The owner may not be ready to pay the extra amount. Also, India works with a highly leveraged financial model with small amounts of equity and higher amounts of debt. Projects normally have cost overruns which are funded from debt. He explained, “Because of the cost of land in India, we now look at a ten year terminal value instead of ROI. If you have a ten year terminal value that gives you 16- 17% ROI, the project is termed viable. You cannot compare international ratios since our cost of debt and cost of completion projects is significantly higher. We do expect things to mature in India as we evolve and move forward.” Kulkarni observed that the Indian developer community has matured over the past years and earlier this level of understanding was rare. The other consultant on the panel, Sudeep Jain, executive VP, India, JLL added, “We are moving away from the paradigm that return on investment means the same to different stakeholders. A developer who wants to build a hotel that he can gift his grand children has a different definition of
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EVENT
84
Lokesh Sabharwal,Accor.
Amitabh Tyagi, Starwood.
return on investment than the standard. We can’t go with the assumption that you are building the same thing everywhere and for every developer. It has to be personalised to the developer, to the location and the site as well as the developer’s aspirations”. He added that customers want different things; a business visitor wants familiarity, a big desk and easy-to-find electrical outlets while a person on vacation may want complete localisation. It is very difficult to say that one formula applies to everyone. Sandeep Singh, VP — Lifespace Business, Schneider Electric said, “Initially there may exist a huge cost barrier towards adapting technology but over a period of time it declines. There are some interesting views on that whether it is a cost or an investment. Imagine this: if we were having this discussion in a different market situation, say three years ago there would be different conclusions two or three years from today, conclusions would be different. Points such as modularity of construction have recently came in. The subject of ROI also raises a set of new questions — for instance, there are different approaches towards creating flagship hotels versus other properties.”
BRAND DNA AND LOCALISATION
Sandeep Singh, Schneider.
Bibhor Srivastava, ITP Publishing India.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
A spirited debate ensued on the resistance (or the lack of it) towards localisation of the global branded prototype. Participants agreed that the problem lies in taking ownership in the case of larger brands as there is a risk aversion to going off the brand manual and approving such design changes. In the case of conversion deals, deviation from the brand standards is termed acceptable by certain global brands owing to the current market scenario and will most likely be a shortlived phenomenon. Kulkarni asked Ritu Bhatia Kler, MD, Total Integrated Design (I) Pvt Ltd to explain how the localisation aspect is added once the design comes in from the brand brief perspective and control the costs involved. The role of the interior designers mirrors that of a marriage counsellor between the brand oper-
Development discussions continue into the cocktails and dinner.
ator and the developer. Localisation is not an expensive endeavour. From an aesthetic point, art, artefacts, fabrics, add the local element. Bhatia stated, “A runner was specially developed as a touch of local colour for the Holiday Inn express in Ahmadabad even though it was not part of the brand standards. We needed to convince the client that he needed to spend on the runner. If you justify both the creative and practical aspect, you can convince the client. Important aspects include understanding what the domestic traveller wants and cultural sensitivity. A recent study showed customers want to visit the bar but don’t want to be seen there. Most international chains have bars right in the lobby, but we needed to create an enclosed bar since it was an essential customer requirement.” Ambrish Arora, design principal & CEO, LOTUS Design Services disagrees “The problem lies with us, we are currently working with large international brands and I don’t find any resistance. If you localise sensibly, you can brings costs down hugely. We are currently working on a 170-room project with a large brand and our cost per key is half of the market standard simply due to our utilisation of locally available material and craftsmen. In terms of sustainable initiatives, the process of LEED certification is expensive. However incorporating sustainability in design ensures that elements like water, waste management, and alternative means of energy pays for itself. Customers seek an authentic experiences and the organisation structure of the
brand operator needs to allow architects and interior designers to deviate from the brand manual.” Global brands want their product to be similar as part of the brand promise, however according to the roundtable, localisation is possible at a lower cost and allows creation of an authentic experience. A good example would be the Premier Inn brand which was established in the UK since the 1980’s, however when entering India they went through a proper cycle of fine-tuning the brand to the Indian market. Guest experiences across locations would be similar but the model is adapted to the city and the country. Sanjeev Kumar Jain, VP, technical and projects, Premier Inn, South Asia stated, “You need to keep the essence and play with the rest. Within the guidelines, a set of hard lines need to be built in. Our brand is room-dominated, our rooms are sacrosanct, and we incorporate local flavour into the public area.” But there are areas where owners invite inputs. Kumar gave the example of the big fat Indian wedding which requires large banquet facilities; however certain cities do not have such facilities. Some of the newest hotels suffer from this problem. Owners expect consultants and operators to provide inputs on area programs, which does not fit in with their role in development. Singh closed the discussion with, “We would like hospitality leaders to be sufficiently exposed to the solutions that Schneider brings to the table. We look forward to being more intensely involved with you through this platform.” HI
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85 NEWS
Chocolate capers... p87
Ops&3ERVICES s .EWS s %VENTS s !WARDS s -OVEMENTS s ,AUNCHES
Check-in optimised... p95
Harman names new brand ambassador Beautiful Sound campaign to have a new face after J Lo MARKETING Harman has announced that Miri Ben-Ari, the Grammy Award-winning violinist known for her pioneering fusion of classical, jazz and hip-hop styles, is the next musician named as a Beautiful Sound artist for the Harman Kardon brand. The Israeli-bred Ben-Ari will be featured globally in advertisements and in special appearances. She will also launch the Miri Ben-Ari Beautiful Sound Tour in New York City in February 2013 and will compose a song to debut on the tour. Ben-Ari said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel very strongly about the audio legendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach to music and style. I work very hard to cre-
SNIPPET Lutron has announced that it has bagged the project of providing lighting control systems in the United States Capitol. Lutronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ecosystem technology will be installed in the ofďŹ ces of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senate & Environmental and Public Works Committee and also in the ofďŹ ces of individual senators who comprise the committees. Lutronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ecosystem is a lighting control solution which includes daylight and occupant sensing, dimming and personal control. The installation is expected to provide total lighting energy savings up to 60%.
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-IRI "EN !RI THE BRAND S AMBASSADOR
ate beautiful music for my fans and in my collaborations with many of musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brightest stars. Harman Kardon designs audio equipment where beauty and sound go hand in hand to create an environment that is as memorable as the music.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miri Ben-Ari is the ideal ambassador for Harman Kardonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beautiful Sound message,â&#x20AC;? said Dinesh Paliwal, chairman, president and CEO of Harman adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is an elegant, creative woman with high standards for the unique music she creates. Harman Kardon is synonymous with incredible sound and attractive design, and we are extremely pleased that Ben-Ari will help us share that message.â&#x20AC;?
The Beautiful Sound agreement with Ben-Ari continues a string of notable international artist signings for key HARMAN brands. Last year, Jennifer Lopez was announced as the ďŹ rst Beautiful Sound artist for the Harman Kardon brand, while the JBL brand launched the Hear the truth campaign featuring Maroon 5, Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw and Academy AwardÂŽwinning composer A.R. Rahman. Additional prominent artist agreements will be announced in 2013. The three-year accord with BenAri includes a global marketing campaign, print and online advertisements for Harman Kardon and several special appearances.
Hanita Coatings enters India Israel-based group focuses on energy-saving EXPANSION Israel-based ďŹ lm and laminate provider Hanita Coatings has announced its entry into the Indian markets through an exclusive partnership with Auto Sonics India, which will offer Hanitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complete range of products focussing mainly on safety and energy efďŹ ciency. Hanita Coatings is a privately held company owned by Kibbutz Hanita and Tene Investments. Situated in picturesque Kibbutz Hanita in Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Western Galilee, Hanitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-house, extensive R&D department is
(ANITA #OATINGS ENERGY SAVING lLM
supported by dedicated production teams and state-of-the-art coating, laminating, and metalizing lines. For 30 years, Hanita Coatings has invested in research, technology, and manufacturing to achieve a reputation in the ďŹ eld of ďŹ lm conversion. All Hanita products are backed by a global distribution network, customer service, and technical support. A member of the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), it aspires to play an active role in the advocacy of green and eco-friendly construction in India. Hanita Coatings ďŹ lms promise between 20% and 30% savings in energy consumption.
Hotelier India | January 2013
NEWS
86
(Ă&#x2DC;FELE LAUNCHES %XCLUSIVE Junckers bags Marriott projects $ESIGN 3TUDIO IN "HUTAN Will provide hardwood ďŹ&#x201A;oors for Mumbai Indian sub-continent footprint now covers four countries
and Bengaluru hotels COLLABORATION Denmark-based Junckers Industrier, a Euro 94-million (and Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest) timber company has bagged the prestigious project of JW Marriott Hotels in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Junckers will provide its premium range of Oak Species hardwood ďŹ&#x201A;ooring for the projects. The order is for approximately
2,00,000 square feet which comprises of the guestrooms and public areas at the JW Marriott Bengaluru and guestrooms in the JW MarriottMumbai. The value of the order is upwards of euro one million. The despatch of materials to the respective sites has already commenced from Denmark and the entire installation is expected to be closed by mid-March 2012.
*URGEN 7OLF INAUGURATING THE NEW STUDIO IN "HUTAN
EXPANSION Germany-based Häfele, which produces architectural hardware, furniture and kitchen ďŹ ttings has announced the launch of an exclusive Häfeleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Design Studio in Bhu-
tan. The studio will be one stop shop for interior ďŹ ttings solutions and designs. It is located at Thimphu in Bhutan and spreads across approximately 1000 sq ft. The brand already has exclusive franchises in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
*UNCKERS PREMIUM HARDWOOD mOORING
Fenesta Windows awarded for UPVC windows Receives accolade for manufacture, installation and service RECOGNITION
4HE NEXT STEP FOR &ENESTA IS HOTELS
January 2013 | Hotelier India
Fenesta Building Systems, a division of the leading business conglomerate DSCL, has been awarded for the most preferred windows solution provider brand at the Indian Home Awards 2012 held recently. The award was given for the signiďŹ cant contribution made by the company in manufacture, installation and service of UPVC window systems and specialising in window designs through its brand Fenesta Windows. The brand is conďŹ dent of the fact that this is a pointer to the fact that their products will be popular as a part of hotel guestrooms as well. The ceremony was organised
by Franchise India and Bloomberg TV, to recognise and felicitate achievers, innovators and suppliers, who have contributed signiďŹ cantly towards the excellence in the home improvement segment. One of the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key USPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is the concept of green windows, which serves as a model for sustainable development. Commenting on the achievement, Vikram Shriram, vice chairman and MD, DCM Shriram Consolidated said â&#x20AC;&#x153;The success is a result of continuous efforts of the Fenesta team to create a difference in the windows and doors sector by offering number of beneďŹ ts of UPVC windows over conventional wood, aluminium and steel windows.â&#x20AC;?
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87 SUPPLIER INTERVIEW
Chocolate capers The India national selection for the 2012-2013 World Chocolate Masters took place on November 28 and 29 in Mumbai. We chat with chef Abhiru Biswas, sales manager and technical Advisor, Barry Callebaut
Subhendu Sahu.
Rupesh Khwale.
BY TEAM HOTELIER INDIA What transpired at the Indian national selection for the World Chocolate Masters? The two-day contest was dedicated to the creative use of chocolate and the theme of the competition was The Architecture of Taste. Each contestant created a chocolate showpiece, a moulded praline, a gastronomic plated dessert and finally, an entremets. At the end of this thrilling contest, The Oberoi Mumbai’s Vikas Bagul was crowned the India Chocolate Master 2012. Bagul, together with the other national winners in Asia Pacific (Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong/Macau and China)
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Ankit Bhardwaj.
Dhaval Dedhia. will represent their country at the Asia Pacific World Chocolate Masters Selection which will held during March 2013 at Taipei International Bakery Show. During this Asia Pacific World Chocolate Masters Selection, the two top winners win an entry ticket to the WCM Final October 2013 in Paris. What prompted the 1st World Chocolate Masters National Selection in the country this year? The market displayed readiness for such an initiative. It has gone well and could be better in the next edition, which will take place in 2014. How many editions of the international competition have taken place? This is the competition’s fifth edition internationally.
Vikas Bagul with his chocolate creation.
Hotelier India | January 2013
SUPPLIER INTERVIEW
88
How many participants in the first selection level ie before the five shortlisted were selected? There were 11 participants.
THE JURY
Do you plan to do this again next year? How can chefs apply? Yes, most definitely – the next edition is in 2014. Chefs can apply for the contest online. What are the prerequisites for people to participate? The participant must be a culinary professional and should absolutely display passion in working chocolate into art . This competition places great importance on the art of food presentation, which is gaining ground among hotel and restaurant guests also because of TV shows that focus on gourmet dishes.... give us your thoughts on this component of a chef’s role? Chefs today are challenged on a more international level — platforms like this expose them to the world’s best practices. They need this hands-on experience because chocolate gourmet is growing exponentially as a part of fine-dining. This goes hand-in-hand with the level of focus that it is inviting on food-related television shows. Tell us a little about your various chocolate brands that you bring to the table and how each of them aids in presenting a dessert that is both delectable and artistic? The brands that we represent in India are Callebaut and Cacao Barry. Cacao Barry is of French origin. It provides the most complete palette of products, to all passionate chocolate craftsmen around the world: chocolate and
Chef Abhiru Biswas (extreme right) with the other jury-members.
couvertures, pralinés, origins and exclusive plantations, decorations and moulds, inspiring culinary professionals to open the doors to new, creative experiences. Callebaut, which is 100% Belgian chocolate is being positioned as a premium brand for culinary professionals in India. For 100 years, Callebaut has been making chocolate in the heart of Belgium and is still one of the rare chocolate makers to select, roast and grind cacao beans into its own secret and exclusive cocoa mass — the most important ingredient for chocolate couvertures. Callebaut was established in 1850 in Belgium as a malt brewery and dairy company. It produced its first chocolate bars in 1911 and began production of chocolate couverture for Belgian chocolatiers in 1925.
s Superior product fuel the brand. s Besides strong, consistent marketing , we also offer the best in class execution. s We offer a strong worldwide distribution network to maximise availability. s We offer reliability – chefs can count on perfect results every time through consistent superior quality and maximum workability s There is expertise in the sense that the chocolate is Belgian, right down to the bean s We focus on innovative and convenient products and services that support craftsmen and simplify their lives s Also, Callebaut aims to be a role model brand in sustainability for the endurance of chocolate and craftsmanship
How does your company respond to chef demands better than its competitors? s We have a host of strengths: s Strong chocolate focus and Belgian heritage around 3 Hero SKUs.
What were the judging criteria for the World Chocolate Masters National Selection? Simply put, it was about craftsmanship and passion.
BAGUL WON AMONG FIVE CAPABLE SEMI-FINALISTS. THEY ARE: Chef Ankit Bhardwaj, The Leela Hotels, Palaces and Resorts, Chennai Chef Subhendu Sahoo, The Leela Hotels, Palaces and Resorts, Bangalore Chef Dhawal Dedhia, The Leela Hotels, Palaces and Resorts, Mumbai Chef Rupesh Khawale, Hyatt Regency, Mumbai Chef Vikas Bagul, The Oberoi, Mumbai
January 2013 | Hotelier India
Tell us a little about Vikas Bagul, his creations and what led to his win? What does he need to equip himself with for the Asia Pacific round of the competition? The Architecture of Taste, which was the theme for the national selections, is also the theme for the international final. Inspiration, creativity, design and innovation are all words that spring to mind when you think of architecture. From the Guggenheim in Bil-
(L-R) Paul Halliwell — VP gourmet,Asia Pacific, Barry Callebaut Zeba Kohli, owner and chocolatier, Fantasy Chocolates Chef Avijit Ghosh (president of the jury), corporate pastry chef, The Leela Hotels, Palaces and Resorts — Bangalore Chef Parvinder Singh Bali, programme manager culinary services, Oberoi Center of Learning & Development Chef Thomas Blanchard, executive pastry chef, L’Opera — Delhi Chef Abhiru Biswas, technical advisor & sales manager, Barry Callebaut India
bao over the National Stadium in Beijing to the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, a wide variety of awe-inspiring buildings reminds us of the seemingly limitless possibilities of architectural craftsmanship. Bagul and his fellow contestants at the international final will be challenged to apply some of that architectural brilliance to the world of taste. Creating a chocolate cake, dessert and praline must be approached in the same way as creating a whole building. The participants will need to analyse and compose with flavours. They will need to study and design new shapes and textures, and basically give a whole new dimension to the world of chocolate gastronomy. The bottomline is that they need to create an architecture of taste, texture and experience, in which chocolate plays a fundamental role. Bagul will need to focus on presentation and improve taste variation . Most of such international showcase opportunities are given to Indian talent, thanks to private sector initiatives — why is it important to put Indian culinary genius in the spotlight? Indian chefs are of the same calibre as their European counterparts. The only thing is that they need more support. HI
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89 INTERVIEW
Prying new markets for ply We chat with Aditya Kejriwal of Garnet Ply on new solutions and its various USPs
Aditya Kejriwal BY LENDELL PATEL What are the newest collections introduced to your collection? Just recently, we have received a new collection with a 15-pattern line of natural designs. In total, we are holders of a variety of 250 designs ranging from different kinds of wood and trees, from around the globe. Most of our designs are very natural each using a different wood. Our collection contains the wood from trees such as tiger-wood, white-ash, walnut and many more. Why does or rather why would an architect choose Garnet Ply? Well we have an open core team as well as R&D’s on board with us which is on call to the architects. Beside the regular norm which other companies use that is laminates, our company provides natural vinyl’s which is far better than laminates in the long run. For example, laminates are a cheap product but require precise attention during and after installation. Natural vinyl on installion, withstands most conditions and leaves a finish to the end result that is likely to better meet the architect’s vision.
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One of Garnet Ply’s end result in a residential home.
OUR MARKET HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE NORTH. GUJARAT, UTTAR PRADESH, RAJASTHAN AND PUNJAB ARE STATES WHERE WE TRY TO STRENGTHEN FOCUS Do you have any recent hospitality projects that you would like to share with the industry? Yes, in fact, recently we’ve completed a line of projects in the past four to five months. The Holiday Inn, Gurgaon in NCR is one such project which we just completed. Most of our projects deliver a precise outcome and are completed within a definite deadline. How does your product allow the project to get completed faster? Well, our company consists of a core team of marketing personnel. They are the kind of people that are on board to listen to the client’s needs before, during as well as after installation of the product. They also pay keen attention to replacement issues. We use vinyls rather than laminates as vinyl renders a longer lasting finish with no discrepancies whatsoever. During the installation
of a vinyl, our personnel use a different kind of technique not followed by other companies; the process requires a double load of work, and we offer the same rate as provided by other companies that supply laminates, making it a comparitively cheaper product. What is your USP to the procurement manager who looks for the best deal considering price, product life-style and service? Our unique selling point (USP) is very good and we also tend to maintain a good after-sale-service to our clients to preserve the air of good quality work between both parties. A really major point that we lay immense emphasis on is that we must never keep a client waiting for a product. We have a scheduled time limit and we will get the work done in that frame of time. With respect to the period after the
product is completed and installed and post contact will have to be made. We aslo have a core team which is in direct contact with the board of directors of our various clients so as to maintain the quality of our work. Where can procurement and project heads observe your product? Our company, being a giant in the industry, will have to be made available for clients to view products at an-easy-to-reach location. The general norm, so far, is to have our product being displayed by dealers around the city. Besides that, we also have a direct line to one of our marketers which will provide detailed of information as to where one may go to sample our products. We also have another method which involves paying a visit to the factory itself which we make arrangements for and one can come and get a first hand view of our products. Most of our market has been focused mainly in North India. Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab are states where we try to strengthen focus. HI
Hotelier India | January 2013
SUPPLIER INTERVIEW
90
Sleek is all set From tough timelines to the need for a one-stop solution, Sleek is eager to meet and exceed hospitality demands What is your USP to the procurement manager who looks for the best deal considering price, product lifecycle and service? Well as far as B2B is concerned, since the volumes are relatively large, the pricing offered takes quantities into consideration.
Deepak Sapru BY TEAM HOTELIER INDIA What are the trends that hoteliers and procurement managers have talked about to you? There is a new focus on serviced apartments from all major developers. They now keep 10% of hotel inventory as service apartments. An increasing number of expatriates are choosing hotels for long-term stays in India. A kitchen which can enable them to carry out basic culinary tasks comes in handy. Also, as preferences become more pronounced, this allows them to turn out dishes according to individual taste and health considerations. How do your products respond to these trends better than the competition? Sleek is the biggest in terms of distribution and availability of products. Having worked with the best developers, we also understand their needs better and can turnaround faster to help them meet their characteristically tight deadlines. Also we have an in-house team of installers which again facilitate faster execution. Besides
January 2013 | Hotelier India
Modular kitchens are in demand as a part of serviced apartments in hotel projects.
AN INCREASING NUMBER OF EXPATRIATES ARE CHOOSING HOTELS FOR LONG-TERM STAYS IN INDIA. A KITCHEN WHICH CAN ENABLE THEM TO CARRY OUT BASIC CULINARY TASKS COMES IN HANDY. these, Sleek offers longer warranty for its products. What is your current market share and what is your target by the end of 2013? We are pretty much at the top as far as modular kitchens go. As no concrete figures are available of the competition it is hard to say what market share we enjoy. We are looking at a growth of 30% to 40% in the New Year. How much of your focus is on institutional (hotel) sales? What percentage of your total sales comes from hotels?
As of now we are intensifying our focus on this vertical. We have seen that hotels such as the Leela Gurgaon, the ITC Grand Chola Chennai, and the Shangri La Mumbai have modular kitchens in their properties. What are the newest collections introduced and what new features/ design do they incorporate? Very simply everything is demanded and offered built-in. So the kitchen comes complete with everything including a dishwasher, refrigerator, wine cooler, microwave and oven.
Recent hospitality projects you’ve bagged or completed that you would like to share with the industry? We are pleased to announce that we bagged the project to do the office pantry of Marriott Hotels corporate office in Mumbai. Rajiv Puri, senior director (projects and design) had given us a tight deadline. We were to supply the kitchen in just seven days. We offered them our latest solution of STAK ( Sleek Take Away Kitchens) and managed to meet the deadline to help them get ready and presentable for when they had to welcome a delegation from their headoffice. Where can procurement managers and chefs come and experience your product? We have 31 outlets in nine major cities of India which are a mix of company owned and SIS outlets. We are today present in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Pune, Coimbatore and Hyderabad. Customisation is perhaps a demand in the mind of architects and interior designers — are there any especially rare requests that you have dealt with, from hospitality clients? Yes, Sleek as a company specialises in customisation. All our kitchens are unique in nature as we don’t insist on uniformity in space designs, though future is moving towards standardisation. HI
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91 INTERIORS
Cover up in Wall coverings and curtains form the backdrop to all the in-room amenities and services provided to guests. Here is an update on popular solutions for your walls and windows
BY RAYNAH COUTINHO all coverings are something that meets the guest’s eye no matter what he is doing in the room and as such are an important component of the in-room experience. Curtains too, catch the guest’s attention as soon as he opens the door and wonders what view lies beyond them. For both components, some hotels will swear by white, while others like to throw in dashes of colour. Read on to find out how these are picked, chosen and fitted.
W
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WALL COVERINGS A large chunk of hotels, we’re told, already use wall coverings in rooms instead of paint, due to the ease of maintenance and versatility that they present. “Currently we use water emulsions of ivory and beige on our walls as they go very well with our contemporary art work. Going forward we plan to introduce wall papers in our rooms as it is easy to maintain and clean,” says Sareena Kochar, assistant vice president of housekeeping, Lemon Tree Hotels. Neha Gairola, Rooms Division Manager, Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore adds, “Wallpaper
can add texture, dimension, and a richness that paint isn’t able to deliver.” An example of the versatility of this building material is the Royal Orchid property, Regent One Hyderabad, which has used a host of different solutions. “The façade has a wire-cut brick wall to
WHYWALL-COVERINGS s Versatile s Low-maintenance s Low-cost s Easy to replace/ install
give it a colonial look. The lobby and landings of guest floors have teak wood on the walls along with pink spider onyx marble to blend. Corridors along guestrooms have a young, textured finish,” says Manish Dayya, general manager, Regenta One Hyderabad. In fact the hotel sports several varieties of marble on walls. “Honey Onyx marble has been used in the reception areas. We also have an abstract design of an orchid on a canvas behind the reception area, which adds a burst of colour,” Dayya adds. In F&B areas and banquets, fabric panels have been employed.
Hotelier India | January 2013
INTERIORS
92
Ethnic prints and tribal motifs are becoming popular for wall coverings.
SOME WALL PAPERS ARE WASHABLE DUE TO A PROTECTIVE FILM WHICH PROTECTS THE MAIN BODY. OTHERS HAVE A PROTECTIVE GLAZING WHICH PREVENTS STAINING.
Manish Dayya, Regenta One
Sareena Kochar, LemonTree Hotels
January 2013 | Hotelier India
Leather is becoming popular among designers — everything from cushion covers to carpets is finding second skin in the fabric. Regenta One uses copper coloured leatherette at its lounge bar, Salsa. There are loads of new technologies to catch up with. “The lobby has a 90-feet high atrium ceiling with see-through elevators having a medium density fibre-board wall covering, featuring intricate jaali work from the Nizam era to bring in the right feel and texture. Lemon Tree properties — particularly the new ones which are being fitted with wallpaper instead of paint — use contemporary designs to underscore their
change the wall paper to maintain the uniformity and look,” Kochar adds. It follows that hotels should ensure that designs chosen will be available later. Kochar also says that they go with only a trusted partner: “We use the best agency, Marshalls, to get our wall coverings done,” she says. A host of trends and new solutions are doing the rounds. “In terms of design, the inspiration is natural — so the forest floor is an inspiration, leaves are a staple offering in terms of motifs, as are animal prints that provide a cosy backdrop, and add colour and life to the wall. In diametric opposition, geometric prints and retro designs are finding favour. Across the board, hotels are going green, from choosing grasscloths — which are seeing a resurgence, to natural weaves and organic materials,” Gairola shares, of trends that she has noticed. She goes on to talk about product updates that ensure durability. “Some of them are washable — they come with a protective film which protect the main body from any damage. Alternatively, wall papers are also available with protective glazing which prevents abrasion and staining,” she says.
CURTAINS
Everyone threw in floor-to-ceiling windows, with everything from style to light-saving in mind. The problem with that is that rooms get heated, and what happens if brand promise of young, fun and the guest wants some shut-eye spirited hotels. during the day? It is humble, oldHowever, there are rules of school curtains that come to the thumb to pay attention to. Gairola rescue. This furnishing staple has says that high traffic areas should also taken on the role of displaying steer clear of wall paper. The some degree ethnicity amidst a gloMövenpick Hotel & Spa Banga- balised, brand standards-driven lore uses wall coverings in guest room design. rooms but paint in highFunctionalities first. It traffic public areas. is best to stick with the An obvious common practice of pointer is to watch having a set of heavy out for dampness. curtains (to prevent “The only challight from enterlenge in maintaining) and sheer ones ing wall coverings (to allow the option Is a key attribute for is when a wall of letting in daycurtains to black out a room goes damp. In this light). Heavy curtains case we often need to absolutely must have a
3
PASS
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93 INTERIORS Especially in hotels that want to sport a contemporary look, geometric prints are a common choice for curtains.
The common practice of having one set of sheer curtains that will allow sunlight to flood the room continues to hold good.
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black-out lining which is three-pass as it ensures that the guest is not disturbed by the day light. Gairola says, “Most of the curtains used in the public areas where there is high traffic have polyester base which is very durable and has low maintenance cost. Raw silk curtains are used in guestrooms. We look for fabric that has been treated with scotch-guard, at the manufacturing stage, to prevent staining and surface damage.” In terms of prints and styles in trend, tribal prints, that have caught every creative mind by storm and this has extended to curtains as well. The hardware related to curtains also draws attention. “We prefer imported G-rail (German technology) rails with best hooks for smooth functionality,” says Kochar. Bedside consoles with the options for drawing of curtains have existed for many years, are
INNOVATION Wall covering: Protective film to make them washable Curtains: Automated to have them drawn at pre-defined time
FAD OF THE MOMENT Geometric prints are a big hit across curtains and wall coverings.
quite user-friendly and remain a staple. The innovation in curtain automation has been consoles with time-sensors, wherein curtains are automatically drawn at a predefined time of the day — however this has been met with a mixed response from the industry. HI
Hotelier India | January 2013
Consumer connect initiative
94
choosing the right cleaning machine Take the area of your floor, its material and the frequency of cleaning it demands into consideration
Sunil Nair senior key accounts manager – BSC, Diversey India
T
he type of cleaning equipment required depends on the method and the clean-
ing program you choose, which is based on various factors. These factors are unfortunately often ignored during procurement. So as to achieve the highest productivity and profitability, the man and machine combination has to be optimised. The best of the machines and the most skilled personnel in isolation will often deliver poor results. The following questions will assist in the correct decision on purchasing the right cleaning machine. Larger machines are not advisable if your cleaning area is small, as they hamper manoeuvrability.
WHAT IS THE AREA OF FLOOR THAT HAS TO BE CLEANED? HOW OFTEN WILL CLEANING OCCUR?
The overall area of the floor to be
ing the equipment mode. Smaller
cleaned decides the size and type
machines are easy to use; however,
of floor-cleaning machine required.
the smaller amount of solution in
s !LWAYS BUY MACHINES FROM ES-
depends on the frequency and time
For example, for a large area, more
the retriever tank will empty sooner
tablished and trusted brands.
for cleaning. For example, in a call
of it can be cleaned with an auto-
and hence requires a refill much fre-
s #HECK THE PAST PERFORMANCE
centre, if only three hours in a day
scrubber dryer whereas a small area
quently which in turn reduces pro-
records of the machine that you
are alotted to cleaning, then a larger
would need a single-disc machine
ductivity. Larger tanks always mean
want to buy.
number of heavy-duty machines that
and a wet vacuum-cleaner for the
larger machines, which leads to less
job to be done efficiently. Some oth-
manoeuvrability and less accessibil-
er factors to consider: Using a ma-
ity to narrower areas.
CHOOSING A BRAND
s 4HE RESULTS CLAIMED BY THE COMpany must be proven. s 3OME BRANDS OFFER EXTREMELY cheap machines. Beware of too-
chine with the right scrubbing width
The choice of cleaning machine also
work at a much faster pace should be used. On the other hand in an office, where cleaning can be done at intervals, fewer machines can be used.
alone will increase the productiv-
WHAT IS FLOORING MATERIAL?
ity and reduce the time and labour
The type of flooring also plays a very
cost. Choosing a ride-on machine
important role in deciding the right
over a traditional walk-behind ma-
cleaning machine. All floors whether
crystallisation for which we need
where loose and light dirt is found,
chine would be still more economi-
ceramic, marble, kota, vinyl, rubber,
single-disc machines that weigh a
can be cleaned using a dry mops or
cal on a long-term basis. However,
concrete, wood, slate, carpets, and
minimum of 50 kgs and have a rota-
sweepers. However, in areas like the
the limitation of the machine in terms
ohter types of floors, need different
tion speed of 165 rpm. Carpets need
kitchen floor and factory floor where
of manoeuvrability and accessibil-
cleaning procedures and machines.
vacuuming and for shampooing, one
heavy soiling is found, a single-disc
ity to every corner of the site also
For example, natural material like
could use a foam generator, along
machine or an auto-scrubber dryer
need to be considered while decid-
marble needs regular buffing and
with a single-disc machine.
should be used.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
good-to-be-true offers. TYPE OF SOIL — LIGHT V/S HEAVY Areas like reception and office floors,
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TECHNOLOGY
96
Check-in optimised Check-in can say very much about a brand. We explore best practices and innovation BY RAYNAH COUTINHO oom-reservation is an online or over-thephone experience. The first touch-and-feel experience that the guest has of a hotel, is during checkin. As a result, it needs to be a reflection of a brand’s DNA. It must be efficient and quick, while also securing relevant guest data, and keeping privacy intact. The scope of innovation extends from check-in kiosks, to new technologies that will be used by check-in staff and also the progress made in mobile check-in.
R
SURPRISE! WE KNOW YOU Hotels place immense focus on
January 2013 | Hotelier India
ensuring that guest preference data that has been accumulated over time, is available at the staff member’s fingertips during checkin. Citrus Hotels has deployed a central multi-property PMS hosted on a central data center. They say that a central property management system has helped them, as a global hotel chain, to operate as a single unit. “All connected hotels access the same guest information from a central database. All the information and data-entry features are available at the front office. The navigator is PMS’s main switchboard. From it, you can pull it up at any time; just right-click the guest’s name in any list, in the room plan or in one of many dialogs. As a result, you
get instant access to your guest’s reservation details, billing details and all the notes recording your guest’s special requests and personal data like their birthday,” says Krishan Bhardwaj, DGM – IT, Citrus Hotels. Having guest preferences readily available is a rule across the board. Marriott’s systems provide several sources of guest information that work together to provide a complete view. This includes global preference profiles and local or property-specific preferences, requests and history. “Associates are expected to use all of these tools to get a total picture of the guest and deliver service that meets or exceeds his expectations,” says Gaurav Apte, director
Krishan Bhardwaj
of rooms at the Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield. Marriott uses several different technologies during and prior to check-in, to ensure the predict
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97 TECHNOLOGY
TECHTHREE TALK POINTS In conversation with Sagun Sawhney, Micros: What products do you offer to different categories of hotels? Full service hotels use Opera Full service; Opera Xpress is used by four- and five-star hotels. It is cheaper to buy, deploy and process. OperaLight is used by motels — but this category doesn’t exist in an organised fashion in Asia. What is the key bentfit to hotels? Our biggest strength is that we are financially secure. Especially for rapidly expanding hotel chains, you need to be sure that your supplier will be able to keep pace with the deployment required. We’re the only company that has lasted in this space for 35 years. Hotels who signed up with those who came in and got bought over by other companies, now have big question-marks related to companies that no longer exist. How are you keeping up with evolving demands? Customer feedback drives what we do. We have annual user meets where we gauge their expected needs over the coming year, as well as over five-year and decade-long horizons. The key focus at these events is to identify what tools they require from us to short and long-term goals.
and meet guest demands during check-in. “The Guest Reservation System (MARSHA) — Marriott Automated Reservation System for Hotel Accomodation allows for up to 12 reservation requests to be sent to the property with reservation. For instance it will give us details like the guest’s preference for foam pillows, non-smoking, feather-free room, king-size bed, refrigerator and low floor,” he says. Another
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In India, the human element continues to be of significance to the guest experience. So adding efficiency to the check-in process, rather than reducing hands, is important.
system used by Marriott, and a majority of hospitality companies, Opera — Marriott uses volume-5 — gives information such as the member’s SGI profile and minor details like preferences for salty snacks (so housekeepers could add this before the room is given out), demands for golfspecific activities and requests for extra towels. Marriott also uses Guestware, which gives them details such as desired view, favorite wine, need exercise room opened early, favourite room and lists grievances such as ‘checked into dirty room during last stay’.
MOBILE MAGICIANS “Anything that works on smartphones is hugely in demand at the moment,” says Sagun Sawhney, country manager, Micros, which services a large chunk of hospitality’s IT needs. The company will launch mobile applications to allow hotels to conduct mobile check-in ,later this month. The front-end of the app, MyStay Manager is to be downloaded by guests. Opera2Go, the backend of the app, will be utilised by staff. “It takes meet-and-greet to an all new level, and allows the guest to by-pass reception and
Gaurav Apte
Hotelier India | January 2013
TECHNOLOGY
98
The Marriott Automated Reservation System for Hotel Accomodation arms the check-in staff with guest details such as pillow, bed -size and view preferences
Opera2Go will allow staff-members to check in VIP guests while walking them to their rooms.
January 2013 | Hotelier India
conduct check-in on the way to his room,” Sawhney adds. But this is India and the human element remains of utmost importance. “Opera2Go achieves a balance between the human element and technology by increasing the level of personal service that hotels can provide. Wireless touch pad devices carried by the staff displays key information including the guest’s name, room number, order history and preferences, and allows the staff to bring highly personalised service to the hotel guest wherever they may be on property. Opera2Go is designed to support functionalities related to guest profile, reservations and arrivals,” says Sawhney. Especially for VIP guests, this allows them to be checked in
while a staff member walks them to their room. Why not let the guest manage his own check-in? “In India, and Asia as a whole, hotels haven’t yet been met with a very dire need to reduce hands. Moreover customised service seems to be the order of the day,” Sawney says. He also points out that even at airports, self check-in kiosks are manned. “It allows them to beat the checkin line, while retaining the human element,” he adds. Is there room for more? Certainly. A demand from hotels is to make apps more accessible. “It will be a good idea to build every software on windows-based and other mobile technology, as well so that solutions will not have limitations,” says Bhardwaj. HI
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99 PRODUCTS
Picks of the month Hotelier India’s round up of the newest, must-have products in the market TOWER SPEAKERS Top Notch Infotronix, a major supplier of products and accessories for computers, electronics and communication under the brand ‘Zebronics’ announced their latest series of speaker systems — the Monster Tower Speakers. Available in three models, these deliver up to 100W RMS of sound. The Monster Towers have slots on the sides to play music directly from a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device or SD/MMC cards (memory sticks). It also includes a built-in FM radio receiver. In addition to these, the tower speakers also support karaoke with a dual microphone input equipped with a full function remote controller.
MONSTER TOWER SPEAKERS Website: www.zebronics.com
AQUAGUARD FLO The aesthetically designed Aquaguard FLO is a great combination of functionality and design. With a brushed finish, its aluminium body has a metallic lustre, giving it a very sleek look. Its intensive UV purity design filters in higher UV exposure that assures you of drinking water with reduced bacteria, viruses and parasites that may have been in the water. The firewall technology (UV Filter) has been tested and certified by the WQA to NSF/ANSI-55 Class A UV and NSF P231 protocol which is one of a kind as no other brand has these two together.
CERAMIC TILES Website: www.rakindia.com
VENEZIA ELEGANZA UV WATER FILTER Website: www.eurekaforbes.com
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RAK Ceramics, has introduced the range of Venezia Eleganza ceramic tiles in the size 40cm X 80cm (16 X 32 inches) capturing the vibrancy of traditional India. Venezia Eleganza consists of wall tiles of a digital print with an exclusive array of vibrant colours and contemporary designs.
Hotelier India | January 2013
CHECKING OUT
100
Hotel Trivia
10 things you didn’t know about… The Imperial New Delhi The mirror in
16 27 38 49 510 10
1911
Bar Atrium has been gifted by King George V and Queen Mary
24
The four-poster bed in The Royal Imperial suite was crafted just for the the room and is
100 years old
The king palms were planted by Lady Willingdon herself
The Imperial’s structure is made in the form of a
#
shape
s, during the partition, when 1911 was called The Garden Party.
4500 pieces across the hotel
1911 has the original picture of King George
The only
V
in the country can be found at 1911 Bar’s private area — Hardinge’s room
The standing clock placed in The Royal Imperial suite is approximately
500
January 2013 | Hotelier India
1940
The Imperial has a rare DQG ÀQH FROOHFWLRQ RI artwork with more than
’s garden Party at the Red Fort
years old
Chicken Imperial served at 1911 today, was part of the menu in the
VICTORIA CROSS
British artists Thomas and William Daniell camped at what is today called Daniell’s Tavern durng the
18
th century www.hotelierindia.com