Express Food and Hospitality (Vol.1 No.7) October, 2019 by Indian Express

EDITOR’S NOTE

Why the disruptive economy needs regulation

ormer US President Barack Obama had once said - I am a strong believer in the free market. I am a strong believer in capitalism. But, I am also a strong believer that there are certain common goods - our air, our water, making sure that people are safe - that require to have some regulation. These days, seems like it should include our food too. The last few weeks have seen Zomato and NRAI in a tug fest that has apparently put the FSA on the wrong side of the restaurant industry. In the storm that followed the Log Out campaign, Zomato man Deepinder Goyal tweeted, “It’s not about aggregators vs restaurant; this is about a small restaurant owner vs the large restaurant owner - and we are being painted as bullies.” But Anurag Katriar, the new man at the helm in NRAI, is very clear that he has nothing against the FSAs. In our exclusive interview with him in his office, he reiterates that Log Out has clearly proven that right now being unregulated, the industry is prey to very predatory actions on the part of the aggregators. He stresses the need for a more robust e-commerce policy and says, “e-commerce is the way ahead. We want to be part of it, but on equitable terms.” Another disruptor Oyo Hotels & Homes has said it’s

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY NATIONALFOOD,HOSPITALITY& BEVERAGE SALES WEST Datta K +91 9821580849 | datta.kandalkar@indianexpress.com

NORTH Prabhas Jha +91 9899707440 | prabhas.jha@expressindia.com

SOUTH Sreejith Radhakrishnan +91 88675 74257 | sreejith.radhakrishnan@expressindia.com

Sanjay Kumar +91 9711099079 | sanjay.kumar@expressindia.com

OPERATION AND SALES Satish Dange +91 9821876620 | satish.dange@indianexpress.com

Satish Dange +91 9821876620 | satish.dange@indianexpress.com

EAST Debnarayan Dutta +919051150480 | debnarayan.dutta@expressindia.com

Ziyad Tungekar +91 9820512718 | ziyad.tungekar@expressindia.com

Ajanta Sen Gupta +919831182580 | Email: ajanta.sengupta@expressindia.com

Venkatesh Subramaniam +91 9892512644 | venkatesh.subramaniam@expressindia.com

“The recent GST development of rationalisation of taxes on room tariffs is a very positive sign and we hope it will push occupancies in a market weighed down by the economic slowdown”

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October 2019

raising US$ 1.5 billion in fresh financing, with founder Ritesh Agarwal investing US$ 700 million into the SoftBank-backed company. This news comes even as some hotel operators have alleged that the startup often ends up taking half or more of revenues through fees that were not initially disclosed, according to a Reuters report. Again pointing to the need for a regulatory mechanism that can resolve such issues and pave the way for more efficient and dynamic markets. The recent GST development of rationalisation of taxes on room tariffs is a very positive sign and we hope it will push occupancies in a market weighed down by the economic slowdown. This phase will require established companies to push their boundaries and innovate to become their own disruptors. VITS Kamats founder, Vikram Kamat is launching his Purple Beds brand soon - comfortable limited service hotels that offer all the basic amenities that customers expect from a hotel in a comfortable budget. We expect it to create a new dynamism in the market much like IHCL did with Ginger many eons ago.

FOR PARTNERSHIPS,TIE-UPS,SPECIAL EVENTS Anishi Khetan +91 9930915221 | anishi.khetan@indianexpress.com

STEENA JOY Editor Express Food & Hospitality editor.efh@gmail.com

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CONTENTS Chairman of the Board Viveck Goenka Sr. Vice President Neil Viegas Asst. Vice President Harit Mohanty Editor Steena Joy* Correspondent Akshay Nayak DESIGN Assistant Art Director Pravin Temble Chief Designer Prasad Tate Senior Designer Rekha Bisht Graphics Designer Gauri Deorukhkar Senior Artist Ratilal Ladani Photo Editor Sandeep Patil DIGITAL TEAM Head of Internet

EF&H Hyderabad 2019: Connecting to industrystakeholders The 38th edition of Express Food & HospitalityExpo,held at HitexExhibition Centre, Hyderabad,from September 24 to 26,2019 witnessed the who’s who of the food and hospitalityindustryvisiting the tradeshow By EF&H Staff Hyderabad (20-45)

Viraj Mehta SCHEDULING & COORDINATION Arvind Mane

P17: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

MARKETING / SALES

SAii Lagoon Maldives

Ziyad Tungekar Dattaram Kandalkar

P46: PRODUCT TRACKER

Satish Dange

Qualità Oro by Lavazza

MARKETS

INDUSTRY STALWARTS LAUD GOI’S DECISION ON RATIONALISING GST ON ROOM TARIFF

9TH EDITION OF HPMF CONVENTION, THE FIRST IN SOUTH INDIA, WILL SHOWCASE KERALA'S HOSPITALITY AND CULTURE: DR NITIN NAGRALE

HOME-GROWN QSR BRAND BIRYANI BY KILO TO ENTER UAE & UK IN NEXT THREE-FIVE YEARS

HITCHKI AND BAYROUTE HAVE GROWN STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AS CONCEPT RESTAURANTS IN INDIA: ARJUN RAJ KHER

Venkatesh Subramaniam Sanjay Kumar Sreejith Radhakrishnan

P47: MOVEMENTS JW Marriott Pune

PARTNERSHIPS, TIE-UPS Anishi Khetan CIRCULATION Mohan Varadakar PRODUCTION General Manager B R Tipnis

P58: WEEKEND Scene and heard by Marcellus Baptista

Express Food & Hospitality® REGD.WITH RNI NO. MAHENG/2019/78000, Printed and Published by Vaidehi Thakar on behalf of Global Fairs & Media Pvt Ltd and Printed at The Indian Express Press, Plot No.EL-208, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai-400710 and Published at Express Towers, 1st floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021. Editor: Steena Joy* (Editorial & Administrative Offices: Express Towers, 1st floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021)

Production Co-ordinator Dhananjay Nidre

* Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act. Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited.

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We will soon be launching at least half a dozen new Chapters. Because NRAI needs to represent Bharat as well - it is very very important to get more and more people into the organised sector: Anurag Katriar, president, NRAI Steena Joy Mumbai CLOSE ON THE HEELS of its Log Out campaign against deep discounting by food service aggregators (FSA), the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) is poised to expand its reach further by rolling out more Chapters in the smaller cities of the country. Speaking exclusively to Express Food & Hospitality, Anurag Katriar, president, NRAI said, “The future roadmap is to expand the reach of NRAI. Right now NRAI is represented in a few large cities. We want to take it to lots of smaller cities. Thanks to Log Out, our reach has become much larger. We will soon be launching at least half a dozen new Chapters, in fact in a few weeks time. Work is going on. NRAI needs to represent Bharat as well. Because it is very very important to get more and more people into the organised

Anurag Katriar

sector.” He added, “Of course, there are some regulatory hindrances we are facing right now and we will continue to work with the government to resolve them, mainly, the Input Tax Credit (ITC) on GST which is hurting not only investment into the

trade but also profitability of the companies. Also we request the govt to come up with a very robust e-commerce policy in F&B. Log Out has clearly proven that right now being unregulated, the industry is prey to very predatory actions on the part of the aggregators. So we need a little more robust e-commerce policy because e-ommerce is the way ahead. We want to be part of it, but on equitable terms.” The Log Out campaign was essentially about deep discounting by FSAs and how it is hurting the industry. Katriar affirmed, “We engage with every player and Log Out has been hugely successful because everyone except Zomato, is back in the business. They have logged back in on renewed terms which is good for them and good for us. There is a stalemate as far as Zomato is concerned especially due to their Zomato Gold product. The simple reason why we cannot accept it is that it pro-

motes deep discounting and the entire discount is funded by us, the restaurateurs singularly while all the accruals go to Zomato. It is not an acceptable thing.” Katriar also informed that on the delivery front, NRAI has not done a LogOut yet. “But we have engaged with industry and have made very good progress with all the top players there. Unfortunately, now with Zomato bringing in Zomato Gold delivery as well, I foresee a problem with them and I feel eventually Zomato will stand isolated in both the segments.” Sharing his insights on whether he felt the F&B industry needs to have its own separate ministry, he asserted, “Absolutely yes, I think we are large enough to deserve that. We employ 7.3 million people currently which is bigger than those employed by most of the industries we have in India. And it is growing. Our India Food Ser-

vices Report (IFSR) says that it will be nine million people in the next two and a half years - that’s a lot of people. Secondly, it is a very over regulated industry and I believe if we can have one nation, one tax why not one nation, one regulation? A separate ministry will help us achieve that. At the launch of our IFSR Report we did make this an issue of discussion but a formal representation to the government will go out soon.” Commenting on the recent single-use plastic ban rollback, Katriar opined, “Plastic must go. We are all for a plastic free India but I think I would advise the government to give it a positive twist. To get India rid of single use plastic is not a negative thing, it is a brilliant move and as an industry body we are all for it. But the communication from the government should be that, this is what you must use, rather than saying, don’t use plastic at all. That’s far more positive.”

VITS Kamats to launch Purple Beds brand in three Indian cities Steena Joy Mumbai THE VITS GROUP founded by Vikram Kamat, is all set to launch a new brand Purple Beds in India while at the same time expanding internationally. Speaking exclusively to Express Food & Hospitality, Vikram Kamat, founder chairman, VITS Kamats, revealed, “We will be launching a new brand Purple Beds in three cities – Agra, Bharuch and Surat. Construction is on and Purple Beds Agra will open in mid October, followed by

Bharuch in the next 3 to 4 months and then Surat. Purple Beds will be comfortable limited service hotels that offer all the basic amenities that customers expect from a hotel in a comfortable budget. They will have a full fledged restaurant, and even a bar wherever law permits. Each of these will have less than 40 rooms that are equipped with the basic comforts.” He added that he decided on the name Purple Beds because, “VITS has always been associated with the colour and also because purple is the colour of royalty. So we wanted to say that

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Vikram Kamat

you don’t have to compromise on quality to feel like royalty.” VITS Kamats has also opened its second hotel in Thailand in Pattaya. VITS Gazebo

Resort Pattaya is a luxurious city resort situated in the central hub of Pattaya and within proximity to the beach and important travel hubs and places to visit in Pattaya. The 70 room resort is easily accessible for guests travelling for business or leisure. The resort also has a 6000 sq ft meetings and convention space (one of the largest in Pattaya), an inhouse restaurant, wellness centre and spa. Vikram Kamat added, “Our target customers will be both MICE travellers and holidaygoers. The Phuket hotel opened a year ago and mostly caters to the European market.

The Pattaya hotel will cater mostly to the much larger India and China markets.” Commenting on the reasons for having two properties in Thailand, he said, “The ARRs for the Phuket hotel has been in the range of 2200 on conversion from Thai Baht. Thailand has lower ARRs than India but the cost of operations is also lower. Thailand being a very tourist friendly destination, they have ensured that taxation and pricing remains low so that they can attract a lot of foreign tourists. It you see the tourist footfall in Thailand, it is phenomenal.”

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Industry stalwarts laud GoI’s decision on rationalising GST on room tariff EF&H Staff Mumbai COMING as a relief to the tourism and hospitality industry in India, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the GST council has decided to tax hotels with room tariff of Rs 7,500 and above at 18 per cent instead of the earlier 28 per cent. Hotels with tariffs in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 7,500 will have to pay GST at a rate of 12 per cent. And, hotels with tariffs below Rs 1,000 have been exempted from paying taxes under the GST regime. Reacting to the positive decision by the Government of India, the industry stalwarts lauded the move. Citing the Centre's move as a welcome relief for the hospitality industry Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, VP, FHRAI and president, HRAWI said that they at FHRAI have consistently been voicing concerns with regards to the GST rates and its effects on the tourism and hospitality.

“It is heartening when the Government responds positively to continuous petitioning by the association. FHRAI and HRAWI have been constantly following up with the government since the introduction of the GST regarding the high rates and its consequential effects not only on the industry but also the revenue earned by the government. We are glad that our voice has finally been heard. The reduction in the GST rate will make India an attractive tourism destination to foreign as well as domestic tourists who presently choose to vacation in the neighbouring countries on account of price competitiveness,” he added. Jean-Michel Cassé, COO – India & South Asia, Accor on the revised GST structure, noted, “We welcome the decision to lower and further rationalise the GST structure on hotel room tariffs in what promises to be a major fillip for India’s hospitality and tourism industry. This is a significant development and we

commend the Honourable Finance Minister’s decision to support the industry and in the government’s commitment to bolster economy and encourage business activity. Travelling, whether for business or leisure, is essential in a growing economy and we are glad to see a more favourable taxation environment. Nakul Anand, chairman – FAITH and executive director, ITC, expresses, “The news on GST rationalisation comes as a big shot in the arm for the Tourism industry. All ten member bodies of FAITH have worked tirelessly towards this endeavor and on behalf of FAITH, we would like to thank the Government for making this happen. This adds great spurt and momentum to the Hospitality industry and creates a positive sentiment that ensures more vigour and strength to Destination India.” Vineet Verma, CEO and executive director, Brigade Hospitality Services explained, “The

much awaited reduction in GST rates applicable to hotels is bound to provide the muchneeded impetus to the hospitality & tourism sectors. Companies that work on contracted or RFP rates and Individual travellers including tourists, who pay from their own pockets, are bound to also welcome this move. The proposal to reduce GST on Outdoor catering by hotels, from the present 18 per cent to five per cent is also commendable, though I do wish the benefit of ITC had been retained.” Pushpendra Bansal, COO, Lords Hotels and Resorts, expressed, “GST rate rationalisation for hotels is an extremely positive development. This move is expected to serve dual purpose of boosting tourism and generating more employment.” “We welcome the government's move to reduce the GST rates on hotel room tariffs as it will stimulate the growth of hospitality sector and make India competitive against other internationally renowned hospitality

chains. The move is also in line with the government's stated objective of turning India into a tourist hub and making it more attractive and competitive tourist destination. We are extremely positive about this step as it will further enhance the ease of doing business and lower cost for the consumers since the hotels will be able to pass on the benefits of the rate cut by way of lower room rates. We are grateful to the government for considering this demand of the industry,” said Sonica Malhotra, MD, MBD Steigenberger Hotel. “This is a welcome step; any move that helps travellers gain more out of their dispensable budget, luring them to travel more. This will certainly boost the average occupancy of hotels, helping them rationalize the annual numbers. Additionally, it will also help us propel our value proposition at a competitive price point that we are operating in,” said Sarbendra Sarkar, MD & founder, Cygnett Hotels & Resorts.

HRAWI re-elects Gurbaxish Singh Kohli as president at 69th AGM EF&H Staff Mumbai GURBAXISH Singh Kohli, director, Pritam Hotels has been re-elected as the president of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) at its 69th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Mumbai. Kohli has been serving in the office as its president for the year 2018–19 and will now continue to serve in the same capacity. Sherry Bhatia will serve as the s r. VP along with Pradeep Shetty as

the VP. Nirav Gandhi has been appointed as the honorary secretary and Chetan Mehta will act as the joint honorary secretary. Dilip Kothari will continue in the office as the honorary treasurer and Aspi Nallaseth as secretary general. “I wish to thank the members for placing their trust in me and re-electing me to the office for a second term and also welcome the newly elected members to the committee. The last year was a

10 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

Gurbaxish Singh Kohli

challenging phase for the industry with the OTAs and the FSAs infringing on hoteliers’ and restaurateurs’ businesses. With the support of our members and the HRAWI team, we not only were successful in keeping a check on their callous activities but we also brought the entire country together for voicing out against the erring entities. We are determined about pursuing this matter to its equitable and fair conclusion. In the meanwhile, we will continue working inclusively with the

Government for creating a favorable environment for the growth of hospitality and tourism in the country,” said Kohli. A second-generation hotelier, Kohli is the owner of Dadar’s popular Pritam restaurant, Pritam da Dhaba and the four-star Hotel Midtown Pritam in the 80s. He is also the VP of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI). Self admittedly, a foodie Kohli is a voracious traveller and a vintage cars enthusiast.

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'9TH EDITION OFHPMFCONVENTION,THE FIRSTIN SOUTH INDIA,WILLSHOWCASE KERALA'S HOSPITALITYAND CULTURE' The ninth edition of Hospitality Purchase Managers Forum (HPMF) scheduled at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty, Kerala will address key points to consider for effective procurement in hospitality through multiple seminars and presentations by international and national procurement veterans. Akshay Nayak spoke to Dr Nitin Nagrale, founder & general secretary, HPMF to get his insights on the event which opens tomorrow What new things are scheduled for the ninth HPMF Convention? Until recently, we have been concentrating on the west and north part of the country. But, this year, with the 9th edition being hosted in Kochi, Kerala, we are showcasing the culture of God's Own Country to HPMF's esteemed members and partners. HPMF conventions are known to showcase and provide experience to its members about a destination and its diverse offerings. The culture of the location is imbibed into the four-day event. The difference this year is that, it is HPMF's first convention in south India. Also, the tourism department of Kerala is supporting us for we are showcasing their culture through this region-themed event. We will be celebrating the same through food, dance, attire and colours of Kerala. We planned the menu for this convention over the last three

months. Not even a single dish is repeated. What are the key points to be discussed during the convention? The convention revolves around the concept of Vasudeva Kutumbakam, which means "World is one family", so we are trying to come together as the procurement fraternity. We have a lot of emphasis on the processes in which we will be showing - leadership development in procurement; being eco-friendly and green procurement; vendor development and social aspects of procurement, etc. All these aspects will be showcased through seminars and individual presentations by the who's who of the hospitality procurement fraternity. The three days will become one to help the purchase managers to focus on better procurement aspects for the hospitality industry. The event will be graced with the presence of Lebana

Penkar, VP - HR, Adfactors PR, and also other known personalities like Lions Club's ex-governor, among others. Each of the speakers are procurement veterans, who will talk about the procurement processes across the world and how we can improve our methods of procurement to make the process seamless. How many delegates are participating in the convention? Around 225 delegates from over 40 cities will be present for the convention. Professionals from the Middle East and Bangladesh have been a part of the convention last year. Interestingly, we will be receiving people from Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal too this year. So the delegates, sponsors and speakers together represent 12 different countries. How are the economic reforms impacting procurement processes?

down, revamping of GST regime, and also talent acquisition which is challenging with lesser people switching jobs, procurement processes will be streamlined soon, by HPMF majorly addressing these factors.

Dr Nitin Nagrale

We get rebate, so rationalisation of GST doesn't impact procurement a lot. But, once GST becomes a mandate, people will have to start looking for options which will help reduce the overall input cost. So now, procurement process for the purchase manager has become more complex as he has to do research and development. In spite of multiple challenges like the economic slow-

Future roadmap for HPMF? We recently launched our new international chapter in Nepal. We have received an overwhelming response since our entry this year, with 122 members already on board. Our motive is to help procurement professionals of Nepal to develop through this platform. We have presented to them the book, "Basics of Hospitality Procurement" which we launched last year to help them take better procurement decisions. Furthermore, we will be setting up training sessions internally in Nepal so they understand the best procurement practices in the world.

Ebro India introduces Biryani Plus range of rice for HoReCa segment EF&H Staff Hyderabad EBRO FOODS, the Spain-based food processing company is one of the global leaders in rice production and second worldwide in the fresh and dry pasta sectors.

Ebro India, part of Ebro Foods has a significant presence in the Indian HoReCa industry. Their mission is to research, create, produce and distribute high value-added foods which enhance peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and wellbeing while meeting their nutri-

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tional needs. Ebro India's vision is to grow sustainably, ensuring ethical conduct and professional and personal integrity in the performance of business activities, creating value for their shareholders, minimising the environ-

mental impact through operations, guaranteeing the personal and career development of employees, improving the quality of life in society and meeting the needs of customers and consumers. Ebro India was the ingredient sponsor for the Great

Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC) held at the 38th ediion of EF&H Expo, Hyderabad. At the event, Ebro India showcased the recently launched Biryani Plus range of rice which comes in 25 kg institutional pack catering to the HoReCa segment.

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'HOME-GROWN QSR BRAND BIRYANI BYKILO TO ENTER UAE & UK IN NEXTTHREE-FIVE YEARS' The idea and inspiration to create the biggest food service company from India using Biryani & Kebabs category to take it worldwide using master franchises & JV in different countries brewed in the minds of founders Vishal Jindal & Kaushik Roy to introduce the brand Biryani By Kilo (BBK). By Akshay Nayak What was the potential you saw to enter biryani as a segment for your venture? The idea and inspiration was to create the biggest food service company from India using Biryani & Kebabs category to take it worldwide using master franchises & JV in different countries. BBK is focused on Nizami & Mughlai cuisine making different traditional dum-style fresh biryani and other complimentary dishes such as kebabs, korma, breads, and desserts. BBK is the only company to deliver individually cooked fresh biryani in handis for every order. Also, we serve three different variants of biryanis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Hyderabadi, Lucknowi & Kolkata since the last three years. It was launched with an intent to preserve the Khansama style of cooking wherein each meal/biryani is freshly cooked with rich ingredients, unlike other brands where the food is cooked in bulk and repacked

L-R Vishal Jindal & Kaushik Roy

and sold. It is a delivery brand with 100 per cent focus on delivering every order on time and offers an experience which the patrons would have received at a fine dining restaurant by paying an exorbitant price. What were the headwinds and tailwinds witnessed while setting up the business?

It was challenging to put the back end and technology together. It was also challenging to educate the customers to wait for 90 mins after their order is placed to consume fresh biryani. BBK has solved it by creating a professional company culture which adheres to stringent systems & processes with regular audits & uses state

of the art technology. Biryani individually for every order would require huge setup costs and we were able to do it very efficiently at a lower cost due to a very experienced team & robust technology method. It is a challenge to maintain standardised taste and consistent flavours in a QSR business. We overcame this factor by using a hub & spoke model of cooking fresh food at every outlet's kitchen. We have our customised measuring tools to carefully measure every ingredient we use in our dish and we also ensure that we source the raw material from the vendors who are very carefully selected & audited to meet our highest quality standards. Which business model are you looking at prospectively? Cloud kitchen is a more profitable business compared to dine in restaurants as there is less rental cost & capex required. Entrepreneur mainly needs to take care of the

kitchen space and maintain standardisation of food & recipes without worrying too much about look & feel of the restaurant. The returns can be higher and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier to experiment with cloud kitchens to test what clicks with the taste buds of the consumer & change menus more easily if required. What is the future roadmap for BBK? BBK has a strategic plan to establish a strong pan-India footprint and expand into select international markets like UAE & UK in the next three to five years. We aim to build a network of 120+ outlets generating a collective revenue of Rs 450 cr by FY 2022-23. We are also now gearing up to raise around US$6-8 mn this year. This Series A funding will give a major boost to BBK's expansion plan across India and join the Rs 100 cr topline club by 2020 with its offers showing healthy profits.

RanceLab launches comprehensive restaurant management software FusionResto EF&H Staff Mumbai RANCELAB, a trusted IT partner to 35000+ brands in 40+ countries including India, Middle East (GCC), South-east Asia and Africa has recently launched a comprehensive restaurant management software - FusionResto. It has been

serving the restaurant industry since 1996, helping them make profit sooner, reach break-even faster and opening new outlets quicker. It provides an easy to use and comprehensive solution to the F&B industry. It takes care of multiple business operations from point of sale transactions to controlling food costing and managing inventory to vari-

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ous other operational activities like complete financial management, payroll management, loyalty programmes, supply chain management, schemes and promotions, etc. RanceLab FusionResto helps business owners streamline their business processes and stay ahead of other similar and larger businesses.

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'HITCHKI AND BAYROUTE HAVE GROWN STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AS CONCEPTRESTAURANTS IN INDIA' With increasing popularity of Middle Eastern food serving restaurant brand Bayroute and Bollywood inspired Hitchki, Arjun Raj Kher, Brand Head â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Hitchki & Bayroute addresses challenges faced by restaurateurs and the success of the two concept restaurant brands By Akshay Nayak What was your vision behind coining the monikers Hitchki and Bayroute? We had completely different vision and outlook while coining Hitchki and Bayroute as we wanted to cater to not just one stratum of society but open our doors to everyone. Bollywood and food have definitely come under one roof with Hitchki. With its refreshingly unique

menu, unmatched service and astounding music, Hitchki has warmed the hearts of thousands, especially the youth. Each dish is named with a touch of Bollywood. For Bayroute, we were looking to give patrons an undisputable Middle Eastern feel and a true fine-dining experience, without compromising on the authenticity of the cuisine, of course. The essence &

vibrancy of the food will make you feel like you are enjoying it in the bustling streets of Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, etc. What were the challenges and opportunities while setting up the restaurants? Over the years, I have realised that the audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taste is changing constantly so it gives us an opportunity to not

be a monotonous brand but constantly evolve and innovate new concepts. So far, we have been successful and we plan to keep it that way. At Hitchki and Bayroute, challenges are always welcome as that gives us an opportunity to be creative and uniquely tackle it. Which are the new markets for Hitchki and Bayroute?

What is the future roadmap? We have gone international with Hitchki this year and had a great launch in Dubai and it has been a hit since then. We are also coming up with a brandnew Menu of Hitchki very soon. Bayroute is running strength to strength as we have launched five outlets this year and looking forward to launch more in future.

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HOTREMAI appoints new leadership at 37th AGM EF&H Staff Mumbai THE 37TH ANNUAL General Body Meeting (AGM) of The Hotel & Restaurant Equipment Manufacturers Association of India (HOTREMAI) was held on August 30, 2019 at the PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Raunaq Room, New Delhi. In the words of the outgoing president, JK Khurana, MD, Venus Industries, “We’re proud to be the oldest association catering to the interests of the hotel and restaurant equipment manufacturers and I am sure that under the able leadership of the new team presided by Anil Malhotra, HOTREMAI would further strengthen their relationship with policymakers, buyers as well as the events across the ecosystem.” Suggestions regarding

branding, member engagement and further promotion of the association to increase pan-India membership were discussed at the AGM. One of the key points raised by members during postvoting discussions was about partnerships with hospitality fairs that added genuine value to

the industry as well as finding lucrative avenues of getting more visibility. The newly appointed secretary, Nitin Kumar, MD, Rans Technocrats, read the report for the year 2019-2019, tabled the audited financials and added, “We’re also working on a plan to

allocate funds to promote HOTREMAI and its members across various shows across India and the SAARC Region. One of the first steps in this direction would be hosting meetings across different regions and meeting potential members from the industry.”

The members voted for their new leadership as well as the executive committee for 2019-21 followed by concluding remarks from the incoming president Anil Malhotra, CEO, HSMC Asia, “I am thankful to the members of HOTREMAI for choosing me as their president for the term. One of my biggest goals would be to further increase membership of HOTREMAI with relevant members from across the country. Hospitality and F&B are the key drivers of our country’s economic growth and our aim for these two years would be to bring the best opportunities for our members to grow their business. This term would mean regular, actionable meetings for all our interests.” HOTREMAI was established in the year 1982 and was formally registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in the year 1994.

Rich Graviss hosts Gourmet Guide in Bengaluru EF&H Staff Mumbai RICH GRAVISS, a leading bakery & food solutions provider, hosted the Bangalore chapter of Rich’s Gourmet Guide – The Bakers’ Lounge at Conrad Bengaluru on the September 24. Rich’s in-house team of expert chefs created 450+ modernised concepts in desserts, cakes and beverages from the classic flavours like black forest, exotic fruits, chocolate and Indian desserts. A bouquet of alternate designs and applications were showcased on seven uniquely themed displays. These themes included – Tiered Celebration Cakes, Black Forest, Pineapple, Berries, Chocolate, Exotic fruits and Fusion Desserts. Additionally, live counters were set up for demonstrating novel concepts like Bettercreme

Apple Jalebi, Mirror Glazed Cakes and Snow Cakes, etc. Tasting counters were setup for the bakery professionals to experience these unique creations first-hand. An exquisite blend of Indian mithai flavours into western applications like Rasmalai Cake, Shrikhand Cake and

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October 2019

Falooda Mousse stole the show. The newly launched Rich’s Premium Truffle – ready to use Ganache was highly appreciated as it takes away a baker’s pain of making truffle from scratch. The effort being put in by Rich’s to take desserts to the next level by

developing premium chocolate icing and filling, Chocolate Bettercreme & dairy blend whip topping, Niagara Farms Gold opened avenues for premiumisation. Pankaj Chaturvedi, ED & CEO, Rich Graviss and Pankaj Jain, GM - marketing, sales & culinary, Rich Graviss, inter-

acted with restaurateurs and bakers to understand challenges being faced by the industry and opportunity to innovate jointly. Some of Rich’s esteemed customers based in Bengaluru – Cakewala, Chef Bakers, Kanti Sweets, among others, were also present at the event.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

SAii Lagoon Maldives

ilton announced recently the opening of SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton, a free-spirited tropical escape that offers sun, sea, style and sustainability, creating a playful getaway for groups of fun-seeking friends, couples and families. The opening of SAii Lagoon Maldives also marks the debut of

Curio Collection by Hilton in South East Asia, and the fifth Curio Collection by Hilton property in Asia Pacific. With a total of 198 rooms and villas, the resort will be Hiltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third property in the Maldives, making the global hospitality company the largest and longest-running international hotel operator in the Maldives.

Sarovar Portico Surajkund, Faridabad

arovar Hotels and Resorts expanded its presence in Delhi NCR with the opening of Sarovar Portico in Surajkund, Faridabad. This will be the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third hotel in Haryana after Gurugram and Faridabad. The hotel has 60 well-appointed spacious rooms including suites with all contemporary amenities. Stateof-the-art conference rooms and banqueting facilities for up to 600 guests, effortlessly meet any business or social needs.

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Sobit Sarovar Portico, Goa

arovar Hotels & Resorts has just opened Sobit Sarovar Portico in Goa. Located just 500 metres away from one of South Goaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most well-loved and stunning beaches, Sobit Sarovar Portico aims to promote tourism in the area and offer high-quality service and

Cygnett Style Mantra,Jodhpur

stay options. Spread across 5500 square metres, Sobit Sarovar Portico has 48 well-appointed deluxe rooms that reflect Goaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history and culture. Intricate woodwork, handselected art and sleek lines showcase a blend of Goan and Indo-Portuguese styles.

ygnett Hotels has launched Cygnett Style Mantra in Jodhpur. Cygnett Style Mantra offers 40 stylish and elegant rooms, divided into club rooms, superior rooms and suite rooms. The rooms have been arranged tastefully, offering high speed wi-fi connection, telephone with global dialing, mini bar and all other premium modern amenities. In addition, the hotel guests can enjoy a scrumptious meal at the multi-cuisine restaurant, Cygnett Pavilion with authentic recipes. The restaurant has gone for eclectically selected local dishes that would bring forth the authenticity of the cuisine of the state in more ways than one.

The Fern, Lonavala

SK Lords Eco Inn in Ahmedabad

he Fern Hotels & Resorts has opened The Fern, Lonavala, an upscale hotel amidst sylvan surroundings, in the picturesque hill town of Lonavla, 90 kilometres off Mumbai. The Fern, Lonavala an 80-room hotel spread over two acres offers quintessential hill charm. Brushing the back walls of the Valvan Dam off the Expressway the hotel provides contemporary accommodations, a coffee shop, a finely designed multi-cuisine restobar, state-of-art banquet halls, a swimming pool and poolside lawns. The hotel is close to the Lonavala market, with easy access to the major sightseeing attractions in and around the vicinity.

ords Hotels and Resorts opened SK Lords Eco Inn at Ahmedabad on September 1, marking its 23rd property in Gujarat. The hotel is an ideal destination catering to both business and leisure traveller with its setting and offerings. SK Lords Eco Inn Boasts of 30 guest rooms with a multi cuisine restaurant and pillarless banquet hall of 5000 sq ft. The hotel is located near Navrangpura which is a very popular destination in Ahmedabad. Navrangpura is also known for the numerous banking institutions. Entrepreneurs and major brands frequent this area as it is also the commercial capital of Gujarat.

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

COVER STORY

EF&H HYDERABAD 2019: CONNECTING TO INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS The 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo, held at Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, from September 24 to 26, 2019 witnessed the who’s who of the food and hospitality industry visiting the tradeshow By EF&H Staff Hyderabad

he three-day 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo, organised by Global Fairs & Media - part of the Indian Express Group, held at Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad was inaugurated by the chief guests, M S Naga Raju, chairman, Telangana State Hotels Association (TSHA); Ashok Hemrajani, president, Hotels & Restaurants Association of Telangana State (HRATS); M Venkateshwarlu, president, Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chef Dharmender Lamba, president, Telangana Chefs Association (TCA) and executive chef, Trident Hyderabad . Speaking on the occasion, Raju said, “Hyderabad ranks first when it comes to the taste of food, hygiene and other experiences in all of India. We thank the Indian Express Group for inviting us to be a part of the 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo. The state government has to decide to promote the destination. All the Hyderabad hoteliers and chefs are ready to take the reins for the Hyderabad market to flourish in terms of hospitality. Medical tourism is increasing, but we want other tourism products to be brought up dynamically.”

20 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

the main focus

Hemrajani voiced, “It’s a pleasure being a part of the industry. The Indian Express Group has been supporting and showcasing what the hospitality industry has been doing across the country and globe. The hospitality industry in any country is the largest contributor to foreign currency generation, GDP and employment opportunities. Hospitality business is the sunrise business of today. HRATS represents three to five-star hotels and also fine dine foodservice outlets in the industry so that we take up the issues with the state government and the Centre. Domestic tourism is a very large potentially growing market. The political stability has come in the state since its formation. There has been a fair amount of growth in the occupancies. Good growth in the

three to five-star categories of hotels. We have been working with the state government to release the tourism policy soon. The recent GST development of rationalisation of taxes on room tariffs is a very positive sign. The outlook of the industry has changed. Today, there is a lot of manpower available but skill is needed. We are losing out on MICE business to the neighbouring countries. We will become a key point for the growth of our business. We look forward to more opportunities.” “We have got the opportunity to promote Telangana cuisine. I am glad that The Indian Express brought GICC to Hyderabad which is respected within the chefs’ fraternity. We have seen a lot of aspirations. We will do our best to make sure the hospitality in-

dustry soars to new heights,” expressed Chef Lamba. Followed by the inauguration, a GM’s Conclave on the topic Hyderabad as a MICE destination, marked the presence of Ravi Khubchandani, GM, Novotel Hyderabad Airport; Reginald Corbett, regional manager Hyderabad & GM, Lemon Tree Premier Hitec City and Tejinder Singh, GM, ITC Kohenur, who spoke on the challenges and opportunities faced by them in promoting Hyderabad as a MICE market. A Chef ’s Knowledge Exchange followed suit which saw participation of Chef Gaurav Malhotra, executive chef, Novotel HICC; Chef Dharmender Lamba, executive chef, Trident, Hyderabad; Chef Kumar Sambhav, regional executive chef, Lemon Tree Premier Hitec City; Chef

Sajesh Nair, executive chef, Taj Falaknuma Palace; Chef Yogen Datta, executive chef, ITC Kohenur and Chef Sekar Rapaka, pastry chef, Novotel Hyderabad Airport. The first day concluded by honouring legacy restaurants, cafes and contemporary brewpubs for their valuable contribution in evolving the F&B experiences in Hyderabad. The F&B brands which garnered the honours included Ohri’s Tansen, Simply South, K S Bakers, Talking Hands, The Old Madras Baking Company, Chili’s American Grill & Bar, Dialogue in the Dark and 10 Downing Street. The other two days followed suit with power-packed roundtable discussions that witnessed the presence of renowned general managers,

purchase managers, and executive housekeepers who shared their views on various trending topics in the industry. The three-day event also saw the high spirited Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC) and awards which had over 100 professional and aspiring chefs compete against each other under various categories. This was followed by The Mixology Championship, a classic platform for liquid chefs and bartenders to showcase their exuberant spirit creations. The leading exhibitors at the 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo at Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, included Hobart, SpeedX, Rishab Hotel and Restaurant Services, Bisleri, Ebro Foods India, Cornitos, Vezlay Foods, and Thanor Pottery, among others.

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

COVER STORY

GMs Conclave: Hyderabad needs to develop as an experiential MICE village The City of Hyderabad has seen infrastructural development, rising room inventory and convention and exhibition spaces being set up across the city. At Express Food & Hospitality Expo Hyderabad, general managers of leading hotels in the city describe the roadmap for the destination as a MICE market By Akshay Nayak

t the 38th edition of Express Food and Hospitality Expo held at Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, the panelists at the GM's Conclave on day one discussed on the topic “Hyderabad as MICE destination”, sharing invaluable insights about the evolution of the City of Nizams as a MICE destination and the hurdles and catalysts

affecting the CAGR of the market. They also, unanimously, urged the state government to roll out the tourism policy soon and to promote Hyderabad as an 'experiential MICE village'. Going down memory lane, Reginald Corbett, regional manager Hyderabad & GM, Lemon Tree Premier Hitec City reminisced about the first convention held in 2001

22 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

by CII in Taj Krishna and Taj Residency, which also saw international participation and was a huge success. “Fast forward to now, with technology serving varied purposes like audio-visuals, laptops, acoustic systems, etc, MICE has come a long way in Hyderabad and India likewise. It has grown and we look forward to its growth in the forthcoming years too,” he added.

Ravi Khubchandani, GM, Novotel Hyderabad Airport also agreed that there has been a massive growth in the city's MICE market with a CAGR of eight per cent. He said, “Hyderabad has witnessed a well-grounded growth. Also, what has kept Hyderabad as a key attraction for MICE is its connectivity and infrastructure to host sizeable conventions, and

hence is also popularly known as the MICE capital of the country.” Tejinder Singh, GM, ITC Kohenur, opined that since 2001, Hyderabad has seen a lot of positive things in terms of connectivity and destinations to visit. He went on to say, “Hyderabad is a good market for conferences and other scalable events. Infrastructurally it is getting

COVER STORY better. The bigger players are moving to this market. HICC, Hitex and other convention centres have attracted a lot of hotel brands to enter the market. Also, there are good facilities for accommodation across various segments within the market. India doesn't have a lot of luxury MICE. People here will always remain very competitive. But, our vision remains that we don't compete for destination against destination. Hyderabad needs to have a unified marketing approach as 'Destination Hyderabad'. The government has to pitch in. With the large airport, Hyderabad will see massive growth. Also, the heritage part of Hyderabad is still living and celebrated. We have seen what good companies like Taj has done with Falaknuma Palace, which has become a key attraction for the destination weddings market. The government is very friendly and open to talk business, but the only thing is that they need to promote Hyderabad as a tourist destination too.”

Hyderabad's MICE muscle While Corbett felt that the market has shown a positive growth year-on-year with organic growth in the MICE business, Khubchandani opined that the advent of more inventory is only going to make it robust. He explained, “MICE in Hyderabad

Ravi Khubchandani, Reginald Corbett and Tejinder Singh

has seen about eight per cent of healthy growth in the last few years. With the inventory now stabilising and with more inventory coming in, the city is now having a lot of convention centres of various sizes. Another thing that is helping us is the infrastructure growing at a very fast rate. A lot of hotel inventory coming up in the vicinity of convention centres is helping this market to prosper. The airport too is one of the finest ones. All these facilities will come together to show that we are going to have magic growth ahead.” Singh, however, mentioned how, in spite of all the facilities in place, the potential MICE

business which is always value-driven is moving out of Hyderabad to neighbouring countries like Singapore and Sri Lanka. “A large hotel with MICE facilities, allows a person to check the inventory of hundreds of rooms in one property; do everything there and hence cut the logistics. Once you can cut the logstics, you can spend more on the delegate. We lose a lot of business to Sri Lanka and other destinations due to the value proposition. Singapore or Hong Kong is in the vicinity with fly time to reach these destinations being just 2-4 hours. We need to have some world-class facilities and the

state will have to look beyond Hyderabad. Also, there is need to develop some activity products and things to do for the leisure time of MICE guests. Hyderabad has a lot of potential. But the Char Minar is not the Taj Mahal and hence you cannot just show a picture of Char Minar and expect your guests to book their flights to Hyderabad. Kerala has completely transformed itself, likewise, we would want Telangana to transform itself.”

Experiential MICE village Commenting on the role of the state government, Corbett suggested, “We have to create a kind of MICE village where

the guests do not only attend meetings but also have facilities to relax, rejuvenate and immerse themselves in unique experience during their leisure time. It will go a long way for the Hyderabad market.” Khubchandani agreed, “When somebody comes into Hyderabad, they find the least time to explore the city as they are usually spending time at the conventions and other MICE activities. So in that context, there is enough growth that can be achieved in this market, so the patron gets more experience in the city. The value proposition is, of course, the foremost thing. In this case, we have the leverage to capitalise on 10 per cent of the cost spent by the end-user on the MICE organiser, to add the experiential element to their business travel. We are constantly evolving.” Also regarding the draft tourism policy proposed by the state government, Singh reminisced, “When we were entering the market, the tourism policy was just announced. A policy should have a good language. It should be known to everybody.” Corbett said that LTH is already working with HRATS to further prod the government about the tourism policy. “All our suggestions are being taken into consideration, and moving forward we expect it to roll out soon,” Corbett added.

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

COVER STORY

GMs Conclave: Ironing out the industry’s manpower challenge General managers of renowned international and national brands, in a roundtable discussion on ‘The Manpower Challenge’ voice the key solutions to plug the attrition rates faced by the industry By EF&H Staff Hyderabad

n the second day of 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo concluded at Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, general managers of leading hotels in the city touch-based with each other at the GM’s Conclave roundtable discussion on the rising concern of attrition in the hospitality industry and their dynamic approach to maximise employee retention. The panel discussion was titled, ‘The Manpower Challenge’. The esteemed panelists were Soumitra Pahari, GM, Mercure

Hyderabad KCP; Alok Kaul, GM, Radisson Hyderabad HITEC City; Akhilesh Kumar, GM, Royal Reve Hotel; Peter Pulliattu, GM, Fortune Park Vallabha; Rubin Cherian, GM, ibis Hyderabad Hitec City, and Imran Khan, zonal manager Operations (South), IntelliStay Hotels. Noting their views about the challenge that has been existent in the industry for long now, Pulliattu observed that the first challenge is getting quality manpower. “People have moved out to other industries although they pursued a hotel management

24 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

course. We were in our comfort zones, but now we are moving,” he exclaimed. Pahari opined that the manpower challenge has always been there in the hospitality industry. Reasoning the increase in attrition rates, he justified, “From 2000-2008, people were looking for a standard of living, now the scenario has changed, quality of living has changed. However, that of people in the hospitality industry has remained the same as in 2000 with intensive work hours, staying away from families, etc.” Cherian, from AccorHotels

too, clarified that the millennials, seeking jobs in hospitality, want fast money. “They do not want long working hours and too much pressure. In Hyderabad which is also known as the startup city, the millennials have many options here with better salaries, due to which the employee turnover rates have been on the rise in the city.” Agreeing to Cherian, Khan said that IntelliStay being a young company, they are still hiring new people and they have seen it as a pattern that the employees do not want to stick to the same job role for more than

six months. “They want to grow up fast and want to do quality work and discard monotony,” he added. To resolve the increasing attrition, Kumar suggested that hospitality companies need to retain and hold on to the overperforming employees who envision the growth of the company year on year. “As the industry is 95 per cent humandriven, attrition will be a concern in the long run,” he echoed. Joining the conversation, Kaul nodded, “Yes, change is happening faster than how we want it to happen. Brand loyalty

COVER STORY is passe. Customers need fast change. Another challenge that has happened over the years is that a hiring basis isn't provided. There will be a huge demarcation between luxury and midscale hotels. Regulations have to be put in associations for hiring practices.”

honest we are also looking at setting up an institute, which shall roll out soon in some time now.”

Industry-curriculum mismatch

Employee retention The key to decrease the manpower challenge, the panelists recommended, is maximising employee retention by conducting various team-building and rewarding activities. Pulliattu clarified that it is all about the work culture. “It starts with the environment that we provide. We can make it engaging with rewards,” he informed. Pahari agreed, “Taking care of the people is needed. They are coming for the first time and they need to have a buddy to share everything with. People are thinking everything about an instance. At Accor, we say to learn every day. Learn, and growth comes faster.” Kumar reminisced that earlier pouring water in the glass at the restaurant was considered the best thing, but is considered as just another monotonous task by the employees these days. “Hence, for these changing sentiments, we need to train and share the culture with the employees about the importance of each task,” he added. Cherian in this regard observed that for retention, attrition is both good and bad. He mentioned, “At Accor, we have certain development programmes which will check the attrition rates significantly.” Kaul believes that every brand needs to have something and needs to go ahead and tie up with colleges and universities. “Radisson has started the Radisson academy online, but India is a different ballgame. We think competing domestically. Why do we still have Michelin Star rating for the chefs? The rating shall come from India,” he echoed. At IntelliStay Hotels, Khan said, “We pride to take culture with the team. We are having training models for all the staff to give them basic training. To be

Rubin Cherian

Soumitra Pahari

Peter Pulliattu

Akhilesh Kumar

Imran Khan

The panelists, unanimously called out to the private and government hotel management institutes to provide aspiring hospitality professionals with real-time requirements of the hospitality industry like – use of technology for various operations, time management, hand’s on skills, etc. Pulliattu strongly put forward his point that there should be a strong connection between colleges and the industry. “There was a point of time where we used to hire people from Frankfinn and other private institutes and also people having shortterm courses which get them ready for housekeeping, F&B operations, etc,” he stated. According to Pahari, curriculum and industry mismatch is everywhere. “In the hotel industry, people are still trained in Fidelio while the industry today uses Opera. They are not taught about digitalisation, but instead how they should serve a guest from the left or the right side. The quality of the faculty is also not at par with the market standards. We recruit candidates for their attitude. Their mental stability has to be there for which the Psychometric test is done,” he said. Cherian too highlighted this point about looking for candidates with the attitude. On the flip side, he justified that the hotel industry is changing rapidly, saying, “Colleges have started sending the students for six months of hands-on training at the hotels. But, the hotels are still getting the meager tasks done by these aspiring students. Hence there is a big gap that still needs to be addressed.” Kaul pointed out, “The industry’s demand for skilled manpower is huge, while the supply is less. The faculty in most institutes hardly has any exposure to international cuisines. Silver service was always there, but the customer today needs quick service. People still keep logbooks, while the world is operating on ipads and other tech.”

Alok Kaul

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

COVER STORY

Chef's Knowledge Exchange: Amodern twist to traditional cuisine While giving a modern appeal to a traditional dish, it is important to maintain the dish's core purpose and authentic taste. This was the view expressed by executive chefs of leading hotels in Hyderabad at the Chef's Knowledge Exchange on the fisrt day of Express Food & Hospitality Expo at Hitex recently By Akshay Nayak

he second panel discussion on the first day of the 38th edition of EF&H Expo in Hyderabad saw the presence of executive chefs from leading hotels in Hyderabad coming together to speak about the need and application of giving a 'Modern Twist to Traditional Cuisine'. The esteemed panelists were Chef Sajesh Nair, executive chef, Taj Falaknuma Palace; Chef Gaurav Malhotra, executive chef, Novotel HICC; Chef Dharmender Lamba, executive chef, Trident, Hyderabad; Chef

Kumar Sambhav, regional executive chef, Lemon Tree Premier HITEC City; Chef Yogen Datta, executive chef, ITC Kohenur and Chef Sekhar Rapaka, pastry chef, Novotel Hyderabad Airport KC. Commencing the panel discussion, Chef Datta said that when it comes to tweaking the traditional cuisine, all that the chef has to provide to the patrons are experiences. He feels that tweaking the traditional cuisine in some bits does add to the experiential element. “You have to be upfront about the tweaking

26 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

that you have made. You tend to give more experience, then as long as you are explaining for yourself, you are playing a safe game,” he said. Chef Nair reverberated Chef

Datta's views and said that the chef has to upfront about the twist that they have given to a particular dish, and why so. He said that the well-travelled guests now know what they ex-

actly want. “Tweaking will be required for today's generation is looking for a healthy diet and hence the ingredients need to be changed. We like to stick to our traditions. So we do something to appeal to the eyes as well as the palate.” he answered to a query about how Taj Falaknuma tickles the tastebuds while sticking to the traditions. According to Chef Lamba, all chefs are creative and like to try and present something new to their patrons every time. “We have to clearly understand what the guest is coming for. If the

COVER STORY guest is coming for an experience, we make it a point to present that but if the guest is in a hurry, they may not be looking at the nitty-gritty of what is presented to them. We have to modify our ways without bypassing the core value of the dish and at the same time bring in what we are trying to deliver. If you go with the traditional Mutton Rogan Josh, I don't know how many guests eat it now.” The whole concept is evolving because the customer demand has changed, he affirmed. Serving to numerous guests, Chef Malhotra of Novotel HICC expressed that the authenticity of the dish must not fade in the process of tweaking it. “A dal makhani should taste like a dal makhani, so that is what is important for us. When it comes to serving a huge number of guests in conventions and gatherings, there is not much tweaking that can be done. But at our restaurants, we do consider tweaking the traditional cuisine.” Chef Sambhav noted that the modern-day guests, the millennials are looking at receiving their food with a modern twist to the traditional cuisine.

Keeping the authenticity intact Chef Nair opined that while tweaking the dish as per the expectations of the guests, authenticity needs to be studied. He said, “We ensure that whatever we do for the visual attraction, it will not affect the authenticity of the dish until and unless you play around with the process of preparing the dish. For example, if a Tandoori chicken tikka is not cooked in the tandoor but in an oven, then you have changed it completely.” Chef Lamba opined that food is very subjective. “What is authentic for you may not be authentic for me. As chefs, we are the custodians of the traditional cuisine legacy and must ensure that it is not lost. There was a fad for molecular gastronomy for a while. Everybody is looking for something new.” Chef Gaurav too agreed on not changing the core purpose of a dish, but the dimensions, and how sauces catering to the newage tastebuds can be a bit more contemporary, but still be a part

of the authentic dish. He added, “As chefs, we know what is best and what ingredients will make it look and taste better.” Chef Rapaka said that he too has tweaked the pastries and savouries to meet the modern guest's expectations, but only with the portion size and presentation and not the taste.

Organic approach The panelists, when asked about the organic approach in their kitchens, noted that it is much of a trend among the consumers, for which the hotels have also started investing in these ingredients, but again there are some loopholes associated with the organic trend. Chef Datta strictly believes either it is all organic or non-organic produce. Every single element has to match. Chef Nair feels that wherever you go you come back to the roots. “We receive a lot of guests who ask for ingredients that are organic like the organic ragi flour, etc. We being a palace property, we do use organic products and tweak the dishes using them accordingly,” he added. Chef Sambhav said that as of now they are not doing much of organic, but on demand, they do cater to the guests who want dishes made using organic produce. Chef Gaurav mused, “Honestly we have a big lawn and garden. Also a couple of years ago, we started Hydroponics. We have our mango orchard and also some produce harvest within the property which suffices for our a-la-carte restaurant needs. We do promote it. It doesn't have to be all organic but in some parts of the menu, we do have organic offerings.” “There is no certification for organic produce. There is no authenticity and it is just selfclaimed by producers,” pointed out Chef Lamba. Chef Datta felt that the culture of consumption changes with the evolution of the cities. Many cities are taking this trend ahead. And, likewise, Hyderabad is seeing the demand for organic produce, he said. Chef Sambhav also said that they are now new vendors coming up with organic produce, pointing out that the trend is gaining traction in the city.

Chef Yogen Datta

Chef Sajesh Nair

Chef Dharmender Lamba

Chef Kumar Sambhav

Chef Gaurav Malhotra

Chef Sekhar Rapaka

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

COVER STORY

Restaurant Excellence: Honouring Hyderabad's culinarylegacy By EF&H Staff Hyderabad

he first day of the 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality in Hyderabad ended on a high note with the best of the culinary brands in the City of Pearls being honoured for the legacy of flavours both interna-

Simply South

28 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

tional and traditional that they are celebrated for. The celebration witnessed Hyderabad's legacy restaurants, cafes and contemporary brewpubs being honoured for their valuable contribution in evolving the F&B experiences in Hyderabad. The

Ohri’s Tansen

F&B brands which garnered the honours included Ohri’s Tansen, Simply South, KS Bakers, Talking Hands, The Old Madras Baking Company, Chili’s American Grill & Bar, Dialogue in the Dark and 10 Downing Street.

COVER STORY

THE WINNERS ● Ohri’s Tansen ● Simply South ● K S Bakers ● Talking Hands ● The Old Madras Baking Company ● Chili’s American Grill & Bar ● Dialogue in the Dark and ● 10 Downing Street Talking Hands

10 Downing Street

Chili’s American Grill & Bar

The Old Madras Baking Company

K S Bakers

Dialogue in the Dark

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

COVER STORY

Power of Purchase: Procurement challenges in Hyderabad Procurement professionals of leading hotel brands in Hyderabad gathered at the 38th edition of EF&H Expo to speak on the challenges associated with procurement of materials in the metro city of Hyderabad By EF&H Staff Hyderabad

he second day of the EF&H Expo Hyderabad 2019 saw a panel discussion on Procurement challenges in Hyderabad. The panelists were procurement experts of hotels including K L

Narsimha Reddy, materials manager, Novotel Hyderabad Airport; Ankit Sureka, assistant financial controller, ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad; Satyanarayana O, purchase executive, ITC Kohenur; Venkanna Bandaru, stores & purchase

30 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

manager, Lemon Tree Premier, Hitec City; Ramana Murthy P V, area materials manager - Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, Taj Krishna, and Karthikeya P, complex purchase manager at Marigold Hotels (Marigold &

Green Park Hyderabad), who spoke at length about the many challenges that they face in the city of Hyderabad. Bandaru kickstarted the conversation on the challenges faced by them mentioning that with a lot of

hotels coming up, the inventory supply is increasing but that of the materials is not increasing simultaneously. Procurement is hence becoming a challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Procuring onions has become expensive, due to a lot of real estate

COVER STORY projects coming on the farmlands, which has been one of the reasons for decreasing productivity. The rates are also increasing due to low productivity. Even procuring milk is a challenge in the city as there is a lack of dairy farms, so we have to depend on the neighbouring states. The lack of suppliers is a pain point again.”

Logistical infrastructure in the doldrums Reddy agreed with Bandaru and went on to say that the major challenge that he has been facing in the Hyderabad market is the procurement of perishables. “The quality of the mutton is not up to the mark. As compared to procurement in a metro, the hygiene conditions of meat storage and transportation, the quality is lacking in Hyderabad. Getting the produce in temperature-controlled manner is also a problem with substandard logistics. Another big challenge in Hyderabad is price fluctuation. Considering onions or potatoes, there is a lack of governance in pricing and also the disposal of perishables,” he explained. Satyanarayana agreed pointing out that there is a challenge to import mutton from Jaipur vendors. “In terms of dynamic pricing strategy applied by the vendors, we have a strong arm with the vendors wherein we enter with a year-long contract which has fixed prices irrespective of the market sentiments,” added Surekha. Karthikeya too agreed with the other panelists and highlighted that maintaining hygiene is a bit of a challenge when it comes to the vendors in the Hyderabad market. Murthy opined that a major problem is the commitment from the vendor's side. “The vendor commitment that I have witnessed is the best in Mumbai. Even at times, when market situations are changing, Mumbai vendors are skeptical to approach us. Taj as a brand has always supported the ven-

Ramana Murthy P V

Venkanna Bandaru

dors and we believe that it should be a win-win situation for both. We believe in having a long term relation with our vendors and develop them in the meanwhile too.” He added that this year, the market has seen some turbulence in the pricing of various food articles right from vegetables to dairy. “We negotiate on certain items on MRP. Earlier, Gujarat used to supply dairy, but now with an increase in the dairy SKUs, the surplus of milk has gone down significantly. We close the negotiations in February looking forward to the upcoming budget. May onwards, the rates start surging,” he added.

Organic produce procurement

K L Narsimha Reddy

Satyanarayana O

Karthikeya P

Ankit Sureka

Karthikeya feels that the demand for organic produce is good, but cost is a problem which goes up to 60 to 70 per cent more than procuring the conventional non-organic produce. “There is no authenticity in this regard as well. So many are just making business in the name of organic, but it is not,” he believes. Satyanarayana informed, “We have an organic restaurant now and also have started terrace gardening.” Bandaru feels that organic produce will take some time to penetrate the Hyderabad market. Reddy said that they have learnt about the trend of organic produce consumption and have started growing broccoli, cherry tomatoes and a few more exotic vegetables without using any pesticides and chemicals. Murthy said that the measure of the harvest of organic as compared to non-organic produce is dramatically less. “We do consider seasonal procurement. The market runs behind the fad, for which, many organic stores opened but didn't last for long. “Organic produce is good but consistent consumption pattern of the same still needs to be looked at with diligence. If you have to get yield, chemicals must be added,” he concluded.

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Housekeepers Connect: Man v/s Robots At the Housekeepers Connect during the 38th edition of EF&H Expo in Hyderabad, exceutive housekeepers of leading hotel brands shared that while technology can assist in routine housekeeping functions, the human touch is By Akshay Nayak

n the third day of the Express Food & Hospitality Expo in Hyderabad, the dais saw executive housekeepers of renowned hotels in Hyderabad discussing the topic, Man vs Robots. The panelists included Kiran Kumar Reddy, executive housekeeper, Novotel Hyderabad Airport; Seema Chaturvedi, executive housekeeper, ITC Kohenur; Saravan Kumaran, director of housekeeping, Oakwood Residence Kapil Hyderabad; Hemant Rana, housekeeping head, Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Hyderabad Banjara Hills and Medhatithi Bhattacharjee, rooms division manager, Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Hyderabad Banjara Hills. Beginning the panel discussion, Kumaran said technology can be used for various touchpoints and getting real-time information about your guests. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are synced with the guest right from the time they land at the airport, wherein, they receive a welcome message from the hotel. We also have a nodal chat assistant through which the guest's different queries regarding in-room housekeeping can be addressed with the exchange of just a couple of messages, hence cutting out the hassle for the guests and making their stay experience seamless,â&#x20AC;? he explained. Radiofrequency identification tags, otherwise popularly known as RFID tags have been gaining popularity for tracking inventory of linen and towels and also their shelflife, laundry status and location. However, Chaturvedi pointed out that although the benefits are innumerable, cost-wise RFID tagged linens are expensive. They need to be made more economical

32 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

COVER STORY until then they are not coming to India anytime soon, she opined. Keeping guest preferences in mind and to offer them a seamless experience, there is a need for technology, but a human touch is also needed in this industry, and being in India, our hospitality is celebrated across the globe, noted Rana. Reddy highlighted that when it comes to using technology in hospitality, people working in housekeeping are much more tech-savvy than those in other operations. “Earlier, we used to maintain a book and keep a record of guest preferences and used to convey the same to our branded hotels in different destinations. But now all the guest preferences can be fed and stored in a central system accessible to each member hotel. AI is a prospective feature, but India is not that active into it. Robots are being used for various purposes like cleaning swimming pools.” He reiterated Rana's point, “The personalised touch can connect with the guest in housekeeping, which robots can't.”

Responsible guests

RFID tagged linens are expensive. They need to be made more economical; until then they are not coming to India anytime soon Medhatithi Bhattacharjee

Tech for experiences While the modern-day guests are short of time for most of the tasks such as dialing for laundry services, waiting, etc, with technology, people don't have to invest time in everything, said Chaturvedi. “At ITC Kohenur, we have ipads in the room through which a guest can get everything that they need right from food, laundry, and other requests. In the case of laundry, they need to drop the items in the basket and after six hours they receive a mobile alert about the laundered clothing. Also, the light in the wardrobe remains lit depicting that the laundered fabric is kept in the wardrobe. Hence, technology is used significantly for housekeeping operations at ITC,” she informed. Bhattacharjee said that technology can be used to record guest preferences and maintain the data, but machine learning isn't accurate every time. “If a particular person loves a product in the toilet, a robot cannot know what the preferred merchandise of the guest is. With the human touch, the experience becomes more seamless,” he explained.

Hemant Rana

Seema Chaturvedi

Kiran Kumar Reddy

Saravan Kumaran

Although technology has come a long way, be it using aerators in faucets to save water, to less power consuming smart washing machines/dishwashers, etc, wastage and sustainability is something that guests must also be aware of and shall be participating voluntarily. Speaking about the modernday guest's responsible approach, Kumaran said, “As associates, yes we have assessed the new travellers and their in-room activities like usage of water, linens, towels, etc; we have learnt that the youngsters are much more responsible now.” Reddy said that the Green programme is always there in hotels, which is helping very much. “The guest is also aware of it and minimise wastage of water. We are getting rid of the plastic amenities and using recyclable amenities. Consumption has become less, the guests support our cause,” he affirmed. With so much of exposure on social media about sustainability and environment-friendly practices, the guests are wellread now about the management of wastage, informed Chaturvedi. She expressed, “As a move against single-use plastic - ITC's commitment for the environment was quite evident to the citizens of India. Also, glass bottles are much feasible. We are going to have our water plant to become self-sufficient.” Rana added to Chaturvedi's viewpoint, saying, “We at Radisson are also investing in glass bottles. We believe awareness about the cause both at the hotel level and guest level is the most important thing.” Bhattacharjee added that the guests aged 20-30 years are the people that are rapidly changing sentiments of the elderly. Nowadays, they inform the elders about reducing water wastage; using eco-friendly detergents, etc. Radisson Hitec city has completely started discarding singleuse plastic. Kumaran concluded, “Plastic is the misadventure of manpower. Its misuse has got us here. Shifting focus is required. Glass bottles to be sealed and promoted is the need of the hour which shall change the scenario significantly.”

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GICC comes to Telangana By EF&H Staff Hyderabad

ne of the key highlights of the 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality was the Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC) which was held in association with Telangana Chefs Association (TCA). The two-day competition saw over 100 aspiring and professional chefs from well-known hospitality institutes to popular hotels, showcasing mouthwatering creations across a mix of seven key categories. The esteemed jury comprised of Chef Dharmender Lamba, executive chef, Trident Hyderabad and president, Telangana Chefs Association (TCA); Chef Mahesh Padala, executive chef, The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace; Chef Partha Chakrabarti, culinary director; Hotel Marigold by Green Park Hotels & Resorts; Chef Shahid Hossain, executive chef, Taj Krishna; Chef Yogender Pal, executive chef, Park Hyatt; Chef Keshi Nisudan; independent consultant chef; Chef Amey Marathe, founder Jsamey Biotech; Chef Vikram Simha Akula, chef director at Indiblaze, and Chef Naveen Nagaraj, executive chef, Tatva.

Category I - Artisan Bakery Display (For Professionals) Name

Organisation

Medals

Raparthi Uday Prakash

Regency College of Hotel Management

Gold

Nikhil Soin

Trident Hyderabad

Silver

Saketh Goud

Marigold Hotel

Bronze

Category 2 - Plated Appetiser (For Professionals) Name

Organisation

Medals

Shailendra Rawal

Trident Hyderabad

Gold

Karunakar Kola

Regency College Of Hotel Management

Silver

Kush Aggarwal

Trident Hyderabad

Bronze

Ravi Kumar Varikuti

Culinary Academy Of India

Bronze

Anil Prasad

Tatva

Bronze

Category 3 - Plated Dessert (For Professionals) Name

Organisation

Medals

Saloni Rathore

Trident Hyderabad

Gold

K. Benjamin Stev

Regency College of Hotel Management

Silver

Unnati Supekar

Culinary Academy of India

Bronze

Deepak Kumar

Trident Hyderabad

Bronze

Best Team Professional - Trident Hyderabad Institute - Regency College of Hotel Management

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Category 4 - Artisan Bakery Display (For Students) Name

Organisation

Medals

Manne Gopi

Regency College of Hotel Management

Gold

C.Vaibhav

Global Academy of Hotel Management

Silver

K. Santosh Reddy

Global Academy of Hotel Management

Bronze

Arun Sada Shanker

Culinary Academy of India

Bronze

Category 5 - Plated Appetizer (For Students) Name

Organisation

Medals

Ambresh

Regency College of Hotel Management

Gold

Ajay Goud

Regency College of Hotel Management

Silver

K. Sai Kumar

Global Institute of Hotel Management

Bronze

Devi Vara Prasad

Global Institute of Hotel Management

Bronze

Category 6 - Plated Dessert (For Students) Name

Organisation

Medals

CH Delip Reddy

Indian Institute of Hotel Management

Gold

Hasan Gudhus

Indian Institute of Hotel Management

Silver

Kishan Singh

Indian Institute of Hotel Management

Bronze

Pratik Singh

Regency College of Hotel Management

Bronze

Category 7 - Fruits & Vegetables Carving (For Students) Name

Organisation

Medals

B. Vybhav

Regency College of Hotel Management

Gold

Chilaka Sandeep

Chennais Amirta International Institute of Hotel Management

Silver

Shaik Vaseem

Chennais Amirta International Institute of Hotel Management

Bronze

Kumara K B

OSM Hotel Management Institute

Bronze

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The MixologyChampionship: Sipping on the high spirits

F&H Expo has proven to be a dais for young professionals to showcase their talent through innovation. The Mixology Championship held at the 38th edition of EF&H Expo brought together budding bartenders and experienced professionals in Hyderabad who showcased their exuberant liquid creations. The Mixology Championship concluded on the third day of the event.

Mixology Winners

Name

Organisation

Medals

Shiva Teja Nakkanaboina

Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC

Gold

Miriyam Hemanth Kumar

Rebelz School of Bartending

Silver

Soumya Ranjan Jena

Trident Hyderabad

Bronze

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Live Cooking in the Nizami Land By EF&H Staff Hyderabad

he second day of the 38th edition of Express Food & Hospitality Expo in Hyderabad witnessed a live cooking session executed by culinary experts of the Nizami land. Chef Gaurav Malhotra, executive chef, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre and HICC, and Chef Thimma Reddy, executive chef, The Park Hyderabad whipped up appetising dishes including Laham-Al-Mandi, Saffron Pilaf

40 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

with Ratatouille and Zarda (meetha chawal), among others. Giving details about the ingredients; the historic value of the dishes, and their regional value, the chefs, while preparing the delicacies, invited the people from the audience to taste the delectable creations.

TESTIMONIALS “The exhibition has been put together beautifully well. It's just as animated. It does look impresssive. I am looking forward to looking at the rest of the outlets put forth at the exhibition. We are looking forward to having more such events in Hyderabad.”

Ravi Khubchandani GM, Novotel Hyderabad Airport

“It was a great insight overall. Really honoured to be a part of the Express Food & Hospitality expo and be part of the panel discussion where we chefs discussed some crucial topics. It was also nice to see all the stalls. It is great from the chefs’ point of view.”

Chef Sajesh Nair Executive chef, Taj Falaknuma Palace

“I think it is a welcome thing to have this expo in a city like Hyderabad where people love to see something first hand. It is a huge initiative and I wish there are many more coming up. We get to see and experience stuff and also get to meet people. This becomes a common place to come and trade, so it was a lovely experience.”

“It's important to know that it is not how good you are today but it's how good you can be in the future. I wish this event sucess in the years to come.”

Reginald Corbett Regional manager Hyderabad & Hotel GM, Lemon Tree Premier, HITEC City, Hyderabad

“Our industry needs a lot of such powerful discussions as the one addressing the manpower challenge. I thank The Indian Express Group for putting up this expo and bringing the industry experts together to speak on such interesting topic.”

Alok Kaul GM, Radisson Hyderabad HITEC City

Chef Yogen Datta Executive chef, ITC Kohenur

“It has been a great experience at the Express Food & Hospitality expo in Hyderabad. The panel discussion adressing the concern of attrition in the hotel industry was very informative. Also, the exhibitors displaying their products here at the expo is going to help meeting the needs of the industry in Hyderabad.”

Peter Pulliattu GM, Fortune Park Vallabha, Hyderabad

“The panel discussion on the procurement challenges in Hyderabad was really good. We learnt about the various challenges in the Hyderabad market. I thank The Indian Express Group to organise this exhibition.”

K.L.Narsimha Reddy Materials manager, Novotel Hyderabad Airport EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

TESTIMONIALS “The panel discussion on procurement challenges in Hyderabad was knowledgeable. The other panelists shared some really valuable insights which will definitely help each one of us.”

Ramana Murthy P V Area materials manager - Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, Taj Krishna

“We at Cornitos are celebrating our 10th year this year and we have recently rolled out some new products which were showcased at the EF&H Expo in Hyderabad. We received a good response from the visitors. They have been appreciating the new packaging and design along with the quality of the products displayed here at the Expo. This is the right platform to be in Hyderabad and for us it is a good one to meet the chefs of various hotels and restaurants.”

Vikram Agarwal MD, Greeendot Health Foods

“At the Express Food & Hospitality Expo, we launched the Biryani Plus range of rice which is packaged specially for the HoReCa segment. These kinds of platforms are very good for us as it helps us getting connected with and network with the top-notch chefs who generally take the purchase decisions for these kinds of products.”

Puneet Kapoor Asst. GM - marketing, Ebro India

“We at Art Evo participated in EF&H Bengaluru edition where we received a very good response and likewise, Indian Express being a name of repute, we have received a good response from the visitors in the Hyderabad edition too.”

Manish Mehta Business development manager, Kiros Hospitality

“I was here for a panel discussion on the manpower challenge in which we came out with a lot of different perspectives and different solutions as well. The exhibition itself is wellorganised one. There were a lot of new products showcased at the expo.”

Soumitra Pahari GM, Mercure Hyderabad KCP

“We at Bisleri exhibited for the first time in the Hyderabad market with Express Food & Hospitality. The experience has been really good. We saw many key visitors and made new contacts too.”

Shashikanth ASM, Bisleri International

“We are one of India's finest dedicated coffee equipment solution companies catering to the HoReCa segment pan India.We need more such trade shows which give us a platform to showcase what kind of coffees could be served to the end consumer as it is a subject across the segment that everybody wants to up their game in serving coffee.”

Vikram Khurana CEO, Kaapi Solutions India OPC

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PRODUCT TRACKER MARKET

Qualità Oro by Lavazza Lavazza has recently introduced Qualità Oro – a unique blend for those who love to savour a good coffee. Qualità Oro is Lavazza’s first coffee blend. Launched in 1956, it has been handed down from father to son for over 60 years. The Qualità Oro is the master of all coffees, a unique combination of six varieties of Arabica beans from amongst the finest of central and south America, are expertly crafted and perfectly blended to create a distinct and extraordinary coffee symphony, that creates the most pleasurable of coffee experiences. The selection of the best Arabica beans infuses an unmistakable Central American flavour of fruity notes blended with sweet Brazilian aromas. The result is a smooth and aromatic experience which is both sweet and refined.

Myprotein enters India UK’s leading sports and nutrition brand ‘Myprotein’ marks entry into India, with a strategic partnership with MSM Retail. Myprotein is Europe’s leading sports nutrition brand and caters to the citizens of more than 70 countries. It has consolidated its position as one of the world’s most powerful digitalfirst brands with an active engagement of 6.5 million customers worldwide. Myprotein offers one of the widest range in sports nutrition with core products like whey protein, casein, bcaa, glutamine, etc. The brand’s strength is localisation and it would be doing the same and create products specifically for the Indian customers and their needs.

Organic green tea range by Typhoo

Three in one Aerostation Hood by Faber

Typhoo, Britain’s iconic tea brand since 1903, steps up its Green Tea range and offers ‘Organic’ green tea. The brand is known for its unique and consumer-focused tea offerings that are high on the authentic taste of tea, as well as additional health benefits. Keeping in sync with the growing consumer preference and creating a sustainable global environment the brand has converted its wide range of green teas into all pure organic variants.

A leader in innovative kitchen appliances Faber has launched world’s only three in one Aerostation Hood. Keeping your health in mind, Faber is launching three in one Aerostation technology that comprises of a chimney, a fan and an air purifier as well. The hood comes with fan and air purification technology. The aerostation hood comes with spot cooling and air purification technology. The aerostation hood has been launched in two new finishes – Alligator Black & Antique Silver.

46 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

MOVEMENTS JW Marriott Pune JW Marriott Pune has appointed Pooja Gawas as director of sales. In her new role, she will devise and implement innovative sales strategies to increase market share and

seasoned hotelier, Mylavarapu brings almost two decades of proficiency in the hospitality industry. At Marriott International’s first JW Marriott resort property in India, he will spearhead operations, ensuring the resort’s growth and expansion through pioneering strategies. With a comprehensive understanding of managing teams across diverse markets, his core expertise lies in performance management and revenue management.

Hyatt Regency Pune Hyatt Regency Pune has appointed mixologist Anmol Bhargav. An enthusiast and a driven individual, he brings in a

The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa

Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park

Pankaj Jha has been appointed as the rooms division manager at The Westin Anmol Bhargav Pooja Gawas

wealth of knowledge and experience with him to the hotel. Hailing from Jaipur, he has spent the last three years specialising in spirits and mixology, further honing his knowledge and expertise. Before joining Hyatt Regency Pune, he was associated with the Taj and Marriott brands. He will be entrusted to curate exclusive cocktails & mocktails at Hyatt Regency Pune and to elevate the high experience.

maximise the hotel revenue. Through her sales expertise, she aims to ensure progressive growth by nurturing long-term relationships to build greater brand loyalty. Gawas has been with Marriott International for close to five years and has an in-depth experience and understanding of the hospitality industry.

JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa Sachin Mylavarapu has been appointed as the GM for JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa. A

Sachin Mylavarapu

Pankaj Jha

Pushkar Resort & Spa – Westin Hotels’ first resort property in India. Bringing over 12 years of experience in guest relations and hospitality industry to the role, his expertise lies in managing and coordinating all room area departments. He oversees the planning, developing, implementing and evaluating the quality of the resort’s guest rooms and villas. Jha’s responsibilities also include improving guest satisfaction by ensuring that the rooms division meet the brand’s standards, targeting customer needs, focusing on growing revenues and to maximise the financial performance of the department.

ployed with The Westin Kolkata in the key position of director of sales. An oracle in business development, he has been constantly meeting customer acquisition goals and contributing to maximum revenue for all the top-of-the-line hotels he has been associated with in his career. In his present role, the goal-driven Patra is already a key member for The Westin Kolkata by leveraging his in-depth expertise to influence stakeholders and translate ideas into results.

Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park has announced the appointment of Deepika Lohani as the new HR manager. Lohani comes with over

has set out to transform the educational landscape within the country, has announced the appointment of Martha Collett as the new dean of the institute. Collett, was the regional manager of CATHSSETA (Culture, Art, Hospitality, Travel and Tourism, Sport and Sectoral Education and Training Authority) South Africa and previously worked in the areas of curriculum development, facilitation, moderation and assessment. In her new role as dean of Indian School of Hospitality, Collett will oversee academic programmes and bridge with stakeholders, representatives and students.

SodaBottleOpener Wala

The Westin Kolkata A highly-accomplished professional with a diversified selling experience and excellent organizational skills, Pramod Kumar Patra is currently em-

Martha Collett

Deepika Lohani

eight years of experience in HR domain with commendable knowledge and expertise. In her role and with her expertise, she is responsible in conducting talent recruitment/ acquisition strategies across all levels of staff. Establishing and maintaining relationships with hiring managers to stay abreast of current and future business hiring needs.

SodaBottleOpenerWala is proud to announce that Chef Irfan Pabaney, known for the unique touches given

Indian School of Hospitality Pramod Kumar Patra

The Indian School of Hospitality (ISH), a hospitality college that

Chef Irfan Pabaney

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

October 2019

MOVEMENTS

to menus across Mumbai's most sought after restaurants has joined SodaBottleOpenerWala, the much loved Bombay Irani Café and Bar chain, as country head. SodaBottleOpenerwala today is the largest brand of the Olive Bar and Kitchen Group, in terms of presence in the country, with a total of eight outlets across four cities. Born in Colombia and brought up in the Philippines before moving to Mumbai in 1980, Chef Pabaney has been a chef for the past twenty-seven years and he joins SodaBottleOpenerWala with a strong vision for the brand's menu offerings while retaining their quintessential spirit of a Bombay Irani Café. This will be along with taking the brand a notch above in terms of hospitality and brand equity.

and requirements are met. He would be responsible for working effectively with other hotel departments to formulate best practices for a seamless event experience.

The Park Hotels The Park Mumbai has appointed Rahul Makhija as the director of operations. With Makhija on board, the luxury hotel aims to elevate the overall guest experience by setting new standards in services and offer both resident and nonresident guests the most lux-

Rahul Makhija

urious and unparalleled experience. Makhija began his career in hospitality at The Oberoi Rajvilas back in August 2003. From restaurant manager at Hilton Labriz Silhouette to director of operations at Ananda In The Himalayas and then associate VP at CoWrks India he has led teams providing thoughtful, personalised service to every Hotel’s high profile guests from around the world.

Pradeep Atri

the hotel’s MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions), weddings and outdoor catering business. A proven expert in the events and banquets operations, Atri would be the key point of contact for the meeting planner, providing one-stop service and ensuring that all needs

Harshad Nalawade

Conrad Pune has recently appointed Chef Sidney Dcunha as the hotel’s new executive chef. He will be leading the hotel’s culinary team. At Conrad Pune, he will be responsible for all day-to-day operations of the kitchen. Chef Dcunha comes with over 15 years of culinary experience in estab-

the F&B department. He takes pride in ensuring that guests indulge in bespoke dining experiences. Roy is in charge of spearheading F&B operations and convention center of the 360-room hotel, with four F&B outlets along with a banqueting space of 76000 sq ft.

Fairfield by Marriott Pune Kharadi

V Resorts V Resorts, a boutique leisure travel brand has appointed Arvind Razdan as senior VP, sales and marketing. Razdan will be responsible for driving the marketing, sales, brand and PR strategies for the group in India and overseas. The newly hired leader is expected to play a crucial role in developing and implementing short term and long-term

Abhishek Roy

Chef Sidney Dcunha

Fairfield by Marriott Pune Kharadi has appointed Aniket Kulkarni as the hotel manager. A well-recognised industry veteran with almost 14 years,

lished hotels to pre-opening ones. Prior to joining Conrad Pune, he has worked with J W Marriott Mumbai Sahar. Previous to that, he has worked with the Taj group of hotels in Mumbai, Delhi, New York, Boston and Ritz Carlton Bangalore.

Courtyard and Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Outer Ring Road

Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Center

Aniket Kulkarni

A seasoned professional, Harshad Nalawade has over 17 years of experience in spearheading restaurants, lounges, catering, events, administration, training and guest relations. Nalawade

Abhishek Roy has been appointed as director of F&B, Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Center. In his role, he is responsible for managing and overseeing the operations of

Kulkarni has experience in the luxury and upscale hotel segment. He has been with Marriott International for the last 14 years and is adept and wellacquainted in the industrial know-how.

48 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

Conrad Pune

joins Courtyard and Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Outer Ring Road as the director of operations. Starting his career in 2001 at the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai, Harshad went on to join Marriott in 2003. His first assignment was with the JW Marriott in Mumbai and his illustrious stint saw him grow as an assistant restaurant manager before moving to the JW Marriott Pune as restaurant manager in 2011.

Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla Pradeep Atri has been appointed as associate director - Crowne Plaza Meetings at Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla. With an experience of over 11 years, Atri will oversee

business plans for the firm. At V Resorts, he will be in-charge of creating a strong offline business support by market penetration in feeder markets like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

Arvind Razdan

MOVEMENTS Auromatrix Hotels Auromatrix Hotels has announced the appointment of Sudhir Sinha as COO, India, for the development of G6 Hospitality known for its iconic hotel brands, Motel6 (M6), Hotel6 (H6) & Studio6 (S6) in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. G6 has over 1400 hotels worldwide. Sinha is a known personality in service and hospitality industry and has been in this business for over three decades. He was earlier president & COO at Best Western Hotels India, where he spearheaded the unprecedented development by signing 62 properties for the chain. Prior to Best Western India, he was VP of development

Sudhir Sinha

and franchise services at Choice Hotels, where he achieved a record franchise development feat by adding twenty new hotels to the chain. He has handled diversified business operations at several companies including International Travel House (an ITC Group company), CLG Hotels & Resorts, and Abercrombie & Kent India.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, world’s largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,200 hotels in over 80 countries, recently announced the appointment of Nikhil Sharma to the role of area di-

at Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Center.

Indore Marriott Hotel

Nikhil Sharma

Siddharth Pandey

rector for the Eurasia region. Sharma will have a full management remit encompassing franchise operations support, regional sales, revenue management services, while also steering the marketing strategy for the region. Supported by a strong regional team, he will be responsible for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ growing presence of over 40 hotels and 4,000 rooms across the Indian sub-continent, and will be instrumental in working towards further enhancing contribution and revenue performance, whilst also overseeing continued brand engagement and high quality standards. He will be based in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ corporate offices in Gurgaon, India.

fair market positioning by guiding the sales and marketing team.

Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre and HICC Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) announced the appointment of Siddharth Pandey as their new director of revenue for their dual property. In his new role, Pandey who brings over 10 years of hospitality experience, will be leading revenue operations for the hotel and HICC. Being a seasoned professional in analytical and functional operations, he will be responsible for forecasting and strategising monthly growth targets and driving the hotel’s

Indore Marriott Hotel, the largest 5-Star property in Madhya Pradesh announced that Somrup Chanda, director of F&B will now be leading the team of 54 Praangan, an openair Indian restaurant and Diamante, a high energy bar lounge, along with other restaurants such as Indore Kitchen, One Asia, Indore Baking Com-

The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi

The Leela Mumbai The Leela Mumbai has appointed Chef Aungshuman Chakraborty as the new executive chef. With an illustrious career of over two decades, he brings with him vast knowledge and experience in food production. Spearheading the culinary operations at The Leela Mumbai, Chef Chakraborty will lead the restaurant and banquet kitchen team and will be responsible for pricing, cost planning, budget analysis, launching new menus and concepts across all the six specialty restaurants of the property. Chef Chakraborty also got to explore the flight catering vertical with Oberoi flight services in Mauritius. Prior to joining The Leela Mumbai, he worked as the complex executive chef

Chef Aungshuman Chakraborty

Gorav Arora

The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi has appointed Prateek Kalra as the director of operations for the hotel. Kalra brings with him over 14 years

Somrup Chanda

pany and banquets. In his current role, he will be overseeing all five restaurant’s management, financial functions and banquet operations that also include event planning and inhouse catering.

Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach Gorav Arora is the new general manager of Accor’s Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach. A seasoned hotelier, Arora brings 18 years of hospitality experience to the beach hotel. In his leadership role, he will be responsible for spearheading operations at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach. Over the course of his career, he has worked with leading international hotel brands like The Hyatt Hotels and The Oberoi Group. Further, he has also been associated with Accor for the past nine years.

Prateek Kalra

of hospitality experience and proficiency in handling multifaceted roles. In his new role, he will be seen providing strategic leadership to all departments and overseeing smooth functioning of the bustling 313-room luxury hotel with seven vibrant F&B outlets and sprawling event spaces. He will be using his expertise to nurture a business environment that consistently delivers positive results while improving guest satisfaction and profitability.

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October 2019

MOVEMENTS Fairmont Jaipur Fairmont Jaipur has appointed Amit Sangwan as its new director â&#x20AC;&#x201C; F&B. Sangwan comes with more than 16 years of experience and understanding of the luxury market nationally

melier, Chris Franzen has been appointed as general manager for Grand Hyatt Mumbai and area VP for western India. Prior to his appointment in India, he worked for six and half years as GM at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel & Villas in Qatar. He is a hard-core loyalist of the Hyatt group, having worked with the group for over two decades. Besides his role as GM for the Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences, he will also be responsible for operations for all Hyatt hotels in western India in his role as area VP for west India.

and globally. He will be responsible to oversee the food quality and costs in achieving customer satisfaction, menu planning, outlets profitability, menu planning, and business development to ensure the best hospitality experience for the guests. Prior to joining Fairmont Jaipur, he was associated with renowned hotel brands like Pullman, Novotel and Leela to name a few.

Jaipur Marriott Hotel has appointed Chef Jatinder Dhaliwal as executive chef. With over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Chef Dhaliwal enjoys high credibility across the culinary landscape. Vipul Mishra

jectory of growth for the hotel and oversee the development of talents in sales and marketing. His immense knowledge about the markets will help Hilton Mumbai International Airport to strategise better against our competition hotels.

Manuj Sahney has been recently appointed as the F&B director at JW Marriott Kolkata. Using his vast experience and nifty managerial skills, Sahney has brought to the table a dynamic energy to JW Marriott Kolkata. Re-

Chef Jatinder Dhaliwal

Grand Hyatt Mumbai Swiss national, hospitality industry veteran and a professionally trained chef and som-

Manuj Sahney

Chris Franzen

sponsible for the overall dining experience of guests, his key areas of work include supervising the kitchen management team and food planning with regard to daily operations. He is also responsible for ensuring quality standards in compliance to F&B policies, process improvements, new business development, quality and time management, brand building and staff resourcing. Interacting with guests for their feedback and using his effective interpersonal skills to mentor

50 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

Ojas Vagal has been appointed as assistant director of people & culture at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru. An integral part of the People & Culture team, Vagal brings to the table a rich and varied experience. His career spanning thirteen years with Hyatt Hotels International took him from Mumbai to Goa via Bangalore, where he played a pivotal role in the rebranding of the first

Jaipur Marriott Hotel

JW Marriott Kolkata

Amit Sangwan

Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru

and appraise his team also fall under the purview of his work.

His culinary range led him to multi-faceted positions in several luxury hotels and cruise liners like Royal Caribbean International, Concept Hospitality, JHM Interstate, and became a staple within the Marriott family. While rising through the ranks, Chef Dhaliwal successfully led culinary operations across the country most recently at Le Meridien Jaipur. During his culinary Journey, he discovered his forte in Oriental, Cantonese, European, Middle Eastern, Rajasthani and North Indian cuisines.

Hilton Mumbai International Airport has appointed Grace Pavaskar as their new learning and development manager, who comes over with seven years of notable experience in working with varied hotels in India. In her new role at Hilton Mumbai International Airport, Pavaskar will be responsible to develop and im-

Hyatt Centric hotels in the country, thus giving free rein to his creative side. He started his career in operations as F&B server in Grand Hyatt Mumbai and ascended progressively as assistant restaurant manager, learning manager, employee relations manager and HR manager, bringing with him, a hands on knowledge of operations within the space of human resources.

The Westin Kolkata

Hilton Mumbai International Airport Hilton Mumbai International Airport has appointed Vipul Mishra as their commercial director. He comes with an experience of 14 years working with various hotels in India and abroad. In his new role at Hilton Mumbai International Airport, Mishra will be responsible to help the brand to maintain a tra-

Ojas Vagal

Grace Pavaskar

plement strategies & programs for the employees. Her expertise lies in providing the team members an appropriate training and a skillful approach in order to elevate the guest relations and feedback.

A highly-accomplished professional with a diversified selling experience and excellent organisational skills, Pramod Kumar Patra is currently employed with The Westin Kolkata in the key position of director of sales. An oracle in business development, he has been constantly meeting customer acquisition goals and contributing to maximum revenue for all the top-of-the-line hotels he has been associated with in his career.

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October 2019

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WEEKEND

‘SAGAI SE SHENAI 3.0’ Hilton Jaipur hosted the season of its bespoke wedding extravaganza with the royal edition of ‘Sagai se Shehnai 3.0’ at the property in September

‘RUN TO GIVE 2019’ CHARITY RUN JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru, part of Marriott International, hosted the ‘Run to Give’ charity run in Bengaluru in September

ATMOSPHERE HOTELS & RESORTS CELEBRATES WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY Leading Indian-Ocean resort brand, Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, celebrated the World Vegetarian Day on October 1, 2019 at two of its Maldivian resorts – Atmosphere Kanifushi and OBLU Select at Sangeli HEARTIST CELEBRATION WEEK A gala dinner, fun-filled performances and a number of themed activities concluded Novotel and ibis Bengaluru Outer Ring Road’s Heartist (employee) Celebration Week

WHAT A NIGHT! The fourth eddition of India Nightlife Convention & Awards (INCA) 2019 was held at The St Regis, Mumbai. INCA has been celebrating the nightlife and hospitality industry in India since years through insightful panel discussion encouraging talents in the industry and an extravagant award ceremony recognizing the achievers of the year.

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October 2019

WEEKEND

Scene and Heard With Marcellus Baptista

Glory of gourmet

Spanish high

Chandni Anzar, Ananya Banerjee, Saloni Malkani

uxury liquids and fabulous food was in store for lucky guests who were there for the launch of Gourmetlicious 2019 at Mezzo Mezzo, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu. This satisfying soiree was hosted by food connoisseur and FBAI co-founder Sameer Malkani along with Chandni Anzar of Gourmet Passport. Guests happily sipped and savoured Paul John single malt whisky, Hopper beer and wines from Grover Zampa Vineyards, which were complemented by wonderful appetisers, followed by a superb sit-down dinner created by visiting chef Raphael Szurek from France. It heralded the start of a nine-day culinary extravaganza across five cities and 45 restaurants in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Gourmet Passport founder Rocky Mohan sums it up well, saying that the idea is to move the conversation beyond food, flavour and taste to more of an experience that satiates both your appetite and curiosity.

Wine and shine

Nikhil Agarwal, Geraldine Leverd, Roger Marti, Giulia Lazzarini

t’s a wonderful world if you are living in Mumbai for the world comes to you. You sensed this as All Things Nice welcomed Bodegas Valdemar winery from Rioja and Ribero del Duero in Spain with Giulia Lazzarini coming down especially for the occasion to introduce guests to her wines. At Grand Hyatt it was truly a tasteful time with guests sipping Conde Valdemar Blanco 2017 and Conde Valdemar Tempranillo 2017 from Rioja as well as Finca Valdemacuco Roble 2017 from Ribero del Duero, complemented by fantastic food from the hotel’s kitchen. The excitement continued with Grand Hyatt giving away a free weekend stay in a lucky draw on that sumptuous Spanish evening. As though this was not enough, Giulia Lazzarini gifted a few bottles of Bodegas Valdemar to some lucky winners. The wines, you learned, are being launched in India by Flipsydee.

Going places

Vikas Kapai and wife Anita

ll was fine as Sofitel Mumbai BKC, Accor’s French luxury brand, launched the 2019 edition of Sofitel Wine Days, on till October 31. Sofitel Wine Days is the hotel group’s annual global celebration of France’s unique wine-making heritage and culture. This initiative brings all 120 Sofitel Hotels & Resorts worldwide together to celebrate the essence of French wine at each destination. To mark the inauguration ceremony,

the five-star hotel invited wine connoisseurs to discover the delight of wines in celebration of the grape harvest season in France. Providing an ideal opportunity for guests to discover Sofitel’s French Art De Vivre, the business hotel will be offering wines from Alsace, Bordeaux, Corsica and Rhône, paired with classic dishes from each of these regions, crafted by executive chef Neeraj Rawoot and his team of talented chefs.

58 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY October 2019

World Tourism Day fashion show

here was much excitement in the air at Anais, high up on the 38th floor of St Regis, as the 12th edition of the World Tourism Day conclave and awards got under way. Presented by the hotel, Young Environmentalists Programme and Creed Entertainment in association with UNWTO and Maharashtra Tourism, what you witnessed were some interesting insights on the travel world from distinguished speakers. Awards were given out in various categories. Present were travel associates, business brands, members of the consular corps, tourism boards and supporters from the government. Elsie Gabriel, founder, Young Environmentalists and Tanya Gabrielle Satish, CEO, Creed Entertainment were present to warmly welcome the many guests. And guests were treated to a terrific fashion show as delightful designer Tasneem Merchant showcased her sustainable fashion collection. After that it was time for high tea.

REGD.WITH RNI NO. MAHENG/2019/78000