Express Hospitality December 16-31, 2012 by Indian Express

I N D I Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; S F O R E M O S T H O S P I TA L I T Y P U B L I C AT I O N

VOL 8 | NO. 5 | PAGES 58

December 16-31, 2012 `. 40

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FORTNIGHTLY INSIGHT FOR THE HOSPITALITY TRADE

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I N D I A’ S F O R E M O S T H O S P I TA L I T Y P U B L I C AT I O N December 16-31, 2012 ` 40

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FORTNIGHTLY INSIGHT FOR THE HOSPITALITY TRADE

VOL 8 | NO. 5 | PAGES 58

Contents December 16-31, 2012

Vol 8 No.5 December 16-31, 2012

Chairman of the Board Viveck Goenka Editor Reema Lokesh* Assistant Editor Steena Joy Associate Editor Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai Sayoni Bhaduri, Kahini Chakraborty New Delhi Heena Mahajan Kolkata Joy Roy Choudhury Editorial Associates Marcellus Baptista, H A Mishra, Harpal Singh Sokhi, P S Sundar, M S Ram Advisory Board Anil Madhok, Rajeev Chopra, Santosh Shidhaye, Homi Aibara, Param Kannampilly, K V Simon, Jiggs Kalra, Jose Dominic, Raju Shahani, N S Bhuie, Nirmal Khandelwal, Muralidharan Menon, Narendra Verma, Prakash Mankar, M Narayanan MARKETING

MANAGEMENT

MARKET

Portugal hotels focus on India outbound market ............08 Sofitel keen to set up hotels in other cities.....................09 ‘Introduction of amusement park industry has helped in packaging of tourism products better’............................10 Seafood QSR Fisheteria to expand in Pune............. .......11 Celfrost Innovations introduces Adande in India ...........12 Paramount International opens first showroom in Kerala.......................................................................13 ‘Timeshare is emerging as an alternative asset class’......14 SN Global introduces indoor smoking cabins ................15 CHEF’S PLATTER

Deputy General Manager Sachin Shenoy Chief Manager Pankaj Shende Marketing Team Dattaram Kandalkar, Rajan Nair Marketing Coordination Darshana Chauhan Asst.Manager - Scheduling & Coordination Arvind Mane

Renovate to reinvent ................................................27 Redefining budget ....................................................29 Building a Credible Konkan......................................30 Nurturing a new generation of pastry chefs ..........20

EDGE

CIRCULATION Mohan Varadakar PRODUCTION General Manager B R Tipnis Production Manager Bhadresh Valia Layout Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker Asst. Art Director Surajit Patro Chief Designer Pravin Temble Senior Graphic Designer Rushikesh Konka Photo Editor Sandeep Patil

HIGH SPIRITS

Balancing the imbalance ..........................................33 On a real time spree ................................................34

Express Hospitality Reg.No.MH/MR/SOUTH-44/2010-12 RNI Regn. No.MAHENG/2005/21391. Published by Vaidehi Thakar on behalf of the Proprietor The Indian Express Limited from Express Towers, 2nd floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021 and Printed by her at the Indian Express Press, at Plot No.EL-208,TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai 400 710 (Editorial & Administrative :The Indian Express Ltd, 1st floor, Express Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021). Editor Reema Lokesh* (* Responsible for selection of matter under PRB Act) Copyright @ 2011

December 16-31, 2012

LIFE

In search of quality ........................... ... ......... ............22

London calling ..........................................................35

REGULARS

Editor’s Note ..................................................................................................................................................................6 New Kids......................................................................................................................................................................16 Products ......................................................................................................................................................................17 Movements ..................................................................................................................................................................36 Weekend ......................................................................................................................................................................54

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Being the change ccording to Mayan calendar, 2012 will see the world end. But being an eternal optimist, I feel 2013 is a reality and will bring in renewed energy and hope once again for all of us. Though the general morale has been rather damp especially this Diwali being not as vibrant, the dollar rate shooting up, the increase in airfares, there were positive developments and decisions (though few on paper) that the hospitality industry should take note of.

A “The demand for more budget and mid market hotels has just begun to be met. The restaurant segment in comparison witnessed far more action with international brands making inroads”

The hospitality sector completed the year with a steady and stable approach with cautious and rather nonambitious statements being made, unlike in the past. The much awaited mega project of the ITC group finally opened doors in the Chennai adding another name to India’s luxury hotels list. In contrast the demand for more budget and mid market has just begun to be met with brands like Holiday Inn Express and Formule1 starting operations this year. The restaurant segment in comparison witnessed far more action with international brands making inroads. Even domestic restaurateurs have pulled up their socks. Quality players have expressed serious interest in the market with concrete roadmaps being chalked in this sector. Apart from private sector initiatives, few state tourism boards have also opened doors for hospitality investments by providing land banks which are feasible for investment rather then on paper. The Ministry of Tourism has also worked on special projects and schemes which have deep relevance to the functioning and performance of the tourism sector. The recent news on the reviewed guidelines for tourist visa was a treat for the tourism sector at the end of the year. The Government has lifted the two month restriction on re-entry of foreign nationals coming to India except in case of nationals of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh, foreigners of Pakistan and Bangladesh origins and Stateless persons. India Tourism has launched two new campaigns: an international campaign called ‘Find What You Seek’ and a domestic campaign called ‘Go Beyond’. Our cover story this issue speaks about corporate social responsibility. CSR should not remain as a branding and marketing gimmick; as profit making organisations it is a social obligation for hotel chains to give back to the society from all that they are gaining. It is heartening to see that some hotel chains are serious about these initiatives and are more than willing to integrate these initiatives as part of their mission. Keeping the above factors in picture, what comes to my mind is a realistic hope that 2012 is not the end and 2013 will bring in renewed enthusiasm.

Reema Lokesh Editor editorial.eh@expressindia.com

E-mail: 4pdesigno@gmail.com

CHENNAI: Vijay Kulkarni, FORTNIGHTLY INSIGHT FOR THE HOSPITALITY TRADE

Head Office Express Hospitality Rajan Nair, Dattaram Kandalkar Business Publications Division, The Indian Express Ltd, 1st Floor, Express Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021. India Tel: 6744 0000 / 22022627 Fax: 022-22885831 E-mail: pankaj.shende@fhwexpo.in

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December 16-31, 2012

Market

T H E B U S I N E S S O F H O S P I TA L I T Y

LEAD STORY

Food Hospitality World 2013 is back in Mumbai EH STAFF - Mumbai

ood Hospitality World (FHW), India's leading hospitality trade show, is all set to open in Mumbai from January 10-12, 2013 at the MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex. FHW combines the strengths of two of the world’s leading exhibition organisers - Fiera Milano Group and The Indian Express Ltd. FHW 2013 is organised by Global Fairs & Media which is a company formed by Hannover Milan Fairs India and The Indian Express Ltd.

FHW 2013 Mumbai will witness participation from importers, distributors, F&B managers, hotel and restaurant purchase managers, food service professionals, chefs, sommeliers, purchasers, trade bodies, hoteliers, restaurateurs, caterers, F&B directors, hospitality interiors specifiers, wholesalers, etc. With 200 exhibitors national and 50 international exhibitors and five country pavilions, FHW aims at being the right channel allowing both vendors/suppliers and hospitality professionals to come together to tap mutually beneficial business opportunities. The main national exhibitors include RAK Ceramics; FNS International; Star White Laundry, Aura Essentials, Mittal International, Shanti Metals, Kitchen Solutions, Lavazza, Kamani Oils, Springfit, Oasis Ceramics, etc. Some of the international suppliers include Fungo e Tartufo, Elframo, Salumificio Gandolfi, Dr Schär, Schreyoegg, Kellerei St Pauls, Fuchs J, Frulana, December 16-31, 2012

Gruppo Izzo, Casa Vinicola Caldirola, Galantino, La delizia 2000, Divella, etc. The exhibition will also

host special events like The Great Indian Culinary Challenge 2012 (GICC) - a contest of skill, finesse and

presentation from the region's most talented chefs. As many as 300 chefs from various leading hotels

and hotel management institutes are expected compete at GICC. Other events include panel discussions

Trusted. Respected. Recommended. Everybody wants comfort. At Hush, we're no different. We enjoy the comfort of knowing that our products live up to our promise of premium quality. The comfort of having customers who revisit after experiencing a Hush product. The comfort of loyal clientele who insist on the Hush experience wherever they travel or reside. Little wonder then, that leading hotels and resorts across the country trust only Hush to please their guests.

Trusted by leading five star hotels.

“We have dealt with Hush over the last four years and have sourced most of our pillows, mattresses and duvets from them for our hotel. Appreciating the urgency of our order and the need for delivery, they ran the extra mile to delivery the consignment not just on time but ahead of it! Our experience of them has been very satisfying in terms of product quality, cost and service. They are truly professional and their products are of international standards.” ~ J. D. Potdar, VP, Juniper Hotels Pvt. Ltd. (Owner of Grand Hyatt, Mumbai)

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M|A|R|K|E|T NEWSTRACK

like Hospitality Knowledge Exchange on bartending and mixology; Hospitality Think Tank on hotel sales and marketing and Power of Purchase for the purchase managers fraternity. FHW will merge two of Fiera Milano’s most successful exhibitions, Tuttofood (food and beverage) and Host (hospitality

industry) with HospitalityWorld - India’s leading hospitality trade show and Taste - Mumbai’s international food and beverage show; thus combining international and local expertise and creating the biggest professional B2B event for the Indian subcontinent’s food, drink and hospitality sectors.

Portugal hotels focus on Indian outbound market SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai

he very first 'Portugal Experience Workshop 2012’ organised in Mumbai saw keen participation from a number of hoteliers from the country interested in tapping the Indian market. The hotel segments ranged from three star city hotels to beach resorts to heritage properties. “We came here for the roadshow as we have started getting many Indian clients, in particular honeymooners and families. Our hotels are palace hotels and heritage hotels, we get a lot of Indian guests who want to experience heritage properties in Portugal,” said

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Miguel Judice, co-president, Thema Hotels and Resorts. The hotel group has 10 heritage hotels around Portugal. One of the properties had also hosted an Indian wedding a couple of years ago. “At the time of the wedding we received a lot of guests from India and after that they recommended to other guests who now come to one of our palaces. So we decided to come to India to start working with this country more. We feel there is now potential with more airline connections. We are confident that the market can grow significantly,” added Judice. Thema Hotels and Resorts is focusing on leisure, honeymooners, families and small MICE www.expresshospitality.com

groups from India. The properties are on an average 60 rooms and suitable for intimate and private groups. Owned by an Indian family, Sana Hotels Portugal that has been in existence for 50 years now, has a chain of 11 three, four and five star properties in Portugal. “India is a market that we are interested in, also because the owners of the hotel group is an Indian family. We think that there is a huge potential here for Portugal and the market can increase significantly. We have got a few groups from India. Incentive and corporate are our main markets, but also leisure. We also have leisure hotels eg in a fishing village south of Lisbon,

another in the coast of Lisbon, besides a thermal village in the north of Lisbon. All our hotels in Lisbon are in the city centre and great for city trips,” said Paulo Monge, sales and promotion director, Sana Hotels Portugal. Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel is an independent property owned by Chitra Stern, who is of Indian origin. The hotel opened in April 2010 in a little village on the south west of Portugal. It is positioned as one of the finest luxury family hotel in Europe. The property has a wide range of villas and also a small hotel with 38 rooms. The hotel is focused on the family segment. December 16-31, 2012

M|A|R|K|E|T NEWSTRACK

Sofitel keen to set up hotels in other cities SAYONI BHADURI – Mumbai

s Accor's luxury brand Sofitel prepares to open its second and third hotels in Mumbai, the brand is looking at opportunities in Delhi. Markland Blaiklock, senior vice president, Sofitel Asia Pacific, Sofitel Luxury Hotels informed that Delhi is an important market to have the brand's presence in as it is a key gateway city for the country. Apart from Delhi Blaiklock also hopes to have the Sofitel brand in the cities of Bengaluru, Chennai and Goa. “We can easily have 10 Sofitel hotels in India. We have received many inquiries and are in discussion with a few players as well,” he added. The two additional Mumbai hotels are slated to open in the suburb of Mulund by 2015. “We were seduced by the concept and plans behind the hotels. We foresee it being a very iconic and promising development. Our research and survey showed that Mulund would be the next new destination for the city, the situation is very similar to that of BandraKurla Complex,” said Blaiklock. The first Sofitel hotel in India – Sofitel Mumbai BKC – is located in BKC, Mumbai. It is also the only project where the parent company has made

otels.com that recently celebrated the first anniversary of Welcome Rewards in India, has witnessed a significant growth in business in the last two-three years in the business category of travellers. “We have been doubling every year in the India mar-

ket and expect the similar growth to continue in the near future. The Indian consumer is very evolved and very specific about needs and wants. Food is a big criteria,” said Rajiv Malhotra, head of marketing, South East Asia, Hotels.com. Another interestDecember 16-31, 2012

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Markland Blaiklock investments up to 40 per cent. Sofitel luxury hotels by the end of 2015 is looking at adding 30 more projects in its portfolio. Of these 10 will be Sofitel Legend, 20 will be Sofitel So and 120 will be Sofitel.

Hotels.com expects to continue robust growth in India market SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai

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ing trend this year witnessed from the Indian market has been an increasing interest from smaller hotels across the country. “Smaller hotels have started realising that Hotels.com is the cost effective way of yield management. Some have engaged dedicated people to manage the same,” added Malhotra. The selection criteria for hotels is from a consumer perspective. “There is a big checklist and we are fairly stringent on that. There has to be a hotel picture, detailed, which is validated,” informed Malhotra. From strategy perspective Hotels.com is focused on the mass market. “In 2013 we will expand further, both in terms of inventory and offerings. From market size perspective India is huge,” he said. Malhotra asserted that technology is a big differentiator for the company. Hotels.com has spent a significant amount of the money in the last five-six years on technology. “The back-end technology is robust and in-house, located

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in London and India, besides some in South East Asia,” stated Malhotra, adding that, “In most cases we are directly connected to the hotels. The hotel reservation system is connected to our back-end so you can get instant results.” Hotels.com conducts an industry wide research called the Hotel Price Index, including that of the India market. “We do quality surveys as well,” mentioned Malhotra. www.expresshospitality.com

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M|A|R|K|E|T INTERVIEW

‘Introduction of amusement park industry has helped in packaging of tourism products better’ The amusement park industry in India is worth `7,000 crore and has been growing exponentially in the last few years. Being an integral part of the leisure industry, the amusement park industry contributes almost 40 per cent of the total turnover of the entire leisure industry. Archana Browne, vice president, sales & marketing, International Recreation Parks talks about the emerging trends and their Worlds of Wonder in Delhi NCR. By Heena Mahajan Tell us about Worlds of Wonder.

you are looking forward to in any other city?

Worlds of Wonder was set up in 2007 under the corporate identity – IRPPL (International Recreation Parks Pvt. Ltd.). IRPPL is a joint venture between Unitech and International Amusement. The entertainment city is spread over 147 acres of land which includes one of the biggest malls in India — The Great India Place and the amusement park- Worlds Of Wonder. An investment of `1,100 crore has been made for the establishment of the property, making it an epitome of fun and entertainment. Worlds of Wonder is the biggest amusement park in Delhi NCR with 20 international rides. The park is divided into two different zones catering to people across age groups - The Teen Zone and The Family Zone. In order to ensure the safety and security of its visitors for all the rides, WOW follows the globally accepted safety measures of the TUV NORD- headquartered in Germany. Due to its ample space and exemplar design, Worlds of Wonder also hosts indoor as well as outdoor activities, theme evening parties, corporate parties, social gatherings and award functions in the park. The events are customised depending on the requirement of the client, delivering a good mix of adventure and safety.

Noida was one place which had enough space available for a property like this and the best part about Noida is that the connectivity is better as you can travel easily by public transport. Currently we are not looking at expanding our business in other cities. However, with the increase in its popularity amongst the people of Delhi/ NCR, Worlds of Wonder is now looking forward towards expanding the property with new attractions, here in Noida. The property has introduced its newest attraction, the biggest manmade lake in northern India, spread over 3.5 acres. The lake provides boating facility, with 24 boats imported from USA. Two more upcoming projects of Worlds of Wonder are The Garden’s Galleria (tentatively scheduled to be launched in November 2013) and Calypso Bay (tentatively scheduled to be launched in March 2013). Apart from these, WOW is also planning for upcoming attractions like ice-skating, gocarting and adding onto more F&B commodities in the park.

What is the average footfall in Worlds of Wonder? What tourist segments do you cater to? Worlds of Wonder witness an average footfall of 1,500 on a weekday and 3,000 on a weekend. In the past three months we have registered an average footfall of 40,000. Worlds of Wonder has been catering to the travelling segment primarily and also non-travelling segment. With different kinds of international rides available, the amuse-

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Archana Browne

ment park is one of the preferred destinations for the people of Delhi/ NCR. With the growing trend of spending long weekends, Worlds of Wonder is eventually turning out to be an absolute entertainment city. Also, Worlds Of Wonder has been accredited by the International Convention Promotion Bureau, due to which it would also be promoted as an international destination in the travel and tourism. The ICPB accreditation is a huge achievement as it would now help us target the international market, international conference, travel agencies and different tourists. How much do you think on an average a person spends coming to these parks? As the lifestyle and spending behaviour has changed with time drastically, today youngsters and families prefer to spend quality time where one can have fun, shop, eat and relax under one roof. On an average, a person visits fivesix times in a month depending upon the facilities and entertainment options available in the park. Why did you choose Noida as a location? Any new developments or new projects that www.expresshospitality.com

Do you think the advent of such parks have helped us to package our tourism products better, especially for a city like Delhi? The introduction of amusement park industry has definitely helped in the packaging of tourism products better. With the growth and expansion of amusement parks in India, the trend of spending long weekends and quality time with family and friends has been growing swiftly in the last few years. As a result, tourism industry is also eying projects on amusement parks, since it is proving to bring in growth in the flow of tourists. Worlds of Wonder with its range of different rides

and entertainment options, targets a huge section of people from Delhi/NCR, across different age groups. People from Delhi/NCR region visit Worlds of Wonder with their friends and family members to hang out and spend good quality time. Leading to a huge footfall on both weekdays and weekends, Worlds of Wonder is turning out to be an entertainment destination, a favoured choice of the people. What are the challenges that you face in the Indian market? The amusement industry has huge potential and we have seen only increase in the footfalls over last couple of years which indicates that more number of people are looking for wholesome family entertainment destinations and amusement parks provide that opportunity where a family can spend quality time together. How lucrative is the Indian market for you? There is a huge untapped potential in this segment for Indian market. There are handfuls of amusements parks in the country and seeing the success of such properties, industry analysts have revealed that in the coming years there would be around 200 more amusement parks coming up. By 2020, the industry will grow by almost 100 per cent. As of now the total industry is worth `4,000 crore which is expected to grow by `1520,000 crore by 2020. The amusement park industry in India is worth `7,000 crore and has been growing exponentially in the last few years. The associated and participatory entertainment in the amusement industry is one of the major reasons behind the rapid growth of amusement parks. Hence, the industry has a bright future in the coming years. December 16-31, 2012

M|A|R|K|E|T NEWSTRACK

Seafood QSR Fisheteria to expand in Pune Looking at franchise options pan-India SAYONI BHADURI - Mumbai

estCoast Group has launched seafood based QSR Fisheteria. Shivam Gupta, director, WestCoast Group and the brains behind the concept said, “Our long term strategy is to follow a franchise model for cities outside Maharashtra, and have a pan India presence within a year. We want to grow quickly because we are certain the product does have a strong demand and a ready market in major cities.” There are currently five outlets in Mumbai and two more are slated to open soon. After Mumbai, Gupta intends to grow in Pune. “We are already responding to franchise enquiries for the rest of the country,” he added. Explaining his faith in the franchise model he said, “We believe it is the way to grow quickly and we want to have a pan India presence. Also while developing

Shivam Gupta the brand, we kept franchising in mind, and have developed all aspects of the brand in such a way that a franchisee would find it very easy to set up

shop anywhere in the country.” The QSR sources its products from the parent company WestCoast Group, which farms and processes seafood. Seafood used at Fisheteria is of the highest quality, processed using stateof-the-art technologies such as, individually quick frozen (IQF) and Brine technology being used on the freshly farmed prawns, Gupta assured. He explained that the reason why seafood is not associated with fast food is because of the fact that it is an extremely expensive product, compared to vegetarian or chicken products. According to him, Fisheteria's advantage lies in the fact, “We are able to make this affordable by sourcing our products well and having sound back end support. Also as we are not looking to break into profit instantly, we are looking at Fisheteria with long term goals, which allows us to take a slight hit in profit margins so as to establish the brand better.”

Kailash Parbat chain to have 25 outlets by 2013 end SAYONI BHADURI - Mumbai

umbai-based Kailash Parbat, restaurant chain which is also celebrating 60 years, plans to further grow in India and abroad. Kamlesh Mulchandani, director, Kailash Parbat informed that he intends to have 25 operational outlets by end of 2013. “Kailash Parbat already has its pres-

ence outside Mumbai, like Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Aurangabad, Nashik, Surat, Singapore, London. Few other places which we have shortlisted are Kolkata, USA, Paris, Jakarta, Muscat,” he said. The most recent outlet opened in the Mumbai suburbs of Saki Naka which is a franchise. “The brand has franchised very few outlets and only to known parties. The staffs working at franchised outlets are been thorDecember 16-31, 2012

oughly trained and tested at our owned units before deploying them. Regular visits and audits are been done at all the outlets by our operations head to check and maintain the quality and consistency of the products,” Mulchandani assured. He is also looking at a QSR model, “All depends on how reputed the mall is and the activities they do. Kailash Parbat has created such a reputation in market that most of the malls want us in their food courts. People are assured of authentic and fine vegetarian cuisine at Kailash Parbat,” he said. Before setting up a restaurant, its location is considered priority,

explained Mulchandani. After that a further survey is conducted. “Other important things to be considered are the structure of that property, spending capacity of customers residing nearby, rental of the property, parking facilities, easy accessibility to guests,” he added. On a rental property, Mulchandani said that investment varies between `30-35 lakh for QSR formats where the break-even can be achieved in 24 months and for fine dine restaurants investment varies from `1.2 crore – 1.5crore (minimum of 3500 sq ft area) and breakeven can be achieved in 30 months.

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M|A|R|K|E|T VENDOR NEWS

Celfrost Innovations introduces Adande in India SAYONI BHADURI – Mumbai

elfrost Innovations has tied up with UK based Adande Refrigeration to introduce their drawer refrigeration systems in India. Nigel Bell, chairman, Adande Refrigeration informed that the technology has been invented in UK. “The technology allows the refrigeration to be in a drawer format where the drawers can be converted to a chiller or a freezer according to requirements,” he explained. There are separate compressors for individual drawers and the minimum temperature can go down to 20 to 22 degree Celsius while the maximum temperature goes up to 12 degree Celsius. The biggest advantage according to Bell is that these refrigeration setups are ergonomical and can fit into the most cramped spaces allowing kitchens to

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utilise space completely. Unlike door refrigerators which loses its cooling effect every time the door is opened, Adande's drawer refrigerators retain the cold air as it circulates gently creating a shield around the produce. This also allows the produce to remain fresher as compared to those kept in door refrigerators. The product which has global recognition is being built in Pune since 2010 by

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Accurate Industrial Controls, catering to Australia, Middle East, UK and European market and now it will produce for the India market as well. Bell said that the production unit being in India is a big advantage as the system has been highly tropicalised. “The system has been tested to survive in an ambient temperature of 42 degree Celsius.” Ranjeev Sinha, executive director, Celfrost Innovations added, “In the year long asso-

ciation with Adande and its products we too have been testing the refrigeration system in our facilities for the last eight months and the results have been positive.” Adande's products will be available first in the key metro cities, once it is established the company will look at smaller cities. Celfrost Innovations is in the process of strategising the promotion and market development plan for the products.

December 16-31, 2012

M|A|R|K|E|T VENDOR NEWS

Paramount International opens first showroom in Kerala select items of their choice. The objective of Paramount International is to help customers of the above

mentioned industries who are at present deprived of international brands of their choice. Quality, fuel efficiency, dura-

bility and cost effectiveness are the features of the brands sold and serviced by Paramount.

EH STAFF - Mumbai

aramount International, an extension of Middle East-based Paramount Group and vendors of commercial kitchen and laundry equipment, opened its first showroom in Kerala at Kallai road. The inauguration was

done by Dr Lekshmi Nair, renowned culinary expert, TV anchor and the brand ambassador of Paramount Group. The occasion was graced by Sri Nasarudheen, state president of Kerala Vypara Vyavasaya Samithi; PV Gangadharan, director, Mathrubhumi, Malayalam daily and KV Shamsudheen, chairman, Paramount Group. The opening ceremony was followed by first sales done by T Nasarideen handing over the product to Yassar Arafath. The company has been doing sales and after sales

Quality, fuel efficiency, durability and cost effectiveness are the features of the brands sold service of commercial kitchen, supermarket, bakery and laundry equipments of around 50 world famous brands for more than two decades. Paramount International brings all the equipments of international repute under one umbrella and hence creates a unique opportunity for the clients in this industry to December 16-31, 2012

RAHA POLY PRODUCTS LIMITED Plot No 26, Phase III, IDA Jeedimetla Hyderabad, India, Pin Code: 500055 Tel: 0091 40 23190084, 23090293 Fax: 0091 40 23195725 E-mail: projects@rahaindia.com, info@rahaindia.com Website: www.rahaindia.com www.expresshospitality.com

EXPRESS HOSPITALITY

M|A|R|K|E|T INTERVIEW

‘Timeshare is emerging as an alternative asset class’ Citrus Check Inn positions flexi-stay as a novelty in the hospitality space says Somnath Pal, CEO, Citrus Check Inns. By Heena Mahajan Tell us briefly about Citrus Check Inns

What is the long term goal of your company?

Citrus Check Inns is a part of the Mirah Group, which is a well diversified conglomerate. Citrus Check Inns has come up with highly innovative, transparent and flexible holiday plans called flexi-stay. We have eight Citrus hotels, 100+ food and beverage outlets, an IATA and TAFI accredited travel consultancy and Citrus Check Inns. Citrus Check Inns caters to modern India consumer lifestyle trends which are in favour of business and leisure tourism along with the conventional pilgrimage. Flexi-stay allows the plan holder, the flexibility to holi-

We aim to become the leading player in the market and achieve world recognition. Also, we wish to impart a new experience to our clients at all times with our new and innovative techniques. Our products have been designed after taking into consideration our TG’s wish list. We give them freedom to holiday with family or with spouse or a long break with the group or just an evening at Rajdhani, Mad over Donuts, Café Mangi, etc.

day from one evening to one month across 40 destinations in India and more than 2,600 destinations worldwide. What changes do you expect through flexi-stay concept? The new concept of flexistay where clients can take unlimited bonus holidays is based on the concept of

Somnath Pal timeshare programme. Now travel to a place of your liking, at a time of your choice, for duration you wish with all new flexible membership plans. Citrus Check Inns offers membership plans, which include Orange, Lemon and Fragrance. Membership plans vary from five years to 15 years and all plans offer choice of eight Citrus Hotels and 40+ affiliate destinations across India. Clients can split holidays as per convenience and can also go globetrotting in over 2600+ tie-ups resorts worldwide through Gold Advantage of DAE tie-up. Clients can also redeem membership points against restaurant vouchers of Mirah Group.

How will timeshare benefit people today? Timeshare is a holiday investment and strongly emerging as an alternative asset class. Room rates in India have risen at 11 per cent CAGR in the last six years; where timeshare as an industry is offering inflation free and discounted holidays for more than one or two decades. Even if cost of fund (holiday investment in timeshare) is considerable, the notional economic benefit is far higher for a traveller. What are the plans of Mirah Group? What are your expansion plans? Mirah Hospitality plans to invest `200 crore over the next three years in Citrus Check-Inns — its 'flexi-stay' travel business. We are adding 1,000 more keys

across 10 hotel properties at leisure, business and pilgrimage locations in the next three years. The investment of `200 crore will be made through internal accruals and strategic investments through institutional finances. Timeshare industry has garnered less than one million users in the last seven years. We aspire to have more than a million plan holders of Citrus Check Inns in the next five years. How do you think the recent tie -up with FABS will benefit your company? Citrus Check Inns has tied-up with Fazlani Altius Business School (FABS). Students at FABS will undergo rigorous training by Citrus Check Inns during the course, and finally will be absorbed by the company. We encourage young talent to explore travel management as a subject and learn emerging concepts like holiday ownership. We thus initiated a first-of-its-kind trend of introducing the subject of holiday ownership in the MBA curriculum of FABS and have committed to absorb 30 students at the end of their MBA programme. Students can thus leverage both practical and theoretical knowledge along with on field learning. We are committed to our social responsibility in order to create skilled professional job pipeline. What is going to be your strategy of working with FABS? The prime reason behind this initiative is the fact that even though the travel industry contributes 9.1 per cent to the country’s GDP, concepts such as time share, derived from the European subcontinent, remain in their nascent stages here in India. The lack of awareness coupled with the fact that even premier travel management institutes do not have any curriculum related to time share, prodded Citrus Check Inns to embark on this initiative along with FABS as their trusted partner and at the same time unearth the topnotch talent available at the B-schools.

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December 16-31, 2012

M|A|R|K|E|T VENDOR NEWS

SN Global introduces indoor smoking cabins

www.washmaticindia.com

EH STAFF - Mumbai

moke Solution, Denmark has developed a technology for indoor smoking called Smoke Point. S N Global are the distributors of Smoke Point in India. Smoke Point Smoking Cabins are completely sensor based and start to function only when occupied by a smoker. They use state of the art filtration technology to clean the smoke filled air and convert it into almost pure air. Shashi Kant Narang, director, SN Global said, “It is the only solution that works 100 per cent in air- conditioned areas as it converts the tobacco smoke into clean air and stops harmful nicotine from spreading and the annoying foul odour. The guests can smoke in an air-conditioned area without going out to smoke.” These cabins have a hasslefree design which requires no ducting and can be shifted easily. They are available in different models with a capacity of 4 to 14 people. One model has been designed specially for existing smoking rooms to remove the foul smell from them. The cabins are equipped with a fireproof ashtray that

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can take up to 3500 cigarette butts thereby reducing the load on the housekeeping staff. They are sensor based and are operational only when occu-

pied which helps in saving power. Smoke Point cabins are ideal for hotels, bars, pubs and restaurants, shopping malls, multiplexes, offices, airports and other public places. The cabins are installed in hotels such as Radisson Blu, New Delhi and Ghaziabad, premium bars such as Rockman’s Beer Island, F Bar, Underdoggs and Golfworx in NCR, malls like Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, Infiniti Mall in Mumbai and Mantri Mall in Bengaluru and also at Bengaluru and Hyderabad Airport.

European Wellness Parade held in Delhi NCRIndia EH STAFF - Mumbai

uropean Quality Food: Eating with your five senses has introduced the European Wellness Parade, a learning experience for families to spread the awareness of European cuisine. The tour began from Gurgaon and was held in Ambience Mall, and Delhi at DLF Promenade and concluded in Noida at The Great India Place. Open for the public, this opportunity of content based entertainment along with valuable information and experience about European gastronomy is a medium to promote European food and beverages directly to the end consumers. European Quality Food: Eating with your five

December 16-31, 2012

senses identifies huge potential in the Indian market considering the change in lifestyle and interest of the Indian consumers for international brands and products. This programme aims to catalyse the learning process for food lovers and develop the practice of eating each meal using The Five Senses. The European Quality Food: Eating with your five senses programme promotes European food and wine through the exploration of food by using all of the five senses as touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing instead of only taste. All of the senses will receive stimulation provided by European delicatessen. The programme is co-financed by the European

Union, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain and the Spanish Food and Beverage Industry Federation (FIAB), As a part of the activities of European Quality Food: Eating with your five, the food lovers at Delhi/NCR had an opportunity to experience the ingredients used for European gastronomy through European Wellness Parade. The activities conducted in the European caravan consisted of games like blind smelling test, quizzes about different ingredients used in different recipes, movie clips from other promotional activities of the programme, information about European food ingredients, recipes, etc. www.expresshospitality.com

Washmatic improves hygiene in your restaurant by reducing bacteria count on your crockery, cutlery and glassware.

GN Washmatic India Pvt. Ltd. sales@washmaticindia.com Phone: 011 25755394

Delhi • Mumbai • Bengaluru • Chennai EXPRESS HOSPITALITY

M|A|R|K|E|T QUICK BYTES

New kids on the block Dharamshala - The Sanctuary

Formule1, Ahmedabad S t e r l i n g Holidays has opened its 19th resort, Dharamshala - The Sanctuary. The full-service, modern resort has 26 elegantly furnished rooms, a multi-cuisine restaurant, bar, conference facilities and a range of recreational activities designed to engage members and guests in fun-filled, memorable holiday experiences.

Trader Vic’s Mai Tai lounge, Mumbai After the successful launch of Trader Vic’s Mai Tai lounge in Bengaluru, JSM has opened its second outlet, at High Street Phoenix in Mumbai. This Tiki-culture inspired lounge offers a range of world inspired food, exotic cocktails and contemporary décor. The lounge has been brought to India by JSM Corporation, the company that owns Shiro and franchises of Hard Rock Café, California Pizza Kitchen, Inakaya and Pinkberry across the country.

Accor has announced the launch of its first property in Gujarat- Formule1, its low-cost hotel brand in Ahmedabad. Providing a new concept, new design and new comfort to its customers. The hotel features 132 functional rooms.

Chinese by the pool, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar Chinese by the pool at Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar has opened its doors. The menu offers traditional dishes typical of Chinese cuisine blended with innovative twists to create an experience that is fresh and simplistic yet stylish.

INTERNATIONAL

Four Points by Sheraton Luohe

Mgallery, Australia

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced the opening of Four Points by Sheraton Luohe. Owned by Central China Real Estate, the hotel is the first international branded hotel in Luohe City, as well as the first Four Points by Sheraton in Henan Province, China. The newly constructed hotel houses 244 guest rooms and suites that sport clean architectural lines and warm contemporary furnishings. Designed for maximum comfort and convenience, each room features the renowned Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort Bed, an oversized work desk, and a 42inch flat screen television. Other thoughtful amenities include free bottled water and complimentary Wi-Fi in public spaces.

MGallery, Accor’s Collection of high-end hotels has added three new establishments to its network in Australia: Harbour Rocks Hotel (Sydney), The Como Melbourne and Hotel Lindrum (Melbourne). Including Hotel St Moritz in Queenstown, New Zealand, MGallery now boasts six hotels in the region. Harbour Rocks Hotel has 59 rooms that embody the new spirit of luxury and will continue to establish a reputation as being a top boutique address in Sydney. The Como Melbourne has 107 guestrooms and suites. The hotel’s rooftop swimming pool, terrace and lively lobby bar adds to the glamorous, five-star experience. Hotel Lindrum offers all the charms of an intimate 59-room boutique hotel and exudes a warm, chic and contemporary atmosphere.

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December 16-31, 2012

M|A|R|K|E|T

Intraceuticals Infusion Intraceuticals has launched a new line of skincare serum Intraceuticals Infusion. The Australian based skincare line is a non-invasive treatment to address fine lines, wrinkles and overall hydration. The range is available in four types of serum, namely Rejuvenate, Atoxelene, Opulence and Clarity which can be used in combination or alone. Intraceuticals is the first and only professional skin care company to use pressurised, therapeutic grade oxygen to deliver Hyaluronic acid, Antioxidants, Vitamins A, C and E, Green tea and Aloe Vera deep into our skin's layers, using it’s unique delivery system to carry hydration and essential nutrients directly to where they are most needed in the skin.

help mobile workers to get set up, organised and productive quickly and efficiently. The collection includes work tools designed to be multi-functional, optimising space, boundaries and storage like Mobile Caddy, Launch Pad, Launch Pad Divider Screen, Functional Screen Combines and Personal Pocket

Foodlite Foodlite is a premium culinary oil used for frying and cooking. It is a refined vegetable fat with a high MUFA content. It enhances the taste and flavour of the product cooked or fried in it and delivers a crispier texture with a light colour. It is used for cooking, deep fat frying, par fried frozen products, salad oil, sponge cake, mayonnaise and ready to eat foods.

USA Pears

Pears from Oregon and Washington are being sold under the USA Pears brand. Pears are packed with fibre which encourages a healthy digestive function, helps reduce cholesterol levels and increases satiety, helping to reduce overall calorie intake.

Leonidas

Sobieski Cranberry Flavoured Vodka Sobieski has introduced its Cranberry flavored Vodka. This new flavour captures the rich essence of cranberry that is refreshing and has an exquisite smoothness. Sobieski Vodka is available in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

SOTO II worktools from Steelcase Steelcase has introduced SOTO II work tools for today’s mobile workers. SOTO II work tools are designed to

Belgium chocolate maker Leonidas has introduced chocolate pyramids for those who love hot chocolate drinks. The Pyramid dissolves, releasing aromas and forming creamy foam. The pyramide are available in caramel, cappuccino and chocolate flavour. The product has been priced at `600.

Black Dog Festive Gift packs Luxury blended Scotch whisky, Black Dog, has launched its range of gift packs for this festive season. Packaged in an attractive contemporary gift box, the Black Dog gift packs, comes in two variants – the Black Dog Deluxe 12 Year Old and the Black Dog Centenary Aged and rare. Black Dog Deluxe gift pack contains a 750 ml bottle of the Black Dog Deluxe 12 year old and a complimentary imported Scotch Tumbler. It has been priced between `1700-2200 per unit. The Black Dog Centenary gift pack contains a 750 ml bottle of the priced between `10001400 per unit.

December 16-31, 2012

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Cleaning & Hygiene Solutions Microfibre: The superior mopping system Abhay Desai explains about microfibres and why they are excellent as mopping material and their advantages over traditional cotton mops

icrofibre was invented in the early 1980s in northern Europe and introduced to the world in 1986. This innovation was launched largely on account of environmental concerns as this technology reduces the usage of clean water and less soiled water is put into the waste stream. Also the longer durability of the microfibre mop means that there will be a decrease in the solid waste from worn out cotton mops.

Abhay Desai

What is microfibre? It is a manmade fibre not natural as cotton. It is a

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combination of two fibres, polyester and polyamide, which is a nylon byâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; product. The best of microfibre has 80 per cent of polyester and 20 per cent of

drying fibre. The thickness of the fibre is 0.13 deniers which is 1/100th of a human hair. Normally a cross section of the microfibre would reveal

an ordinary cotton mop. For cleaning purposes the microfibre carries an electrical static positive charge that draws dirt (negatively charged) into the centre where cotton carries the dirt on the outside surface. The density of this material enables it to hold six times its weight in water.

Why consider alternative mopping techniques? polyamide. The polyester is the scrubbing and cleaning fibre and the polyamide is the absorbing and quick www.expresshospitality.com

triangular cross-sections. These triangular cross sections result in a clean dry surface when compared to

Using conventional cotton loop or Kentucky mops for wet mopping of areas has long been the standard in floor cleaning for janitorial operations. December 16-31, 2012

M|A|R|K|E|T litre Red and Blue bucket, a set of 24 microfibre mops, a Velcro frame and a suitable handle and a trolley to carry the buckets. The Blue bucket is filled with approximately four litres of water and a suitable germicidal cleaning solution is added to the same. The 20 mops are placed in the

bucket and it is covered with a hermetic cover and turned upside down. After a couple of hours the mops would have evenly absorbed the cleaning/disinfectant solution by osmosis. When mopping , a clean mop is taken out of the Blue bucket, hand wrung out and dropped on the floor. Place the Velcro end of the mop head on the cloth and then mop the entire floor of the room with the same. To change the cloth

stand on the ends of mop, pull the mop head and place it diagonally opposite on the cloth, pick it up and drop it in the Red bucket. Move on to the new room and then use another fresh mop for the same. There is no refilling or changing of the cleaning solution and the soiled microfibre cloth does not go back in the clean bucket. At the end the soiled mops are send to the laundry for washing.

Simply put, the basic advantages of the Top Down method over the traditional method of mopping are: ● No wringers required ● No preparation of cleaning solution in the ward ● No handling of dirty solution ● Weight reduction and less stress on the labour. (The author director marketing – regional sector sales director -BSC, AMAT, Diversey India Pvt. Ltd)

However the industry has taken a recent interest in evaluating hard floor maintenance techniques in terms of employee, occupants and environmental health. To reduce the risk of cross contamination conventional mopping techniques requires janitors to change the cleaning solution after mopping every two or three rooms meaning that cleaning solutions (including chemicals and several gallons of water) are constantly being disposed off and replenished.

How does microfibre help? How much more sanitary is it to use a fresh mop for each room? Reducing the risk of nosocomial infections in hospitals is of utmost importance. According to the CDC there are an estimated two million incidences related to nosocomial infections annually. There are 80,000 deaths from nosocomial infections annually; 20,000 occur in the US alone. The costs per year for nosocomial infections since 1992 are in excess of US$ 4.5 billion. Literature currently documents that reducing the nosocomial infection rate is supported with the utilisation of a new mop in each patient room. From a cleaning perspective something as simple as always having clean water in the bucket is also more appealing to the staff, patients and visitors.

Microfibre v/s cotton Top Down approach to mopping The actual process of using the microfiber mops is a huge improvement in and by itself over the conventional cotton mop process The Top Down system actually consists of one 20 December 16-31, 2012

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SPECIAL FEATURE

CULINARY EDUCATION

Nurturing a new generation of pastry chefs The International Culinary Center founded as The French Culinary Institute, the world's leading culinary centre for education, ropes in Chef Jansen Chan as its new director of pastry arts

hef Jansen Chan will help The International Culinary Center discover and train tomorrow's culinary stars. He will be joining the Center after having worked for 13 years in some of the finest restaurants in both San Francisco and New York, most recently as executive pastry chef at Oceana in New York City. “I'm delighted to welcome Chef Chan to The International Culinary Center. Alongside our renowned Deans Jacques Torres and Emily Luchetti, Chef Chan's appointment

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Chef Jansen Chan www.expresshospitality.com

further strengthens our talented, market-leading pastry and baking department,” says Dorothy Cann Hamilton, CEO and founder of The International Culinary Center. “Having worked with some of the most celebrated chefs in the restaurant industry, I'm excited to help nurture the next generations of pastry chefs. The International Culinary Center is the standard for educational excellence in the culinary world,” adds Chef Chan. He will oversee the pastry arts and bread programmes at both International Culinary

Campuses in City and California.

New York Campbell,

Mastering the pastry art Originally from Northern California, Chef Chan began baking at a very young age. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in architecture, he followed his true passion for baking by moving to Paris and graduating from Le Cordon Bleu with a pâtisserie diploma in 2000. Chef Chan started his career in San Francisco, where he trained at Kuleto's, John Frank, and the Fifth December 16-31, 2012

C | H | E | F’ | S | P | L | A | T | T | E | R chefs as its deans including Jacques Pépin, Jacques Torres, André Soltner, Alain Sailhac, David Kinch, Emily Luchetti, Alan Richman, and Cesare Casella with José Andrés joining most recently. In addition to its premier culinary education, The International Culinary Center is the leading destination for culinary events, catered and produced exclusively by FCI Catering & Events. Floor. He was then invited to work for Chef Alain Ducasse in the kitchens of his eponymous restaurant at the Essex House in New York City, as well as in Ducasse's Mix restaurants in Las Vegas and New York City. Under the tutelage of Ducasse and corporate pastry chef Nicolas Berger, Chef Chan mastered the craft of baking and pastry in fine dining. During his most recent five-year tenure at Oceana, he indulged New York City diners with his sumptuous and visuallyarresting desserts and artisanal breads. Oceana was awarded a Michelin Star every year Chef Chan worked at the restaurant. Chef Chan's approach to the art of pastry and baking combines applying classic French techniques to fresh, seasonal ingredients to create exciting flavour profiles. His desserts have been featured in high-profile publications such as Food & Wine magazine, Art Culinaire and Baking and Pastry: North America. His desserts were lauded by former New York Times critic Frank Bruni and in 2009, Chef Jansen's doughnut platter was named the best dessert in the city by Time Out New York. The International Culinary Center, founded as The French Culinary Institute by Hamilton in 1984, is the world's leading culinary centre for education. With locations in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and Parma, Italy, the Center is a culinary incubator with cutting edge curriculums producing world-class graduates that advance the industry. Its state-of-the-art multi-million dollar kitchens and classrooms provide the very best environments for aspiring chefs and culinary enthusiasts to learn and develop successful careers – from an unmatched six-month career programme to serious amateur and recreational classes. The Center boasts some of the most world-renowned December 16-31, 2012

The Center is home to the Michelin-recommended restaurant L'Ecole in New York City and the Monte Bello Dining Room in California and has published three cookbooks, most recently The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking and the James Beard award-winning books, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine and The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry.

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SPECIAL FEATURE EVENT ROUNDUP

In search of quality All Things Nice recently conducted the first Indian Wine Consumer's Choice Awards (IWCCA). The aim was not just to create awareness about the quality of Indian wines but also give quality Indian wine makers an opportunity to reach out directly to consumers. By Sayoni Bhaduri

ndian wine industry has faced a lot of brick bats for the lack of quality control and understanding of the Indian market. But Nikhil Agarwal, director, All Things Nice is of the opinion that while there are great many players who do not follow the rule book, there are many who are working hard and succeeding to produce good quality wines. At the same time, consumers are either taken for granted or taken for a ride. Hence the birth of the concept of IWCCA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;IWCCA is an effort to understand what consumers want. Nobody has ever tried to understand what the consumer really

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December 16-31, 2012

H|I|G|H| S|P|I|R|I|T|S

'Consumers are paying more attention' Indian consumers are changing and looking forward to new experiences. Nikhil Agarwal, director, All Things Nice offers them that in the food and beverage segment.

Nikhil Agarwal

All Things Nice started with three aims explains Nikhil Agarwal, director, All Things Nice, “We need our F&B industry to be better trained; we have to raise the standards of our services to reach world class levels. Consumers too need to learn and know more. The luxury segment in the country is small and at the same time as India grows rapidly the young Indians want to experience more, there has to be someone to reach out to them.” Food and beverage is also a passion for him, one should be able to enjoy and take away some of the unnecessary negativity that surrounds it. “Indians work very hard to earn money and our value system is such that references to money has always been elevated,” he added. All Things Nice aims to be a platform for knowledge, networking and experiences for wine, luxury spirits and gourmet food aficionados. They cover everything ranging from wines, cognacs and single malts to cheese, charcuterie, chocolates, beer, teas, coffees and fine cigars. They have a membership base of 2,30,000 people and a huge chunk of that are HNI. All Things Nice recently started conducting Twisted Decadence dinners for private groups. “We started the tasting dinners with the aim to introduce like minded people to each other and introduce different facets of wine and food pairing,” said Agarwal.

Discussing wines, he added that the share of consumers All Things Nice targets are already aware of wine brands. “It is this power brands that leads a consumer to the retailer. But the retailer very often has never tasted wine at all, he gives his recommendation on the basis of the price, the scheme and his profits,” he explained. All Things Nice has created a strong connect with the consumers, they work with a few select brands to create awareness about quality in wines. “It was difficult in the beginning but now we have become stronger,” says Agarwal. The mindset has to change; All Things Nice's independence is something that has allowed them to stay objective he believes. Food and drink in India has become huge in India now. “It has never been bigger,” he said. Consumers are paying more attention, they are interested and want to know more. There are new players who are also coming in and All Things Nice wants to reach out to people and encourage them to eat and drink better. Consumers are not the same anymore, and this is not just for wines but food as well. The exposure from television alone has created aspirations amongst consumers. “In such a scenario, hotels too need to look at business beyond just tourists. They need business that Indians can generate,” he opined.

The winners’ list Gold Medal Winners ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Zampa Soiree Brut 2011 Sula Brut Rosé Non Vintage Sula Chenin Blanc 2012 Sula Sauvignon Blanc 2012 Reveilo Chardonnay 2011 Reveilo Chardonnay Reserve 2010 Nine Hills Viognier 2012 Sula Riesling 2012 Nine Hills Shiraz Rosé 2012 Nine Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Alpine Oro Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2011 Myra Shiraz 2012 Reveilo Nero D’Avola 2012 Vallonné Merlot Reserve 2011 Reveilo Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Vallonne Cabernet Sauvignon Classique Reserve 2009 Chateau d’Ori Cabernet Syrah 2008 Alpine Vindiva Reserve Estate Shiraz 2010 Sula Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2012

Silver Medal Winners ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Sula Seco Non Vintage York Chenin Blanc 2011 Fratelli Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Big Banyan Chardonnay 2011 Sula Dindori Reserve Viognier 2012 Vinsura Rose 2009 Fratelli Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Reveilo Syrah 2011 Fratelli Cabernet Franc Shiraz 2011 Vinsura Merlot 2009 Good Earth Basso Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Grover La Reserve 2011 Pause Reserve Shiraz 2011

December 16-31, 2012

wants,” he said. In its first edition, the competition saw 125 premium Indian wines stand up to the challenge Agarwal and his company posed to the industry. These 125 wines were then judged by a set of 80 consumers; since these were consumers and not sommeliers and connoisseurs the consumer judge got the opportunity to taste 25 wines each. These consumers were however well versed and knowledgeable about wines. This was a parameter Agarwal was vehement about for the judging to be fair. The wines were tasted blind, with the bottles covered, giving the consumer a chance to make an unbiased evaluation of the wines. The scoring was on three parameters – colour, aroma and palate. The motive behind this initiative was to create www.expresshospitality.com

an independent list of India's finest wines chosen by everyday consumers' to help guide other consumers in their buying decisions. With the competition,

Agarwal hopes that Indian wineries will understand what the consumer likes and dislikes are and accordingly work on the wines they produce. “Many small wineries in India are doing a great job of producing great wines, but they do not have enough bandwidth to reach out to the audience. This competition will be a way to bring them to the forefront,” he added. The winners list includes 19 wines in the Gold category and 13 wines in the Silver category. Agarwal hopes to make this initiative an annual event. “We need to change the perception towards what is a good wine, especially for Indian wines. IWCCA will allow consumers to chooses good wines for people. It will also force wine makers to conduct proper due diligence,” he said.

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Management

INSIGHT INTO HOSPITALITY OPERATIONS

COVER STORY

Creating change For hotel companies Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are an extension of their organisational vision to make a difference in the community and work towards a sustainable future, engaging their employees in the process. By Sudipta Dev SR initiatives have become an integral part of those hotel companies which recognise that besides doing their bit for the society or the environment, they are also developing a positive brand image that can go a long way in impacting their business in the future. Engaging the employees in such activities is a great motivator and helps in creating a holistic work culture in the organisation, along with attracting and retaining the workforce. The CSR initiatives introduced by hotel companies cover a whole gamut of activities that might not bring about a wide ranging change, but certainly a focused impact. The CSR focus areas for most hotel

Team members of The Leela Palace Udaipur participating in the lake cleaning drive

companies differ with the international groups introducing their global corporate responsibility platform in India, eg Hyatt Thrive. “To achieve our goals, Hyatt Thrive focuses on four areas that we believe are essential to a thriving community - environmental sustainability; economic development and investment; education and personal advancement; health and wellness. The two programmes - Hyatt Earth and Hyatt Community engage our associates around the world in these four areas. Hyatt Earth drives environmental stewardship across our hotels, while Hyatt Community strengthens our community impact through volunteerism, philanthropy and disaster relief,” says Yasmin D

CSR initiatives in India Hyatt International

through energy-saving gadgets and environment-friendly material.

Introduction of an apprenticeship/training/hiring programme for underprivileged

* Helping the economically deprived: ITC Maratha provides vocational training

youth at Hyatt Regency Mumbai, in conjunction with NGO partners YCI and the

and advocacy for economically deprived.

Kherwadi trust.The hotel follows YCI's training curriculum and hires the trainees at

* ITC Maratha also organises blood donation drives on a regular basis.

the end of the programme.This is a pilot project that might be extended on a broader

Lemon Tree Hotels

platform in the coming years. The hotel group has also initiated several sustainable

The company philosophy is to make Lemon Tree Hotels an inclusive workplace and

green practices in its properties like recycled water being used for gardening.

to build processes with appropriate learning that will facilitate this objective. The

Replacing of steam traps with energy efficient steam traps. Since the introduction

company currently has over 100 Employees with Disabilities (EWDs) in the team,

of seven energy efficient Toyota Prius to the hotel’s car fleet the usage of fuel has

who are all hearing-and-speech impaired. They work across different areas of

reduced to 10345 liters from September 2011 until January 2012 as opposed to

hotels, eg housekeeping, kitchen stewarding and F&B service. This is currently five

14099 liters from September 2010 until January 2011.

per cent of the total staffing of the 18 hotels the company owns/operates across

The Leela Palace Udaipur

India. The goal is to take this to 10 per cent of total staffing in 2013 or about 250

* Adopted remote villages nearby Udaipur for Leela Care activities

EWDs.

* Lake cleaning drive by team members and involve local community, and support

Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport

Jheel Smarakshan Samiti

* The hotel is are associated with Sneha Sadan, home for orphan children, every

* Celebrating World environment week

quarter some play activities are arranged for children, who are also provided fresh

* Public garden maintained by The Leela Palace Udaipur

food and clothes from the hotel thereby assisting the welfare of the children

* Blood donation camps

* On Environment Day dustbins are distributed to the shops near the hotel premises

* Providing training and employment to underprivileged students from local

and shopowners are educated to dispose the waste in the dustbins

community

* The hotel’s garbage is disposed only through a recognised and certified vendor by

ITC Maratha

the BMC (Mumbai Municipality)

* Employing differently abled people: Rising to the challenge, ITC Maratha has

* The neighboring community are invited to the hotel to participate in Independence

made a commendable effort to accommodate people with disabilities and draw them

Day celebrations

to mainstream of life as far as possible.

* Through SOS (home for abandoned children) an NGO that has a children village

* WelcomEnviron: As responsible corporate citizens, ITC Maratha recognises its

in Alibag, the hotel sponsors academic educational expenses for one child, the staff

commitment towards maintaining a greener and healthier environment.

visits the village and spends the day with the children

WelcomEnviron is the vision for a green world. The guiding principle is Reduce,

* Hope Contribution – during check-out, the guests are asked if they would like to

Reuse and Recycle. Each hotel has its own programme, encompassing local

donate to the Hope Foundation. Upon their agreement the donation proceeds.

participation, creating awareness among employees and internal conservation

EXPRESS HOSPITALITY

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December 16-31, 2012

M|A|N|A|G|E|M|E|N|T

Yasmin D Poonegar

Aradhana Lal

Dhunji Kavarana

Graham Grant

Oppenheimer Pinto e Fernandez

Poonegar, director of Corporate Communications, Hyatt International South West Asia. In the Leela Group, it is the chairman Capt. CP Krishnan Nair who inspires the entire group’s CSR activities. There is a programme called as Leela Cares for social and environmental activities. The ITC Group has a number of projects focused on education, community, health, environment, etc. According to Aradhana Lal, vice president Corporate Communications & Sustainability Initiatives, Lemon Tree’s vision for 2020 is to build a reputation for ‘responsible growth’. “Lemon Tree Hotels goes beyond the simple paradigm of CSR and believes in running its business in a sustainable manner. We are driving sustainability through the three pillars – people, planet and profit,” states Lal. Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport has been associated with a few CSR initiatives, notable among which is the work done with Sneha Sadan a non-governmental organisation that provides a home for homeless children living on the streets of Mumbai. “These homes have given these children a chance to escape life on the streets, gain access to a shelter, education and a future. We are also associated with Hope Foundation," says Oppenheimer Pinto e Fernandez, general manager, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport. Among the many initiatives that these properties are associated with, there are of course a few projects that are close to the heart of the organisation/hotel. Graham Grant, general manager, The Leela Palace Udaipur avers that the project that provided training and employment to underprivileged students from local community, is something that the hotel is particularly December 16-31, 2012

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Case Study: Saunders Hotel Group, USA The winner of this year's WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Award for Community Benefit, Saunders Hotel Group (SHG), USA, has a long established history of philanthropic activities. The hotel group is a third generation family business and currently has five properties in its portfolio - Comfort Inn & Suites, Boston/Airport; Hampton Inn, Norwood, Massachusetts; Hawthorne Suites, Alexandria, Virginia; Premiere Hotel & Suites, New Haven, Connecticut; and The Lenox Hotel, Boston. “Our commitment to 'our people and our communities' is demonstrated by each property SHG operates and by the financial commitment they make to these efforts. From scholarship programmes to continuing education and 401k matches, the SHG invests in its employees. As a result, a culture of giving back is created and extends to the communities of each property,” says Jeffrey G Saunders, president and CEO, Saunders Hotel Group. SHG has set up the Roger A

proud of. At ITC Maratha, Mumbai, it is the fact that the hotel has employed a respectable number of differently abled people in various key departments like housekeeping, F&B production, HR, front office. “We’ve made sure that they are at par with the other employees. This initiative speaks volumes about our culture of inclusiveness,” states Dhunji Kavarana, area manager (West) and general manager, ITC Maratha. Lemon Tree Hotels takes a 360 degree view of engaging with differently abled people. “While we have robust policies for employing the differently abled, we are also equally concerned about guests who are differently abled and who we believe should have easy access to all areas of our hotels. That too has required a paradigm shift in the way we look at access – from hotel design, architecture, facilitation and sensitisation of staff,” states Lal.

Aligning with business strategy It is necessary that the factors that drive the CSR initiatives should align with the organisational goals and strategy. Poonegar points out that Hyatt Thrive brings together teams of passionate people to focus on local projects that contribute to the prosperity and well-being of their communities. “Its design draws on the knowledge and insight of a global cross section of stakeholders – including corporate leadership, property owners and associates throughout our

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Saunders School of Hospitality at Newbury College, Brookline, where annual scholarships are awarded for four-year university to the children or grandchildren of the employees. At Comfort Inn and Suites Boston/ Logan Airport, the management team and line level employees took part in

organisation, community leaders and guests. Hyatt Thrive harnesses the power of our associates at our properties around the world to help our global community of colleagues, guests and neighbours do one thing 'thrive'. Hyatt Thrive builds on our rich history of community engagement and environmental stewardship and is a global framework for teams of passionate people to bring to life local projects that benefit their communities,” she explains. At ITC Maratha all activities are aligned keeping in mind the triple bottom line philosophy. “We believe that profit can only be measured economically, socially and in terms of the environment, which is our triple bottom line philosophy,” states Kavarana. There are many tangible as well as intangible advantages of CSR activities for a hotel. The key ones, believes Graham Grant, general manager, The Leela Palace Udaipur are employee engagement through CSR activities and

guest participation and acknowledgment being a responsible company. According the Lal it makes sense to impart relevant employability skills to EWD’s (Employees with Disabilities) in those job profiles where their disability is not a disadvantage. “So we try for optimal placement – giving differently abled employees roles or placing them in positions where they are not at a disadvantage (for instance in workplaces where there is significant noise, it can actually be an advantage to have a hearing and speech impaired employee in that area),” says Lal, pointing out that EWDs have a greater sense of loyalty to the organisation and the turnover ratios in this group is much lower than that of the company overall. For them, being given an opportunity to make a living for themselves and becoming a part of society makes them feel proud and happy and hence loyal to the organisation. “Due to these two outcomes, they can then be employed

Dustbins being distributed by Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport team www.expresshospitality.com

the activities like Walk for Autism and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), hosted quarterly blood drives for the local Red Cross, they volunteered at a local substance abuse treatment home and also at a local homeless shelter on Christmas Day. The other activities include conducting a toy drive for Toys for Tots, a food drive for Lighthouse Nursing Home and funds collection for the 'Souper Bowl of Caring to Tackle Hunger'. “This list could go on – hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars were invested, donated, or provided by the hotel,” mentions Saunders, adding that, “Our daily life and mission is rooted in our people and our communities. Every action we take thoughtfully considers outstanding service to our guests, community benefits, value creation for investors and job satisfaction for our team members. My family, the namesake of the Saunders Hotel Group, has a personal commitment to the company’s motto 'Preserving the Past and Protecting the Future'.”

routinely and on an equal footing with other people (rather than as a CSR or charitable initiative) which is the only sustainable policy in the long run,” she adds. Fernandez believes that while CSR initiatives have its own benefits, however they are not related to business. “Through such initiatives we try to give back to the society in whatever small way we can. It helps in staff engagement as they enjoy participating and contributing in such activities. Also, it gives us immense satisfaction that other than our business we are also looking after the community which enables us to raise the bar on our Responsible Business Quadrant objectives,” he mentions.

Employee engagement Employee engagement is an integral part of any CSR initiative. Hyatt International has a well organised process for this. “Employees want to feel proud of the organisation they work for. An employee with a positive attitude towards the company is less likely to look for a job elsewhere. It is also likely that you will receive more job applications because people want to work for you,” says Poonegar. At the Leela Palace Udaipur this is driven through HR activity calendar taking nominations from departments. The benefits, avers Grant, are many - it leads to emotional satisfaction, team building, and identification of key behavior indicators – initiatives and leadership. At ITC Maratha to

sensitise new employees towards differently abled people, sign language classes are organised. “We’ve received tremendous response for the sign language training,” states Kavarana. Lal explains that an initiative of this nature is never easy to implement. It requires sensitisation of the entire team and brings its own share of challenges. “However, we have been able to implement a comprehensive programme pan India that is functioning reasonably well. We pioneered this initiative in 2007 and have successfully conducted sensitivity training for all employees, including subsequent new hires. This was led by an external expert whose forte is Indian sign language and who has worked closely with hearing-and-speech impaired people. This has since become an integral part of our system and employees now welcome their differently abled colleagues,” she adds. Environmental and community investment provides exceptional return to the user, asserts Grant. “We as a unit contribute to the wellbeing of society through responsible environmental action. In most cases there will be a financial benefit, certainly education, awareness and protocols to conserve energy have this impact,” he adds. The community investment provides genuine satisfaction not only with those less fortunate but as a unit to share and appreciate the ability to give, the return is a healthy and uplifting morale. December 16-31, 2012

M|A|N|A|G|E|M|E|N|T STRATEGY

Renovate to reinvent Pan Pacific Hotels Group has invested in multi-million dollars for renovating several of its properties in different countries, along with opening new hotels and serviced suites. A Patrick Imbardelli, president and chief executive officer, Pan Pacific Hotels Group talks about the group's strategy of sustained growth. By Sudipta Dev

an Pacific Hotels Group recently invested SGD 80 million in the transformation of Pan Pacific Singapore. This year has also witnessed the group carry out important renovations projects of many Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL properties across the region. “As an organisation we are fairly unique as we are a branded organisation with two brands, which is PARKROYAL and Pan Pacific. Each of the brand has their own positioning in the market,” says A Patrick Imbardelli, president and chief executive officer, Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG). He adds that while a lot of hotel companies are today in the franchisee model and management model, PPHG still owns and develops many of the hotels. “We have got serviced suites and hotels. We believe that there is a real opportunity in the serviced suite market. They are actually a little different from serviced apartments and provide an envelope of services,” adds Imbardelli. Pan Pacific Manila just had a major refurbishment,

brands like opening of the 415-room Pan Pacific Ningbo in Zhejiang, China and the first Pan Pacific serviced suites product in China with Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Ningbo in December,” states Imbardelli. PARKROYAL Service Suites is opening in Shanghai. Ningbo and Shanghai are service suites that are managed by PPHG for owners.

December 16-31, 2012

Sustained growth

A Patrick Imbardelli while PARKROYAL in Darling Harbour Sydney is just undergoing renovations. Pan Pacific Orchard in Claymore, Singapore has also gone through refurbishment. There has also been SGD 14 million renovations of Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort. PARKROYAL Yangon, which has witnessed record-high occupancy rates, also completed renovations in 2012. “So while we are doing refurbishment we are also opening new hotels for both www.expresshospitality.com

“Our focus for growth is that we do not want to open 50 hotels a year, that is not the idea. We'd like to open five or six properties each year so that we have a sustainable growth and the product must exemplify the brand,” mentions Imbardelli. He points out that for a company that has over 10,000 associates in North America, China, Australia and South East Asia, it is not easy to grow too quickly to keep up the pace of growth. “So while we are growing, for every hotel or service suite that we are building, opening/owning it will probably be one out of three that we are managing for other people. When it comes

to specific markets then there are plans for Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia,” informs Imbardelli. The focus of the group is not about opening a hundred hotels but to go where its customers are going. “In Singapore the company has five/ six hotels and service suites, a lot of our customers who come to Singapore also go to, for example Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. So what we try to do is understand where they are going and put hotels in those places and not just where we want to open these properties. If we put hotels just where we want to then there might not be the customers,” asserts Imbardelli. He acknowledges that India is an interesting market however PPHG has no plans in the immediate future to open properties in the country. “While we know India as one word, it is actually many states. Then there is Mumbai and Delhi outbound, Mumbai is the cosmopolitan capital where lot of business is done, while EXPRESS HOSPITALITY

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Delhi is the government capital. At present while we have a strategy, it does not include India. We believe that to build or manage hotels in India we cannot have one or two properties, you need have it in 10 key cities and then you need to have hotels in destinations like Goa. Whenever we enter the Indian market in the future it will be big time,” he states. Like any business leader one of the challenges that he has is to prioritise resources, and that does not only mean capital, it also means people. “At the moment from a developer's perspective our focus is South East Asia and China - these are our key areas,” he explains. As a source market the outbound leisure segment from India goes to Pan Pacific Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Penang in particular. “One hotel that draws a lot of traffic from India is the PARKROYAL Kitchener Road that is right at the edge of Little India. As a source market India is gaining in importance but not in mass market area. We are getting people to know, understand our brands and search our brands out. I do not see 20 per cent increase in customers but I see an ongoing increase,” mentions Imbardelli. Talking about the most difficult challenges of operating hotels in different countries, he remarks that in developing countries manpower and infrastructure are the two biggest challenges. “There is need for more flights / airports. As far as manpower issues are concerned the focus is on training, developing and then retaining them. We give a lot of training to our people, including language training e.g English, Mandarin,”

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adds Imbardelli. He believes that there is no government that makes things difficult for a hotelier. “It is just that sometimes they need an understanding - in Thailand it's about what licenses you get, in Vietnam it's about understanding the masterplan of each city and working within that. India is very interesting, in the past the country has been characterised by Indian companies in the luxury five-star space - the Taj, Oberoi, ITC. And they tried to create joint ventures. Now international companies are going in and the infrastructure is being refreshed,” he says. The sales strategy is bottom up and top down. For example, when each hotel makes its plan for 2013 – they see where the customers will come from and whether they are for leisure or business. “Then we see where our growth comes from. For China there is a different strategy, we have a sales office in Shanghai and there will be one soon in Beijing. We will try and capture the traffic in a different way,” he says. Over the last three years PPHG has been averaging four to five new hotels a year. “I'd like to think that from a sustainable perspective that is type of growth average. We are only as good as growing what happens around us. We do not see ourselves doubling every year,” states Imbardelli. The company is soon adding to its Singapore portfolio PARKROYAL on Pickering and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road, Singapore. These openings will bring the group’s Singapore portfolio to eight hotels and serviced suites with an inventory of over 2,600 rooms. December 16-31, 2012

M|A|N|A|G|E|M|E|N|T GM SPEAK

Redefining budget Blending convenience and comfort with proven functionality, Rohit Ahuja, general manager, Ibis Nashik shares his perspective on the change in demographics over the years and how Ibis Nashik, looks at offering an ideal choice for business and leisure travellers. By Kahini Chakraborty elieving that one must pay attention to the minutest of details in the hospitality business to be successful in getting repeat clientele, Ibis Nashik takes pride in its '15 minute satisfaction guarantee service' which speaks for the importance given to time and high quality service. Strategically located within the industrial zone of Satpur, Ibis Nashik is the first internationally branded hotel in the city offering business and leisure travellers 123 contemporary rooms and 24/7 F&B service. Ibis Nashik is owned by Interglobe Hotels, a joint venture of Accor and Interglobe Enterprises. Opining on the demographic change in Nashik and what makes the city viable for new industrial developments and tourists inflow, Rohit Ahuja, general manager, Ibis Nashik says, “The city is fast becoming a thriving commercial hub and the third most industrialised city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune. We hope to set new standards of hospitality for economy hotels here. The proximity to important industrial belts

December 16-31, 2012

Rohit Ahuja provide our guests with easy access to business districts. We are confident that our guests will enjoy the Ibis experience. Our main objective is to be the leading hotel and first choice for customers when thinking of an economy hotel in Nashik.” On the subject of market differentiation, traveller needs and location acting as a catalyst to the hotel's benefit, Ahuja replies, “Opening an Ibis in Nashik was a very strategic decision. Nashik is fast becoming India’s auto and pharma manufacturing hub

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with corporates like Bosch, ABB, Thermofisher, Schneider Electric, Mahindra Sona, GlaxoSmithKline, Eaton, Crompton Greaves, Garware etc setting up fully functional factory units. Even from a cultural point of view, the city is famous for its rich religious heritage and vineyards making it a lucrative holiday destination. Ibis is the first international brand hotel in the city which gives us first mover’s advantage and an opportunity to showcase the Ibis experience to our customers.” After 17 years of successful years in the hospitality industry, Ahuja joined as the general manager of Ibis Nashik. Prior to this, he has worked in hotels like the Accor, ITC, The Park and Hyatt. “Moving to Nashik after 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I aim to develop the unique positioning of Ibis in this city. Also juggle a myriad of priorities and key issues to help determine what is best for the business, the staff and my guests. Personally, I am very proud to be associated with a brand that cares so much about its staff and customers and

look forward to all the opportunities they have to offer,” adds Ahuja. Ibis Nashik looks at positioning itself as an ultimate MICE destination with 180 sq metres meeting room that can be divided into two spaces that are ideal for small get-togethers, corporate meetings or business events.

Strategies and changes Notwithstanding, the last couple of years has seen tremendous growth in the number of hotels, small and large, entering tier one and tier two cities. “The industry has witnessed double digit growth in last couple of years. Factors contributing to this success are the government's support for the private sector and foreign investment in the industry, and an improvement in the aviation sector. The market has definitely opened up for international hospitality brands now and this will only increase in the near future. Growing business entails more travel for business managers that is where we fit in. The challenge is then to create loyal customers who will return back to you wherever they travel. It also means increasing presence across key destinations,” Ahuja feels strongly. Taking all these factors into consideration, the hotel aims to tap the business sector as well as leisure travellers holding on to its unique selling point of being conveniently located from the various vineyards and Trimbakeshwar Temple. The hotel offers a '15 minute satisfaction guarantee' wherein if a guest faces a service issue and it is not addressed within the stipulated 15 minutes, the stay is complementary for the guest. The average age of working employee at the hotel is 24 years. Ahuja reiterates that the hotel is known for its quality and consistency and will continue to keep striving to maintain the same principles in the future as well. EXPRESS HOSPITALITY

M|A|N|A|G|E|M|E|N|T EVENT ROUNDUP

Building a Credible Konkan To tap the potential of the naturally endowed Konkan region, the Maharashtra government is working with Kokan Bhumi Prastishthan (KBP), an umbrella organsiation of hoteliers, tour operators and tourism services set up with aim of developing the region's tourism offerings and promoting it globally. By Steena Joy

onkan, a coastal region in Maharashtra spread across four districts - Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg is attracting the attention of tourists both, inbound and outbound. With a 72 km coastline, its pristine beaches and backwaters, forts and ghats (the Western Ghats which runs through the region was recently declared a World Heritage

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Site by UNESCO), farms and fruits (the world renowned Alphonso mangoes are endemic to this region), the Konkan region is a tourist haven waiting to be explored. Realising this, the Kokan Bhumi Prastishthan (KBP) was set up 10 years ago to spearhead development in the region and give it a definite direction. With the support of hoteliers and tour

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operators in the region, the KBP has taken many initiatives with the main aim of promoting the destination as well as encouraging entrepreneurial ventures like Farm Tourism Centres which will provide employment to the youth in the region. To tap the tourism potential of the region, KBP has been organising initiatives like Village Tourism Festival, Beach Festival and Global Kokan every year. Partnering with the Maharashtra government, KBP launched the Global Kokan initiative in 2011 to provide a global perspective to nature, tourist spots, industries, artists, culture and folk arts of the region. The next Global Kokan will be held from January 4 to 7, 2013 in Mumbai which is expected to draw around five lakh visitors. Speaking to Express Hospitality, Sanjay Yadavrao, president (KBP) and executive president, Global Kokan said, “Global Kokan 2013 will be historic for us in many ways. At the event we will be launching a one stop online portal www.konkanmall.com with a 24-hour helpline. Hoteliers in the region can register on

the portal so that tourists can find all their needs at one spot. We will also be launching the first coffee table on Konkan tourism which will cover all tourist destinations in the region, from Dahanu to Vengurla, from Jawahar to Amboli. There will also be Maharashtra's first Fish Aquarium and Fish Festival where we will showcase all varieties of marine life including and sea fish like bangda, bombil, surmai, etc which are endemic to the coastline of the region.” As precursor to the event, in December, the Global Kokan Motorcycle and Car Rally is being organised covering 2,000 km and a Village Tourism Festival will be held where visitors can stay in villages and experience village trekking, cultural fests, local cuisine, beach sports and fishing. In 2015, KBP plans to organise Global Kokan overseas. Citing examples of Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, he urged hoteliers and tour operators to change their outlook and bring in more energy and channelise their efforts to sell the destination. “We should promote Konkan not just in India but also December 16-31, 2012

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globally. We want to put Konkan on the world map. And we can do this only by upgrading our facilities and bringing in standardisation and professionalism. Konkan attracts around one crore tourists every year without much promotion. So if we work harder and upgrade all our hotels, and improve infrastructure, then tourism will flow to the region,” Yadavrao reiterated. He believed that the region should benefit from its proximity to Mumbai and Pune, which account for most of the present tourist traffic. Vithal Kamat, CMD, Kamat Hotels India said, “We should use the case studies of Kerala and Rajasthan as benchmarks. We must strive to go beyond the standards set by these states. If we can have an Incredible India, why not a Credible Konkan? We need to develop all classes of tourism and not just 'mass tourism'. People already know about Konkan as a region, but we need airports, good roads and good hotels to increase the region's credibility. A tourist anywhere in the world is the same. All he needs is a good

December 16-31, 2012

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bed and a clean toilet. What distinguishes a good hotel from the bad is the quality and service. You should provide a customer what you would expect from a good hotel.” Kamat also urged the tour operators to promote religious tourism, adventure tourism and eco tourism in the region. Taking Goa as an example, he added, “We must turn calamity into opportunity. Goa played up its monsoons and promoted monsoon tourism and now tourists flock to the place during the rains. A lean season has now turned into a peak period.” He believes that hotels should be transparent in what they are offering. “If it is a basic adventure tourism resort with no TV and no air conditioning, let the tourist know about it beforehand,” he advised. Kamat felt that planning is needed to promote niche tourism products like ecotourism. “It is not about just selling mangoes!,” he exclaimed. He also stressed on the need for training and coaching of guides, taxi drivers, etc. Yadavrao agrees, “Every district in Konkan must have a hospitality institute. All parties concerned – tour operators, hoteliers and associations must meet every month to brainstorm and make improvements.” He also revealed that KBP is planning a promotion campaign titled 'No Kashmir. No Kanyakumari. No Kulu Manali. Only Konkan' for the coming summer peak season. “We are also developing some Adivasi villages which tourists can visit. We also want to build tourism circuits within the region like from Matheran to Alibag, from Jawahar to Dahanu, etc.” EXPRESS HOSPITALITY

Event Tracker Hospitality Trade Shows in 2012-13 Date

Event

Venue

December 20 – 29, 2012

Food Show

Mishref (Kuwait)

December 23 – 26, 2012

Hong Kong Food Festival

Hong Kong

December 14 – 17, 2012

Gluten Free Expo

Brescia (Italy)

January 2013

TRAFS – Thailand Retail, Food & Hospitality Services

Bangkok

January 1, 2013

Mondial Du Pain

Lyon (France)

January 10 -12, 2013

Food Hospitality World

Mumbai

January 14 - 15, 2013

HIFI

Delhi NCR

January 2013

Viticulture & Viniculture

Budapest

January 15–17, 2013

Sival

Angers (France)

January 20 -24, 2013

FBK - Swiss Trade Fair for bakery and confectionery

Bern (Switzerland)

January 22 – 25, 2013

Laundry and Dry Cleaning

Minsk (Belarus)

January 23 – 26, 2013

ANFAS Hotel Equipment

Antalya (Turkey)

January 26 -27, 2013

Boston Wine Expo

Boston

January 27 – 30, 2013

Prosweets Cologne

Cologne

January 27 -30, 2013

ISM - International Sweets and Biscuits Fair

Cologne

January 29 – 30, 2013

Bocuse D’Or - World Cuisine Contest

Lyon (France)

February 6 – 9, 2013

SIHER (International Exhibition for Hotel & Restaurant Equipment, Products)

Tunis

February 7 – 10, 2013

Top Gastro

Prague

February 13 – 15, 2013

Hotel Gastrotech

Zagreb (Croatia)

April 3 - 4, 2013

HICSA

Mumbai

April 7 – 9, 2013

China International Green Food & Organic Food Exhibition

Beijing

May 14 – 17, 2013

Seoul Food & Hotel

Seoul (Korea South)

May 20 -22, 2013

London International Wine Fair

London

June 6 - 15, 2013

Sweet Eurasia

Istanbul

June 25 – 28, 2013

Fispal Cafe

São Paulo (Brazil)

August 15 – 17, 2013

Hong Kong International Tea Fair

Hong Kong

September 8 – 10, 2013

Speciality Chocolate Fair

London

September 11-13, 2013

Food Ingredients Asia

Bangkok

September 17-20, 2013

Food & Hotel Malaysia 2013

Kuala Lumpur

September 20-23, 2012

Caribbean Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange

Jamaica

September 23-24, 2013

South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference

Bogota (Columbia)

Sept 29 - Oct 1, 2013

The Hotel Show

Dubai

October 18 - 22, 2013

HOST 2013

Milan

November 23 - 27, 2013

IGEHO 2013

Basel

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December 16-31, 2012

Edge

T E C H N O L O G Y F O R H O S P I TA L I T Y

ENVIRO TECH

Balancing the imbalance Backed by scientific research and processes Syenergy Environics offers solid solutions to the ambiguous nature of negative and positive energies of a space. Ajay Poddar, managing director, Syenergy Environics throws light on the science and solutions he has to offer. By Sayoni Bhaduri verything has energy,” explains Ajay Poddar, managing director, Syenergy Environics, “Same as there are random radiations that are spread all across the environment that we live in.” The human body genome is not capable of differentiating which are good and which are bad which causes stress. Radiations emitted from gadgets used on a daily basis like the mobile phone or laptop also cause stress. Due to these equipments the nature of natural radiation changes. Similar tendencies also occur in nature known as Geopathic Stress. These are aberrations in the natural frequency of earth's vibrations by electromagnetic fields. These can be created by anything, stream of flowing water, geological faults, mineral deposits, etc. The human body is susceptible to the radiations which are created by this field. In 1940, a research was conducted by Dr Ernst Hartmann on the Geopathic Stress. He is also the creator of the Hartmann Grid – a grid of invisible lines around the planet, running north-south and east-west – and their affect of geostress. According to the theory, if a person spends extended periods of time at the intersections of the grid, he or she is more likely to face physical and psychological ailments. The World Health Organisation’s study on Sick Building Syndrome clearly states that stressful work environments make jobs more stressful. According to Poddar, one of the causes for stressful work environments would be geostress. Something as simple as building material maybe responsible for it. Granite for instance uses quartz which is not good for the body. “It is difficult to control what falls where and what functions are conducted where on the Hartmann Grid,” he says. He adds that many elements of the study of Geopathic stresses are loosely incorporated in Vastu as well. The aim in both the cases is to align with natural energies. Syenergy Environics specialises in correcting these flaws. Poddar has engineers who analyse and measure disturbances and cause energy imbalance. “We measure the pulse rate of a person and then the wavelength in the area,” he says. This is done with the help of a Lecher Antennae. Syenergy Environics has created envi-

“E

December 16-31, 2012

ronic chips that change the flow of the energy and changes the nature of the energy making it not harmful. The chips are made of copper and are fixed at the required locations to change the energy flow. Poddar says, “We are like pest control. Instead of pests, we take care of radiations.” In the hospitality industry his first client was the Courtyard by Marriott Chennai. He has also worked with the Taj group providing chips that can be attached on employee's phone to avoid negative radiation. His biggest project was with HRH Group for their City Palace complex in Udaipur. “When we started the project, it was fairly simple for us as they already had good documentation on the land contours and buildings. We conducted ground energy mapping and found correlation between negative and positive fields,” Poddar explained. They were able to correct it by using chips that would deflect the negative impact. Poddar further adds that HRH Group has now put up a certificate which says Radiation Friendly. Even their hotels showed an improvement in occupancy, banquets, etc. This gives rise to the intangible aspects of this science. Poddar negates the thought saying, “This is not belief oriented. It is a concern for the health and well being of people working in a space and it is measured in parameters accordingly.” He takes pride in the fact that everything is managed and done according to a protocol. Findings are always documented, the map-

ping is done in a systematic manner. At the same time he agrees that many things have been left unexplained,

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but the cause and effect is always measured on the basis of the scientific protocols and theories. Apart from hotels he has worked with airports, factories, refineries. Poddar's first client was PepsiCo in 2006 and today the company has worked on over 1000 projects. He even has data on the work he and his company does. Poddar's survey showed that 45 per cent people said that there has been improvement, 40 per cent people said that everything remained the same, 12 per cent people couldn't say and two per cent said things became worse. The company's solutions are available at per sq ft basis of a built up area. “For an area up to 4000 sq ft the charge is `13 per sq ft. The rates are telescopic,” says Poddar. The popularity of Syenergy Environics has grown primarily via word-ofmouth.

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E|D|G|E TECHNOLINE

On a real time spree RezNext, the recently launched real-time online distribution solution for hotel rooms, signs on its first client, Spree Hotels & Resorts

ezNext is an initiative of the 25 year hospitality technology provider IDS NEXT, and was launched to offer hotels across size and market segment a simplified way of leveraging technology to increase their online visibility, reach guests faster and thus grow hotel revenue. The solution offers a host of services which include Rate & Channel Manager, Revenue Management, Reputation Management, Competitor Rate Management, Mobile platform, Central Reservation System, Property Management System (PMS) two-way connect, Loyalty & Feedback Management Solution, GDS Interface, Website Designing and Web Booking Engine, and Facebook Web Booking Engine. These services are accessible through a dynamic, user-friendly control panel called ‘Rex’. The panel allows hotel’s to access offerings at affordable rates and significantly reduces both human intervention and error. “Since RezNext is the first solution of its kind in India, we have got an overwhelming response.We are

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happy to have Spree Hotels & Resorts as our first client as they are a growing hotel chain, with 10 hotels across India. They also have aggressive expansion plans in the near future”, said P Subramanian, CEO, RezNext. Spree Hotels & Resorts envisage filling the gap between economy and luxury hotels. Their hotels are designed to suit the global traveller, and aspire in true Indian hospitality to provide guests a full service experience at affordable prices. Combining this ethos with efficiency, global design, and a fun experience, Spree Hotels & Resorts is one of the hottest concepts to enter the Indian hospitality landscape. Keshav Baljee, managing director, Spree Hotels & Resorts, says, “I am really glad that IDS NEXT launched RezNext to offer hoteliers a real-time twoway connectivity between a hotel's property management system and online booking channels. This has taken away the enormous manual management needed for a host of disparate yet important systems that hotels use on a day-to-day basis.We decided to partner www.expresshospitality.com

with RezNext to enhance our distribution and channel management capabilities, and see their offerings as a strategic fit. I had the opportunity to review RezNext’s offerings and believe that it will provide Spree with increased online visibility and an opportunity to access a host of new distribution channels. We see value to be gained from their Revenue Management, Loyalty & Feedback Management solution Guest Dynamix, web booking engine and corporate booking facilities too.” RezNext is a real time B2B distribution platform that bridges the gap between a hotel’s reservation system and online booking channels. RezNext is a response to a long felt requirement by the hospitality industry for a comprehensive solution that allows them to leverage online channels - OTAs, GDS, central reservation system, hotel’s web booking engine, mobile platform and other non-traditional channels - in a cost effective manner. A thought- through solution, RezNext works through a user-friendly control panel which currently allows users to dynamically man-

age distribution of hotel rooms. The solution also envisages distribution of MICE offerings, restaurant table space and other services in future phases. According to Suresh John, MD, RezNext, “India has a dearth of hotel rooms, and yet, occupancy hovers at just 60 per cent – 65 per cent. RezNext is set to change this. We seek to empower hotel properties across segment and size to efficiently and effortlessly tap into markets way beyond their immediate reach. With RezNext, every hospitality property now has a technology solution to harness the power of the internet, once thought possible only for large hotel chains.” “Interestingly, these solutions will be made available through a single control panel. This means a hotel can better manage their room inventory, keep their investment in technology low and reduce their dependence on manpower. Another advantage of RezNext is that it avoids the need for hotels to manage multiple extranets and tieups in a growing market of distribution channels”, says Subramanian. December 16-31, 2012

Hospitality EDUCATION

Life

London calling Glion Institute of Higher Education's new branch campus in London offers an international education experience in the European centre of business and tourism

lion Institute of Higher Education, one of the world’s top three institutions of higher education for an international career in hospitality management, announced today that it is opening its first branch campus in London. The new campus expands the reach of

Glion London students will also be part of a real-time global classroom that connects students-tostudents and students-tofaculty at all Glion campuses December 16-31, 2012

Glion’s Swiss hospitality education programmes to students and industry leaders in the UK. Glion is a member of Laureate International Universities, a global network of more than 60 accredited campus-based and online institutions of higher education serving more than 740,000 students in 29 countries. Glion offers management programmes in hospitality, events, sports, tourism and entertainment and has close ties with employers in these rapidly growing global industries. Hospitality is one of the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic fields of employment, and Glion is highly regarded by key industry brands worldwide. More than 90 per cent of Glion graduates are employed in the industry within six months of earning their degree. With almost 10,000 graduates working in more than 100 countries, Glion’s alumni form a strong executive search and placement service, facilitating the integration of new graduates into www.expresshospitality.com

the professional world and matching job offers with employment demands. Glion London will initially offer a Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Hospitality Administration beginning in August 2013. Glion London will be located on the campus of the University of Roehampton in southwest London, providing students with access to the facilities and resources of a large university community. The University of Roehampton, London, has an existing partnership agreement with Laureate Education for the delivery of its online programmes. "Glion is leading the way in providing students with a unique global education experience," says Douglas L Becker, chairman and chief executive officer of Laureate Education. "London is an important gateway for our hospitality management students. It is one of the world’s leading centres for business, finance and hospitality, and

it is a desired English-language destination for students who want to earn their degree from Glion. We are delighted that this new Glion campus has been made possible through our partnership with the University of Roehampton, London. It highlights the benefits of the collaboration that takes place among institutions that are associated with the Laureate International Universities network." The expansion of Glion to London allows students worldwide to define their own pathway for earning a Swiss hospitality management degree through study at campus locations in Switzerland, the US or the UK. In addition to being able to choose where to study, students can also choose to study online, part time or full time. Glion London students will also be part of a realtime global classroom that connects students-to-students and students-to-faculty at all Glion campuses, fostering true international education collaboration. EXPRESS HOSPITALITY

H|O|S|P|I|T|A|L|I|T|Y

L|I|F|E

Movements Mars Enterprises

Park Plaza, Bengaluru

Aditya Sarovar Premiere

Fairmont Jaipur

Saket Gupta has joined Mars Enterprises in the capacity of head sales and marketing for the group after his tenure with Holiday Inn Mumbai. He has worked with organisations such as American Express, EIH, The Orchid and Fariyas Group of Hotels.

Arun Jaie has been appointed as the general manager for Park Plaza, Bengaluru. With a background in food and beverages, he embarked on this career thirty years ago at The Oberoi Intercontinental, New Delhi. He has worked as an integral part of variuos hotel chains including The Hilton, Hyatt, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Aditya Sarovar Premiere has announced the appointment of Subrata Banerjee as general manager for the property. In his current role, Banerjee will oversee the overall management of the property including guest relationships and ensuring smooth functioning of all key departments. He will also be responsible for improving operational results as well as ensuring growth of the hotel’s network.

Fairmont Jaipur has announced the appointment of Ramasamy Natarajan as director of sales. Prior to joining Fairmont Jaipur in March 2011 as associate director, sales and marketing. He has also worked with Kingfisher Airlines and Ananda in the Himalayas as a sales manager – corporate & travel agency sales.

Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield Bengaluru Marriott Hotel, Whitefield has announced appointments. Pratima Badhwar has been appointed as director of sales and marketing. In her current role she will be responsible for developing the account, strategising, implementing and executing brand promotional initiatives/plan. Sanjay Marwah appointed as the director of finance. His principal

responsibilities would include maintaining accounts and reconciliation of financial statements. Vivek Chakravarty will take charge as director of engineering

Vivin Kuriakose will join the team as director- Food and Beverage and will function as the strategic business leader of the hotel’s F&B/culinary operation.

Sodexo India

Berggruen Hotels

Sodexo India Onsite Services has announced the appointment of Mallika D’Souza to the position of vice president – Human Resources. She will chiefly be responsible for talent acquisition and development, performance management, employee engagement and employee relations. She will work closely with business leaders, HR professionals and report directly to Sunil Nayak, CEO, Sodexo India On-site Services.

Keys Hotels, Resorts and Apartments, has appointed Pradeep V as their new chief sales officer bringing with him over 20 years of sales experience across various sectors. In this new role, he will be responsible for managing the revenue growth and client acquisition for Keys Hotels.

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Sonika Chaturvedi bringing with her over 14 years of experience in the field of human resources, organisation development, training and customer service in hotels is appointed as director of Human Resource. Gaurav Apte will take charge as director of Rooms. He will be responsible for co-ordination with other departments for achieving complete guest satisfaction and smooth operations.

Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Neesha Mohapatra has joined Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and Lakeside ChaletMumbai, Marriott Executive Apartments as the new director of Human Resources. Her mandate at the hotel includes choosing, training and nurturing the right talent, formulating HR and administrative policies and managing the Human Resources function.

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Raheel Ahmad has also been appointed as executive chef of the property. In his role, his main responsibilities will include leadership of the team, overall management of the kitchen, and introduction of new trends in food presentation and dining concepts.

Jaipur Marriott Jaipur Marriott has appointed Rohit Dar as the general manager of the hotel. A seasoned hotelier, Dar started his career with the Oberoi Hotels in 1990. Spanning his career, he has worked with several hotels including The Oberoi, New Delhi; Trident, Cochin; The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur and Imperial Hotel, New Delhi.

December 16-31, 2012

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W|E|E|K|E|N|D

Spirited studio

WEEKEND SCENE AND HEARD

Marcellus Baptista

he garden of Grand Hyatt was the happy venue for the two-day Chivas Studio with a mix of art, fashion, film and music. Guests stepped into the garden that housed celebrated designer Rohit Bal’s urban mela called Tamaasha with installations of his creations and a folksy, street-like ambience. Day one saw Karan Johar present a short film ‘Strangers in the Night’ directed by Shakun Batra, while on day two it was the rhythms and sounds with Karsh Kale and other musicians. Guests admired the performance by theatre and puppetry artist Dadi Pudumjee and the works of space and installation artist Vikram Sharma. Of course, much Chivas we imbibed during the two-day event.

Yolanda Mclellan, Mohit Marwah, Saba Azad, Karan Johar and Shakun Batra at Chivas Studio at Grand Hyatt

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MUMBAI’S HOTELS? A PEEK INTO THE PARTY CIRCUIT AND EVENTS IN THE CITY...

Fine dine

Golden glow he golden glow washed over Sun-n-Sand, Mumbai’s popular beachfront five-star hotel, as it celebrated its golden jubilee in grand style. Premium spirits at the bar and fabulous food spread including delicious desserts were in store for the merry mix of guests including the Bollywood brigade, corporate clientele and many others. The hotel’s Gul Advani, Rajesh Advani and Gulshan Arora along with the smiling staff were present to say hello to the multitude of guests. It was a celebration of the iconic history and rich legacy of this strategically located 120-room art deco five-star property that also has a presence in Shirdi, Pune and Nagpur.

Resort rage ashion, music and glamour came alive at India Resort Fashion Week 2012, Asia’s largest fashion festival, at Candolim beach in Goa. Presented by Dheeraj Realty, this nineonenine property powered by Gitanjali, was a celebration of the best of Indian and international talent across the fields of fashion, music and retail. Hotel heiress Paris Hilton had a double role to play – as a model that walked at the opening of the grand finale show featuring the cruise creations by Falguni and Shane Peacock and then as a celebrity DJ with her magical mix of music. The four-day fashion week also saw Paraguayan model and athlete Leryn Franco, Miss Paraguay 2011 Nicole Huber and Bollywood actors Bipasha Basu, Genelia D’Souza and Shazahn Padamsee as showstoppers.

Anchal Kumar, Hrishant Goswami and Deepti Gujral at the launch of Rasovara he famed thali restaurant Rajdhani expanded its horizon with the launch of a fine dine restaurant named Rasovara, located at the plush Palladium. The Goenka family along with Aji Nair was there to welcome the many guests on the opening evening. The guests who gave full marks to the fantastic food fare included people from the TV, film and glamour world like Shveta Salve, Rohit Roy, Angad Hasija, Deepti Gujral, Anchal Kumar and Jasveer Kaur. And enthralling the audience was Rajasthan’s famed folk artiste Mame Khan.

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu at the golden jubilee of Sun-n-Sand

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Shane Peacock, Paris Hilton and Falguni Peacock at India Resort Fashion Week December 16-31, 2012

New journey

WEEKEND E V E N T S

Festive preparations

Trans Orient Establishment and IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) celebrated the grand opening of Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park

Academic excellence ITC Mughal Agra welcomes the festive season with the traditional Christmas cake mixing ceremony

Cointreauversial

Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla, signed an MoU with Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (BCIHMCT), Okhla, New Delhi for the IHG Academy programme

Housekeeper's Day

Dita von Teese,Brand Ambassador – Cointreau; Rukn Luthra, MD, Remy Cointreau - Indian sub-continent; Aishwarya Nair, Leela Hotel and Justin Weston, Head of Cointreau at the ‘Be Cointreauversial’ evening in New Delhi

Acknowledging talent

D K Jaiswal, chairman, HHI group of Hotels lighting the lamp of the West Bengal Housekeepers’ Meet of Indian Housekeepers Club (IHC) held at HHI Kolkata. Present at the ceremony were G K Srivastava, national president, IHC; Deepak Bahl, secretary, West Bengal Tourism Council; Krishna Ghosh, EHK, ITC Sonar Bangla; Suparna Sarkar, operational manager, Vedic Village

Viva FCML

Eric Pickles, secretary of state for communities and local government, UK Government; Dr Suborno Bose, chairman and chief mentor of IndiSmart Group and Shaun Kenworthy, culinary director, IIHM handing over the coveted trophy and cheque to Aditi Chand, the winner of the 'India Schools Young Chef 2012' competition at the finals held in London recently.

December 16-31, 2012

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FCML gets special mention for 'Overseas Distribution of the Made in Italy brand' for ‘The FCML Store’ Bengaluru at a global platform

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Dignity of labour

WEEKEND E V E N T S

Quaich commitment Jackie Matai, co founder, Aspri Spirits was inducted into The Keepers of the Quaich, an exclusive international community of people recognised for their outstanding commitment to Scotch whisky

Major Rajesh Chauhan, chief people officer, Lemon Tree Hotels (centre) receiving the NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Award, 2012 from Salman Khurshid, external affairs minister, government of India for work towards promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities

Merit of excellence

Global Week of Service

Dr A K Dewan of Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Center conducted a session on the hazards of smoking and tobacco as part of Hilton New Delhi/Janakpuri’s Global Week of Service

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group awarded the Radisson Blu MBD, Noida as 'Asia Pacific’s Best Performing Franchised Hotel of the Year for 2011' along with the 'Best Business Hotel of the Year Award' for 2012’ in China

Spreading awareness

Hilton Chennai donates contribution of team members towards the welfare of the children at Premavasam

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L-R: Capt. C P Krishnan Nair felicitating His Holiness The Dalai Lama at the Leela Mumbai as Rajiv Kaul, president, Hotel Leela Venture looks on

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December 16-31, 2012

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