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EDITOR’S NOTE
Riding the tier wagon
T
he power of the leading metros may not be dwindling but the strong and steady growth of India’s tier II and tier III cities is shifting the limelight from the mega metros to the emerging ones. This fact was also recently endorsed by arguably India’s leading voice in the corporate sector, Mukesh Ambani, who confidently articulated that the future of India is in the emerging towns and metros. He said talks of gloom and doom need to be replaced with a positive outlook and towards India’s overall business and investment environment. From retail to automobiles, from healthcare to hospitality, the newer regions have welcomed change. His projections are reflected in the behaviour of India’s hospitality and amusement park industry as our cover story this issue brings to its readers a comprehensive insight into India’s amusement park business. According to experts, there has been an increase in investment in tier II and tier III cities across the country in the amusement park industry in the last decade. In the last 10 years at least 40 new parks with varied investments of `5 crore to `30 crore have been set up in cities other than the metros.
HEAD OFFICE Food & Hospitality World MUMBAI: Rajan Nair, Dattaram Kandalkar The Indian Express Ltd, 1st Floor, Express Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021. India Tel: 6744 0000 / 22022627 Fax: 022-22885831 E-mail: rajan.nair@fhwexpo.in; datta.kandalkar@fhwexpo.in Branch Offices : NEW DELHI: Pranshu Puri, The Indian Express Ltd, Express Building (Basement) 9 & 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi - 110 002 Tel : 011- 23465670 Fax : 011 - 23702141 E-mail: pranshu.puri@fhwexpo.in Our Associate: Dinesh Sharma Mobile: 09810264368 E-mail: 4pdesigno@gmail.com
4 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
CHENNAI: A K Shukla, The Indian Express Ltd, New No.37/C (Old No.16/C), 2nd Floor,Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014 Tel: Board: 28543031/28543032/ 28543033/28543034 Fax: 28543035 Mobile : 09849297724 E-mail: ashwinkumar.shukla@fhwexpo.in BENGALURU: Sreejith Radhakrishnan, The Indian Express Ltd, 502 Devatha Plaza, 5th Floor, 131 Residency Road Bengaluru - 560025 Ph 080-22231923/24 Fax: 22231925. E-mail: sreejith.radhakrishnan@fhwexpo.in HYDERABAD: A K Shukla, The Indian Express Ltd, 6-3-885/7/B, Ground floor V.V. Mansion, Somaji Guda, Hyderabad - 500 082 Tel: 040-23418673/23418674/
“ India needs to further encourage an investor friendly business environment for more responsible, efficient and organised growth in these regions ” 23418675 (Tele-fax)/66631457 Fax: 040-23418678 E-mail: ashwinkumar.shukla@fhwexpo.in KOLKATA: Ajanta Sengupta, The Indian Express Ltd, National Highway 6 (NH 6), Mouza-Prasastha & Ankurhati, P.H. Domjur, Dist Howrah Kolkata - 711409 Mobile: 09831182580 Email: ajanta.sengupta@expressindia.com KOCHI: Sreejith Radhakrishnan, The Indian Express Ltd, Sankoorikal Building, 36/2248, Kaloor, Kadavanthara Road, Opp. Kaloor Private Bus Stand, Kaloor - 682 017 Tel: (0484) 2343152, 2343328 Fax: 2343153 E-mail: sreejith.radhakrishnan@fhwexpo.in
This trend is clearly visible also within the traditional hospitality sector. Newer towns and cities are on the business map of a number of brands. The restaurant segment, especially the QSRs in the hospitality space, have also clearly written their growth story with tier II and tier III cities in mind. From Raipur to Baroda, from Vizag to Ludhiana, the hospitality sector is spreading its foot cautiously but confidently in these new regions. Some regions have strongly developed as business hubs and by default need the presence of hospitality investors; in these cases the demand leads to supply, while entrepreneurs in other regions have taken a call to invest in hospitality and build a product, both for leisure and MICE around it. In this case the supply does precede demand. Whether for passion or pure business, investors, owners, developers, hotel management companies both national and international are clearly looking beyond. India needs to further encourage an investor friendly business environment for more responsible, efficient and organised growth in these regions. REEMA LOKESH Editor
JAIPUR: The Indian Express Ltd, C-7, Dwarika Puri,Jamna Lal Bajaj Marg, C-Scheme,Jaipur - 302001 Tel: 0141-370002/371272 Telefax: 91-141-376606 BHOPAL: The Indian Express Ltd, 6,Vidya Vihar, Professors Colony, Bhopal - 462002, Madhya Pradesh Tel: 0755-2661988 AHMEDABAD: Sachin Shenoy, The Indian Express Ltd, 3rd Floor, Sambhav House, Nr.Judges Bunglow Bodakdev,Ahmedabad - 380 015. Tel: (91-79) 26872481 / 82 / 83 Fax: (91-79) 26873950 Mobile : 09930050499 Email :sachin.shenoy@fhwexpo.in
Important: Whilst care is taken prior to acceptance of advertising copy,it is not possible to verify its contents.The Indian Express Ltd cannot be held responsible for such contents, nor for any loss or damages incurred as a result of transactions with companies, associations or individuals advertising in its newspapers or publications.We therefore recommend that readers make necessary inquiries before sending any monies or entering into any agreements with advertisers or otherwise acting on an advertisement in any manner whatsoever.
CONTENTS Vol 2 No.4 NOVEMBER 1-15 2013
SPA & WELLNESS
Chairman of the Board
Viveck Goenka Editor
Reema Lokesh* Assistant Editor
Steena Joy Associate Editor
Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM
16
Mumbai
Kahini Chakraborty Rituparna Chatterjee Niharika Shukla Kolkata
Joy Roy Choudhury DESIGN National Art Director
EXPERIENCING 'A DEFINING MOMENT' THE GLOBAL SPA AND WELLNESS SUMMIT WITNESSED MORE THAN 360 DELEGATES
Bivash Barua Deputy Art Director
Surajit Patro Chief Designer
Pravin Temble Senior Graphic Designer
Rushikesh Konka Layout
Ratilal Ladani Kiran Parker Scheduling & Coordination
Rohan Thakkar Photo Editor
Sandeep Patil MARKETING General Manager
Sachin Shenoy Marketing Team
Dattaram Kandalkar Rajan Nair Manish Shringarpure Ashwani Kumar Shukla Sreejith Radhakrishnan Pranshu Puri Yoginder Singh Ajanta Sengupta NATIONAL FOOD & BEVERAGE SALES
A THRILLING
RIDE
From large integrated projects in metros to small water parks in tier II townships,the amusement parkindustryin India has witnessed a steadygrowth which will gather pace in the not so distant future,despite the manyexisting challenges
P12: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK The Pratap Palace, Ajmer
INTERNATIONAL FOOD &
P33: LIFE
Marketing Coordination
Darshana Chauhan
MARKETS
06
PHALLIN PLAYS HAVOC WITH ODISHA HOSPITALITY SECTOR
08
SOFITEL LUXURY HOTEL AND SOFITEL SO IN MUMBAI TO OPEN BY 2017
OSIM uPapa
BHMS Business & Hotel Management School
P34: MOVEMENTS Sarovar Hotels
PRODUCTION
10
General Manager
B R Tipnis Manager
Bhadresh Valia
THE VICEROY ARRIVES VICEROY HOTEL GROUP ANNOUNCED THE OPENING OF VICEROY NEW YORK
MANAGEMENT
P14: PRODUCT TRACKER
Soumodip Ghosh Rahul Bisht
18
(20)
Chandra Shekhar Sasi Kumar G Keshav Barnwal
HOSPITALITY SALES
INTERIORS & DESIGN
P51: WEEKEND Scene and heard by Marcellus Baptista
CREMICA GROUP TO LAUNCH BOTTLED COLD COFFEE FOR BARISTA
24
INCLUSIVE IS SUSTAINABLE THE 48TH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF FHRAI FOCUSED ON TOURISM FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH
EDGE
32
REDEFINING ENTERPRISE DISTRIBUTION MANAGING A HOTEL'S DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
Food & Hospitality World Published for the proprietors, Global Fairs & Media Private Limited, by Vaidehi Thakar at Express Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021, and printed by her at Indian Express Press, Plot EL-208, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai. Editor : Reema Lokesh* (*responsible for selection of news under PRB Act). @ 2012 Global Fairs & Media Private Limited. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in whole or part without the Publisher's permission is prohibited.
MARKETS
Phallin plays havoc with Odisha hospitality sector Sudipta Dev Mumbai ODISHA'S HOSPITALITY sector, particularly hotels and resorts in the coastal areas of the state have suffered severe damage as a result of Cyclone Phallin. JK Mohanty, chairman, Odisha Hotel Association informed that following the directives of the government, hoteliers had vacated all their beach properties as a result of which many lives were saved. Mohanty, who is also the CMD of Swosti Group of Hotels, mentioned that his properties had to witness large scale cancellation of conference bookings due to the panic factor.
The government support that hoteliers are looking at are - active promotion in the domestic market; soft loan to hotels and the industry to refurnish properties which have been affected; banks should extend term loan payment period by two quarters. Pointing out that a fool-proof system of business has to be developed to save the industry from the after-impact of natural calamities, Harihar Patra, director-Marketing, Toshali Resorts International said, “Every businessman associated with travel and hospitality sector should develop their business model such as hotel construction, operations, marketing, etc, so that even if
Every businessman associated with travel and hospitality sector should develop their business model so that even if natural calamities occur they make themselves insulated financially without great losses natural calamities of severe scale occur they make themselves insulated financially without great losses.” The tourism season that starts with Durga Puja has
been badly affected. “Massive evacuation by the state government, disconnectivity by air and rail services and excessive media publicity on damages before and after the
cyclone has created a panic among travellers who generally visit Puri and other destinations in huge numbers during the festival seasons of October and November. Visitors will either postpone their travel to eastern region or look for some other destinations,” stated Patra. He mentioned that a lot of preparatory work by hoteliers and travel operators who were eyeing for the upcoming season has got disturbed, “Now cash-flow into the sector will squeeze which will adversely affect the earning and employment of all those people and their families associated with tourism business.”
BridgeStreet to introduce serviced aparments in India Niharika Shukla – New Delhi BRIDGESTREET, an international provider of residences, suites and serviced apartments, announced its tri party agreement with JNB Group and Homestead for 20 years in India, on October 8, 2013 at New Delhi. BridgeStreet's latest venture will further expand the brand into the Indian market through its serviced apartments, which are going to be at par with luxury hotels in India. BridgeStreet has further ventured into providing facilities and property management for Homestead's two new luxury residences – Michael Schumacher World Tower and Ballet by Sharapova whose management aspects and maintenance services will be overlooked by BridgeStreet JNB Management, an Indian private entity soon to be formed. The agreement also entails a comprehensive long-term commitment to exclusively
6 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
collaborate on future Homestead serviced apartment developments throughout the world. Talking about the collaboration, Sean Worker, CEO, BridgeStreet said, “These apartments are going to be a hotel alternative where an individual will be living like a local with facilities like swimming pool, gym, dining area, lobby, tennis court and much more. Since these apartments will be at a level equal to any luxury hotel, one can expect great hospitality and living. Everyday business and tourism opportunities are increasing in India, raising a demand from residential buyers and the ever increasing business and leisure travellers. We also have plans to come up with such apartments in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad.” “The real estate maket is getting organised. More and more people are travelling abroad and getting aware of the luxury alternatives being made available to them. Ho-
tels today have created their bench mark in reaching the point where they are providing luxury services and quality. The residential apartments which we will be providing will be of the quality
equal to that of a hotel. We have also kept the prices at par with that of a hotel and so we understand what a guest will be expecting. Maintenance of these apartments has been given a huge priority
with internal cleaning of the apartment once a week. In the future, we are planning to enter into townships with our next project called Green Township,” said Manoj Shrivastava, CEO, Homestead.
L to R-Sean Worker, BridgeStreet-CEO, Anubhav Jain, Silverglades-Director, TJ Barring, JNB, President
MARKETS
Sofitel Luxury Hotel and Sofitel So in Mumbai to open by 2017 Sofitel hopes to have up to 10 properties in India in next seven years Rituparna Chatterjee – Mumbai SOFITEL LUXURY HOTELS, a French luxury hotel chain under the Accor group, which currently has two new properties under developmental stage in Mulund, in Mumbai, is expected to open by 2017. One hotel will be a Sofitel Luxury Hotel which will cater to MICE and FIT segments, while the other will be a Sofitel So, a label under the Sofitel Luxury Hotel brand, to cater to young travellers. The hotels will be built on three
pillars – Softel Luxury Hotel mounted on two pillars and Softel So on one pillar – with panoramic lifts from outside. The Sofitel Luxury Hotel will have a capacity of 300 persons and Sofitel So a capacity of 200 persons with both sharing a common convention hall of 3000 sq mts. Furthermore, Sofitel hopes to increase their number of hotels in India to 10 in the next seven years with Softel Luxury Hotel, Sofitel So and Sofitel Legend located across Bengaluru, Chennai and New Delhi. The expansion would be
Markland Blaiklock
through management contracts. Markland Blaiklock, senior vice president – Asia Pa-
cific, Sofitel Luxury Hotels stated, “We are ambitious to have properties in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. We are also interested in resort destinations and if there is a right opportunity for a palace hotel then we are interested in taking over a palace hotel and turning it into a Sofitel Legend. We are anticipating to have up to 10 hotels in India. We are first focused on signing the agreement in the next twothree years and then the projects would take four years for development.” Speaking on the reason for
the delay in opening of the two Mumbai properties, Blaiklock explained, “The hotels are in a new development area in Mumbai and if the hotels open next year then it would be too much too soon in that area. So we are delaying it and waiting for the area to develop.” There are further plans for opening three more hotels in Mulund under the Accor brand in the second or third phase, he added. Softel Luxury Hotels currently has 120 properties globally and hopes to take it to 150 by 2015.
India was first choice for Fairfield The country is now home to Asia's first Fairfield by Marriott Steena Joy – Bengaluru MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL has opened Asia's first Fairfield by Marriott at Bengaluru in Rajajinagar. Speaking at the launch, Shruti Gandhi Buckley, vice president, Global Brand Management, for Fairfield Inn & Suites at Marriott International, said, “It is the golden time for travel and more so in India. The fact that India is a professional market with a growing middle class and demand supply gap made it the first choice as a launch pad for the Fairfield brand in Asia. Fairfield as a brand is also dedicated to local communities so we also look forward to bringing our CSR programme to India and the other Asian markets we plan to enter. “ Fairfield is exploring entering other metro cities in India including Mumbai as well in religious destinations like
8
FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
November 1-15, 2013
Vaishnodevi. “We don't believe in the 'one size fits all' strategy. We try to understand the consumer in different markets and design the brand accordingly. Fairfield is a moderate tier brand for the next gen traveller who looks for quality service excellence and affordability,” she added. Don Cleary, Marriott International's COO in Asia, said, “We
see Fairfield as a great growth vehicle. This will be our seventh brand in the country. We plan to have 46 more hotels in India in the next five years. We are entering a lot of secondary and tertiary markets here because that's where the growth is. In all these, we look to partnering with great local developers with the local expertise and financial capabil-
ity and with the same commitment to our brands, our people and our vision. We have found that in SAMHI and they convinced us that Fairfield is the right brand for India.” Ashish Jakhanwala, managing director & CEO, SAMHI Hotels commented, “Only two markets have shown positive growth in these recessionary times: Goa
and Bengaluru. Marriott is looking at 1000 plus rooms in Bengaluru this year. The Fairfield brand follows the demographic opportunity that India offers. We have to focus on fundamentals and take economic cycles in our stride.” Rajeev Menon, area VP, South Asia, Marriott International added, “We see a healthy growth in Pune too. In fact Marriott has the largest inventory of rooms (around 1000) in Pune. Bengaluru occupancy levels are high – in the 60s and overall RevPar is in the `5000 range. We are aiming at 100 hotels in India in the next five years.” Located in the CBD with the Peenya Industrial belt nearby, The Fairfield Bangalore Rajajinagar offers 148-rooms and Kava, a three-meal-a-day restaurant which will serve authentic Indian cuisine along with Western menu options. The hotel was built at a total investment of `100 crore.
MARKETS
Cremica group to launch bottled cold coffee for Barista NIHARIKA SHUKLA New Delhi WITH 25 PER CENT annual growth, Mrs Bector's Cremica Group now has plans to launch bottled cold coffee for Barista across India apart from launching other new products which include opera chips, dipcups and jam products. Being a supplier to Indian and global food majors and at the forefront in the food retail and food services industry, the company has been providing vegetarian mayonnaise, curry bread, tamarind and mint chutneys
for McDonalds; Makhni gravy for Pizza Hut; syrups and sauces for Barista; solutions for softserve industry as well as services to hotel chains and airlines. “The food service sector is definitely growing in India and we plan to meet not just national but also international demands. We are looking forward to entering the Middle East and South East Asia soon. The company has also gone through a lot of innovations with each new product. Coming up with bottled cold coffee for Barista will be another interesting addition to
It is not easy to launch a product but it is important to make investments ahead of time. We are constantly focused on innovative products the products serviced by us. Development of mayo sauce to vegetarian mayo sauce, ethnic Indian flavoured sauces, low fat mayo and cooking sauces were some of the products which needed great attention.
We also needed to make changes as desired by restaurant chains. Also we have constantly focused on coming up with new and innovative products for our customers.” said Akshay Bector, managing di-
rector, Mrs Bector's Cremica. Talking about the company's growth and development, he further added, “We are constantly working on quality improvement. It is not easy to launch a new product and is a challenge but it is important to make investments ahead of time. Our ketchup brand is one of the most known brands along with other table tops for restaurant services. All of our products including biscuits have been receiving great response and we hope to continue achieving this.”
'Oishii Japan' Anya Hotels and Resorts to begins in India launch its property in Gurgaon Niharika Shukla – New Delhi ANYA HOTELS and Resorts will soon launch its new property in Gurgoan. Anya Gurgoan will boast of The Amaltas Spa, pool, gym, business centre and halls, club lounge and luxury housecar. The hotel will also offer a wide range of dining options like The Cafe, a 24 hour restaurant; The Pâtisserie; The Italian Kitchen and The Bar. The hotel will have 102 rooms and 15 suites spread across eleven floors out of which eight floors will be guest floors. Talking about the property, Misha Vadera, managing director, Anya Hotels and Resorts, said, “We have associated with a French company called L'Occitaine for the spa. We also plan to open up hotels under the brand name of Anya in Goa, Kerala and down South. We do not plan to come up with hotels
10 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
The area near the hotel will see the opening up of DLF Emporio very soon. There are also plans to tie up with small luxury hotels under the Anya brand abroad since the Indian market is our main focus.” Further elaborating on the USP of the property and their future plans, Marcel Vadera, director, Anya Hotels and Resorts said, “I think the biggest
contributing factor to our hotel is its location since it is located in Gurgaon, right opposite to the DLF Golf Course. We are looking at associating with the golf club within the next quarter. The area near the hotel will also see the opening up of DLF Emporio and multiplexes very soon. There are plans to tie up with small luxury hotels.” Speaking on the challenges faced while constructing the property, Vadera revealed, “Getting permissions and licences were the major challenges we faced while coming up with Anya Hotels and Resorts. Other than this the entire hotel industry today is facing issues of manpower and vocational training. The hotel industry is a capital intensive industry which is going through a tough time currently. The Indian market should be more open to foreign exchange.”
Niharika Shukla– New Delhi / Mumbai
THE MINISTRY of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Government of Japan in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the Japanese Food Season 'Oishii Japan in India' on October 17, 2013 held at the Embassy of Japan, New Delhi, followed by the tasting session of Japanese dishes and the rice wine. The project aims at promoting and making people more aware of the Japanese cuisine and making it easily accessible. The project also involved a special workshop on the art of making sushi for the students of Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa by Chef Asano from Tokyo Sushi Academy, Singapore. Yasuhisa Kawamura, minister and deputy chief of the mission said, “We want to bring Japan closer to India by showcasing Japanese food, ingredients and culture. There are
around 460 Japanese restaurants in London, 4000 in Shanghai and only 10 in New Delhi and this is precisely what we want to change. There is a great potential for growth in India and ample room for us to do a lot more. In 2012, we completed 60 years of our diplomatic relations with India and we wish to continue such relations through such steps. Our goal is to ensure that more and more people enjoy Japanese cuisine in India. We have been having frequent interactions with the ministry and the government on this matter. Also, Japanese food is very flexible to suit the Indian palate.” Kiyoshi Asoka, consul general, Consulate-General of Japan, Mumbai said, “In recent years Japanese cuisine has gained popularity globally. To my knowledge only 10 restaurants offer Japanese food in Mumbai. This campaign will play an important role in making Japanese cuisine popular in the city.”
MARKETS
Porvasal SA targets to enter Indian hospitality market FHW Staff Mumbai PORVASAL SA, a Spanish porcelain manufacturing company for the hospitality sector, is targeting to enter the hospitality market in India for the year 2013/2014 by choosing Global Access Hospitality as their distributor. Porvasal SA is a main supplier for hotel chains in Spain and the Caribbean area and its major export markets include Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Ecuador, France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Ukraine to name a few. It offers a wide range of products for all the three market segments - the low, mid and high-end. Porvasal SA is engaged in the
Porvasal SA is a main supplier for hotel chains in Spain and the Caribbean area and offers a wide range of products for all segments - low, mid and high-end entire manufacturing process, from the preparation of the slip (mixing feldspar, kaolin, quartz and clay), and the glaze (quartz, kaolin, feldspar, dolomite and limestone), to the classification and packing of finished merchandise for its delivery. The porcelain goes through double
firing and high temperature (the vitrification process takes place at 1380 degrees) to give it higher scratch resistance, greater durability on the glaze (much less wear on the dishwasher), and more durability (reduces the breakage rate with respect to Asian and Chinese porcelain).
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Pratap Palace, Ajmer KEYS RESORTS and Rangwanis Hotels have announced the launch of The Pratap Palace, Ajmer. The palace comprises of 81 well furnished rooms including five suites with one Royal suite. It has two conference halls, a 24 hour global cuisine restaurant, a fine dining restaurant with bar, a large swimming pool, gymnasium, business centre, beauty shops, spa, meditation room, courtyards, enormous parking space, water fountains along with a vast banquet hall with a 40 feet high grand entrance to accommodate royal weddings.
The Chedi Sakala, Bali THE CHEDI SAKALA, General Hotel Management’s third property in Bali, comes with 247 suites and 14 two-bedroom pool villas. The suites range from one to two-bedrooms with garden, swimming pool or Indian Ocean views while the duplex villas with private pool all expand to two bedrooms. The Chedi Sakala boasts of the award wining Sakala Bali restaurant which offers contemporary French cuisine of Chef Frédéric Boulay. Exclusive to resident guests of two-bedroom suites and two-bedroom villas, The Club Lounge offers premium services along with buffet breakfast, snacks and evening cocktails. The Chedi Sakala offers complimentary internet in the suite or villa and everywhere around the property.
12 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas
SAROVAR HOTELS has announced the opening of Balaji Sarovar Premiere in Solapur, Maharashtra. Each of the 129 well-designed guest rooms and suites at the hotel are modern in appeal and offer all contemporary amenities. On site dining options include Courtyard - the multicuisine all day dining restaurant, The Oriental Blossom - serving authentic Schezwan cuisine and High Point – the lounge bar. With nearly 8,000 sq ft of banqueting space, the hotel is ideal for large social functions including weddings and corporate events for up to 800 guests. Other hotel features include swimming pool, spa and fitness centre.
STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS Worldwide has announced the opening of Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas in Prachuap Khirikhan. Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas boasts of a prime beachfront location, approximately 22 kilometers south of Hua Hin, a luxury resort destination frequented by Thai royalty. Guests can choose between onebedroom Pool Villas, Pool Villa Suites with an additional living room, and Duplex Pool Villa Suites with a ground-floor living room and bedroom on the first floor. For larger groups, the hotel offers the Pranburi two-bedroom Pool Villa Suite. All Villas boast of a private swimming pool, sun lounge, wall garden and the service of professional villa butlers. Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas features the signature a Link Café, and Dalah Restaurant and Bar, the hotel’s signature all-day eatery.
Balaji Sarovar Premiere, Solapur
MARKETS
Arcux Bar Zone Impex appointed distributor for Perlick Corporation in India FHW Staff Mumbai ARCUX BAR ZONE has been appointed as the distributor for commercial products manufactured and distributed by Perlick Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Arcux Bar Zone will be responsible for marketing, sales, installation and after-sales support of Perlick Corporation's commercial products for the Indian region. Perlick will provide the required training to Arcux Bar Zone and will extend support in creating an effective dealership network for the entire territory. The exclusive distribution agreement is expected to help increase market share for Perlick products and implement the needed dealership, aftersales support and service network. Speaking on the partnership, Parikshit Kakkar, MD, Arcux Bar Zone stated, “Perlick’s innovative commercial products offer solutions for professional bar, restaurant, hotel and stadium owners and operators. Perlick Corporation's brand awareness in India is continuously growing, and this exclusive agreement for the Indian market will help us further market and establish these high quality products in our territory.” Tim Ebner, VP of marketing and business development, Perlick Corporation said, “It is an exciting time for growth in this market, and we feel confident that Arcux Bar Zone offers the comprehensive and competitive services we need to build our brand awareness and loyalty in this territory.” Perlick Corporation is an international company in total package bar and beverage systems manufacturing, including custom refrigeration equipment, custom underbar equipment, beer dispensing equipment and brewery fittings.
13 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
PRODUCT TRACKER
OSIM uPAPA OSIM INDIA has unveiled uPapa, a drum massager for the back, thighs, calves and feet. The OSIM uPapa's pressure-sensitive mechanism reacts to 'body language', the harder one leans on the uPapa, the stronger the tapping and vice versa. The power drumming from its symmetrical six-point drum-massage provides deep tissue relief and loosens muscle layers to improve blood circulation. OSIM uPapa comes fitted with an inclined stand to adjust the massage angle for best results and removable and washable fabric covers to keep it clean. The desired massage can be combined from a suite of seven rhythmic massages, seven drumming positions and five massage intensities. The OSIM uPapa is priced at `15, 000.
Fazer Angry Birds Chocolates
SeaCell collection from Portico
SINGAPORE- based brand The Cocoa Trees has introduced a wide range of Fazer Angry Birds Chocolates first time in India. The products include Angry Bird lollipops, Angry Bird chewing gums, Angry Bird chocolate eggs and Angry Bird candy bags. Angry Bird lollipops come in three flavours, strawberry, pear and cola and is available at `290 for 120 gms. Angry Bird chewing gums come in four flavours, summer, strawberry, cool, and refreshing eucalyptus and is available at `495 for 70 gms. Angry Bird chocolate eggs are available at `795 for 100 gms. Angry Bird candy bags contains five characters and shapes from strawberry Red Bird to caramel eggs, and come in flavours like strawberry, spiky lime, delightful orange, wild berries, and punchy cola with a fresh lemon filling. Available at `190 for 120 gms.
Portico New York in association with smartfiber AG, Germany, a company specialising in manufacturing functional cellulose fiber like SeaCell,has produced a collection of bed linens using SeaCell fibers. The fibers are developed using a solid integration process which ensures that the regenerative effects of the fiber remains after several washing cycles. The SeaCell Collection is priced between `5999 to `7999.
Total Design Barcodes Laminate Floor PERGO HAS LAUNCHED Total Design Barcodes Laminate Floor. The barcode pattern is available in two variations white and silver, and black and silver. All come in big slab format (1236 x 400 mm) with Pergo’s patented Perfect Fold technology for easy installation as well as Pergo’s most durable surface, TitanX. Pergo Total Design (AC4) Barcodes Black silver and Barcodes white silver is priced at `250 per sq ft.
LUMINARC ARC INTERNATIONAL has introduced its latest Luminarc range for the upcoming festive season. The brand offers a wide range of tableware including dinnerware, glassware and other accessories in a wide range of shapes, styles and patterns which are easy to use and store. Luminarc products are designed using non-toxic (lead free) enamels and are 100 per cent food safe. The range has been tempered making it three times stronger and heat resistant.
14 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
MARKETS
Rational establishes subsidary in India FHW Staff Mumbai RATIONAL has strengthened its commitment to the Indian market by establishing a subsidiary from August 2013. The German manufacturer entered the Indian market in the year 2010 as a representative office. Rational International India is based in Gurgaon but the company has also marked its significant presence in all major cities of India. Rational India is led by Pinaki Banerjee, managing director. Along with him is a 20 member dedicated team based all across India. The company has built a strong and extensive service network comprising of more than 120 trained technicians in India, chefs and specialised application supporting team.
Rational International India has marked its significant presence pan India “Now we are even more closely connected to the Indian market and our valued customers. Our aim is to offer the maximum possible benefits to our customers. With the upcoming Indian subsidiary we will be able to support our customers and partners effectively,” said Banerjee.
The Middleby Corporation acquires Celfrost FHW Staff Mumbai THE MIDDLEBY Corporation has announced the acquisition of the commercial refrigeration and food service products business of Celfrost Innovations. Celfrost has annual sales of approximately US$ 20 million and is based in Gurgaon, India. The Celfrost business was acquired by Middleby’s newly established entity in India, Middleby Commercial Food Innovations. Celfrost is recognised in India as a preferred commercial food service equipment supplier with a broad line of cold side products such as professional refrigerators, coldrooms, ice machines, and freezers, marketed
With the acquisition, Middleby will strengthen its presence in the growing India market
under the Celfrost brand. Celfrost is a leading supplier of equipment to many of the fast growing restaurant chains and hotel groups. “With the acquisition of Celfrost, Middleby will strengthen its presence in the fast growing market of India and expand its commercial food service product offerings in the country to include complementary cold side products alongside its cooking and warming brands,” said Selim A Bassoul, chairman and CEO, The Middleby Corporation. “Celfrost has an extensive marketing and service network in India, including 15 brand centres that we will strategically leverage to support Middleby’s entire portfolio of brands in the market. We are also excited about the opportunity to introduce the Celfrost brand and portfolio of products into other emerging markets utilising Middleby’s existing sales and marketing infrastructure,” he added. Neeraj Seth, managing director, Celfrost said, “We are excited with this change as it augurs well for all our stakeholders viz., customers, distributors, employees, vendors, international partners and business associates. This change will also allow us to tap into Middleby’s global network and resources enabling a further acceleration of our growth.”
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SPA & WELLNESS
Experiencing 'A Defining Moment' The Global Spa and Wellness Summit which witnessed more than 360 delegates not only had thought provoking discussions on not just the growing importance of spas but also focused on complete wellbeing in the hospitality sector along with the emerging opportunities. BY NIHARIKA SHUKLA
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PA AND wellbeing have been a major part of the hospitality industry globally and more number of people are travelling to experience Ayurvedic treatments today. The spa and wellness industry has increased the number of travellers as well business within hotels. The seventh annual Global Spa and Wellness Summit which took place recently in New Delhi explored spa and wellbeing as a major part of the hospitality industry. Through its theme 'A Defining Moment', the summit witnessed the presence of delegates from various sectors such as hospitality, tourism, medical, real estate, health and wellness, beauty, finance, manufacturing and technology. The summit was attended by delegates from 49 countries worldwide, and expanded its focus from just 'spa' to 'spa and wellness' keeping in view the changing and fast growing needs of the people and the development of the spa and wellness industry. The summit had discussions on ancient, modern and emotional business of health and wellbeing. Wellness tourism is a US$ 439 billion dollar market today. It was highlighted that the global wellness tourism
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industry is around 14 per cent of the entire tourism expenditure which leads to a huge amount of jobs for people. India will soon be number one in the growth of spa and wellness tourism by 2017. The debates amongst the speakers showed how the spa and wellness industry and in turn tourism is bound to grow not just in India but globally as well. Apart from these, ministries of tourism discussed and shared their future plans and strategies to pull more business and wellness and health conscious travellers. Wellness tourism is bound to create huge amount of jobs and improve economies with this sector leading to US$ 11.7 million global jobs. Some of the key outcomes of the summit were that wellness tourists spend 130 per cent more than an average global tourist. It is the domestic wellness tourism that dominates, and even though tourism is dominated majorly by Europe and North America, by 2017 it will be taken over by Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Spa tourism is a major component but non spa wellness sector constitutes 59 per cent of the wellness sector.
Key findings The global spa and wellness market is a US $ 1.9 trillion market industry today. Being one of the fastest growing industries internationally, it has become a major part of the hospitality sector. It has grown by 20 per cent from US$ 60.3 billion in 2007 to US$ 73 billion in 2012. As compared to the global market, Indian wellness market was worth around US$ 590 billion by 2011. and is expected to grow by 20 per cent by 2014. The Indian spa market was around ` five-six billion by 2011 which is expected to double to 10 billion by 2014. The summit witnessed keynote speakers such as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso; Raymond Bickson, MD and CEO, Taj Hotels and Resorts; Kapil Chopra, president, The Oberoi Group; Andrew Gibson, group director of spas, Mandarin Oriental Ho-
As compared to the global market, Indian wellness market was worth around US$ 590 billion by 2011. and is expected to grow by 20 per cent by 2014 tel Group; Dr Kenneth R Pelletier, PhD, MD; Sallie Fraenkel, executive vice president, Global Spa and Wellness Summit; Analjit Singh, chairman, Max India Group, India; Sonu Shivdasani, CEO, Soneva Resorts, Residences and Spas, Thailand; Ella Stimpson, chairman of the board, The International Spa Association, and executive director of spas, Wynn Las Vegas, US; Brian Anderson, sustainable development co-ordinator, Chiva-Som International Health Resorts , Thailand, and Deepika Gunawant, head of Integrative health and wellbeing, Vana Retreats, India. Graced by the presence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso as the keynote speaker who threw
light on spirituality and overall wellness, the delegates came across some interesting thoughts by him. According to him, overall wellness can only be brought through happiness which can come only by compassion, trust, affection and friendship. A much more happier and peaceful century can be built by love, companionship and by developing a world which facilitates wellness and healthy living. “It is not weapons that create violence but humans because of the emotions of anger, fear and hatered,” he opined. In the session, 'The Birth of Wellness Tourism', Amitabh Kant, CEO and MD, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation said, “Well-
ness tourism plays a key role today. This is because of the growth of an alert independent traveller seeking unique experiences which enhances wellbeing. This change has come out largely because of the aging population in America and Europe, development and growth of countries like China and India and lastly because of a sudden rise of urban middle class.” The summit highlighted some major points as to how the overall wellbeing has become an important part of people's lifestyle today for which they are ready to travel to experience unique features and facilities available today. Spa and traditional Ayurvedic treatments which form one of the major highlights of this sector have
faced rapid amount of growth lately and people have become more aware. The rate of luxury seeking traveller has gone up which results in the demands of high class facilities by the hotels. Speaking about Jiva Spas at the 'Titans of Business' session, Bickson said “Jiva Spas was brought in to let people experience the traditional authentic therapies of India. It is a brand which provides numerous ayurvedic therapies and is an unique esperience of complete well being in itself.” They are located at 13 centres in India and five outside India. Jiva Spas have been one of the major sources of complete wellbeing providing facilities such as yoga and wellness cuisine to its guests. The spa provides a variety of treatments to its guests along with beauty treatments as well. The Oberoi group which was set up in 1934 is an eighty year old legacy, one of the finest luxury hotels built in India. Talking about its glory, Kapil Chopra said, “ We were the first group of hotels to include women in the hospitality sector at that time.” Further throwing light on the spa and wellbeing sector of the hospitality industry he added, “Spa is just one part of wellness. Today the sector involves much more. The menu we provide in our hotel has also been created keeping in mind the health of our guests. We have included low calorie food for our guests in large numbers in our menu which enables them to choose from a variety of dishes without worrying about health issues.” “Luxury hotel spas have immense amout of facilities and infrasturucture to provide with world class facilities and a unique experience to guests in the present scenario. They hold the capacity to create a world class environment of well being. Today, it is not just the business or finance that the hospitality sector is looking at. Wellness and complete well being has become a major focus for the hospitality sector,” concluded Gibson.
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INTERIORS & DESIGN
THE VICEROY ARRIVES Viceroy Hotel Group announced recently the opening of Viceroy New York, marking the next generation of luxury hospitality and the company's first branded property in Manhattan
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NITING THE hottest names in hotel development, architecture, design, nightlife and cuisine, Viceroy New York is a haven for travellers seeking individuality coupled with a new interpretation of modernity. Feeding off the vibrancy of the city that never sleeps and the iconic bustle of West 57th Street, Viceroy New York sets a new bar for modern Manhattan hoteliers.
Stone elegance
Disciplined design Bringing back the practice of putting one firm in control of both the building's architecture and the hotel's interiors, Viceroy New York has partnered with powerhouse design firm Roman and Williams to create a game-changing hotel that breaks the mold of typical midtown properties, catering to the most discerning tastemakers and trendsetters through a unique downtown aesthetic without compromising on uptown sophistication. Roman and Williams has designed a building whose disciplined architecture gives it structure and clarity. Details such as over-
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scaled, fluted, cast-glass bricks at the street level, brass fluting at the base, and black muntined windows recall the neighborhood's pre-war structures and the glamour of nearby iconic locations. Roman and Williams' principal Stephen Alesch explains, "The building is laid out on a grid between two simple flanking walls; vertical steel struts run up the entire face of the
building, which are the exoskeleton used to express structure. These are benchmarks of a Miesian approach. However, there is something unique about our method. Our grid of Neo-Miesian design looks further back with the choice of casement windows and muntins. So in fact, it is more pre-Mies than Neo-Miesian." Robin Standefer, another of the firm's principals, adds, "We
were inspired by film noir; notoriously stylish, a collision of the old world and the new world. That's where we want to be and that's what we want to share with people." The timeless space boasts a striking double-height lobby, bespoke interiors and sweeping public spaces – which are enhanced by an exclusive custom fragrance created by scent curators 12.29.
Viceroy New York's grand, yet understated, public spaces feature a combination of custom-designed and vintage elements, and signal the revival of the use of figured stone, a common element of New York City's 20th century buildings that has since faded to obscurity. Roman and Williams has embraced the elegant and natural quality of Paonazzo marble by incorporating it as a key design element throughout the property. The hotel also features a fully equipped business centre and at the rear of the lobby, the hotel's library is the home to a selection of handpicked books, as well as Gerber Group's 'cartender', which kicks off happy hour nightly with complimentary samples of inventive and seasonal 'off-themenu' cocktails from a vintage bar. Viceroy New York offers 240 luxury guest rooms throughout 29 stories, many of which showcase sprawling views of Central Park. With floor-to-ceiling windows tailored in exotic woods, supple
INTERIORS & DESIGN leather and a mix of metal accents, each room features topof-the-line amenities, including Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable audio sound systems, Sferra linens, Neil George spa products, illy coffee machines and custom curated mini-bars featuring top-shelf offerings like Vosges Haut-chocolat, Mash soft drinks and Hudson Whiskey. Guestrooms also provide hotel-branded smartphones with Viceroy Connect, a custom app that allows guests to control every aspect of their stay – including in-room elements, outside communication and concierge services. The restaurant, Kingside, is embellished with tile, a strong graphic palette of black and white, and boasts a classic food counter with bright red stools and caramel leather banquettes. The hotel will also offer guests a perch to take in the city's energy and awe-inspiring views with The Roof, an alluring lounge and outdoor deck
We put seemingly disparate objects together and allow them to simmer to see if we can raise the temperature of a space opening in December. Roman and Williams has created an enchanting atmosphere that is at once refined and inviting, with a design that evokes the aesthetic of a luxury airliner complete with ipe floors, brass details, custom walnut-andleather sofas and thoughtfully curated photographs of sky, sea and clouds.
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Founded in 2002 by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors is a comprehensive design firm based in New York City. Having worked together for almost two decades, Standefer and Alesch have forged an ability to create proj-
ects that consistently find the tension between spontaneity and rigor, refinement and rebellion, high and low, and past and future. Roman and Williams employs a range of ideas, materials, objects, and references – from the unexpected to the
pedigreed to the mundane – and, through the lens of their own singular viewpoint, create alchemy. They explain, "We put seemingly disparate objects together and allow them to simmer to see if we can raise the temperature of a space. Our work communi-
cates that voltage between time periods, cultures, and styles." Never limited by what they designed last, Roman and Williams aesthetic is constantly shifting and evolving, reflecting the diverse interests and profound curiosities of the firm's principals.
cover ) From large integrated projects in metros to small water parks in tier II townships, the amusement park industry in India has witnessed a steady growth which will gather pace in the not so distant future, despite the many existing challenges. BY SUDIPTA DEV
A thrilling ride 20 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
(
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or an industry that has been growing at a double digit rate in India, the amusement park sector is still at a nascent stage in the country. A recent FICCI-Ernst & Young report has projected healthy growth potential for the sector. The industry is expected to nearly double in size by 2020 in terms of the number of parks with an enhanced portfolio of offerings. “The industry comprising of park operators and ride manufacturers have adapted to the challenges of the growing demand for technically advanced rides/facilities from its customers and have seen a steady growth of 15 per cent year on year in the past several years,” says Yogesh Dange, president, Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries (IAAPI). He avers that increasing urbanisation and changing customer preferences will have positive impact on the industry footfall. This trend shall pave way for more investments in the sector and large integrated projects like the Adlabs Imagica coming up. The existing amusement park players will upgrade their facilities and expand their operations in other cities as well. The last two decades have witnessed interesting evolution of the sector – from Appu Ghar that opened in New Delhi in 1984. This was followed by development in major cities with EsselWorld in Mumbai and Nicco Park in Kolkata, while the early 2000s saw many parks coming up in small, medium and large cities. The decade also witnessed the emergence of water parks, which became quite popular. “Today there are 150 amusement parks in India, across tier I and tier II cities and smaller locations. Of theses, 15 per cent are large parks, 20 to 25 per cent are medium sized and the balance are small parks in smaller towns. These parks are integral
KEY CHALLENGES ■ Variable entertainment tax rates : Ranging from 0 per cent to 50 per cent, it is a state government subject and varies from state to state. ■ Low per capita consumer spending on entertainment services: Indian consumers are price sensitive.This is the reason for lower ticket charges for entertainment activities in India as compared to other international markets. ■ Lack of social and supporting infrastructure: Most cities do not have any approved land for entertainment activities such as amusement and theme parks in their master plan ■ Funding : Availability of capital is very important because of the high initial costs and frequent upgrading required for the attractions. ■ Land: Location is an important factor, which contributes majorly to the potential footfalls and hence the viability of the project. High real estate prices discourage park operators from setting up new parks at attractive locations.
Source: Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries
THE MAIN FOCUS
for social infrastructure development and also generate a lot of employment,” says Arijit Sengupta, MD & CEO, Nicco Parks & Resorts. One of the significant developments has been the increase in investment in tier II and tier III cities across the country in the amusement park industry in the last decade. “The potential from these cities has been encouraging. In the last 10 years at least 40 new parks with varied investments of `5 to `30 crore have been set up in cities other than the metros,” mentions Dange. There are of course many challenges that the sector faces, these range from variable entertainment tax rates in different states to price sensitivity of the Indian consumer to high real estate prices. There is also the issue of supporting infrastructure. “Due to large land requirements , most amusement parks are located on the outskirts of the cities. In such a scenario, supporting infrastructure such as roads, public transport facilities become critical to improve accessibility to customers,” states Dange.
Seeking government support IAAPI is looking at the government to encourage this sector by initiating newer channels for improved and easy funding. There is also a need to come up with a policy of single window clearances in order to avoid inordinate delays in implementation of projects and to cut down on costs. Dange asserts that the government should promote India as a manufacturing hub for amusement and water park rides by providing necessary incentives for manufacturers in designated areas. Foreign direct investment (FDI) should also be encouraged in this sector by way of incentives and rationalisation of taxes. “The government should have a comprehensive and sustained marketing plan to promote amusement parks as is been done by Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur etc,” he adds.
Looking forward to its first IPO, Arun K Chittilappilly, MD, Wonderla Holidays urged the government to give amusement/theme parks the industry status. “These parks must be viewed as social infrastructure for their entertainment value and because they are good for tourism. These parks are also very labour intensive as they employ a lot of people.” Wonderla’s two parks in Bengaluru and Kochi employ around 1700 people.
Regional focus Wonderla targets the demographic who have never travelled abroad and have never been exposed to international theme parks. “We aim to be a regional player with a regional focus. We have a mix of simple rides as well as more complex and challenging ones using imported machinery. We strive to maintain high quality and hygiene in both our parks and this has reaped high footfalls,” says Chittilappilly. The company also has a resort within the Bengaluru theme park which attracts a lot of corporate MICE. Apart from Wonderla Kochi and Wonderla Bengaluru, Chittilappilly has plans to open two more theme parks – in Hyderabad (scheduled to open in two years' time) and Chennai (to open three and a half years from now). “It's been 14 years since we entered the amusement park industry in 2000 and there have been quite a few changes. From five lakh visitors a year, we have grown to 25 lakh visitors in 201213. In that same period revenues have jumped from `five crore to `140 crore. However, the industry is still in its nascent stage here, ” states Chittilappilly. Commenting on his target audience, he adds, “Our main aim is to make the experience as affordable as possible and to offer a broad spectrum of rides that will appeal to different segments of people.” Nicco Park in Kolkata is among the first big amusement parks in India – launched in October 1991. “Our brand equity is
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cover ) very high. We have 1.7 million footfalls every year,” says Sengupta. He considers it as a major achievement that the park has 60 per cent repeat visitors. A PPP with the government of West Bengal, Nicco Park is also the only amusement park to be listed on stock exchange. Sengupta has set up eight amusement parks and four water parks, including one in Dhaka. “These parks are not owned by us but we carried out turnkey contracts. We have immense experience from conceptualisation to completion,” he says, adding that, his company manufactures rides and has supplied the same to Dubai, Japan and Europe.
Strategic innovation Constant innovation is key to the business strategy of all key amusement park players. When an amusement park starts it's novelty is very high but it erodes after three-four years. “One has to be very careful about the novelty factor to attract people again and again, which we have been able to do – through introduction of rides, events, shows, etc. It is necessary to be there in the mind of people,” states Sengupta. As an organisation Pan India Paryatan (EsselWorld, Water Kingdom and EsselWorld Freeze Pune) believes in constant improvement and innovation. New attractions are added every year. “In the last few years we have added eight new rides and several attractions at EsselWorld. New rides have been launched at Water Kingdom too. We have always managed to keep our entertainment and thrill factor up. We plan to add many more unique attractions. These new additions will be a regular feature in the coming years for the property,” says Shirish Deshpande, CEO, Pan India Paryatan. The company ventured into the in-mall format with the launch of its first ever brand extension project- EsselWorld FREEZE, which was launched last year in Pune. “We have made active entertainment fun and reachable with this new
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THEMED ATTRACTIONS Yogesh Dange
Arijit Sengupta
President, IAAPI
MD & CEO Nicco Parks & Resorts
Shirish Deshpande CEO, Pan India Paryatan
Mohit Sawhney GM, Unitech Amusement Parks
venture. The format of FREEZE has been conceptualised keeping in mind its adaptability to malls,” states Deshpande. Adventure Island in New Delhi was started in December, 2006 with eight rides and within six months 18 rides which were made operational. “Every year we added one ride each and in year 2010 our last water Ride
Arun K Chittilappilly MD, Wonderla Holidays
Pooja Shetty Deora Jt MD, Adlabs Imagica
called H2O was added to make it a completed fun filled destination, now we have in all 23 rides with a right combination of dry and wet park," says Mohit Sawhney, general manager, Unitech Amusement Parks. Last year Adventure Island started a live stunt show 'The King of Quick Guns' - a Bollywood fight, fire and sound show. “Looking at the
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rom Walt Disney World in Florida to closer home Universal Studios Singapore, destination theme parks have always been a great attraction for Indian families travelling overseas. Legoland in Malaysia is the recent exciting inclusion in the list. “We want to promote Malaysia as a fun place for the entire family and welcome Indian families to celebrate the year-end festivities with us at Legoland. We have observed that many Indian families travel with their children with theme park and shopping as an important must-do in their customised itinerary. They prefer to spend less in travelling and spend more in shopping and family entertainment,” says Manoharan Periasamy, director, Tourism Malaysia. Legoland is Asia’s first theme park, and the sixth worldwide offers 40 rides, shows and displays of the famous Lego bricks of Denmark. Legoland has seven themed areas of attractions for all ages. From LEGO experiment centres to rollercoasters, the park is a day-long voyage of discovery for all the family. “We look forward to working more closely with travel trade other partners here to increase arrivals from India to Legoland this year and in coming years," states Periasamy.
( response we thought to create another show which is on lighter side with more fun for kids and MAD theatre was born - a show with an amalgamation of Magic, Acrobat and Dance,” mentions Sawhney. The company has also launched a new project called Adventure Village, which has different physical activities for guests and is created in the theme of a village. These activities include rock climbing, Burma Bridge, commando net, zip line, etc. The opening of Adlabs Imagica has been the momentuous happening for the industry this year. “We are looking at three million people in the first 15 months and after that the number will increase once the water park is added and the hotel comes up,” says Pooja Shetty Deora, joint managing director, Adlabs Imagica. The total invest-
ment on the integrated tourism project (theme park, water park and hotel) is `1650 crore, of which the theme park is itself an `1100 crore project. Understanding the fact that it is an industry that has vast tourism potential, the Maharashtra government has given
Adlabs Imagica a mega tourism status. The initial focus is the domestic market, as Deora points out there is nothing of this scale in India.
Corporates and events The corporate and MICE sector forms an integral part of
THE MAIN FOCUS
amusement/ theme park business worldwide. EsselWorld has many corporate tie ups. “We customise and create special packages for our corporate clients. Like in the recent past we have partnered with Mahindra & Mahindra and the Future Group where we received a
tremendous response. With the festive season round the corner we will have lot of festive events,” mentions Deshpande. At Adlabs Imagica, in the pipeline is a 300 rooms hotel that is being built for large conferences and weddings. Acknowledging that the hotel industry is a very important aspect of any theme park in terms of financials, events including MICE and weddings are all taken into consideration. The emergence of family entertainment centre (FECs) is the next step in the evolution of the industry. Kidzania recently entered the India market with a 75,000 square feet indoor theme park for children in RCity Mall, Mumbai. Non-traditional FECs are also expected to come up in the non-so distant future. (With inputs by Steena Joy)
EVENT ROUNDUP
Inclusive is sustainable The 48th annual convention of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) held in Kochi recently focused on tourism for inclusive growth and urged the hotel and restaurant sector to adopt sustainable practices to ensure long term growth. BY STEENA JOY
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peaking at the inauguration of the 48th annual convention of FHRAI, Dr K Chiranjeevi, Union tourism minister announced that 29 mega tourism projects have been identified for implementation under the Public-Private Participation model in Kerala. The first to get off the block is the mega Alapuzha Backwater Development Project which the tourism minister inaugurated the same day. A provision of `47.62 crore has been made by the tourism ministry towards this project. Guest of honour Sitaram Yechury, MP, chairman, Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture said that tourism is not a product, but selling a curiosity. “When a destination becomes a good place to visit but even a better place to live in, that is sustain-
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able tourism,” he affirmed. Yechury pointed out that there was an acute shortage of qualified guides and urged the industry to “create curiosity about our civilisation and then create infrastructure to host visitors who give in to that curiosity.” Explaining how Kerala is a model for Sustainable and Responsible Tourism, which was the theme of the convention, K P Anil Kumar, minister of tourism, Kerala, in his keynote address said that despite economic crisis, the state has gained `500 crore from tourism in the last two years. Suman Billa, secretary, Kerala Tourism made a presentation on Kerala's responsible tourism model and how it has put India on the global map. He informed that Kumarakom has been shortlisted as one of the two sites for a Global Observatory on Responsible Tourism.
Vivek Nair, president, FHRAI, said that the convention was an opportune forum for wide-ranging discussions and sharing of best practices on the industry’s strategic and competitive response to today’s challenging environment. Commenting on hosting the convention for the first time in Kerala, Jose Dominic, joint honorary secretary, FHRAI applauded the success story of Kerala in terms of tourism and hospitality, focused on three key principles - sustainable, inclusive and local. The inaugural session also saw the release of a coffee table book 'Responsible and Sustainable Tourism: The Kerala Model' brought out by Express Hospitality from the Indian Express. The convention witnessed several thought provoking sessions with eminent panelists. In the first session on Tourism for
Long term sustainability is needed for long term inclusive growth. The challenge ahead is to make India a competitive destination Inclusive Growth, Vipul Mitra, tourism secretary, government of Gujarat, said that states should adopt a watershed approach to tourism. He observed, “Indians are big spenders so they should be weaned back to see their own region. States should look inside for tourism numbers. We decided to target domestic tourists to tide through the recession. Roping in Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador was a strategy that worked for Gujarat. We focused on one destination in the Khushboo Gujarat Ki campaign, be it Gir or Somnath. States should also allow private investors to come
in smoothly without hurdles, which is why we have started GujTalk, an initiative to promote tourism projects, to conduct surveys and feasibility studies.” He added that the budget for promotions is `70 crore for this year. Ashish Kumar Singh, IAS, secretary to chief minister, Maharashtra opined that the political office can be an engine for tourism. “We need to understand what will generate employment and what policy interventions are needed to grow inclusive tourism and what impediments are impacting it,” he said. Mohammed Pervaiz, general manager, Andamans &
Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) stated that the islands had the highest potential to be
developed as a sustainable tourism destination. “Nearly 2.5 lakh tourists visit us every year and we have many tourism
products to offer them. However there are still connectivity problems that need to be addressed and the new CRZ policy must be strictly adhered to.” Anand Kumar, joint secretary, ministry of tourism, Government of India stated that tourism is a pro-poor service industry. “Long term sustainability is needed for long term inclusive growth. India’s share of the global tourism pie is just 1.65 per cent and our world position is 16th. The challenge ahead is to make India a competitive destination We have to double our arrivals by 2016. We need to initiate skill development for youth who have dropped out of school and train them in food production, as wellness therapists, drivers, guides, etc. Any policy on subsidising hotel construction must be well thought out. ” He also suggested setting up tourism parks. The second session saw panelists give industry updates. FHRAI plans to set up food
testing labs in the next three to four months for testing of food samples to ensure food safety standards. Nitin Putcha, VP – operations ITM-FHRAI Institute of Hotel Management announced that the institute will be introducing new programmes in hotel management. Advocate Jayawanth of the Kerala High Court gave an update on levy of service tax and requested the industry to take legal advice on any problems they may face. In the session on sustainable environment practices and ethical sourcing, Niranjan Khatri, general manager, Welcome environ initiatives, ITC Welcome group, reiterated that food waste must be reduced. “We should invest in water management and also ask ourselves if our raw materials are being sourced sustainably. ITC has adopted solar bio mimicry (the art of imitating Nature) which has reduced power costs from `20,000 to `6,000 per unit. We should get rid of old mindsets like drawing curtains in rooms which have plenty of natural light. In 2009 ITC Maurya installed solar concentrators which use bio mimicry of the sunflower following the sun.” He added that hoteliers must involve their long stay guests in social issues. “We should move from CSR to ISR (Individual Social Responsibility),” he concluded. Abhishek Jani, executive director, Fairtrade Foundation of India affirmed, “Ethical sourcing can transform your business. The new buzzword is Profit with People and Planet. Hoteliers must look for the Fairtrade mark which we stamp on ethically sourced products. We
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also audit supply chains and partner with sustainable supply chains. In fact, Green and Fairtrade certified rooms can be a new offering for your guests.” The session on future technologies in the hospitality industry saw a presentation by Raman P Rama who felt, “Gen X, Y and Z are our future consumers. They are a 'Born Mobile' generation. People are now more and more dependent on social media for their travel decisions. It is the least cost route to marketing. Green technology is a trend that’s picking up. There are other innovations like carbon absorbing concrete, water kites using tidal energy, moon glow LED pillows with alarm clocks, Energy Track door (you can see how much energy is used everytime a guest opens or closes the door), etc. Another idea that will soon be introduced in the US and is being test piloted now is a Wifi service that needs no wireless connection. Then there is also Witricity (wireless electricity).” He reasoned that as nowadays it is the BYOT (bring your own technology) trend, people prefer to bring in their own iPads even if the hotel provides one. “A traveller has a maximum of at least six to 10 apps on his own device so hotels should not create their own apps. It is not worth it,” he said. Cyber crimes and cyber security were also touched upon during the session. During an interesting session on innovative financing of hotels and restaurants, Vijay Thacker, director, Crowe Howarth Hotel Consultants, questioned, “ As borrowers/developers, are we disciplined? How much are we responsible
We should invest in water management and also ask ourselves if our raw materials are being sourced sustainably. We should move from CSR to ISR (Individual Social Responsibility). The new buzzword is Profit with People and Planet for bureaucratic delays? We don’t adequately plan our financing. If a project gets delayed, there will be cost overruns. So keep your financing plans simple.” When asked to give an update on the long overdue asset management company under
the aegis of TFCI, B M Gupta, chief general manager, TFCI, said, “Equity market will come in this sector but it will take time. Let the industry mature a little more.” Dipti Desai, DGM Customer Service, Xperitus Insurance Brokers, spoke on getting adequate insurance cover for hotels. There was also a session on contemporary trends in hotel and restaurant design. Architect Bob Atwal explained, “It all starts on the drawing board. The Europeans flock to India because we offer them classic designs. Culture plays a big part in design. The real winner is actually the setting. So gourmet food, for example, has to have a gourmet setting.” Amit Gulati, CEO, Imcubis Consultants who designed the Ginger hotel brand
advised, “Work with nature, leveraging local materials and techniques to give context. Sometimes a project can be overdesigned. So be cautious.” There were also sessions on culinary innovations (with Chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent) and people management (with Rustom Vesavevala, VP learning and development, Taj group of hotels and Jeevan Bhaktavar, VP – human resources, Leela group of hotels). Aashish Gupta, consulting CEO, FAITH had the last word when he said, “What IT did for India, the same thing tourism and hospitality sectors can do for the country. Yet, we have not even breached the threshold of one per cent of the global market share in world tourism arrivals.”
STRATEGY For a hotelier who believes in celebrating the ethos of a destination through his property, Manvendra Singh Shekhawat, managing director, Suryagarh has worked out a unique strategy for his existing and upcoming hotel projects. By Sudipta Dev
Ancient inspirations, modern soul M
anvendra Singh Shekhawat, managing director, Suryagarh is a hotelier who has formulated an interesting strategy for his hotel group. His vision is to get into territories which are unexplored and celebrate the ethos of the land through the property – from the food and architecture to the many fascinating experiences that the destination can offer. “We want to capitalise on the experiences that are already existing in these remote places, accentuate it a bit to offer them to people who are 'global bohemian travellers',” says Shekhawat. His target clientele are people who have been there, done that and a luxury hotel is no longer aspirational for this segment. These are the people who are willing to travel to different outposts of the country attracted by off-beat experiences. The two operating properties are - Laxmi Niwas Palace in
Bikaner and Suryagarh in Jaisalmer, while Narendra Bhavan in Bikaner is the upcoming project. “Our hotels reinterpret the history or present it the way it is to our guests,” states Shekhawat. There are two segments – experiential hotels like Suryagarh and Laxmi Nivas, and those for the 100 dollar clientele like Narendra Bhavan. The latter is also residential and experiential but has more inventory. All hotels will have a separate design identity - Suryagarh is a reinterpretation of history, but has a modern soul. Narendra Bhavan (the budget category), was the residence of Maharaja Narendra Singh, and has a unique design philosophy. "It was the residence of the last Maharaja of Bikaner which we have taken and converted into a heritage hotel. We have also picked up a fort in central Rajasthan, which in the future we plan to convert into a boutique hotel. All our hotels come with superlative
comforts but the focus will always be on the experiences,” mentions Shekhawat. Next in the pipeline is upgrading the services and renovation of Laxmi Niwas Palace. Plans in next five-ten years include growing extensively in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. “Madhya Pradesh is still unexplored but there is great cultural value, same with Rajasthan, if
you leave the major cities Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, then you will discover pockets where destinations can be developed,” asserts Shekhawat. He points out that the existing properties are a mix of heritage and new hotels. For example, Suryagarh is a new structure. It is designed like a fort, which blends with the landscape. “Forts were always barren lands, rising of out nowhere. We learn from our past, we are deep rooted with our culture, however we see what is relevant today. Our properties do not overburden you with the heritage tag,” he adds. The service is also not too traditional. “I feel a hotel is a community of likeminded people - it's a place of gentlemen for gentlemen. The relationship is pretty much how you would feel when you come to my house as a guest,” asserts Shekhawat. The strategy is to differentiate the properties through the
experiences that are offered, for example exploring the countryside on a segway. Then there are unique dining experiences like scotch and cigar breakfast at a place called Khaba Fort. Guests are taken to the place before the crack of dawn and served scotch and cigars. When the sun rises they can see the ruins of a 350 year old village with 100-200 peacocks which appear in the morning. There is also the Chudail Trail in the evening,, which is quite popular. Jaisalmer, believes Shekhawat, is an under-marketed place, which deserves a lot more. “I am always on a constant search for locations like Jaisalmer, which have been on the mind map and have great substance in terms of a product but nobody has gone and established a hotel. I want to go to offbeat destinations where I can capitalise on the experiential value of the destination,” he affirms.
27 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
SPOTLIGHT
A curative vision With a vision to transform Pollachi into a preferred destination for the discerning traveller, Great Mount Resort Coco Lagoon offers rejuvenation and curative treatment in a luxurious setting, making it the first of its kind in the location. By Rituparna Chatterjee
28 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
L
ocated in the picturesque town of Pollachi in the district capital of Coimbatore, Great Mount Resort Coco Lagoon, is a wellness and luxury destination. The resort, which officially opened in September of this year has been built to cater to the MICE segment, FITs, students, honeymooners, family segment and as well as travellers seeking curative treatment. The journey of choosing the location started three years ago for T Sethupati, managing director of Great Mount Resort Coco Lagoon, who visited more than
T Sethupati
100 resorts from Himalayas to Tamil Nadu before narrowing down to Pollachi. From there
onwards, the property took a further two years to develop. As far as competition is concerned, Sethupati doesn’t find it challenging as Pollachi lacks a proper luxury resort and which is also one of the factors for choosing Pollachi. “There are eight to nine resorts in and around Pollachi but this is the only resort which is professionally managed and has luxury category facilities,” states Sethupati. Other reasons for choosing Pollachi was to introduce medical tourism and make it a well known destination. “Pollachi is a place where you can give tourists a differ-
ent taste. You have eco tourism, wildlife tourism, spiritual tourism, and now medical tourism,” he adds.
Nature's treatment The resort boasts of Vaidya Sutras, its Aurvedic wellness spa, which is a first collaboration between a resort and the famed Vaidyaratnam Group which specialises in Ayurvedic production and healthcare. Vaidya Sutras offers 24 treatments under two categories – curative programme for serious ailments and general wellness programme for leisure in its five dedicated treatment rooms. The general wellness programme includes programmes for having healthier hair, healthier eyes, muscle strengthening programme, facial beautification programmes, total rejuvination package to name a few. While the curative programme offers migraine treatment, diabetes management, anti arthritis programme, stress management programme, Psoriasis treatment among some. “All the doctors and therapists are trained by the Vaidyaratnam Group which is our USP,” boasts Sethupati. The resort has also tied up with Temple of Consciousness in Coimbatore to send yoga instructors for guests interested in it. The reason for having an Ayurvedic wellness centre in the resort is the increasing demand for it in the national and international market. “Medical tourism is picking up, especially Ayurveda, in India , the US and Germany, and that is why we were interested in Ayurvedic wellness. Since Ayurveda is developing excellently, people have now under-
stood that Ayurveda is a solution for certain ailments where there are no solutions in allopathic medicine. Apart from domestic guests, we are also interested in taking part in international exhibitions and bringing international guests into our place,” he opines. The resort had leisure guests visiting from Japan and Russia but they are also looking at promoting Ayurveda as an additional facility in the resort to bring in guests interested in availing this form of curative treatment.
Strategically located The resort has good connectivity. It is located 50 kms from the airport, 40 kms from Coimbatore and can be reached from Kerala as well. Spread across seven acres of land, the resort has 32 rooms – 20 Deluxe Suites, five Royal Suites, five Presidential Suites, a Premier Garden Villa and an Emperor Pool Villa. The resort also comes equipped with a convention centre with a capacity to hold 150 guests, a swimming pool, free Wi-Fi access, multi-cuisine restaurant, amphitheatre, kids play area and indoor games area. As for the MICE segment, the resort offers other facilities apart from its convention hall. “MICE is a great opportunity since Coimbatore in nearby. Apart from the convention hall, we organise events by hiring event managers to host group games and other gaming activities,” he elaborates. The brand is being aggressively promoted at various platforms. “We are attending international and national conferences, roadshows, exhi-
bitions, approaching newspapers and distributing brochures locally to promote our brand,” reveals Sethupati. However their promotional activities do not only involve creating awareness about their resort but also about the destination. “The state government has declared Pollachi as a less known tourist destination and so we have asked the Chamber of Commerce in Pollachi and CII to help us promote the destination and they are planning celebratory activities which are right now at a nascent stage,” he explains. As for their future plans, Sethupati hopes to open more such resorts which offers a combination of leisure and a traditional form of wellness programme. “Our vision is to have 300 keys in the form of a lodge or resort spread down South focused on Siddha or naturopathic treatment in future,” he concludes.
The state government has declared Pollachi as a less known tourist destination and so we have asked the Chamber of Commerce in Pollachi and CII to help us promote the destination and they are planning celebratory activities
29 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
EVENT TRACKER DATE
EVENT
VENUE
November 08 - 11, 2013
Salon du Chocolat
Vannes (France)
November 10 - 12, 2013
WWM Asia
Macau
November 11 - 14, 2013
International Golf Travel Market
Costa Daurada, Spain
November 13 - 15, 2013
FHC China
Shanghai
November 21 - 24, 2013
Seoul International Cafe Show
Seoul
November 21 - 24, 2013
Coffee Expo Guangzhou
Guangzhou
November 21 - 25, 2013
Tea Expo Macau
Macau
November 23 - 27, 2013
IGEHO 2013
Basel
Nov 29 - Dec 01, 2013
Natura Bio
Lille (France)
December 03 - 05, 2013
Menope- Middle East Natural and Organic Products Expo
Dubai
December 09 - 13, 2013
Healthy Lifestyle
Moscow
December 14 - 16, 2013
International Travel & Hospitality Show 2013
Muscat
January 14 - 15, 2014
HIFI
Gurgaon
January 22 - 23, 2014
BIOVAK
Zwolle (Netherland)
January 23 - 25, 2014
Food Hospitality World
Mumbai
February 06 - 09, 2014
Bioenergy Expo
Verona
February 06 - 08, 2014
World Tea and Coffee Expo
Mumbai
February 11 - 13, 2014
Tea & Coffee World Cup - Europe
Warsaw (Poland)
February 12 - 15, 2014
BioFach 2014
Nuremberg (Germany)
February 13 - 15, 2014
African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition
Bujumbura (Burundi)
February 23 - 27, 2014
GulfFood
Dubai
February 25 - 27, 2014
Meetings Africa
Johannesburg (South Africa)
March 06 - 09, 2014
Natural Products Expo West
Anaheim, CA
March 08 - 12, 2014
INTERSUC
Paris
March 16 - 18, 2014
International Boston Seafood Show
Boston
April 08 - 11, 2014
FHA Singapore
Singapore
May 03 - 06, 2015
TuttoFood
Milan
May 6 - 8, 2014
Coffee fest- st.louis
St.Louis, Mo(USA)
May 30 – June 1, 2014
Seafood Processing Europe
Brussel
June 1 – 30, 2014
Semana Verde de Galicia
Silleda (Spain)
June 24 – 27, 2014
Fispal cafe
Sao Paulo
August 14 - 16, 2014
Hong Kong International Tea Fair
Hong Kong
September 4- 6, 2014
Expo Chocolate
Mexico City
September 24- 26, 2014
COTECA
Hamburg (Germany)
30 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
TECH TALK
Redefining enterprise distribution Managing a hotel's distribution channels effectively is one of the biggest challenges faced by the hospitality industry along with finding the right method to bridge this gap effectively opines Mike Kistner
H
OTELS TODAY are trying to make the most out of their distribution ecosystem. While several big brands are successful in driving customers to their website, the mid segment and budget hotels are facing challenges in driving bookings from their brand.com. For these hotels their reliance on other electronic channels, GDS and OTAs are high. Hotels need to understand how their channels are performing and distribute them effectively to combat the rising costs associated with distribution and at the same time improve their bookings, drive occupancy and improve profitability.
Distribution challenges Hotels today are not able to manage their distribution channels effectively. Manually updating inventory and rates across each of the channels is a complex and cumbersome process. Not only does it affect productivity of personnel working on the task but is also prone to errors. Because the process is manually challenging, the hotel’s real time inventory is not displayed across the channels, resulting in overbookings and guest booking not being honoured by the hotel. According to a research report, 91 per cent of unhappy customers will not willingly do
business with the organisation again. What’s more, they would definitely do their best at spreading the word through social media. ChannelAdvisor's 2010 Consumer Shopping Habits Survey and TripAdvisor/Forrester Custom Online Study states that social media directly influences more than 83 per cent of all online bookings. With growing influence of social media on hotel bookings, hotels are at risk of spoiling their brand reputation. The lack of real time inventory also reduces the hotel’s chances of improving bookings. A hotel provides several different rates and package to it guests. But without a realtime connect between the distribution channels and the hotel’s property management system, hotels cannot make their different rates and packages available on different channels thus reducing its chances of selling rooms.
RezNext is also pioneering a big change in the industry by making relevant information on hotel operations available to key personnel. The RezNext dashboard is a unique reporting tool that is integrated with the property management system Addressing the gap RezNext is committed to simplifying the complex distribution environment. It provides a real-time, two- way connect between a hotel’s property management system and electronic distribution channels like OTA, GDS, thus allowing hotels to simplify their channel management, dynam-
ically making their rates available, and even pushing last minute availability for booking thereby improving their occupancy. A real-time two way connect, gives control back to the hotel on bookings, modifications and connects them with customers directly. All
changes to booking are updated dynamically in the hotel’s property management system. This also means that hotels can now have their inventory for sales real time, 24/7. Reservations can pour into the property management system at any time of the night as well. By automating this process, hotels can reduce their dependency on manpower availability. RezNext is also pioneering a big change in the industry by making relevant information on hotel operations available to key personnel anytime of the day, on any device from any location. The RezNext dashboard is a unique reporting tool that is integrated with the property management system and provides information to hotel staff allowing them to analyse operations and utilise that information to take better decisions quickly. The dashboard provides reports on booking analysis, price point metric, occupancy, channel break-up, room availability and daily sales. It also offers integration with reputation management solution, revenue management solution, CRM, loyalty management solution and business intelligence. This means all aspects of the hotel's operation can be monitored and analysed from a single application. (The writer is CEO, RezNext)
31 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
TECH BYTES
The power of apps The mobile phone and social media is transforming how new age travellers are researching, transacting and giving feedback on their travels. Companies like IMImobile and Blue Star Infotech are powering many innovative applications for their customers in travel and hospitality space. By Sudipta Dev
T
HE MOBILE PHONE and tablet PC is redefining the way people are doing their research, planning and booking. India has a mobile subscriber base of 867 million. A study done by Ipsos for Google proves that 87 per cent of travellers used mobile phone to research their trips and 66 per cent booked a trip based on this. “The versatile use of mobile phones is pushing travel technology players to not only provide ticketing or destination research apps but a holistic technology that enables the traveller to research, get reviews; plan and book tickets at one go. The mobile device is further playing the role of a hospitality manager during the course of the journey,” says Vishwanath Alluri, founder and executive chairman, IMImobile. IMImobile's solutions for mobile travel space are powered by DaVinci Evolved Service Platform (ESP) and the DaVinci suite of products. DaVinci ESP is a unified and fully integrated platform that supports the creation, delivery and management of applications and services across mobile and social channels. “It enables us to offer solu-
32 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
tions that leverage the full spectrum of mobile capabilities – SMS, MMS, USSD, OBD, IVR, missed calls, smartphone applications, mobile web portals, InApp Push Notifications to name a few,” states Alluri. IMImobile has worked with customers like American Airlines for which the company has developed a solution to allow their most loyal customers to get notified about the best travel deals. For the city of London, IMImobile has powered an app which was made available during London 2012 Olympics. IMImobile also recently powered National Rail Enquiries iPad app in UK to deliver a streamlined customer experience.
One of the concerns is the fact that most service providers have a fragmented approach to technology. Alluri believes that such a fragmented approach cannot result in a unified and seamless experience for customers. “Our DaVinci platform is designed from the ground up to orchestrate end user experience across multiple touch points,” he states.
Vishwanath Alluri
Douglas Gray
Innovative applications Blue Star Infotech is offering two mobile applications for the travel and hospitality industry — Mobile Vacation Planner (MVP) and SmartRetreat. Douglas Gray, chief solutions officer, Blue Star Infotech, says, “Sites
like HotelTonight are exclusively mobile app only platforms for booking last minute hotel stays. For younger travellers, WeHostels helps youth traveling abroad find great deals at hostels world-wide. Even online travel agencies, like Expedia, now offer a downloadable mobile app.” The MVP is a consumer-oriented travel planning app that enables travellers to access and explore rich travel content organised by geography and things to see and do. Gray informs that it also has option to read reviews, ratings and recommendations by other similar minded travellers to help them intelligently plan their next holiday or vacation. MVP deploys on the Apple iPad and provides graphical user interface that permits the user to specify their preferences to describe the type of travel experience they want to create. SmartRetreat is a hotel concierge mobile tablet computer-based app that enables the hotel guest to serve themselves, for example, order room service, book a spa treatment or golf tee time, or explore the hotel amenities as well as the things to do and see in the hotel’s surrounding environs. “Hotel guests have the freedom to entertain themselves using SmartRetreat to watch movies
or listen to music via their tablet, as well as set the hotel room environmental controls to their preference, including heating and air conditioning, TV, and lighting,” adds Gray. The target segment for MVP is travel service providers including travel agents and OTAs, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, vacation clubs, convention and visitors bureaus, etc. For SmartRetreat, the target segment is moderate to upscale hotels and resorts. The most revolutionary trend that is emerging in the near future is the power of predictive analytics. Wi-Fi and GPS enables the collection of data on travellers to know about their behaviours and activities. “With this data, coupled with predictive analytics models and algorithms, it is possible to predict what the traveller may want at any given time and place, e.g., meal time in the entertainment and dining district, and make meaningful recommendations to the traveller to provide them with viable options,” states Gray, adding that, for service providers, the offers and promotions made to travellers have ten times greater likelihood of being acted upon when compared to offers that are not based on or supported by analytics.
CAMPUS CALLING
'Hotels want people who have the passion and can multi-task' With an aim to create future hospitality leaders, BHMS Business & Hotel Management School based in Lucerne believes that knowledge is the key and hence stresses on theory and practical education. Dr Anthony J Erb, dean, international education programmes and Heinrich Meister, president, BHMS Business & Hotel Management School talk about the institution and industry trends. By Kahini Chakraborty Could you elaborate on the institution and its objectives? We are a part of the Bénédict Switzerland chain of schools which is 86 years old. The head office is in Switzerland and we have 80 different branches worldwide. In Switzerland we have about 18,000 to 20,000 students and the hospitality faculties who teach in English have 600 students. Our philosophy is different from other universities teaching hospitality management. We believe very strongly that knowledge is the key to the future. If you don’t know how to use the knowledge practically it does not lead to a job. In India many students have graduated and can’t find jobs and so our philosophy is that theory and practicals have to go together. In hospitality management we offer diploma programme in hotel management; higher diploma programme in hotel management; BA degree in hotel management; BA degree in global management, post graduate diploma, MBA programme, direct entry hospitality management, diploma in culinary management, advanced diploma in culinary management, associate degree in culinary entrepreneurship,
direct entry in culinary management. We teach six months theory and provide six months paid internship. We work with 20 students in a class which has 10-15 nationalities which makes it an interactive class. The majority of students which we receive are because of our students or word-of-mouth. About 50 per cent of our students come from the country itself and many students come from other colleges who have already done a
course in India. We have visiting faculties as we want students to know the latest changes and needs of the industry. We don’t just train them about what is happening today but prepare them for the future. The industry is moving very fast. Hotels want people who have the passion and who can multi-task. How many of your students come from India? The institution has about
600 students per year. Of this, every year about 50 students are from India and we have 55 different nationalities of students. We understand the Indian students better now, earlier quite a few Indian students didn't know about the industry and chose it for the wrong reasons. But now we are getting students who have the knowledge about the industry and know exactly what they want to pursue. So if they are coming from a hospitality college they
Heinrich Meister, president, BHMS Business & Hotel Management School How is the travel and tourism industry going to evolve in the years to come? I think the industry is going to grow very fast. The industry has so much to offer - events, catering, conventions, that have huge job options. IATA has also predicted that the industry will continue to grow rapidly. We are creating more and more service sector opportunities. We don’t take the number of students growth in our institution but we look at it in terms of quality. We can easily have 2,000 students as we have ample of space to accommodate more students. We direct students who have the potentiality - the right attitude, broader mindset, who can adapt to different culture. We go through the computer programmes which are used in airlines. Technology is important as it saves labour and it is more effective and we have to teach students how to be productive. Productive means using all the tools possible to do the job faster with less money and less effort.
usually have a good foundation. We don’t teach hotel management, we teach service sector industry, we teach people management, communication etc. We are preparing people for a much broader career. Earlier opting for a hospitality degree was a second option among students. Has this changed? India is developing and in the last ten years we have seen many high class restaurants and hotels opening up. The distinct difference in a normal job and hospitality career in particular is that it is a people centric job. In the hospitality industry you have to do different things – accounting, marketing etc. Students see the glamour, this is exactly why we we focus on internships also. Internships are going to be tough and students have to be prepared. Those who have the passion for the job will learn from the pressure and grow through it. We are working with five-star brand hotels to four-star and three-star resorts. During my time the industry was dominated by boys but now I see an increasing number of girls. Today many general managers are women.
33 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
MOVEMENTS Sarovar Hotels Sarovar Hotels has announced the appointment of ANIL VERMA as vice president of sales. Verma has over 11 years of experience with hotels like Jaypee Hotels, The Grand, Oberoi Hotels & Re-
sorts and his last assignment was with JHM Interstate Hotels India as director of sales and marketing. At Sarovar Hotels, he will conceptualise and implement sales strategies and will further strengthen the group’s efforts in driving more business from existing as well as new markets.
FRHI Hotels & Resorts
One&Only Hayman Island
FRHI Hotels & Resorts (FRHI), the parent company of luxury and upper upscale hotel brands Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Swissôtel Hotels
Kerzner International has appointed GUENTER GEBHARD as general manager for One&Only Hayman Island, ahead of the rebirth of the resort in April 2014. As
& Resorts, has announced the appointment of ALEXANDRA BLUM as vice president, public relations. Blum will be responsible for developing and leading the company’s global public relations strategy and will also have complete oversight of the hotel group’s external communications activity.
general manager, Gebhard will be responsible for the entire operation of Hayman Island, its strategic development, as well as the successful integration into the One&Only portfolio. As the collection’s first resort in Australia, his role will be key in strengthening the brand in the region.
Zuri Group Global
Swiss-Belhotel
STEPHEN BEALE has been appointed as the senior vice president of operations at the Zuri Group Global. Previously he was employed at the Windflower Spa and Resort
Swiss-Belhotel International has hired eight general managers for properties across four countries. In Malaysia, JERINA FOONG takes on the role of GM at the Wedgewood Residences by Swiss-Belhotel, while in New Zealand, MARCUS KEENAN joins the Swiss-Belresort Coronet Peak, Queenstown. In the Middle East, HERVÉ PEYRÉ will lead the team as GM at Swiss-Belhotel Seef, Bahrain, set to open in 2014. Joining the Swiss-Belhotel International management team in Indonesia are STEFFEN KHROEL (Swiss-Belhotel Balikpapan), I NYOMA SUWAMANA WAHYU PUTRA (Swiss-Belinn Legian Bali), GUNAWAN TRI DARMA PUTRA (SwissBelinn Malang), CUCUN MANSUR (Swiss-Belhotel Merauke) and MATTHEW FAIREY (Swiss-Belhotel Borneo Banjarmasin).
in South India as the chief of operations. He will be aiding the Zuri Group Global with their marketing, team development and strategies, and organisational management.
34 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
InterContinental Singapore InterContinental Singapore has appointed SHANTHA DE SILVA as general manager. Silva will continue with his senior leadership role within
Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa The Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa has appointed THOMAS BARGUIL as general manager. A French national, Barguil has worked in the hospitality industry for almost 20 years, starting his career at the InterContinental in Cannes working in both F&B and Rooms. Specialising in F&B, he has worked his way up through the ranks at hotels across the globe, including Egypt, Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mauritius.
tinental Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka and has since worked with IHG in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Bali – Indonesia and Singapore.
Anantara Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa Anantara Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa, has appointed STEPHAN WINKLER as general manager. An industry veteran of 30 years, Winkler started his career in 1982 at Munich’s landmark hotel, the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski. During the early
keting at the Bristol Hotel Kempinski in Berlin in 1990.
Bagan Lodge Myanmar JON BOURBAUD has been appointed as general manager of Bagan Lodge in Myanmar. Bourbaud brings almost two decades of hospitality industry expertise to the newly opened upscale resort, located outside the historic Bagan Archaeological Zone.
Sun International Sun International Hotels and Resorts has appointed RAJAN KALRA as associate director of sales India for Southern Africa. He will be based in Mumbai. Before his current appointment, Kalra was responsible for sales of Sarovar Hotels where he has been working since 2008.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) as director of operations for IHG Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines. Shantha has been with IHG for over 30 years, starting his career in 1982 at the InterCon-
years of his career, Winkler worked for hotels such as The Ritz in Paris and the Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg, then following Germany’s reunification, he was appointed as director of sales and mar-
REEMA GURUNG has been appointed as sales manager North and East India for Sun International Hotels and Resorts in Southern Africa. She will be based in New Delhi. Gurung comes with varied experience ranging from airlines and destinations to a hotel in Macau. Gurung has previously worked as assistant manager of Snow Leopard Adventures.
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BUSINESS AVENUES
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BUSINESS AVENUES
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"Irenes Coffee Company Pvt. Ltd. is spreading the aroma of fine coffee across India. With more than 10 years of experience , Irenes has been bringing in technology and innovation to create unmatched coffee drinking pleasure . The Group has a strategic alliance with SAECO Group of Italy. Irenes caters to a wide spectrum of customers with a full range of the coffee machines from HORECA Industry , High Footfall Public Places to Corporate Sectors etc. Irenes is adopting the best global practices and providing customized solutions to its clients. The company pioneered the concept of fresh milk based coffee with its Italian machines which transformed the way people drink coffee. Irenes offers coffee machines of the highest quality , created through innovation and passion to delight every coffee lover. It brings you a range of high - tech machines which deliver that perfect cuppa. Quality First - Irenes fully automatic coffee vending machines operate on advanced Italian technology ; this is backed by superior quality standards. Coffee In A Jiffy - The heavy duty machines are designed to dispense at least 200 cups / hour - each cup in a minimum of 20 seconds after pressing the button , with a consistent up-time of 99.5%. The customized setting enable people to choose their favourite blend. Easy To Clean - The machines allow cleaning - in - place, which also helps to maintain better hygiene and quality of the machines". The Italian fully automatic and state of the art machines come with unique features to suit specific requirements of the most demanding professionals from the coffee service industry.
Aulika Cappuccino
Phedra Cappuccino
Idea Cappuccino
Royal Cappuccino
IRENES COFFEE COMPANY PVT. LTD Head Office: J-82,Paryavaran Complex,Neb Sarai,New Delhi-110068 T: +91 11 29536220/29536221, F: +91 11 29356022, M: +91 8826300223,E: service@irenes.co.in Pune Office: Flat No.-3,Building No.-B3,Amba Vatika,CO/OPSOC ,NIBM Road,KONDHWA, Pune 411048, Mobile:+91 9167247422
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BUSINESS AVENUES
1) Moisturising Soap 2) Radiance Freshness Bating Bar 3) Transparent Gel Bathing Bar (Glycerine Soaps) : i) Facial Care ii) Neem Tulsi iii) Aloevera
Hair Care & Conditioning Products : a) Herbal Shampoo b) Arnica Montana Shampoo c) Arnica Hair Oil p a s s io n f o r e x c e ll e n c e
Camp Road, Amravati
Body Care Soothing & Freshning Products : a) Herbal Moisturiser b) Herbal Bath Gel c) Herbal Talcum Powder
Customized & Personalized Kits : 1) Shaving Kit 2) Dental Kit 3) Medi Kit 4) Sewing Kit 5) Comb 6) Shower Cap 7) Shoe Shine 8) Slippers
TURAB H V HERBALS (P) LTD. Manufacturers of Herbal Cosmetics
We Specialize in supplying the above products in personalized packaging with single or multicolor printing of logo of Hotels / Institutions as per customers budget and liking.
Plot No. A 1 & 2, Opp. Shanti Nagar Garden, Mahesh Nagar, Nagpur-440 002 INDIA Ph.: + 91-712-2730858/3296769 E-mail : info@turabherbals.com Website : www.turabherbals.com
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BUSINESS AVENUES Feel the Hot & Cold of Maxell® STAINLESS STEEL- Puf Insulated
Baleno
Trendy
MAXELL New Collections CLICK LOCK CASSELROL Available sizes: 0.5 to 40 ltrs
COROLLA 250. 350. 550. 750 1000. 1500. 2000ML
OPEL
CATERER’S HOT POT
1000. 1500. 2000ML
2500 ml(1x4). 3500 ml(1x4) 500 ml(1x4), 1000 ml(1x3)
GLASIER WATER JUG Size: 8.0 &12 Ltr
S. S. LUNCH BOX
CHEF HOT CASSEROLE
Size: 2, 3, 4 Container
Size:1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.5, 5.0 Ltr
KINGFISHER BAR SET Size:2.5,3.5, 5.0 Ltr
MAXELL-PLAST (INDIA) line n to: On For e log o ast. s pl a h c xell Pur w.ma ia.com ww deind tra
Website : www.maxellplastindia.com www.
G
#3, Woodwarf, 5th Lane Walltax Road, Chennai- 600 079, Phone:+91-44-2529 3322, Telefax:+91-44-2539 0673 Mumbai Showroom : #G-90, Sarovadaya Nagar, 1st Panjarpole Lane, Mumbai – 400004. Ph : +91- 22 -2242 7778, Telefax: +91-22-2242 2442. Cell : + 91-9892721331. Email : maxellplastmum@rediffmail.com. Delhi Showroom : #4781/26, Deputy Gunj, Sadar Bazar, Delhi – 110006. Phone : +91-11-2352 4455 + 91-96506 06424. Email : maxellplastindiadel@hotmail.com
maxellplast.tradeindia.com
G
maxellplastindia@hotmail.com
JAIVANTI COSMETICS HOSPiTALiTY REDEFinED SOAP SHAMPOO MOISTURISER SHOWER GEL DENTAL KIT SHAVING KIT COASTERS SHOWER CAP LAUNDRY BAG COMB PEN / PENCILS CHEF CAP
Manufacturer & Supplier of:
GUEST CARE AMENITIES
& many more
GUEST CARE PRODUCTS
HOTEL iT e MS
HYGiENE CAR E PRODUCTS
Regd Off : 14, Ganesh Chandra Avenue, Kolkata - 700 013 Ph : 033 - 22374811, 22159400, Telefax : 033 - 40017327 E-mail : jayantshah65@gmail.com 44 November 1-15, 2013
Website : www.jaivanti.com
FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
BUSINESS AVENUES
12
an a rr
m
w
h ont
ty
COFFEE POT
FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
AIR POT
WIDE MOUTH
R AJCO
R
HIGH NICKLE S. S. VACUUM FLASKS
2500/3000/3500/4000 ml. 500/750 ml.
400/600/1000 ml.
WIDE MOUTH WITH HANDLE
COFFEE POT 1300/1600/1900/2200 ml.
800/1200 ml.
New COFFEE POT
BULLET
WIDE MOUTH
350/500/1000 ml.
1200/1500 ml.
New BULLET
2500/3000/3500/4000 ml.
COLA BOTTLE
(Twist & Pour) 250/350/500/1000 ml.
WATER BOTTLE 250/350/500/1000/1500/1800/2500 ml.
For Online Purchase log on to: www.maxellplast.tradeindia.com
400/600 ml.
Marketed by:
MAXELL-PLAST (INDIA) #3, Woodwarf, 5th Lane Walltax Road, Chennai- 600 079, Phone:+91-44-2529 3322, Telefax:+91-44-2539 0673, Mumbai Showroom : #G-90, Sarovadaya Nagar, 1st Panjarpole Lane, Mumbai – 400004. Ph : +91- 22 -2242 7778, Telefax: +91-22-2242 2442. Cell : + 91-9892721331. Email : maxellplastmum@rediffmail.com. Delhi Showroom : #4781/26, Deputy Gunj, Sadar Bazar, Delhi – 110006. Phone : +91-11-2352 4455 + 91-96506 06424. Email : maxellplastindiadel@hotmail.com
Website : www.maxellplastindia.com www. maxellplast.tradeindia.com maxellplastindia@hotmail.com FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
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FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
BUSINESS AVENUES
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BUSINESS AVENUES
FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
RESIN MOULDED GARDEN LIGHTS FROM ITALY WITH 10 YEARS WARRANTY AGAINST CORROSION IP 66
IP 55
3W LED
IP 44
IP 66
IP 67
IP 55
3W/7W LED AVAILABLE AT : BANGALORE : LIGHT & STYLE - 09845150750 PRISM LIGHTS - 09845040407 RAM LIGHTS & BEYOND : 09844838448 LIGHT & LIVING : 09886098970 CHENNAI : KAIYAAN - 09884017725 INDORE : JEWEL & CRYSTAL - 09329588881 KOCHI & KOZHIKODE : GLOBLINK - 09645933372 MUMBAI : GEMINI GLOBAL - 9820150251 SPECTRUM LIGHTS - 9821163460 LIGHT UP INDIA - 98211-53022 NASIK : DEEPAM - 09822456758 NAGPUR : POONAM LIGHTING CONCEPTS - 09422104117 NEW DELHI : MAYFAIR ENTERPRISES - 09810149145 (NORTH INDIA DISTRIBUTOR) PUNE : BLU RAYS - 09860148883 MODERN MARKETING SYNDICATE - 09822057041 SURAT : LITTORIA - 09825155510 THIRUVANANTAPURAM : ELECTRODYNAMIC - 09539183638
FOR DEALERSHIP ENQUIRIES CONTACT :
CENTRAL ELECTRIC & RADIO CO 14-16, LOHAR CHAWL, MUMBAI 400 002 TEL : 09820295454 E mail : sales@cercolighting.com
www.cercolighting.com FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
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weekend
Scene and heard
With Marcellus Baptista
A touch of glass CLEAR AS crystal – that’s what you thought at the highend R house at the launch of Schott Zwiesel crystal glassware. Yes, Zwiesel Kristallglas that has perfected the craft of crystal glassmaking with exceptional innovations for over 140 years had come to town, retailing only at R house. Sunil and Mana Shetty, Madhoo Shah, Jeetu Verma, Rukshana Eisa, Vikram Phadnis, Ceylan Ozer Erisen and Krishika Lulla were all there. Holding forth on the products that have been reigning in five-star and luxury hotels the world over, Deepa Nand, general manager India, Zwiesel Kristallglas, felt that elegant glass epitomises highclass living and table culture. Anuja Jatkar and Rashi Malhotra at the launch of Town House Café
Prized evening
House call THE TASTE of the town goes on and on, and the latest entrant is Town House Café, billed as a modern European grill and bar. Hosts Avi Mittal and Anuja Jatkar were there on the opening night, warmly welcoming the many guests like Ashmit Patel, Vishal Malhotra, Tanuj Garg, Kunal Rawal and Srishti Kumar. The bar was abuzz with good cheer while a choice of vegetarian and non-veg starters did the rounds at this two-level place located next to Sterling cinema house. And guests learnt that Town House Café would be open for lunch and dinner and would serve as a place to unwind or chill out with friends after a hard day’s work.
Kajal Tejsinghania and Sameer Malkani at the food bloggers awards at JW Marriott
Sunil and Mana Shetty at the Schott Zwiesel launch at R house
THE ONLINE culinary world got a fillip as Food Bloggers Association of India presented the first-ever India Food Bloggers Awards 2013 at the JW Marriott. Hosted by Sameer Malkani, founder, FBAI and Pavithran Nambiar, general manager, JW Marriott, the guests included judges like Rashmi Uday Singh, Kunal Vijayakar, Kajal Tejsinghani, Rushina Ghildiyal and Sona Bahadur, editor, BBC Good Food. The evening also gave the JW Marriott hotel an opportunity to showcase its varied cuisine with different stations serving fare from Arola, Saffron and Spices. It was an evening when food bloggers from various categories like restaurant reviews, facebook blogs, regional cuisine and culinary travel were felicitated by jury members.
Pink panache
Devraj Sanyal, Birgit Zorninger & Rohan Varziralli at the pink evening at Taj Lands End
THE CHAMBERS Lounge on the 25th floor of Taj Lands End was the setting to enjoy a vantage view of the illumination of the hotel and also the Bandra-Worli sea link. It was a charity evening to create awareness of breast cancer and to beat it, presented by Estee Lauder in association with Taj Lands End and Universal Music. The legacy of Evelyn Lauder, co-creator of the Pink Ribbon, was brought alive with a photographic timeline of key milestones achieved by the breast awareness campaign and pink illuminations from around the world. Guests were treated to a scrumptious selection of pink-themed desserts and delicate hors d’oeuvres specially crafted by the hotel’s executive chef Anirudhya Roy and they enjoyed live music by YouTube singing sensation Shradha Sharma, progressive rock band Coshish and neo-folk, alt-country, acoustic trio Whirling Kalapas. And looking happy indeed were hosts Rohan Vaziralli, Birgit Zorniger and Devraj Sanyal.
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E V E N T S
AN EXOTIC AFFAIR Olive Bistro launched its Signature Bar Nights with an exclusive preview of Shantanu and Nikhil’s Fall Winter ’13 collection in Hyderabad
MALDIVES CONNECT Constance Hotels & Resorts, represented by Nijhawan Group in India, in a joint initiative with Sri Lankan Airlines, organised a travel agents’ FAM trip to Constance Halaveli and Constance Moofushi in Maldives
DRIVING FOR A CAUSE Arvind Singh Mewar, chairman and managing trustee of Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation with Arjuna Award winner Deepa Malik (seated in the centre) at the flag off ceremony of ‘Will on Wheels' organised to create awareness on 'Ability Beyond Disability’ and to encourage para-sports in India
52 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
GOURMET INDULGENCE L-R: (second) Masterchef Gary Mehigan and Louise Asher, minister for tourism and major events with Tourism Victoria team at the Victorian food and wine event held at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai
SPREADING AWARENESS Mrunal Joshi, manager - Centre for Learning, Thomas Cook (India) speaking at the World Tourism Day 2013 event at Camp Education Society’s Dr Arvind B Telang Institute of Hotel Management in Pune
PROMOTING HERITAGE Maharaja Gaj Singh, president, Indian Heritage Hotels’ Association addressing the members at their second annual convention held in Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur
weekend
E V E N T S
CELEBRATING SUCCESS L-R: Robert Chiang, general manager, Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong Sha Tin; Peggy Fang Roe, chief sales and marketing officer, Marriott International, Asia Pacific; Don Cleary, COO of Marriott International, Asia Pacific; Simon Cooper, president and MD of Marriott International, Asia Pacific; Stephanie Linnartz, executive VP and chief marketing and commercial officer, Marriott International; Henry Lee, COO of Marriott International, Greater China; Karl Hudson, market VP, South China and Japan; and Arne Sorenson, president and CEO, Marriott International with his wife on his right at the 30th global anniversary celebration of Courtyard by Marriott
AWARDING EXCELLENCE The Imperial, New Delhi was honored with the BIZZ 2013 Award for Business Excellence by World Confederation of Businesses in a ceremony at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
PROMOTING THAILAND Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau organised DINNER CELEBRATION Masterchef Gary Mehigan of Masterchef Australia at a dinner evening hosted by Hyatt Regency Chennai in association with Australian Trade Commission, which was part of Hyatt International's 30 years of celebration in India
BEING THE BEST L-R: Punish B. Sharma, area general manager, Rodas An Ecotel Hotel and Meluha The Fern, on behalf of Meluha The Fern, received the Best Business Hotel - Mumbai award from Oscar Fernandes, minister for transport, roads and highways, Government of India at the ninth Hospitality India & Explore the World Annual International Awards – 2013 held in New Delhi
Thailand MICE road shows in Chennai and Mumbai along with 14 Thai industry partners to promote Thailand as a preferred MICE destination for Indian buyers and provide an update on the latest MICE products in Thailand
RE-BRANDING STRATEGY L-R: Arun Nanda, chairman, Club Mahindra; Anand Mahindra, chairman, Mahindra Group and Rajiv Sawhney, managing director and CEO, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India at the announcement of the new brand identity for Club Mahindra, the flagship brand of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India in Mumbai
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E V E N T S
THE MAHARAJA WINGS TO SYDNEY Air India's inaugural direct flight to Australia touches down in Sydney
FRENCH UPDATE Atout France recently conducted its annual B2B workshop titled 'Rendez-vous in France' in New Delhi and Mumbai
BUSINESS IN THE GULF Hamad bin Mejren, executive director, Business Tourism, DTCM received the Gulf Business Industry Awards 2013 after being named as the 'Travel & Hospitality Company for the Year'
DTCM IN MUMBAI Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) India recently held a roadshow in Mumbai which had 22 member delegation developing closer working relationship with key members of the travel industry
ON GUJARAT’S ROADS L-R: Neeraj Gupta, MD and founder, Meru Cabs, Meru chauffeur, Neha Dhupia Bollywood actor; Siddhartha Pahwa, CEO, Meru Cabs at the launch of Meru's operations in Ahmedabad
54 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD November 1-15, 2013
FLORIDA CALLING VISIT FLORIDA recently organised a VIP networking event for the travel trade in Mumbai
REGD.WITH RNI NO.MAHENG/2012/42381, REGD.NO.MH/MR/SOUTH-383/2013-15,PUBLISHED ON 2ND & 17TH EVERY FORTNIGHT, POSTED ON 2, 3, 4 & 17,18,19 OF EVERY FORTNIGHT POSTED AT MUMBAI PATRIKA CHANNEL SORTING OFFICE.