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EDITOR’S NOTE
Brewing business
D
o you like your tea green, white or black or rather fruity in flavour are questions that will soon be more common than exceptional. Though our very own regular black tea, with or without milk, or our famous masala chai is here to stay, the changing demands propelled by lifestyle preferences of Indian consumers, are driving the market for premium tea choices and products. The urban Indian is slowly and steadily moving toward adapting a lifestyle that tilts towards consuming healthy beverages and the green tea choice is definitely a vital part of the beverage consumption pattern of emerging India. According to experts in this business, the green tea market in India, is one such product segment, which is estimated to worth approximately `150 crore and has been growing upwards 50 per cent year-on-year. Green tea has been an acquired cultural habit that has come along with the urban India's urge to stay fit. Seeing potential in the segment, big FMCG giants like Hindustan Unilever, Tata Global Beverages, Twinings
HEAD OFFICE Food & Hospitality World MUMBAI: Rajan Nair, Dattaram Kandalkar, Manish S. Global Fairs & Media Pvt. Ltd 2nd 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 manish.shringarpure@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 Mobile: 09810841431 E-mail: pranshu.puri@fhwexpo.in Our Associate: Dinesh Sharma Mobile: 09810264368 E-mail: 4pdesigno@gmail.com
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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: ashwanikumar.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. Mobile: 08867574257 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
FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
May 1-15, 2014
“ The green tea market in India, is one such product segment, which is worth approximately `150 crore and has been growing upwards 50 per cent year-on-year”
and other brands have either launched new variants or re-launched their green tea product range in India. Companies have also gone a step ahead and roped in celebrities to endorse their brand with an aim to also penetrate into the Tier II and Tier III markets of India. The Twinings (part of Associated British Foods) growth story in India reflects a rather bullish picture. India is one of the top five growth markets for Twinings worldwide. The company that has about 35 per cent market share in the premium and super premium teabag category in the country is looking at increasing its business in India five-fold in the next five years. India is the third largest tea sourcing country for Twinings, after China and Kenya. The company is a big buyer of Darjeeling and Assam teas and is increasingly buying tea from the Nilgiris. India could also witness a trend of more tea lounges opening up in the future. So I guess there is a lot brewing in this the cup that cheers! REEMA LOKESH Editor
Tel: 040-23418673/23418674/ 23418675 (Tele-fax)/66631457 Fax: 040-23418678 E-mail: ashwanikumar.shukla@fhwexpo.in
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KOLKATA: Ajanta Sengupta, The Indian Express Ltd, National Highway 6 (NH 6), MouzaPrasastha & Ankurhati, P.H. Domjur, Dist Howrah Kolkata - 711409 Mobile: 09831182580 Email: ajanta.sengupta@expressindia.com
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AHMEDABAD: Sachin Shenoy, The Indian Express Ltd. 3rd Floor, Sambhav House, Nr.Judges Bunglow Bodakdev,Ahmedabad - 380 015. 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.16 MAY 1-15-2014
INTERIORS & DESIGN
Chairman of the Board
Viveck Goenka Editor
Reema Lokesh* Assistant Editor
Steena Joy Associate Editor
Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai
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Kahini Chakraborty Rituparna Chatterjee Kolkata
Joy Roy Choudhury DESIGN National Art Director
Bivash Barua Deputy Art Director
SCOTTISH HERITAGE WIMBLEDON CHAMPION ANDY MURRAY'S NEW HOTEL IS A BLEND OF OLD LEGACY AND NEW WORLD CHARM
Surajit Patro Chief Designer
SPA & WELLNESS
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 Marketing Coordination
ATWISTTO TEA The `15000 crore Indian tea industryhas been steadily growing at 40-50 per cent,and as customers are becoming more discerning,tea companies are catering to their demands byintroducing various flavours,adding a twist to their tea preferences (20-23)
P13: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Sheraton Melbourne Hotel
Darshana Chauhan NATIONAL FOOD & BEVERAGE SALES
Chandra Shekhar Sasi Kumar G Keshav Barnwal INTERNATIONAL FOOD & HOSPITALITY SALES
Soumodip Ghosh Rahul Bisht PRODUCTION
P14: PRODUCT TRACKER Portico New York
Soft skills
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NORTH EAST TO SEE INVESTMENTS IN HOSPITALITY
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MAHESH LUNCH HOME LOOKS TO OPEN OUTLET IN DELHI
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INDIA A STRATEGIC GROWTH MARKET FOR PARK HOTEL GROUP
P33: MOVEMENTS Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield
B R Tipnis Bhadresh Valia
MARKETS
ANCIENT WATERS, MODERN SPA THERMAE BATH SPA IN THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CITY OF BATH, IS ONLY SPA IN THE UK THAT HAS NATURAL MINERAL-RICH THERMAL WATER IN ALL ITS POOLS
EDGE
P32: LIFE
General Manager Manager
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P41: WEEKEND Scene and heard by Marcellus Baptista
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TRACK THAT TOWEL THE INVOTECH LINEN SYSTEM INTEGRATES THE LATEST RFID TECHNOLOGY TO EFFICIENTLY MANAGE LINENS
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
North East to see investments in hospitality Babina Group, Alorie Hospitality to set up projects in Manipur
Wonderla plans to set up resort in Kochi amusement park Steena Joy Mumbai WONDERLA HOLIDAYS, the amusement park operator, with two parks in Kochi and Bengaluru, is looking to build a resort in its flagship park in Kochi. This will be on the lines of the Wonderla Resort in the park at Bengaluru which has 84 rooms. Speaking to Food & Hospitality World, George Joseph, chairman, Wonderla Holidays informed that the plans are still in the nascent stage but there was enough land in the Kochi park to accommodate a resort. "We have received tremendous response to the resort in our Bengaluru park so we are considering replicating this in our Kochi park which was our first ven-
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ture in the amusement park business." He was speaking on the sidelines of the conference held to announce the maiden IPO of the group which will open on April 21, 2014. The IPO is being raised to part fund the company's third amusement park which will come up in Hyderabad at a cost of `250 crore. "The IPO will raise around `190 crore and the rest of the money will be raised through internal accruals," informed Arun K Chittilappilly, managing director, Wonderla Holidays. Work on the Hyderabad venture is expected to begin in a month or two and the park will become operational 20 months later. The next city which could see a Wonderla theme park is Chennai.
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Kahini Chakraborty Manipur THE HOSPITALITY scenario in the North East will soon be a beehive of activity. Leading the brigade is the Manipur-based Babina Group. The group which is into diagnostic services since 1983 diversified into the hospitality sector in 2007. Their first three-star property The Classic Hotel launched in Manipur in 2009 has 55 rooms. Due to the demand for more rooms, the group has now decided to launch a four-star category hotel in November 2014. Speaking exclusively to Food and Hospitality World, Dr Th Dhabali Singh MD FAIMS, chairman and managing director, Babina Group, said, “The construction of the four-star category hotel commenced last year. The hotel to be named Classic Grande will be a 172 room property. The hotel is being built with an approximate investment of `40 crore.” The group has also started managing the government property Hotel Imphal since January this year, and 55 rooms are being added. “With the new four-star hotel we will have a total inventory of 280 rooms,” he said. The Manipur government has also handed over the management of Sendra tourist home at Loktak Lake to Babina Group. “We have received the management on a long term lease basis wherein four villas will be developed to facilitate tourists visiting the destination,” he informed. Since the five-star property hotel segment in Manipur is limited, the group
is also planning to build a resort -villa property of around 20-30 inventory in the heart of the city. This property will be on public private partnership model. “We also have our 12 room property called Classic Aradura Inn in Kohima, Nagaland which has been operational since last year. The group is also planning to build a budget hotel in Moreh, bordering Mynamar, which will have a 40 room inventory,” he added. Opining about the growth in the hospitality scenario in Manipur, he said, “The demand has been growing and presently the state witnesses about 300-400 rooms per night. But there is a demand for 500-600 rooms per night. In the coming five years, I expect the demand to double, say around 1000-1500 rooms. Soon the gap will be filled as there are a lot of local entrepreneurs who are investing in hospitality projects. One of the local entrepreneurs is collaborating with the ITC group for a four-star hotel project in the state,” he mentioned. Another venture, Alorie Hospitality Management, is also planning to set up its
first property in Manipur. The company plans to target eco-touristic destinations before going into four-star and five-star properties. With an aim to showcase Manipur's diverse offerings, the company is planning to set up a resort and spa called Alorie Cocoon. Andrew John, vice president projects, Alorie Hospitality India informed, “We intend to set up the resort, notwithstanding the time taken for government approvals, by hopefully early to mid 2016. The company intends to operate and own the hotel and would focus mainly on employment for the locals.” Although he refrained from divulging investment details of the project, he added, “To commence we would have between 30 - 40 rooms. All designed with locals elements put in and our focus would be in tune with our ideology in preserving nature by means of reusable sustainability. We would like to work on a four-star category however this depends on our feasibility study that we are conducting currently.”
Presently the state witnesses about 300-400 rooms per night. But there is a demand for 500-600 rooms per night. In the coming five years, the demand is expected to double
MARKETS
Mahesh Lunch Home looks to open outlet in Delhi Navi Mumbai outlet to open in June
erally tend to visit seafood restaurants in Mumbai and Goa.” Despite the continuous
Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai MAHESH LUNCH Home, a Mangalorean seafood restaurant chain based in Mumbai, has plans to enter the North India market by opening its outlet in Delhi. However, this plan is still at a nascent stage and they are currently in talks on the same. The outlet would be company owned. “At this point of time we are thinking of opening our outlet in Delhi. We are looking at few
sites and as of now we haven’t finalised the location,” stated Suraj Shetty, partner, Mahesh Lunch Home. Meanwhile, the company will also be expanding its presence in Maharashtra by opening its outlet in Navi Mumbai in June this year. This outlet will be company-owned and will have 120 seats. Presently, Mahesh Lunch Home has one outlet in Pune, three in Mumbai and one in Bengaluru. When asked about the sourcing of seafood for the Delhi and Bengaluru outlets, Shetty stated, “We source seafood for our Bengaluru outlet from Chennai and Mangalore on a daily basis. As for Delhi, we would be supplying the seafood from Mumbai.” Regarding the demand for seafood in India, Shetty opined, “There is a high demand for seafood in Bengaluru and Delhi because of less availability of seafood in these cities, and hence customers from these cities gen-
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supply of seafood, the rising cost has become a concern for seafood restaurants, he stated
adding, “This is leading to increasing the rates on the items and passing the increases to the
customer. Because of this, the food cost at a seafood restaurant is much higher.”
MARKETS
India a strategic growth Luxury Hotels Group offers cost- market for Park Hotel Group effective benefits to members Sudipta Dev Mumbai LUXURY HOTELS GROUP, which is a collection of hotels and boutique properties worldwide offering bespoke experiences to its guests, set up its India office earlier this year in New Delhi. “Our company is headquartered in London, which is prominent city in terms of luxury hotels. Globally the company Naresh Chandnani has 120 hotels, among which 12-15 are in London itself,” said Naresh Chandnani, regional director - Asia, Luxury Hotels Group. He is also looking after the Sri Lanka and Maldives market. The group, pointed out Chandnani, offers cost-effective benefits to its members. “We have started talking to some hotels in India. There is a big opportunity here, not only in the metros but also Tier II and Tier III locations. There are many 30-40 rooms properties which have great potential,” stated Chandnani. The benefits range from listing on the Luxury Hotels Group website/directory to account and revenue management services to MICE representation in key source markets, social media management, etc. Luxury Hotels Group has three sub brands – Luxury Hotels Collection (for top-end luxury hotels); Luxury Boutique Collection (for properties that are smaller in size) and Luxury Residences Collection (apartments for families, long stay, etc). “We see a big market in India for experiential holidays. For this we have a platform called 'Ideal Hotels', which we will be for three-star and four-star properties,” added Chandnani. The company also sees India as an important source market. The hotel has many unique luxury properties around the UK like The Glasshouse in Edinburgh, Lindeth Howe in the Lakes District and Blythswood Square in Glasgow. There are also hotels in many European countries including Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece and Slovenia. Raffles Dubai, Al Areen Palace and Spa in Bahrain are among those in the Middle East. The company would also be bringing Luxury Hotels Awards to India apart from organising conferences here.
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Sudipta Dev Mumbai PARK HOTEL GROUP that has 10 properties in Singapore, Japan, China and Hong Kong, has a strong focus on the India market - both for business and leisure travel segments. “India is a strategic growth market for us. Indian visitors to Hong Kong and Singapore are high and we consider it to be amongst the top 10 markets for our groupwise properties spread across the region,” said Pauline Cheung, group sales director, Park Hotel Group. The hotel group has witnessed stable growth for some of its hotels from India. It is the one of the top four markets for Park Hotel Hong Kong and among the top six for Grand Park City Hall in Singapore, as per the data available in 2013. Elaborating on the specific offerings Cheung stated, “Family market is
Pauline Cheung
one of the strong segments in India and most of our hotels’ guest rooms attend to the requirements of extra bed and connecting room. We have also observed that food is not just a preferred option but concerns the Indian travellers in detail. As a result, we have a clear indication about our food display on our buffet line at our coffee shop. Correspondingly, when we came to
know that we will have more Indian guests, during specific period of time, we will prepare more vegetable and curry choices for the guests. We also have Indian TV channel at some of our hotels.” The group is also exploring some hotel opportunities in India, mentioned Cheung. After setting up its New Delhi GSO last November, the company is now focusing on direct engagement with its partners in India by regular sales activities. Talking about the India strategy for the future, she said, “We understand familiarity is one of the most important factors for Indian guests when it comes to the selection of staying location. With the upcoming opening of our new hotel Park Hotel Farrer Park that is located in at the Little India region in Singapore, it will be one of our focused strategies to further enhance our India figure for the group.”
MARKETS
Ceres Hospitality opens its first Mexican QSR outlet in Mumbai Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai CERES HOSPITALITY has opened its first Mexican quick service restaurant (QSR), Mexiloko, in Colaba, Mumbai. The company which owns and operates the brand is planning to open five more outlets in the city this year, and in the next two years establish around 12-14 outlets on a pan India basis. The brand has been conceptualised by the team members - Sameer Uttamsingh, Deb Mukherjee, Harsh Patel, Kainaz Mehta. Speaking exclusively to Food and Hospitality World about
their venture, Uttamsingh said, “A lot of people are aware of Mexican food and it also matches with the Indian palate. This is one of the reasons that made us confident that this kind of food will work well in the market. And as the market did not have any other players venturing into the QSR format in Mexican food, we thought we will use the first mover advantage.” Continuing about the expansion plans, Singh added, “We have identified some key locations in Mumbai for our expansion but nothing is concrete as yet. We are looking at high street locations such as Carter Road -
Bandra, Lokhandwala - Andheri, Phoenix Mills - Lower Parel and Infinity 2 - Malad. After establishing our presence in Mumbai, we will also look at other cities like Pune, Bengaluru and Goa. By 2016 we are looking at having about 12-14 outlets pan India.” Mehta also mentioned that the company sees growing potential in Tier II cities for the brand to consider establishing its presence there. Nashik is also one of the target markets. The company is also focusing on the logistics backbone to maintain the taste and quality of the food. It has a large industrial centralised kitchen from where the
food items are sourced and supplied to its outlet. Elaborating on the investment for the expansion, Mukherjee added that the funding for the expansion plan will be done in parts and the company plans to invest about `three-five
crore over a period of two years. “The investment will be done mostly through internal sources to grow the business. Some of it will also be accounted by internal accruals which the business will generate over the next one year,” he said.
The Coffee Co to increase presence in HORECA segment in North and Central India Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai THE COFFEE CO, a brand of Nilgiri Foods and Beverages and a supplier of coffee and coffee equipments in India, is looking at increasing its presence in the HORECA segment in North and Central India through sales calls, participation in trade fairs and appointment of distributors. This is part of their strategy to widen their client base in these regions. Presently, the company caters to the HORECA segment and has a strong presence in Western India with 80-85 per cent of their clients being concentrated in that region. To widen its base further, the company will also be entering into the retail space across four regions – West, South, Central and North. Their foray into the retail
Gerson Aranha
space will be through retails stores, supermarkets, speciality and gourmet stores to name a few. “We are in the process of devising strategies to enter retail segment and should be able to execute them in next three to four months. This would support our efforts to reach the end consumer,” stated Gerson Aranha, CEO, The Coffee Co.
The company will also be entering the online retail space by launching an e-tailing site in the next month, which will showcase their entire product range. “We hope that the website would not only introduce us to new clients but also support our efforts at the institutional end. We wish to project The Coffee Co as a firm that specialises in offering expert end-to-end coffee-related solutions,” he stated. The company has also updated their product offerings by adding gourmet and international coffees and brewing equipment like French presses, moka pots and filter coffee makers. The last few years have seen the rapid growth of cafes in the country, including the entry of international coffee chains. “The potential of the market has been signaled by Tata Star-
bucks' expansion in the country on an unprecedented scale. However increased competition along with soaring real estate prices and a rise in inflation is making sustenance difficult for cafes, especially small independent retailers. While these factors have damp-
ened the spirits, the Indian cafe chains market is growing rapidly at an estimated annual rate of 20 per cent driven by a rise in consumer awareness. The domestic consumption of coffee is also on the rise in non-traditional markets,” opined Aranha.
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SIHRA becomes supporting partner of FHW Bengaluru 2014 FHW Staff Mumbai SOUTH INDIA HOTELS & Restaurants Association (SIHRA) is the supporting partner of the upcoming Food Hospitality World, Bengaluru 2014, to be held from June 12-14 at KTPO, Whitefield. The 63 year old association of the hospitality industry in Southern India comprises of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry. SIHRA has over 1100 hotel and
restaurant members covering the smallest stand-alone restaurants to the largest fivestar deluxe hotels. SIHRA constitutes the southern region of the all India apex hospitality trade association, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association s of India (FHRAI) which presently has a pan India membership of around 4000. The main objective of SIHRA is to encourage, promote and protect the interests of member establishments. It has been rendering professional advice and assis-
tance from time to time to all its members on topics of vital importance. SIHRA takes up the causes of its members with the various state governments as well as with other bodies and acts as the official spokesperson for the hospitality industry. It also acts as advisory body to the state governments in South India towards formulating their respective tourism policies. SIHRA regularly conducts professional development programmes and workshops to further enhance the existing
professional knowledge and productivity skills of staff of member establishments to enable them keep pace with the rapid developments in the hospitality industry. SIHRA’s executive committee consists of the president of honour, president, four vice presidents, honorary secretary, treasurer and 13 executive committee members. Except for the president of honour, all other office bearers are elected annually. One third of the members retire by rotation and are eligible for re-election.
Clay Craft India to exhibit fine bone china products at FHW 2014 Bengaluru FHW Staff Mumbai CLAY CRAFT INDIA has planned to showcase various categories of fine bone china at the FHW 2014 Bengaluru exhibi-
tion, which will be held from June 12-14 at KTPO Whitefield. The company will exhibit especially hotel and restaurant range under white theme and under special category it will also showcase the true colours of Ra-
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jasthan to visitors. Together with this showcase, the company is also set to provide the matching solutions of various products with the fusion of fine bone china, ceramic and premium plastic range. Under a special HoReCa category, the company is set to put its best collection of fine bone china and ceramic tableware under Clay Craft brand. It includes its golden range, coloured crockery and crystal studded crockery. The company will also be launching its hotelware catalogue that will showcase its complete range along with details relating to the products. Recently, Clay Craft group has acquired Jaipur Ceramics brand and has put in parallel focus on both the brands. Under Jaipur Ceramics, it also plans to showcase
the bathware and lifestyle range. Clay Craft has also made a shelf that is dedicated to showcase its tea crockery range that includes full set of tea pot and cup-saucers. A tilted tea-pot and high-end coffee mugs introduced this season will excite visitors to the exhibition. Together with traditional designs into HoReCa range, the company will showcase special 22 carat golden lined tableware starting from a range of 100 ml to 500 ml mugs, set of cup and saucers, various combinations of tea/coffee sets, dinnerware for six persons serving and serving for eight persons in combination of 18 pieces to 124 pieces. The company’s esteemed clients include – Radisson Group, Le Meridien Group, Clarks Group, Royal Orchid Ho-
tels, Holiday Inn Groups, The Leela, IBIS, Lemon Tree, Golden Tulip, Marriot Group, Chokhi Dhani, Sheraton and many more. The company also exports its high-end HoReCa product range to the UK, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Talking about his expectation from the exhibition Deepak Agarwal, Clay Craft India said, “We sincerely look forward to participating at FHW Bengaluru. Our experience of showcasing Rajasthan’s pottery has been fruitful in other HoReCa exhibitions. Most of the HoReCa buyers prefer Indian traditional and royal themed crockery and tableware and local buyers prefer the high quality hotel-ware made out of Rajasthan’s sand. We are sure that we will garner good response in terms of stall visitors and business orders.”
MARKETS
Thistle Bristol has interest in India market Sudipta Dev Mumbai THISTLE BRISTOL, The Grand is a unique property – the hotel is 205 years old and through the course of history always had one name – The Grand. When UK hospitality group Thistle Hotels took over the property, which is a Grade 1 listed building, it retained the name. “We are in the old part of Bristol, near the St Nicholas Market. The Grand has always been a hotel from the time it was built. The reason why are corridor is so wide is that back in the Victorian days, the ladies in their wide Victorian dresses would be able to walk down the corridors. We have got one of the oldest ballrooms in the city
Kerry-Ann Markham
centre with big ceilings, huge chandeliers and balconies,” said Kerry-Ann Markham, sales manager, Thistle Bristol, The Grand. As a group Thistle Hotels has always had a focused inter-
est in the India market. Thistle Bristol, The Grand does get occasional guests from India who are primarily business travellers. “As a company we have a head office in London which looks after marketing for all ho-
tels, but as people on the property we have flexibility to reach out to different markets,” said Markham. The hotel has 182 bedrooms including suites. The room categories range from single
rooms to honeymoon suite with jacuzzi. There is also a leisure club (for locals as well as guests). The leisure club in fact has 5000 local members. “For meetings and events there are 11 rooms that can accommodate upto 600 delegates theatre style. If the number of delegates are bigger then the hotel outsources to other local citycentre properties,” added Markham. One of the most famous anecdotes related to the hotel is that back in the 60s The Rolling Stones was refused entry into the hotel as they were not wearing shoes. “Later they went out, bought shoes and performed in our Marlows Bar,” mentioned Markham.
Les Roches to launch MSc in Hospitality Leadership from Jan 2015 FHW Staff Mumbai LES ROCHES International School of Hotel Management, Bluche, Switzerland is planning to launch a Master of Science(MSc) in Hospitality Leadership from January 2015. The announcement was made during Les Roches Leadership Series “How you can inspire leadership” on Bluche Campus by Jonathan Perks, author, speaker and international business coach. The Master of Science in Hospitality Leadership is a twosemester programme that allows students to pursue courses at Les Roches campuses in Bluche, Switzerland. Courses will focus on training students how to effectively lead virtual and international teams, strate-
gic management, conflict and negotiation, and innovation and creativity. The curriculum will provide students with a global view on hospitality leadership to help them understand what it means to be a strategic and successful leader in the industry and help them complete complex scenario analysis that lead to creative solutions. Sonia Tatar, CEO, Les Roches, said, “Global hospitality businesses aspire to hire graduates who not only have knowledge of the industry- but also have unique strategic leadership skills. The objective of this master’s degree is to develop tomorrow’s leaders and equip them with strategic thinking competencies, help them drive compelling visions and acquire competitive leadership traits. This programme
will give students a unique academic experience, positioning them at the forefront of the hospitality industry. We will encourage them to develop new learning approaches and adapt to a global business environment in the hospitality sector.” According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), international tourism expenditure exceeded WTTC expectations, with an estimated growth of four per cent in 2013. By 2023, travel and tourism are expected to increase the GDP contribution from US$ 6.9 trillion in 2013 to US$ 10.4 trillion in 2023. In the same time frame, the industry will grow to contribute nearly 72 million additional jobs, supporting a total of 338 million jobs around the world. As new high-end hotels are built, they
will need to recruit leaders whose talents are unmatched. Jonathan Perks, author of Inspiring Leadership and a frequent motivational speaker, said, “In all international companies, leadership skills are critical for
success. Leadership is about translating vision into reality and it is something you can learn over time. This new master’s programme should definitely help students strengthen this skill.”
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MARKETS
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts gets its first wine ambassador FHW Staff Mumbai SHANGRI-LA HOTELs and Resorts has appointed one of the most esteemed professionals in wine, Gerard Basset OBE, as the group’s first wine ambassador. The UK-based French native won the 2010 Best Sommelier in the World title and is the only person ever to simultaneously hold the Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and MBA Wine honours. Along with many professional honours to his name, Basset is also president of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), as well as president of the Court of Master Sommeliers. Basset will work alongside Yang Lu, Shangri-La’s corporate wine director on enhanc-
ing the group’s wine programme and nurturing its talented hotel sommeliers. “We are excited to partner with Gerard Basset, one of the most respected sommeliers in the industry, to elevate our brand’s cellar offerings and enrich guests’ wine experiences at our properties,” said Peter Finnegan, group director of food and beverage, Shangri-La. “At the same time, our sommeliers will spend dedicated tutorial and training sessions with Basset to enhance their beverage knowledge,” he added. Basset is known throughout the industry for inspiring and mentoring a generation of young sommeliers as well as for sharing his expert knowledge with professional and amateur wine enthusiasts.
We are excited to partner with Gerard Basset, one of the most respected sommeliers in the industry, to elevate our brand’s cellar offerings and enrich guests’ wine experiences at our properties In his role as Shangri-La Wine Ambassador, Basset will attend the group’s second Wine Summit in July, where he will pace sommeliers through a two-day seminar encompassing theory, practical skills and blind tasting and be among the judges for Shangri-La’s Best Sommelier Competition.
In the same month, a premium event will allow wine connoisseurs and amateurs to join Basset and top sommeliers from the group to discover and compare wine styles and test their palates over a wine-paired dinner at Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing. Shangri-La began working
with Basset last year, when he was invited to judge the group’s first sommelier competition as well as lead a series of professional development programmes for its sommeliers. The hotel company invests heavily in training and is one of the few hotel companies to work directly with the esteemed Court of Master Sommeliers and to have a tailormade training environment and certification process to develop internal wine talents. “To work with Shangri-La enables me to be continuously involved in luxury hospitality at the highest level,” said Basset. “It’s a great privilege to share my years of experience with budding sommeliers and to help develop both their careers and sense of curiosity.”
Shine Spa at Sheraton Bengaluru bags 'Best Luxury Hotel Spa' FHW Staff Mumbai SHINE SPA for Sheraton at Sheraton Bengaluru Brigade Gateway has been awarded the Best Luxury Hotel Spa in India at the World Luxury Spa Awards. The World luxury Spa Awards is an annual search for the best spas across the globe based on votes by their very own spa guests. This annual voting process pans over thousands of spa guests from 144 countries, who are given
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the opportunity to vote online. Apart from Shine Spa for Sheraton, other competing spas in 2014 included small sized privately owned spas to globally renowned spa groups. The Shine Spa at Sheraton Bengaluru Brigade features 10 treatment rooms designed with contemporary serenity to complement the city spa experience. The spa menu offers exclusively designed packages, Shine massage services to soothe aches and pains, alleviate stress and rejuvenate the
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body; Shine facial treatments to purify and enhance beauty. The atmosphere at Shine Spa creates a delicious balance of the subtle with the opulent. Saurabh Bakshi, general manager, Sheraton Bengaluru Hotel, said, “We are excited to receive this recognition, as this award is truly the icing on the cake to an incredible year. The very heart of the hotel and all its success to date is our staff; an extraordinary team in every way, consistently placing the guest experience above everything else.”
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Sheraton Melbourne Hotel SHERATON HOTELS & RESORTS has announced the opening of Sheraton Melbourne Hotel in Australia. The hotel features 174 guest rooms, including 11 Terrace Suites. The F&B options include Little Collins St Kitchen, a bistro-style restaurant; and Terrace Bar, a contemporary designed roof-top space serving cocktails and snacks. Additional hotel amenities include The Spa, a heated indoor lap pool, sauna and a fully equipped fitness facility featuring health and fitness programme, Sheraton Fitness. The hotel boasts of six meeting rooms of varying sizes, comprising a total of over 660 square metres of space.
Renaissance Chengdu Hotel The Westin Qingdao PARKROYAL Nay Pyi Taw RENAISSANCE HOTELS has announced the opening of Renaissance Chengdu Hotel in southwest China. The hotel offers 348 high-ceiling rooms including 29 suites and two Presidential and Chief Executive Officer suites. The hotel features seven club floors; 1,322 square metres of meeting space across
nine rooms, including a grand ballroom with a nearly seven metre ceiling, a full service business center, a 24-hour fitness center and an outdoor swimming pool. The F&B facilities include - BLD Café featuring buffet and an a la carte menu; Wan Li, an upscale Chinese restaurant; and The R Bar.
WESTIN HOTELS & RESORTS has announced the opening of The Westin Qingdao which features 321 guestrooms and suites, worldclass cuisine, flexible meeting facilities with signature amenities and services like Westin WORKOUT, SuperFoodRx and the Heavenly Spa by Westin. The hotel’s F&B options include - Seasonal Tastes, an all-day-dining restaurant; Five Sen5es serving Cantonese fare with seafood and a range of Chinese dishes; Lobby Lounge for afternoon tea and after-work cocktail; and The Tea bar. The hotel also features more than 2,000 square meters of meeting rooms, including one pillar-less ballroom and pre-function rooms.
PAN PACIFIC HOTELS GROUP has announced the opening of PARKROYAL Nay Pyi Taw in the capital of Myanmar, Nay Pyi Taw. The 180-room PARKROYAL Nay Pyi Taw opens with 90 rooms, with the remainder expected to be fully operational by the end of 2014. The hotel offers an all-day dining restaurant, spa, gym, swimming pool and a range of meeting facilities. In addition, PARKROYAL Yangon is undergoing a series of renovations this
year to refresh its lobby, dining spaces, meeting and entertainment facilities. The Group has also announced a conditional joint venture with Shwe Taung Group to develop a 348-room Pan Pacific Yangon in Myanmar scheduled to open in 2017. The Group will also be opening Pan Pacific Hotel and Serviced Suites Tianjin later this year. By 2017, it is also scheduled to launch five more Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL hotels in Australia, China and Indonesia.
Anantara Emei Resort & Spa ANANTARA HOTELS, RESORTS & SPAS has opened its third resort in China – Anantara Emei Resort & Spa offering 90 guest rooms, 40 pavilions and 20 villas. Dining options in the resort include Jinyi, serving regional recipes from Sichuan and Guangdong; Cultivar, an all day dining restaurant offering Chinese and European cuisines; Xueji, the lobby lounge, and Yunshang Wine Cellar. Other facilities include Anantara Spa, tropical outdoor pool and jacuzzi, fitness centre, table tennis and outdoor tennis courts, yoga and Tai Chi classes, children’s pool, children’s club and games room. The resort also offers a selection of 10 meeting and event venues including a ballroom, a boardroom and four private Mahjong rooms.
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PRODUCT TRACKER
Axis Communications AXIS COMMUNICATIONS has introduced AXIS P14 Network Camera Series, which consists of seven compact bullet-style cameras offering functionalities required for most installations. The series includes cameras with builtin IR as well as a top-of-theline model with 4K resolution. The new cameras are designed for outdoor and indoor environments. They are ideal for 24/7 video surveillance of offices, shopping malls, parking-lots and public squares.
Cacao Barry CACAO BARRY has unveiled the next generation of chocolate couvertures, Purity from Nature, at its Asia-Pacific launch. Pure and intense, the Purity from Nature chocolate couvertures range include Ocoa, Inaya and Alunga.
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Portico New York PORTICO NEW YORK has launched the Enchant collection which consists of luxury bed, pillows and cushion covers. The collection comes in a wide assortment of solid and subtle colours of bed covers with vibrant contrasting pillow cases. The fabric has been developed from superior quality yarn. The sets includes one bed cover, two pillow covers and two cushion covers. The collection is priced at `10,000.
Kurlon KURLON’S LATEST product - New SpineKare is a specialised product that has been specifically manufactured to tend to the user's spine. Made of memory foam, rubberised coir and bonded foam, the mattress is designed and developed using Zero Pressure Point Technology to provide the right support to back and spine giving the much needed lumbar support that relaxes the body. The mattress is priced at `36,965 for King size and has a five years warranty.
The Vault THE VAULT has added to its collection the Chase Marmalade Vodka, an artisanal,single estate vodka from the Chase distillery. The Chase Marmalade Vodka has been made by marinating the original single estate vodka with English marmalade preserve and infusing it with fresh Seville orange peels in a copper pot. The product is priced at `7400.
PANJIM
INTERIORS & DESIGN
SCOTTISH HERITAGE Wimbledon champion Andy Murray's new hotel is a blend of old legacy and new world charm
T
HE GLORIOUS era of grand country house living was reinvented with the opening of Cromlix, tennis champion Andy Murray’s Perthshire hotel. The hotel is the latest addition to the Connoisseurs Scotland family of luxury accommodations, which includes 28 properties throughout Scotland. The Wimbledon champion launched his latest venture with a first glimpse into the interiors of the 15-bedroom hotel.
Feast for the senses The Victorian mansion, just three miles from Murray’s
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hometown of Dunblane, has been renovated to showcase much of the original heritage, including its own private chapel and loch, and furnished with an elegant blend of antique Scottish furniture. From the sky blue and
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gold leaf of the bar to the French navy and moss green of the glass-walled Chez Roux dining room and the shimmering handpainted baths, the house is a feast for the senses. The accommodation features
five suites and 10 bedrooms, all light-filled and subtly decorated, many with views over the manicured grounds and tennis courts. The suites, all named by Murray after famous Scots – Burns, Bowes-Lyon, Bruce,
Eden and Ferguson – each have their own individual character; gorgeous freestanding gold, silver and copper baths; and 32inch televisions screens disguised as mirrors. The hotel also offers endless
INTERIORS & DESIGN in the hotel – or in the stunning bar where the pale wash on the walls is a perfect foil for the exquisite hand-painted gold-leaf peacock and blooms. At the foot of the staircase are the exposed pipes of the organ, beyond which lies the chapel, which is a magical set-
possibilities for dining, entertaining and celebrating. Chez Roux restaurant, overseen by legendary French chef Albert Roux and run by award-winning executive head chef Darin Campbell, is housed in an elegant conservatory overlooking the grounds and offers diners a ringside view of the chefs at work in the extensive open kitchen. Throughout the hotel there numerous other opportunities for private dining – including the intimacy of a small study seating up to 10 or the traditional atmosphere of the first-floor snooker room, where a full-size snooker table ingeniously flips over from green baize to a table that can seat 20.
Magical setting Guests can also relax in the whisky room, the drawing room with its muted sofas and open fire – one of nine open fireplaces
The suites, all named by Murray after famous Scots – Burns, Bowes-Lyon, Bruce, Eden and Ferguson – each have their own individual character FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
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ting for a wedding party of up to 30. Add to that the landscaped grounds, the tennis courts and practice wall in the Wimbledon colours of purple and green, and it’s clear Murray has matched his talent on the court to his ambition to champion the
best of his Scottish heritage. The hotel is being managed on behalf of Murray by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI). Norbert Lieder, managing director, says, “Cromlix and Chez Roux combine to truly offer one of the best hotel and restaurant experiences in
the country. The interiors, service, food and attention to every detail of the customer journey will make sure Cromlix becomes as well known for its service as it is for its famous owner. We look forward to welcoming guests from all over Scotland, the UK and the world.”
SPA & WELLNESS
Ancient waters, modern spa Attracting a staggering number of 250,000 visitors every year from across the world, Thermae Bath Spa in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath, is only spa in the UK that has natural mineral-rich thermal water in all its pools By Sudipta Dev
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HE TRADITION of bathing in the thermal waters of Bath goes back to thousands of years. It is the only place in the UK that has naturally hot waters coming out of the ground. The water was worshiped by people living in the area about 8000 years ago. Then the Romans arrived in Britain in first century AD, they built a bathing complex which is now known as the Roman Baths and a temple to goddess Minerva. When the Romans left Britain, the bathing halls and temples collapsed and the city was
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flooded by the river. Subsequent centuries saw people build on top of the buried Roman remains. It was not rediscovered till the Victorian era, the 19th century. During the 18th century Bath became very popular for its spa because the hot water kept coming up through the ground. “Instead of being a little market town, once the British royalty started arriving in Bath to they rebuilt the city. They knocked down all the little houses and built the splendid architecture that you see today,” states Charlotte Hanna, assistant sales and
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marketing manager, Thermae Bath Spa. Thermae Bath Spa is a combination of modern spa and historic buildings. It occupies one big modern structure and four historic buildings. All the pools like Minerva Bath and Hot Bath are filled with natural thermal water, which have many minerals. Giving an interesting insight into the bathing culture of those times Hanna says, “The Hot Bath was built in the 1770s. This pool in the 18th century was built specifically for the wealthy people. Ladies would have worn long
dress which had lead weights on the bottom of it so that the dress stayed down and did not float up , so they remained decent in water. The pool is only 1.35 metres in height and as the ladies could not swim so they would walk in the water, and were served tea from India or China or hot chocolate from the New World. All this was supposed to be the height of high fashion in those times.” One of the highlights of the spa is the roof top pool and jacuzzi which gives spectacular views of the historic city. The water in the pool is 33 to 35 de-
grees centigrade. “It comes out of the ground at 46 degrees, it is passed through the filtration system and then cooled naturally to 33 degrees. This is to prevent people with underlying medical conditions (like high BP) be affected by it,” mentions Hanna. Explaining the process of the water coming from the ground, Hanna says, “The rain water goes underground, gets heated as the earth is hot and comes up. The whole process they say takes 4000 to 8000 years - it is a long cycle and that is why there are so many minerals in the water as it had a
long time to absorb them. The minerals in the water is the same as those found in local rocks.”
A spa for all An interesting factor is that the spa is positioned for all segments, not just high-end clientele. In the 16th century the water was given to the city by Queen Elizabeth I and since then the water has been owned by the people. When the new spa was built the city was given money by the government to help build it. “They were given funds from the Millennium Commission to celebrate the millennium and build a modern spa for the 21st century, so the buildings are owned by the public, but a private enterprise runs it on behalf of the council. To ensure that everybody is able to bathe it is not high-end. We think it is a special place where you can bath in naturally warm water,” points out Hanna. In the treatment rooms people take hot oil massages, vichy shower, body wrap with sea weeds, also watsu (shiatsu massage in water). “When we first opened we had a large number of treatments, we have cut that down so that they are much more holistic and natural. The spa's general ethos is one of being a natural holistic experience so we would not do anything that we would consider to be only beauty, no tanning or waxing or botox. It is all about making you feel better and if you feel good you look good. So bathing in the water is relaxing, its cleansing, and the treatments have a similar ethos. The most popular treatments are traditional massage, Roman Therapy
massage. Then there is the bamboo massage, which is popular with men who like deep tissue massage. There are also a range of facials tailor-made to skin type,” informs Hanna, pointing out that watsu is equally important, and that is what is most in connection with the spa because it is harnessing the natural thermal waters and it is a relaxing treatment.
clients are 70 per cent female and 30 per cent male. “Men are now beginning to have treatments, I think the general culture in Britain is beginning to change. This year for the first time we have created a package aimed at men,” she adds. The company works closely with VisitBritain, Visit England and Bath Tourism to attract visitors from across the world. The spa is visited by a lot of
people as a business incentive. “For instance if they come to Bath for a conference in the evening they visit the spa. There is also a small boardroom for sales or boardroom meeting. After the meeting they can enjoy the facilities. Many local businesses buy our vouchers to give as incentives to employees and customers,” mentions Hanna. From the point of view of growing the business the com-
Global clientele Clients come from all over the world, almost 20 per cent are local to Bath. Of the other 80 per cent, half are British. “Our largest foreign market is America and Europe. There are also clients South East Asia and India. The only market we are not popular with are those who are not interested in communal bathing. The Indian market is an emerging market for us,” states Hanna. The
In the 16th century the water was given to the city by Queen Elizabeth I and since then the water has been owned by the people. The government gave money to build the new spa
pany is focusing on attracting more people during the week. On a Saturday afternoon there is a long queue. The restaurant on the first floor is housed in one of the 18th century historic buildings. Food is provided only to guests. According to Hanna one of the most popular packages is the Twilight Package which includes bathing in the evening and an evening meal, which is very popular with the business crowd. Across the road is the Cross Bath which is a standalone separate building. The pool can be used privately. It can be hired exclusively for up to 12 people. Drinks and canapes can also be served on special events. It is an 18th century separate building, underneath which is the Georgian bathing pool and Roman well. “We do not claim that the waters have medicinal qualities as there is no scientific evidence, but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence from people who come regularly. People with joint aches and pains, and those suffering from skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema say that they feel better. Whether it is the water or because they feel relaxed, it is difficult to prove, but many people say they feel the benefit,” says Hanna. Being a day spa, Thermae Bath Spa works with 90 guest houses and hotels in the city, many of which have individual packages for their guests. The spa is now under a new management, the Malaysian firm YTL, which will also run the nearby five-star Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel. It will be the only hotel in the UK which will have access to the thermal waters of Bath.
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cover )
twist
a
The `15000 crore Indian tea industry has been steadily growing at 40-50 per cent, and as customers are becoming more discerning, tea companies are catering to their demands by introducing various flavours adding a twist to their tea preferences
to tea
BY KAHINI CHAKRABORTY
23% of world tea production is in India
20 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
21%
of world tea production is consumed by India
890
MILLION KG was the consumption of tea in India in 2012-13
`15,000cr Indian tea market
(
T
HE quintessential 'chai pe charcha' is one agenda that still continues to be an eagerly awaited session by Indians. First thought of as the drink of the royals, tea has indeed become the favourite of the common man as India leads the world in tea drinking. According to history, tea drinking culture in India which dates back to as old as 750 BC has its share of many milestones. Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri are the most famous Indian teas across the world, followed by Kangra and Munnar. And even BJP's strategy to use tea stalls as spaces for election propaganda has seen its share of positive and negative results for the political party. At the macroeconomic level, as lifestyle preferences are changing rapidly among consumers, the demand for premium products in the market has increased. On retail shelves, the traditional kadak chai, masala chai and value pack CTC are making room for green and flavoured teas. While on the consumption side, the tea drinking culture has seen minor changes, both in the home and institutional spaces. At home, the trend is towards increased
211.86
use of tea bags and out of home, savouring the brew in tea lounges and swanky kiosks is getting trendy. “The tea sector in India is a traditional zone where the production and marketing is dependent on the auction system prevalent in different cities of India,” says Rishit Patel, director, Variety Foods, adding , “Recently, the marketing of tea has taken to the tea lounges/tea kiosks and though the market is nascent, it is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.” According to the Tea Board of India, and as per an ORG India study report, the consumption of tea in India in 2012-13 was approximately 890 million kg. The total export of tea from India from January to December 2013 was 211.86 million kg which brought in revenue of `4211.49 crore. “India is the largest producer of black tea as well as the largest consumer of tea in the world. Currently, India produces 23 per cent of total world production and consumes about 21 per cent of total world consumption of tea – nearly 80 per cent of the tea produced is consumed within India. Over the last 20 years, India’s world ranking as an exporter has come down from number one to number four, in the face of stiff competition from Sri Lanka, Kenya and China,” says Ragesh Keisham, chairman and managing director, The SuiGeneris. Tea, which has been traditionally paired with biscuits is also seeing some novel pairings - masala tea with bun maska, Chamomile tea with muffins, green tea with salads, Darjeeling tea with egg varieties/creamy desserts.
Going green The green tea market in India, is one such product segment, which is an approximately `150 crore market and has been growing up-
MILLION KG India’s total export of tea from January to December 2013
`150cr
THE MAIN FOCUS
wards 50 per cent year-on-year. Indians who are majorly black tea drinkers, are now showing interest in green tea variants. Green tea is becoming an acquired cultural habit that is being driven by urban India's urge to stay fit. Consumers are spoilt for choice with tea products of companies such as Organic India Tulsi Green Tea, GAIA, Twinings, Typhoo, as well as big FMCG giants like Hindustan Unilever, Tata Global Beverages, either launching new variants or re-launching their green tea product range. Tata Global Beverages, for instance has upped the ante in the green tea segment by appointing Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor to endorse its Tetley range and take the product to Tier II and Tier III markets. Not to be outdone, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has roped in Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma to endorse Lipton Green Tea. Tetley Tea, sold across 40 countries, has six flavours in its green tea portfolio including ginger, mint, lemon, honey and lemon, citrus and spice and aloe vera. The company enjoys a market share of 35-40 per cent. Vikram Grover, head marketing South Asia, Tata Global Beverages informs, “The Indian tea market is approximately `15000 crore, of which the green tea segment itself is about `100150 crore. It is an attractive segment which is growing at 40-50 per cent. Though in our total
The green tea market in India
LARGEST producer of black tea
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cover ) “The tea sector in India is a traditional zone where the production and marketing is dependent on the auction system” Rishit Patel, Director, Variety Foods
“Though in our total tea revenues, green tea currently has a very small share, we expect the segment to contribute significantly” Vikram Grover, Head marketing South Asia, Tata Global Beverages
tea revenues, green tea currently has a very small share vis a vis black tea, we expect the green tea segment to contribute significantly in the coming years.” And with the increasing emphasis on health and wellness, the HUL spokesperson adds, “The potential for categories within tea is immense. Green tea is relatively new and emerging. We see consumers adding green tea to their hot beverage repertoire. People are leading busy lives and need to be light and active to stay on top of things. Younger urban consumers who are conscious of their health and well-being are driving the switch towards healthier beverages and refreshments.” For Twinings, India is one of the top five growth markets. The company that has about 35 per cent market share in the premium and super premium teabag category in the country is looking at increasing its business in India five-fold in the next five years. India is the third largest tea sourcing country for Twinings, after China and Kenya. The company is a big buyer of Darjeeling and Assam teas and is increasingly buying tea from the Nilgiris. Twinings is part of Associated British Foods. The range of teas in the India market include Earl Grey, Lemon, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Green Tea, etc. “On the global scale at the moment if we measure the success through the annual growth rate then India will appear in the top five. If we assess
22 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
Indians who are majorly black tea drinkers, are now showing interest in green tea variants. Green tea is becoming an acquired cultural habit that is being driven by urban India's urge to stay fit the overall volume of business done here then it is not in the top five, yet. But our business is certainly growing here and India will move up the rankings very fast. We have introduced a good starting range of teas in India and we need to add to that,” mentions Stephen Twining, scion and the 10th generation descendent of the Twinings tea family. Twining also believes that tea is the world's biggest drink after water but it is undervalued. “It deserves high prices. We don't apologise for our prices as we spend more money buying great tea,” he stated, adding that the company constantly looks at teas from around the world and what flavours people want. Twinings never uses any artificial flavours. “Tea is such a natural gift from nature. There are
more natural flavours becoming available which means we have the opportunity to create more flavoured green and black teas,” he feels.
Adding flavour If something is familiar even though it is new, then half the battle is already won. That could be seen as the reason behind why the new leaf has captured our attention faster than the coffee bean. “Different flavours of tea have been in use in different parts of the world. With the urban Indian travelling worldwide more, appreciation of different flavours of tea has developed and Indians are experimenting with exotic varieties like chamomile, white tea, flowering tea, organic tea etc,” opines Patel. The preferred flavours among Tetley's green tea range
include: honey-lemon, aloe vera and regular green. Typhoo offers flavours like orange, moroccan mint, jasmine, lemongrass while Lipton offers jasmine, lemon, honey etc. Boutique blenders like Neetu Sarin of Tea Of Life use real fruits and flowers in their blends. Several brands and blenders have gone a step further, taking tea out of the equation, to offer herbal blends that you brew just like tea. Tea patriots have remained loyal to the beverage despite the emergence of cafes and coffee bars over the last decade. “India could see a trend of more tea lounges opening up in the future as India is traditionally a tea drinking nation. The growth is expected to be exponential. With newer varieties of teas entering the market, the consumer is now spoilt for choice. Tea is a beverage
( catering to all age and income groups,” affirms Patel. Seeing this potential in the market, his company, Variety Food Products Distribution is planning to open 50 tea lounges by December 2015, with an aim to fill the void of organised tea lounges and establish a major market share. Presently VarieTea lounges are present in Ahmedabad, Surat and Baroda. For expansion, the company is looking at Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Patel mentions that the capital investment proposed for the tea lounges is `55 crore and `20 crore for setting up logistics, warehousing and back up support infrastructure. “On an average the tea lounges would have 80-85 covers. The lounges will be principally owned in order to maintain consistency and quality. The company could also consider franchising option, if they meet the criteria,” he reveals. Elaborating on the current market size of the tea industry in India and the expected growth rate, Patel opined, “The current market size of branded tea is nearly `9500 crore. However the lounge market, as per the consumer requirement 5,000 cafes/lounges are required to fulfill the current Indian market trend. There are currently 1500 cafes/lounges operating which are national/regional, out of which 1250 cafes/lounges opened within a period of last five years,” he says.
TEA AREA as on 31-12-2011 & PRODUCTION IN 2011-12 State / Districts
Area under tea ( in Th. Hectares)
Production (Million Kgs)
Area under tea ( in Th. Hectares) Assam Valley
285.83
531.26
Cachar
36.38
50.00
Total Assam
322.21
581.26
Darjeeling
17.82
9.02
Dooars
72.92
147.59
“Tea deserves high prices.We don't apologise for our prices as we spend more money buying great tea ” Stephen Twining, Scion and the 10th generation descendent of the Twinings tea family
Terai
24.36
112.82
Total West Bengal
115.10
269.43
(Includes Tripura, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Orissa)
22.30
14.90
TOTAL NORTH INDIA
459.61
865.59
Tamil Nadu
80.46
162.79
Kerala
37.14
61.62
Karnataka
2.14
5.46
TOTAL SOUTH INDIA
119.74
229.87
ALL TOTAL
579.35
1095.46
Other North Indian States
“We do a lot of promotional activities in India and overseas for the promotion of Indian origin teas, which are superlative” Joydip Biswas,
One step ahead The Tea Board of India is taking many initiatives for developing the industry in India and promoting it in the global arena. “We do a lot of promotional activities in India and overseas for the promotion of Indian origin teas, which are superlative. In the global tea market, China, Kenya and Sri Lanka are our three main competitors. We are countering them by promoting our teas across the globe,” says Joydip Biswas, director in charge, Tea Board of India. Tea plantation is a vibrant industry and many families are dependant on the sector. “After wa-
THE MAIN FOCUS
ter, tea is the largest consumed beverage in the world,” he adds. The Tea Board of India is a regulator for the industry in the country. India is the second largest producer and consumer of tea globally, after China and is also the fourth largest exporter. Eighty per cent of the tea which India produces is consumed domestically while 20 per cent is exported around the globe. “Out of this 20 per cent, 10 countries including Russia, UAE, Egypt, Japan, Germany and UK account for three - fourth of the exports,” states Biswas. He mentioned that till the 1950s and
1960s, tea export used to be the biggest foreign exchange earner for India. The industry is currently earning around `4000 4500 crore from foreign exchange. It is a labour intensive industry engaging more than 12 lakh farmers. “We are supporting a social revolution and agricultural crop,” he asserts. The Tea Board of India is focusing on revamping the tea centre in Churchgate, Mumbai. Informing that tea tasting sessions will also be also held there, Biswas pointed out that the tea centre will become an iconic one in the days to come.
Director in charge, Tea Board of India
Source: Tea Board of India
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EVENT ROUNDUP
Strategies for survival Deliberations at the recently concluded Hotel Investment Conference South Asia (HICSA) event hosted by HVS revolved around development and investment, the importance of mid scale, upscale and upper upscale. Investors were also seen to be looking at the government for business friendly policies as there seems to be many doors behind single window systems implemented by few state governments By Kahini Chakraborty
I
N KEEPING with the theme of the 10th anniversary of HICSA, Manav Thadani, MRICS chairman- Asia Pacific, HVS kick started this year's conference, held on April 2-3, 2014 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, by delving upon a 10 point agenda wherein he highlighted upon the need for sustainability, training manpower and skill improvement, food and beverage, social media, importance of domestic tourism, visa-on-arrivals to be the game changer, build versus buy, new opportunities to invest into, how to bring down the under performing assets, and lastly 10 reasons why India needs Narendra Modi as the next prime minister (as he has
got the 5Ts right- talent, tradition, tourism, trade and technology). The atmosphere during the conference had a general consensus that India needs a well balanced investment and development plan with the government looking at the sector with increased commitment. When asked about what has been the change in the market sentiment in the last 10 years, Raymond Bickson, managing director and CEO, Taj Group said that, there was a penetration of international brands in the market before even the domestic brands realised it. “Today 80 per cent are branded products in India and how we maintain our relevance in the market is the
24 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
There are challenges, but there are tremendous opportunities. In countries like India and China you need to have a strategic network and long-term view to make money biggest challenge,” he added. It has been noted that fundamentally the basic strategy of hotel companies remain the same, but with the cyclical market scenario, the brand placement strategy changes to suit the market requirements. “India is going to be a marathon and not
a sprint. How are you going to deliver a new strategy plan and structure on the hotel debt is the question. Otherwise, we stick to what is our main strategy,” opined Navjit Ahluwalia, senior vice president, hotel development-India and subcontinent, Marriott International. On the
question of what has been the most defining change that has taken place in the decade, Gaurav Bhushan, chief development officer- APAC, Accor pointed towards the advent of the internet penetration. The success of international brands has been their correct timing in the mar-
EVENT ROUNDUP
ket and India is ready to open up to more international brands. “However, after three-four years the market should look good in terms of return of investment and stabilisation,” opined Bhushan. Global hospitality leaders discussed the opportunities prevalent in the India market which is largely underserved, albeit the many problems associated with launching and completing a project here. “We entered here three years ago, bright-eyed and a little naïve. It will be difficult to develop projects in this country for the time being, however we will consider selective investments in this country if the value is right,” stated Peter Meyer, MD-APAC, Host Hotels and Resorts. Staywell Hospitality Group that has 17 hotels in Australia and New Zealand, started looking at the India market in 2011, and has since then signed nine hotels with two projects already open, and three more coming up this year. “Yes there are challenges, but there are tremendous opportunities. In countries like India and China you need to have a strategic network and long-term view to make money,” asserted Simon Wan, CEO & MD, Staywell Hospitality Group. Talking about his company's plans for India, Abid Butt, CEO, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts stated that they are keen to have properties in India, not only in the gateway cities, but other locations also. In Goa there is a Banyan Tree project in design phase, another is coming up in Karnataka, along with a
Investment will come in when one thinks of adding more capacity. There is so much pent up demand that only a more structured approach model is best suited for any brand in the market small project in Ludhiana. Outlining the future plans for his hotel group, Rajiv Kaul, president, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts stated, “Historically we have always owned our properties and are now moving towards an asset light model and looking at managing hotels for others. We plan to grow our number of properties from the current eight to 16.”
Changing dynamics The idea exchange on development and investment, the importance of mid scale, upscale and upper upscale was still doing the rounds rather strongly. The need to be culturally connected was touched upon by the panelists. The discussions also revolved around the growth potential of the mid segment market and the demographic growth story, wherein India's trends are no different from elsewhere in the world as customers are looking for local aspects (brand comfort) and personalised experiences. “Domestic tourism is vital for the industry and the importance of loyalty programmes offered by hotel groups as it builds the brand connect and trust
among the customers,” mentioned Gerald Lawless, president and group CEO, Jumeirah Group. “We need to be actors and quantify how much we need to cater to our customers and manage the yield generation. Never disappoint anyone, do not lie to yourself and reflect before you decide,” said Sebastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, Accor. As India needs hotel rooms, there have been cases where hotels have been built and failed in their performance too. Delving on this subject, Paul Logan, senior vice president developmentAfrica and Middle East Asia, InterContinental Hotels Group said that it is the responsibility of the hotel brands to guide the owners about the market requirements. On a question thrown in by Kapil Chopra, president, The Oberoi Group on the reasons for new hotels opening up, Ranjit Batra, president, Panchshil Realty pointed out that for his company the reason for venturing into the hospitality industry was to showcase their construction capabilities. While Sumit Guha, deputy managing director, Tata Realty and Infra-
structure added, “In terms of performance, the hospitality sector has been worst hit compared to our other projects. This is one of the reasons why we are into mixed used development projects now.” Financial logic and what defines long-term vision were the questions due to which many players in the market have been in the red due to unrealistic decisions taken.
Time to buy or say bye Even though India holds immense potential there are many challenges which follow such as
finding the right location within cities, choosing the right partners/owners, over leveraging assets, acceptance of technology. In all the aforementioned points the most important factor was 'timing' which needs to be controlled. “Investment will come in when one thinks of adding more capacity with the market favouring this decision. There is so much pent up demand that only a more structured approach model is best suited for any brand in the market,” opined Kabir Kewalramani, managing director- Asia, Berggruen Holdings. With industry experts still bullish on the India growth story, the general opinion was that it will take at least three-four years for the market to stabilise. And this could give rise to more transactions taking place in the future. Adding perspective to this, Varun Kapur, director and head real estate and hospitality, YES Bank stated, “Banks are supportive of customers.
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EVENT ROUNDUP Largely lending is on a relationship basis and the client's credentials are critical when deciding on loan lending. There has been a shift in the building approach as nowadays the owner's expectations have softened and are seen to be more realistic in their approach.” So in the current market condition is return on investment justifiable? For Rahul Pandit, president and ED, Lemon Tree Hotels, the timing has always been right for the brand in the market. “We look at cycle returns. If we have assets which are doing well then we can shift the investment to other projects and diversify our risk appetite. Over the last three years we have seen the leisure market experience an upswing trend.” One of the important aspects discussed at HICSA this year, was once again development woes in the Indian hospitality industry. There are many doors behind single window systems implemented by few state governments. While cost overruns of projects are common, government policies like NREGA has made it difficult to find labour. There is need for effective leadership in project management, and more discipline. Cyrill Jacod, MD, Archetype Group however felt that in recent times there has been some improvement, “Now we see people managing by book which is a good thing.” The last mile always remains a challenge. “We have had to create a hand-holding team and this strategy has evolved well,” mentioned SC Sekhar, senior executive VP, ITC Hotels. Another interesting segment which was touched upon was the growing importance of the luxury market in India. The segment is a capital intensive investment with a gestation period of five to seven years, but still hotel brands are bullish on the segment growth. “Even though the sentiment for luxury in the last 12 to 18 months has been at its absolute low in India due to the market conditions, still the good news is that there is a growing demand for luxury products here,” opined Shafi Syed, vice president, hotel development and acquisitions, IMEA, Trump Hotel Collection. However the
26 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
definition of luxury has changed today as it is no longer formal but has become a more casual affair in the leisure segment in terms of unique experiences being offered. “Luxury segment has a huge potential in India especially in markets like Mumbai, Goa and Delhi NCR region,” pointed out Omar Romero, vice president development, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. What happens when a brand is not able to perform in the market, is conversion- the next wave solution in such a scenario? Opining on the same, Dipak Haksar, chief operating officer hotels division, ITC replied, “Relationships can be done on quarter to quarter basis. There should be importance laid on the engagement in the project building stages, building realistic expectations and maintaining trust element.” There could be success in conversion of an upscale or upper upscale brand but not in a luxury property. “When you consider a conversion model the brands don't start from the beginning as in the case of a greenfield project. The element of diligence is the challenge,” stated Ashish Jakhanwala, managing director and CEO, SAMHI. Development of tourism and hospitality sector in neighbouring South Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal was one of the highlights. Sri Lanka attracts 3000 foreign visitors every day, while Nepal gets 1500 and Bangladesh 1000 overseas tourists. “Unless these numbers increase from where will hotel investment come in,” queried Soumitra Saha, VP finance and controlling – ME & SA, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts. Shaun Mann, senior tourism sector specialist – South Asia, International pointed out, “In a country like Rwanda tourism has grown by 10 per cent in four years because they followed a focused strategy. This is something that Sri Lanka and Nepal are failing to do at the moment. Sri Lanka has not rebranded itself after the war.” The government in Sri Lanka is however investing in infrastructure development in tourism and hospitality. With inputs from Sudipta Dev
SPOTLIGHT
The heart of Puglian hospitality Masseria Il Frantoio is a unique accommodation option in the countryside of Ostuni, Puglia, which welcomes its guests into the heart of Puglian hospitality, while giving them the opportunity to relish the many organic homemade products that are exported to restaurants and gourmet shops across the world By Sudipta Dev
A
MASSERIA is a farmhouse commonly found in the Puglia region of Italy. Guests staying in these unique country accommodations do not just spend a few idyllic days in the countryside but get an interesting insight into the life on a working farm. Armando Balestrazzi, the patriach of the Masseria Il Frantoio (olive-press) has been hosting guests for more than two decades. “We came here 22 years ago - escaping from the big
town to retire here in the countryside. Hospitality is natural to Puglian people. Puglia is a bridge to the Mediterranean Sea. From wine to oil everything came to Europe passing through Puglia from the Middle East, so we have always been open to hospitality. We live here and carry out organic agriculture there is clean air, clean water, and clean food,” says Balestrazzi. Balestrazzi practises organic farming and exports his homemade products to all over the
world - different varieties of organic extra virgin olive oil, 15 different organic jams, 35 liquors, snacks for apéritifs, biscuits, etc. “We export to different countries. Chefs from restaurants in the US, UK and other European countries come to our masseria to taste the products. They import for restaurants and gourmet shops,” states Balestrazzi. He is now also looking at new markets like India, China and Brazil.
Agro-tourism Masseria Il Frantoio is an agri-tourism initiative. “In the beginning when we started, our guests were from the capital city of Bari, but now 70 per cent are from overseas and 30 per cent from all over Italy,” mentions Balestrazzi, pointing out that Italians mostly stay in his masseria during Easter, in August and end of the year. The rooms are 19th century. “We welcome guests into our own home. We do not consider the restaurant in our farmhouse as a commercial restaurant, but welcoming place like a grandmother's home. It is not just about doing business. Guests can come anytime and always will be welcomed,” he adds. Every night, guests are served eight course meals by Balestrazzi's wife, and of course the menu varies each day. The food is accompanied by three different Puglian wines. In the farm Balestrazzi and
his team grow 15 different kinds of olives (in Italy there are 500 types). Five of the olive varieties is for the table - there is green, red, black, salted olives. According to Balestrazzi when he and his family settled in the place, they found 2,600 ancient olive trees. “The ancient trees are minimum 1,000 year and maximum 2,000 years old. When we came here we implanted 1,600 olive trees of 15 different kinds for table and for oil,” he informs. Every year they make and choose a different blend of olive oil. He also organises blind tasting of wines. When queried about how to know which olive oil is the best, he answers, "We can know that top price is top quality. This is a time of globalisation, which means that you go to a supermarket and find extra virgin olive oil from two euros to 20
Armando Balestrazzi
euros. If you find extra virgin olive oil less than five euros, in all possibility it might not be extra virgin. The whole cost of producing it in the countryside, and transportation cannot add up to that amount. In all probability it will be adulterated. Plus you must see who is the producer of the oil, and ensure that it is organic.”
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EVENT TRACKER DATE
EVENT
VENUE
May 10- 11, 2014
Badische Weinmesse
Offenburg (Germany)
May 13- 15, 2014
SIAL China
Shanghai
May 22 - 24, 2014
BIOFACH China
Shanghai (China)
May 26 - 28, 2014
Food Hospitality World Africa
Cape Town (S.A.)
May 26- 27, 2014
Barzone
Cologne (Germany)
May 30 – June 1, 2014
Seafood Processing Europe
Brussel
June 02- 04, 2014
London International Wine Fair
London
June 04- 06, 2014
Topwine China
Beijing
June 12 - 14, 2014
Food Hospitality World
Bengaluru
June 12 – 15, 2014
Semana Verde de Galicia
Silleda (Spain)
June 18- 21, 2014
TCFB - Taichung International Tea & Coffee Show
Taichung (Taiwan)
June 24 – 27, 2014
Fispal cafe
Sao Paulo
June 26-30, 2014
Dalian Tea Fair
Dalian (China)
August 14 - 16, 2014
Hong Kong International Tea Fair
Hong Kong
September 4 - 6, 2014
Expo Chocolate
Mexico City
September 7 - 9, 2014
Speciality Chocolate Fair
London
September 15- 18,2014
Espaço Café Brasil
Belo Horizonte (Brazil)
September 15- 16, 2014
United Coffee and Tea Industry Event (UCTIE)
Moscow (Russia)
September 24 - 26, 2014
COTECA
Hamburg (Germany)
September 25 - 27 2014
Food Hospitality World China
Guangzhou/Canton (China)
September 28- Oct 26, 2014
BIBAC Expo
Antwerp (Belgium)
September 28- 29, 2014
The Canadian Coffee & Tea Show
Toronto
September28-30, 2014
The Hotel Show Dubai 2014
Dubai
October 9 - 11, 2014
Food Hospitality World
Goa
October 17- 19, 2014
Coffee Fest - Portland
Portland, OR (USA)
October 23- 26, 2014
Candy
Tabriz (Iran)
October 23 - 25, 2014
Triestespresso Expo
Trieste (Italy)
November 1, 2014
Seoul International Cafe Show
Seoul
November 14 - 17, 2014
Gluten Free Expo
Brescia (Italy)
January 8 - 11, 2015
Expo Natura
Istanbul (Turkey)
January 22 - 24, 2015
Food Hospitality World Mumbai
BKC, Mumbai
May 3 - 6, 2015
TuttoFood
Milan
October 2015
Organic Trade Forum
Cologne (Germany)
October 23 - 27, 2015
Host Milan
Italy
28 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
TECH TALK
TRACK THAT TOWEL The InvoTech Linen System integrates the latest RFID technology to efficiently manage linens for the hospitality and healthcare industries. The system streamlines and automates linen operations to cut labour costs and provide real-time information to lower operating expenses
T
HE INVOTECH Linen System manages the entire linen inventory and the lifecycle of each individual linen item from purchasing through daily use to final discard. The RFID technology works by electronically reading RFID tags attached to the linens, allowing them to be automatically identified, counted and tracked. The system also monitors storeroom inventory levels, and has extensive reporting capabilities with real-time information. The InvoTech Linen System will enable your business to best manage the linen inven-
tory, automatically track laundry activity, and efficiently manage linen storerooms. The system accurately records laundry activity to eliminate losses and overcharges, monitors linen usage and aging to maintain quality standards and forecast purchases. The system also has an integrated purchasing system to generate purchase orders, manage linen budgets, and purchases received.
Hand scanning linen The InvoTech Linen System eliminates many labor intensive manual tasks, such as separating and hand-counting linens being sent to the laundry. The system also automates record keeping, which eliminates man-
30 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
ual errors. InvoTech’s Laundry Cart Reading Station automatically processes entire laundry carts of soiled and clean linens. RFID portable handheld readers are used for efficiently managing linen storeroom inventory levels. All of this automation cuts labour costs and provides realtime information for ongoing cost saving benefits. InvoTech’s Linen System increases profitability by adding greater efficiency and management control to linen room operations. Businesses that rely on InvoTech include: ● Hotels ● Resorts ● Medical Centres ● Hospitals ● Nursing Homes ● Convention Centres.
USER FEEDBACK “The InvoTech system lowers labour costs by managing inventory productivity which makes our operation much more efficient.We have 10,000 pieces of linen that we send to our laundry service on any given day. InvoTech enables us to track all linen items as they go to and from our laundry service without manually counting the inventory. InvoTech’s system is extremely accurate and ensures the laundry service returns all items.”
Drew Sheth, housekeeping manager, InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta
“The UHF-RFID chips InvoTech uses are designed to track the movement of linens to and from washing areas in order to cut down on unnecessary washes, lengthening the life of most fabrics. The chips outlast the garments. One of the biggest benefits of UHFRFID tracking is that it keeps our billing straight.The old system of manually counting linens is out.”
William Beatty, linen manager, Revel Atlantic City
TECH TALK UHF-RFID InvoTech’s Ultra-High Frequency-Radio Frequency Identification (UHF-RFID) solutions utilise the latest remote tracking and wireless technology. The InvoTech Linen System enables 100 per cent control of linen inventory and eliminates the need to sort and hand count. The system lets operators instantly read and record hundreds of linen items in seconds. UHF-RFID readers and InvoTech software gives operators accurate, realtime inventory information on where every item is located. The UHF-RFID tags have a read range of up to six to seven feet with a life of at least 200 wash cycles. They withstand the most rigorous laundry requirements including sterilization and highpressure water extractors. InvoTech’s laundry cart stations read the tags attached to each linen item as the laundry carts pass by going to the laundry and coming from the laundry. UHF-
RFID handheld readers with InvoTech’s mobile linen software can be used to take a quick and accurate inventory of stock onhand at any location on property.
Wireless control InvoTech provides portable handheld UHF-RFID readers for accurate, flexible linen inventory and tracking. InvoTech’s mobile
software saves time and increases productivity in processing linens and other items. The portable handheld readers instantly count linens in storerooms and on shelves for effortless, real time inventory updates. The handheld reader communicates directly with the central InvoTech database via WiFi and wirelessly transmits its data for
instant par stock updates so operators always know what is on hand. InvoTech also protects staff from contaminants in hazardous environments. The UHFRFID wireless reader protects employees in medical centres and related businesses from possible contamination. The handheld reader identifies, counts, and records exactly which linens
or scrubs are in biohazard containers without staff-garment contact. Benefits and savings ● Eliminates linen losses InvoTech’s Linen System eliminates 100 per cent of unaccounted losses associated with daily laundry activity. ● Improves labor productivity InvoTech’s Linen System delivers up to 40 per cent greater labour productivity. It eliminates manual tasks and automates record keeping. ● Reduces purchases InvoTech’s Linen System cuts annual purchases 10 per cent or more. It knows what items to replace to maintain quality standards and allows operators to lower normal par levels. ● Lowers laundry expenses InvoTech’s Linen System cuts laundry expenses three to five per cent. It controls cleaning activity and prevents overcharges from outside laundries.
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CAMPUS NOTES
Soft skills The service part is emerging as the biggest element among all elements of a successful hotel. What is required are more soft skills training, says Maher Khatri
C
HANGE PERHAPS is the only constant. Some have a way of taking advantage of it while some resist, and may not get the benefit. The rate of change in technology is perhaps the fastest than one would have seen in decades. Simply put, today’s technology is obsolete tomorrow. Technology has changed the present generation on how they think, live and behave. And this being a demand change, necessitated a reciprocal change in supply. While technology change is physical, and thus visible, the change in human mindsets, their social and emotional changes, their expectations or their changing psychological matrices are not that visible. The service industry, especially hospitality, requires deciphering and addressing this changing demand. Starting from identification of a guest expectation to it being met. Since technology has made the acquisition of the physical elements cheaper and easier, the capital cost or the cost per room now is far more flexible and affordable. Today hotels are expected to look beautiful, bright and glamorous. Unfortunately, that is the easiest part. The service part is emerging as the biggest element among all elements of a successful hotel. That is soft skills and in this article we will try to point out and address this.
Maher Khatri
Educators and employers agree that there is a growing gap between the skills that hotels expect from their entry level employees and the skills that these young people possess. What is required are more soft skills training. Experts broadly define soft skills as a set of non-technical, professional abilities such as communication, interpersonal, and
integrity underpin their customer service philosophy and insist that these traits are vital to employee success. Thus, for all the technical skills it is imperative to possess the appropriate soft skills which is a must for a successful career in hotels. This is also heavily influenced by the attitude you possess. The teachings today come in various sizes and systems, considering the technological advances in communication. Training can be delivered via three channels: ● Trainer-Led or InstructorLed Training (TLT or ILT) ● Computer-Based Training (CBT) ● Web-Based Training (WBT). Currently, 70 per cent of soft skills training content is instructor-led, yet most asserts that the trend is moving toward technology-based instructional solutions, especially through social media tools and
There is a clear need for both more soft skills training, particularly for entry-level employees. Low-skilled, entry-level employees have not been the focus of many corporate training programmes and where soft skills are provided, they are integrated with technical and basic compliance training
32 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
customer service skills, as well as personal traits such as integrity and responsibility that employees need to secure employment and succeed in the workplace. Unfortunately due to economic constraints, work force policies and decreased industry investment in training and work force development, employers also grapple with these consequences and seek out innovative solutions to address them; incremental technological advances have resulted in new software and the use of social media and mobile devices as new learning platforms. The retail and hospitality industry, including organisations such as the National Retail Foundation, Hilton Worldwide, BMW India, Walmart, and Oberoi consistently add customer service, communication, and interpersonal skills as fundamental entry-level requirements. Leaders in these industries explain that honesty and
m-Learning. They predict such tools will continue to shape the future of learning but however can never replace trainer led trainings. Based on interview findings and in-depth analysis of current literature on soft skills, there is a clear need for both more soft skills training, particularly for entry-level employees, and more interactive, scalable training solutions. Low-skilled, entry-level employees have not been the focus of many corporate training programmes and where soft skills are provided, they are integrated with technical and basic compliance training. For its part, the non-profit and academic sectors are not central players in creating and providing scalable soft skills training solutions in partnership with industry leaders. This gap impedes the transition from education to employment for youth in recognised hotels that increasingly do not have the requisite soft skills to secure decent employment. The ability for the hospitality sector to work together with civil society to harness the power of technology to develop and provide accessible and effective learning platforms and tools that support a blended learning strategy must be leveraged. The author is the founder of Global Hotels Management Services
MOVEMENTS Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield NICHOLAS DUMBELL has been appointed as general manager of Bengaluru Mar-
ment, he will oversee all the culinary aspects of the kitchens, menus, training modules and secure the standards of excellence expected by both domestic and international patrons. Chef Szczechura has worked extensively with Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
Hilton Worldwide
Hotel Sahara Star GANESH BHOMKAR has joined Hotel Sahara Star as laundry manager in the housekeeping department. At Hotel Sahara Star, he will be responsible for setting up the entire
Mayank Tiwari
and Hyderabad as chef de cuisine.
Nicholas Dumbell
riott Whitefield. Dumbell in his current position will be responsible for operations and steering of the overall management of the hotel. His key responsibilities would also include holistic supervision of various departments to drive performance and strengthen the hotel’s reputation as one of Bengaluru’s iconic hotels. Prior to his arrival in Bengaluru, Dumbell was involved in the conceptualisation of the Renaissance Kiev Hotel.
Hyatt Regency Gurgaon CHEF ADAM SZCZECHURA has been appointed as executive chef of Hyatt Regency Gurgaon. With 15 years of experience, Chef Szczechura brings with him extensive knowledge of world cuisines and culinary techniques. In his current appoint-
Chef Adam Szczechura
Le Méridien Bangkok Christian Humbert has been appointed as general manager of Le Méridien Bangkok. With more than 18 years of experience in the industry, for the
PARIVA RUSTAGI has been appointed as regional director of sales for India of Hilton Worldwide. Rustagi will lead sales efforts for the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of hotels in India and will also initiate a comprehensive strategy to drive outbound business from India to hotels operated by Hilton Worldwide in other parts of the world. She is based at the company’s India regional office in Gurgaon, Delhi NCR. Rustagi's experience in the hospitality industry spans almost two decades. Most
past seven years he was heavily involved in the opening of three Starwood hotels, most recently, the W Bangkok. Prior to W Bangkok, Humbert
recently, she was director, national sales – India, Marriott International Inc.
was part of the opening of W Retreat – Koh Samui and the St Regis Bali Resort.
Ganesh Bhomkar
laundry and other related services. Prior to his current appointment, Bhomkar has worked with brands like Courtyard by Marriott, InterContinental Marine Drive; ITC Grand Central; Taj Mahal Palace and Towers; Hotel Novotel Pune Nagar Road; Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel; Radisson Resort & Spa, Alibaug; P&O Cruises; etc.
Mistral, Vasant Kunj MAYANK TIWARI has been appointed as executive chef of Mistral, an all-day dining restaurant by PVR Leisure, located in Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj. In this role, Chef Tiwari will oversee and drive Mistral’s kitchen operations and PVR Leisure’s future F&B initiatives. With an experience of over a decade, his last assignment was with Olive Bar and Kitchen at ARC Mahalakshmi and Olive Bistro Pune
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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
40 May 1-15, 2014
BUSINESS AVENUES
FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD
weekend
Scene and heard
With Marcellus Baptista
Thai eat treat
Binny, Nalanda Bhandari and Aneesh Virani at the launch of Roche Bobois Mumbai
Lush launch Furniture fit for a plush home or a swanky hotel was what you saw as Roche Bobois Paris, the famed highend furniture design and distribution group, set up store in Mumbai with the launch of Roche Bobois Mumbai at Indiabulls Finance Centre. Samvit Tara, MD, Roche Bobois Mumbai and Martin Gleize, international director, Roche Bobois Group, were there to welcome into the spacious store many guests like Sabira Merchant, Kahini Arte Merchant and Bhairavi Goswami. Chandon was in full flow and guests marvelled at the spacious store with its openness and high ceiling as they feasted their eyes on the inspirational and unique style of this furniture leader.
YOU COULD EITHER be in Bangkok or you could be in Mumbai for the Thai New Year festival of Songkran came to town. The week-long Thai food festival kicked off with a luncheon preview at San-Qi, the pan-Asian restaurant of Four Seasons Hotel with the hotel and Tourism Authority of Thailand joining hands to celebrate this popular festival. Thai chef Seefah Ketchaiyo was in attendance with her specially crafted menu comprising some celebratory delicacies. Also present were Thai Consul General Nat Pinyowattanacheep, Tourism Authority of Thailand director Sethaphan Buddhani and assistant director Supakan Yodchun besides the bigwigs of the hotel.
Supakan Yodchun at the Thai food festival at Four Seasons Hotel
Barkha Bisht and Sumona Chakravarti at the Easter party at Yum Cha Vie
Easter special A GOOD WAY TO popularise a food-and-beverage outlet is to host a party in the premises. Such was the case at the oriental restaurant Yum Cha Vie at the sprawling Phoenix Marketcity. It was the Easter party, hosted by TV personalities Mazhar and Barkha Bisht along with tarot reader Munisha Khatwani. It was cocktail and dinnertime along with an Easter egg photo booth, an Easter bunny mascot and balloon sculpture artists. Gaurav Chopra, Sumona Chakravarti, Ashita Dhawan, Mouni Roy and Devoleena Bhattacharjee plus many children enjoyed the experience that included a bite of Easter eggs and desserts. And looking happy indeed was Amit Kumar, centre director, Phoenix Marketcity who said that they believed in celebrating special occasions such as Easter with their patrons and making it a memorable experience.
American fest
Atul Nishar, Gautam Rode, Deanna Abdeen and Peter Haas at the American food and music festival at Hard Rock Café
GUESTS GOT A TASTE of American food and music as Atul Nishar, president, Namaste America and Kailash Surendranath hosted an American food and music brunch at Hard Rock Café. Chief guest Peter Haas, US Consul General and guest of honour Deanna Abdeen, Consular Section Chief, US Consulate, Mumbai were happy to be present as was actor and host Gautam Rode who was the guest of honour. Besides the beer, wine and vodka that were on offer guests got an opportunity to have a bite of the American food like burgers and hotdogs. A dance performance by Rahul Saxena’s troupe and music by Sharmilla Dias and her band added to the action of the afternoon. The bountiful brunch was enjoyed by Shewta Shetty, Minal and Niraj Bajaj, Indu Shahani, Sunita and Neeraj Bhargava, Talat Aziz, Ashwini Kakkar, Malti Jain, Devita Saraf, Raell Padamesse, Rukshana and Mustafa Eisa, Bina Choksi and Kamlesh Hemdev among many more.
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May 1-15, 2014
weekend
E V E N T S
CELEBRATING SUCCESS Apeejay Institute of Hospitality celebrated the graduation ceremony of the class of 2014 at Park Navi Mumbai
DELIGHTING CUSTOMERS Anup Mishra (second from left), director, human resources, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore received the GCC Puraskar Award for the Best Upcoming Hotel in Bengaluru from Dr Joseph V G (second from right), honorary consul of the republic of Maldives, at the Garden City College Bangalore
A GLIMPSE BEYOND The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi in association with Full Circle organised a cocktail evening in celebration of the book – Delhi’s Diplomatic Domains authored by Gladys Abankwa-Meier-Klodt at the hotel premises
TOUCHING SKIES Feather Touch Ceramics was felicitated with an award under the bronze category at the award function and closing ceremony of Aahar 2014
42 FOOD & HOSPITALITY WORLD May 1-15, 2014
CULINARY JOURNEY Celebrity Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor travelled to four Australian states - Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia to film the next season of his show – Out of the World
COLOURFUL EXTRAVAGANZA Second L-R: Charles Newland, senior vice president, F&B, Venetian Macao, Sands Macao and Sands Cotai Central; Mark McWhinnie, senior vice president of development and shared services and director of Sands Cotai Central; Gunther Hatt, executive vice president of operations, Sands China; and Ben Toh, executive vice president, CFO and executive director, Sands China at Sands Cotai Central's second anniversary celebration
PANJIM
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.