hotel scapes july 2012

July 2012 HOTELSCAPES

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New Developments2 Sarovar launches new property in Bangalore

3 Hyderabad gets its first Radisson Blu Plaza

4 Starwood opens Aloft in Chandigarh

6 The Lalit brand checks-in London

Announcement7 47th annual FHRAI Convention to be held in Goa

One-on-one8 Bird Group to open first Dusit hotel in India

Hospitality Report10 Tourism sector needs public private partnership to grow

12 Evaluating sustainable technologies for hotels

Brand Analysis14 IHG's Holiday Inn to expand presence in India

16 Mapple Hotels eye tier-3 cities for growth

Forum of the Month18 The Right Ingredient for your Spa

Innovation24 Hyatt introduces residential-style meeting rooms

Destination Analysis26 Bengaluru: Gearing up to add significant amount

of new supply

Trends28 Technological innovations in mood lighting at hotels

Marketing34 Optimise your revenues with customer

relationship marketing

Development38 Branded hospitality experience in pilgrim towns

HR44 IHG recognises employees through service week

People48 Appointments and movements across the country

Products50 New launches this season

Guest Columns37 Steps to manage water crisis

42 Creating right ambience for whiskey enthusiasts

Volume 1 Issue 6 JULY 2012

Editor: Navin S Berry Assistant Editor: Purva Bhatia Business Development: Sudhir SoodAdvertising: Saurabh Shukla Design: Ashok Saxena, Neelam Aswani

Hotelscapes is published and printed monthly by Navin Berry on behalf of Cross Section Media Pvt. Ltd.and printed at Anupam Art Printers B-52, Naraina, Phase II, New Delhi and published from IIIrd Floor,Rajendra Bhawan, 210, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi - 110002. Tel: 91-11-43784444;Fax: 91-11-41001627, 41001628. E-mail: [email protected]

This issue of Hotelscapes contains 56 pages plus 4 pages cover

EDITOR’S NOTEOur Forum this month covers a very important aspect of a Spa: the products.Much like the ambience of a spa and skills of therapists, the products usedfor treatments play an equally vital role in making or breaking a customer’sexperience. The products used also reflect the spa’s philosophy andconcept. We spoke to different spa chains at hotels to find out whatproducts they use, where they get the supplies from and how it makes themdifferent from the others.

Next, we turn our focus to pilgrim centres. The influx of tourists has neverbeen low in these towns. In fact, its only increasing. And cashing on thisopportunity are branded hotel chains. Read in this issue the business of hotels,the challenges they face and the opportunities they see in these cities.

We update you on Dusit Hotels; the group, as we know, has joined handswith the Bird Group and the collaboration is likely to launch Dusit Devaranathis year. In an exclusive chat with Hotelscapes, Ankur Bhatia gives us anupdate on the plans.

In Destination Analysis, we talk about the opportunities in Bengaluru. Thecity has emerged as a significant commercial hub over the last decade largelydriven by the IT/ITeS sector. Significant amount of new supply is slated to enterthe market in the coming five years. But is the city prepared for this growth?Read on to find the answer.

The Lalit group is on its journey to establish an international presence. It hasalready entered London. We bring you the announcement in this issue andmore details in the next.

Besides these, we also get you other industry news and updates. Do writeto us with your feedback.

CONTENTS/EDITORIAL

I went through the article which dealt with lighting in the hotels and I really liked it.The lighting scenario in the hotels is very well covered here and is the source of muchneeded information for me since I’m an interior designer.

Usha Goswami, New DelhiForum of the month -- The CSR Imperative was interesting to read. It brought to lightvarious CSR initiatives which the Indian hoteliers are taking for the benefit of the soci-ety for example addressing the issues of global importance like global warming, ozoneimbalance and depleting green cover in the cities. It is rightly said that a business en-tity cannot work in isolation from the society.

Ravi Kant Dhulia, Allahabad

R E A D E R S W R I T E I N

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| HOTELSCAPES July 2012

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

ANIL MADHOKMANAGING DIRECTOR,

SAROVAR HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED

The upbeat businessenvironment of Bengaluru

will complement our productand its business facilities.With three successfully

operational properties in thecity we are confident about

the success of DavanamSarovar Portico Suites.

About the Brand ☛ Sarovar Portico hotels are full service 3-star hotels. Portico hotels comprise a 24-hourmulti-cuisine eatery and a modern resto-bar, in addition to meetings and banquetfacilities of moderate capacity. Currently, 26 Sarovar Portico hotels are operational incities like Agra, Ahmedabad, Baddi, Badrinath, Chennai, Durgapur, Faridabad, Goa,Haridwar, Hosur, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Lucknow, Lonavala, Ludhiana, Manali,Nashik, New Delhi and Port Blair. Recent additions to the portfolio include SarovarPortico, Jaipur, Paradigm Sarovar Portico, Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Sarovar Portico,Rajkot and Sarovar Portico Vaishali, Ghaziabad (Delhi NCR).

The Davanam SarovarPortico Suites has 132suites and is the company’sfourth property in the cityafter Radha Hometel,Savannah SarovarPremiere and Park Plaza.

Sarovar Hotels has announced theopening of Davanam Sarovar Porti-co Suites at Koramangala in Benga-luru. The company manages and

franchises 59 hotels and resorts across 40 cit-ies in India and overseas under SarovarPremiere, Sarovar Portico, Hometel, ParkPlaza and Park Inn brands. The brands cov-er 3-star to 5-star hotels.

With fourth property in the city, the group

is optimistic about the city’s hospitality market.“The upbeat business environmentof Bengaluru will complement our product andits business facilities. With three successfullyoperational properties in the city we are confi-dent about the success of Davanam SarovarPortico Suites,” says Anil Madhok, managingdirector, Sarovar Hotels Private Limited.

The city is the hub for India’s informationtechnology sector. It is among the top 10 pre-ferred entrepreneurial locations in the world.It is home to many well-recognized collegesand research institutions in India and alsohouses numerous public sector industries,software companies, aerospace, telecommu-nications, and defense organisations.

The group is confident about the mid-mar-ket segment boom in the country. In an earlierinterview with Hotelscapes, Madhok said:“Mid-market was always underserved in India.

There were no branded hotels hence peoplewere reluctant to try any branding promise.Mid-market is always much larger than theluxury and with the boom of branded hotelsmid-market is now getting its fair share.”

Located within 10 kms of South Bengalurubusiness hub, Davanam Sarovar Portico Suitesoffers suites ranging from 650 sq ft to 1,200 sqft with a separate kitchenette along with com-fortable beds, premium furnishings, awell-stocked mini-bar, electronic safe and wi-ficonnectivity. Other in-room amenities includeLCD TV with satellite channels, tea/coffee mak-er, 24-hour room service and butler service forlong-stay guests. The hotel boasts Tangerine –the all day dining that offers multi-cuisine a-la-carte and buffet selections while Gallop – thewell-stocked bar offers delectable finger foodsand beverages. It also has a business centre,gym, meeting space, travel desk and a roof top

Sarovar Opens NewProperty in Bengaluru


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NEW DEVELOPMENTS

swimming pool. Introductory stay offer at thehotel starts from Rs 4,990.

Sarovar currently has over 60 operatinghotels and a pipeline of 25-30 hotels whichwould all go operational in the next fiveyears. “We will be opening hotels in severalparts across the country including Ja-landhar, Ajmer, Chennai, Zirakpur, Delhi,Kerala, and Bengaluru among other cities.

Hospitality chain Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has announced the openingof Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Hyderabad, taking their projects under

management to 54 operational hotels in the country.

Hyderabad Gets its First Radisson Blu Plaza

Banking on the growth in informationtechnology, pharmaceuticals andbiotechnology industries in Hydera-

bad, Carlson Rezidor’s has opened its firstRadisson Blu hotel in the city.

“Our current portfolio of close to 100operating and pipeline hotels places us in astrong position in maintaining our leadershipposition as the largest international hotelgroup in India. We will continue to boost ourpresence in key cities in north and southIndia to cater to the growing domestictravel,” said Simon C. Barlow, president,Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel HyderabadBanjara Hills has 142 rooms and 13 suites.The hotel will be introducing India’s firstDilmah Tea Bar, showcasing more than 26varieties of its finest tea flavours as well as arange of tea-infused beverages. “We chose topartner with Carlson Rezidor as it is the

number one international hotel operator inIndia and has a solid track record ofmanaging successful hotels,” B S Sahney,chairman of DAAJ Hotels and Resorts, which

owns Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel HyderabadBanjara Hills, said. Carlson Rezidor HotelGroup has a portfolio of 1,300 hotels across81 countries. ■

We are currently only looking at investing inone hotel that we are building and the invest-ment would be approximately 90 crores,”insists Anil Madhok. The group also manag-es corporate hospitality services at the IndianInstitute of Management, Ahmedabad, Hin-dustan Unilever Ltd’s corporate trainingcentre in Mumbai and The Indian School ofBusiness at Mohali. ■

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Banjara Hills


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NEW DEVELOPMENTS

DILIP PURIMD, INDIA AND REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

SOUTH ASIA, STARWOOD ASIA PACIFICHOTELS & RESORTS

India is an extremelyimportant market for Aloft

and the perfect match for theenergy and vitality of the

brand. The brand is all aboutthe tech-savvy early adopter

and we are excited to connectwith India’s Gen Y-mindedtravelers and provide themwith a hotel experience thatmatches their very forward-

thinking sensibilities.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts haslaunched its fourth Aloft Hotel inIndia. Located the Ambala-Chandi-garh National Highway at Zirakpur,

the hotel has been developed in partnershipwith Urbanedge Hotels, a special purposevehicle (SPV) of Auromatrix.

The brand made its debut in India in 2010with the opening of Aloft in Chennai andBengaluru and, in 2011; it launched a thirdhotel in Coimbatore. The group has plans toopen one more Aloft hotel later this year,Aloft Ahmedabad.

Aimed at the ‘next generation of traveller’,Aloft is Starwood’s design-led, social-experi-ence brand. The group believes that Indiabeing a young, tech-driven society, will be akey market for Aloft’s development outsideof the United States.

“After the successful launch of threehotels in India, we are very thrilled to unveilour fourth Aloft hotel in India. India is anextremely important market for Aloft and theperfect match for the energy and vitality of thebrand. The brand is all about the tech-savvyearly adopter and we are excited to connectwith India’s Gen Y-minded travelers andprovide them with a hotel experience that

matches their very forward-thinkingsensibilities”, says Dilip Puri, managingdirector India and regional vice presidentSouth Asia, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels &Resorts. "We see a huge opportunity for thisbrand in India and will therefore continueAloft’s ambitious expansion with the openingof Aloft Ahmedabad, SG Road, later this year,a second Aloft Hotel in Bengaluru, AloftBengaluru Cessna Business Park, and an AloftHotel at the Delhi International AirportLimited (DIAL) in the near future,” he added.

Brian McGuinness, senior vice president ofSpecialty Select Brands for Starwood, agreed:“Aloft has earned a fiercely loyal followingacross India, and fans of the brand keep ask-ing us to expand to more cities. So theopening of Aloft Chandigarh is especially ex-citing for us,” he said. “Indian travelers havetold us how much they appreciate Aloft’s ur-ban-inspired design, smart technology, andsocial vibe, and we’re looking forward to de-veloping an even bigger presence in India.”

The property has 175 guest rooms featur-ing nine-foot ceilings and oversized windowsto ‘create a bright, airy environment’. Expectadvanced technology at the hotel with high-tech office and entertainment center,

featuring wireless internet access and plug &play, a one-stop connectivity solution formultiple electronic gadgetry such as PDAs,cell phones, mp3 players and laptops – alllinked to a large flat panel HDTV ready tele-vision for optimal sound and viewing.

“We are extremely excited about the open-ing of Aloft Chandigarh Zirakpur,” saysKumar Sitaraman, chairman, AuromatrixHoldings Private Limited. “Aloft Hotels in In-dia have filled the gap between a 5-star hoteland a typical 4-star business class hotel. Spa-cious rooms, vibrancy, music and technologythat sets Aloft hotels apart has made it popu-lar both with the international traveler as wellas the tech savvy young Indian traveller.” ■

STARWOOD OPENSFOURTH ALOFT IN INDIA


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The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group is all set to go international. Also, the groupplans to invest about Rs 1,200 crore in the next three years

to expand its luxury and mid-scale brands.

Highlights☛ Bought at a guide price of GBP15 million from Berkeley Homes☛ To be developed as a 70-roomhigh end luxury boutiquehotel with an investment ofGBP 12-13 million

By the end of 2014, The Lalit SuriHospitality Group will haveopened its doors in UK with TheLalit London. The group will fur-

ther expand its international presence withproperties in Thailand and Dubai.

The London property was acquired at aguide price of £15 million. The Group will beinvesting approximately £12 million to £13million in restoration and development. Thebuilding – St. Olave’s, is a Grade II listedformer grammar school near Tower Bridge, aheritage building located in the heart of Lon-don. The Lalit London would be a part of thelarger real estate development of the OneTower Bridge by Berkeley Homes. The hotelwill have 70 rooms and suites, catering toavid business as well as the leisure travellers.The property will have a Bar, Fine DiningRestaurant, Spa, Gym and Meeting Rooms.

“We are delighted to announce our forayinto the European market with our first oper-ational hotel to be in London. The FounderChairman Late Mr. Lalit Suri loved Londonand always wanted to bring his signaturestyle of hospitality to the city. We are proudto fulfill his dream,” said Jyotsna Suri, chair-person & managing director, The Lalit SuriHospitality Group.

“The property’s restoration work will start

in early 2013 and it will be operational by theend of 2014. Experts from their respectivefields have been commissioned for theproject. The Lalit London is expected to at-tract significant corporate and leisuredemand from all over the world. We lookforward to providing a memorable experi-ence to our guests in London with our brandpromise of Limitless Hospitality", she added.

Back home the group is entering the mid-market segment with 25 hotels under a newbrand – Lalit Traveller. There is already aTraveller property in Jaipur and the group isnow looking at cities like Amritsar, Pune andDehradun. The group also wants to expandin the high-end luxury segment in India andplans to open new properties in Chandigarhand Kolkata by the start of the next fiscal,and subsequently open a luxury property inAhmedabad. ■

JYOTSNA SURICHAIRPERSON & MANAGING DIRECTOR,

THE LALIT SURI HOSPITALITY GROUP

“The property’s restorationwork will start in early 2013and it will be operational by

the end of 2014. Expertsfrom their respective fieldshave been commissionedfor the project. The LalitLondon is expected to

attract significant corporateand leisure demand from all

over the world.

Lalit Hotels to Open its FirstInternational Hotel in London by 2014

Lalit Hotels to Open its FirstInternational Hotel in London by 2014

NEW DEVELOPMENTS


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ANNOUNCEMENT

VIVEK NAIRCHAIRMAN

CONVENTION ORGANISING COMMITTEE

An irresistible tourist destination, cradled between the rugged ranges of the west-ern ghats and the Arabian Sea, Goa is the chosen location of the 47th Annual con-vention of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI); the

convention will be held from 6 to 8th September.“The Apex Body of the four Regional Associations representing the Hospitality Industry,

FHRAI provides an interface between the hospitality industry, political leadership, academ-ics, international associations and other stake holders. FHRAI is committed to promote andprotect the interests of the hospitality industry”, is the vision statement of the organisation onits website and the forthcoming convention programme has been worked towards this end.

Chairman Vivek Nair and co-chairman Sunit Kothari along with the other membersof the convention organising committee will welcome the delegates in the land of sun-kissed beaches, glorious sand and exotic wildlife. All the sessions are slated to occur atThe Leela, Goa, the venue partner for the occasion. Business sessions pertaining to thecurrent needs of the hospitality industry have been planned for the delegates, thereby en-suring topicality and relevance of the deliberations. Keeping in mind the languid beautyof the region, traditional Goan dances along with various other Goa tourism gigs havebeen organised.

Friday, September 7th will see business sessions on Employee Retention and Manpow-er Planning, Use of Social Media in Hotel Marketing, Sustainable Development Practicesin Hotels and Restaurants. Saturday, September 8th will witness an array of sessions --- Inthe Hot Seat-Emerging Young Turks followed by New Trends in Hotel and Restaurant De-signs, Investment opportunities in the various states of India. The event will also see theconferring of FHRAI Awards. ■

FHRAIConvention

2012 inGoa from

6-8September

Hotelscapes welcomes theFHRAI Convention to Goa, avenue within India. We haveheld the view that our industryconventions must be held withinthe country so that our industryproblems do not loose theirfocus. We also believe thatindustry meets must be morebusiness oriented and thatcocktails must only be greaternetworking opportunities.Conventions cannot be“all play and no work”.– Editor

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ONE-ON-ONE

BIRD GROUP TO OPEN FIRST DUSITPROPERTY IN INDIA THIS YEAR

Thailand-based hospitality major Dusit Thani will have presence in India soon. Thegroup has joined hands with The Bird Group, which under its wholly owned

subsidiary, Bird Hospitality Services (BHS) will be developing hotels in the country.The partnership will combine the hospitality expertise of Dusit International andthe local knowledge and network of Bird Group in developing Dusit properties,says Ankur Bhatia, executive director, Bird Group. In further conversation,

he tells us about the brand and the plans for India.

ating a collection of hotels and resorts thatwill become extraordinary places of distinc-tion and a benchmark for the hospitalityindustry in India.

Through our strategic alliance withThailand’s premier hotel brand, Dusit Inter-national in March 2007, we have launchedDusit Bird Hotels (DBH), a joint venturehotel management company, which willopen its first hotel, Dusit Devarana NewDelhi, in 2012. The partnership will com-bine the hospitality expertise of DusitInternational and the local knowledgeand network of Bird Group in developingDusit properties.

You signed up with Dusit Thani formultiple hotels. What is theupdate? What is the kind ofinvestment you are putting in?As shared above, in March 2007, Bird Groupforayed in the hospitality sector (50:50 jointventure) with Thailand’s premier hospitalitygroup, Dusit Hotels and Resorts. Through ourpartnership the group will open 20 hotel andresort properties in the Indian subcontinentin the next ten years.

During the first phase of development, sixproperties shall be developed by BHS and asimultaneous expansion will be carried outthrough management and franchise con-tracts with hotels that fit the high brandstandards set by the joint management com-pany. Dusit Bird Hotels (DBH) is all set tooperate its first hotel, Dusit Devarana, NewDelhi by the last quarter of 2012. The groupwill be introducing other Dusit properties inRishikesh, Jaipur and Goa, shortly. In addi-tion, a dusitD2 will be opened in New Delhisubsequently.

Meanwhile, you bought a hotel –Royal Park -- in London. How is itdoing? What is the profile ofvisitors at the hotel?Bird Group ventured into the internationalmarket with the purchase of the Royal ParkHotel in 2011. An intimate and luxury bou-tique hotel in London, it comprises threecarefully restored mid 19th century town-houses. Ideally located on WestbourneTerrace, overlooking the Hyde Park, the ho-tel has 48 elegantly furnished rooms andsuites. Ideal for business, leisure or romantictrysts, the hotel will continue to enjoy its bou-tique hospitality charm under the ownershipof Bird Hospitality.The property is hi-end luxury and the profileof visitors is more of hi-end leisure travelersas well as corporate travellers. It’s been do-ing well.

What are your future plans? Howare you looking to position yourselfin the hospitality space?The group aims to create world class hospi-tality assets that offer unique services andbring innovative entertainment options intoIndia. Our focus is to create a collection ofhotels and resorts that will set a benchmarkfor the hospitality industry in India. We arecreating the best in class for luxury hospital-ity not only for India but on globalstandards.

Are you looking at more overseasacquisition opportunities?Yes, we most definitely are. However, it’stoo early to divulge any details about thesame. ■

as told to PURVA BHATIA

ANKUR BHATIAEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

BIRD GROUP

The group aims to createworld class hospitalityassets that offer unique

services and bringinnovative entertainment

options into India. Our focusis to create a collection ofhotels and resorts that will

set a benchmark for thehospitality industry

in India.

What was the motivation forventuring into the sector?Bird Group is a highly esteemed and recog-nized name in the travel fraternity today. Afterestablishing ourselves as a pioneer in traveltechnology through Amadeus India, we haveventured into other verticals, hospitality beinga major vertical. We are passionate about cre-


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HOSPITALITY REPORT

Centre, Private SectorPartnership Needed to

Strengthen Tourism Sector:FICCI – YES BANK REPORT

While infrastructural development is essential for robustand sustained growth of thetravel and tourism industry,

past experiences have shown that withoutsimultaneous attention to human resourcedevelopment, proper utilisation becomesan issue, which either leads to a prematuredepreciation of infrastructure or itsunder-utilisation, reports a study by FICCIand Yes Bank on capacity building intourism industry.

The report suggests the following steps toensure that the vision for the growth of man-power in tourism stays on the path ofprogressive development.

Dynamic Policy Framework: The poli-cies and guidelines devised for HRDprogrammes have to be designed as per themarket forces of demand and supply, as wellas focus upon developing the base levelskills (communication, etiquettes etc.)across all segments. The setting up of Nation-al Skills Development Corporation underwhich Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) havebeen established to supplement the voca-tional education system of the country andthe SSCs of every industry sector have the ac-tive support of all major players of thatsector, in order to be successful in its role.

Action points for tour guides: Govern-ment should make the tour guideassociations a consultative partner. Not onlywill the measure provide the governmentwith an insight into the guides’ problems,but the authorities can also look at this atraining dissemination platform. Thoughcapacity building programmes have pickedup momentum in the country and are in-

The government should partner with theprivate sector and frame a dynamic policy to

boost the tourism sector in the country, says areport by FICCI-YES Bank.

creasingly becoming streamlined and pro-fessional, but assessment is still proving tobe a problem. The Ministry of Tourism, Gov-ernment of India has instituted guidelinesfor training of regional level guides throughthe Indian Institute of Tourism and Manage-ment or their chapters or any otherrecognised institute in coordination withthe concerned regional director.

Action points for taxi drivers: The safe-ty of the tourists is in the hands of the taxi orcoach drivers and the behavioural pattern ofthe drivers defines the comfort level of thetourist. Good training and capacity buildingwill not only increase his business possibili-ty, but also build up the brand India.

The owner of the taxi stands and the op-erators on ground needs to be roped in bythe Department of Tourism in each state totrain the ground drivers. There needs to be aclear demarcation between drivers accom-panying the tourists for multi-station trips andcity or region specific drivers to prepare thetraining blueprints appropriately. The driverswho often face precarious situations like ac-cidents and road blocks need to be trainedin crisis management skills and first aid.

Workshops in communication skills needto be conducted by the state governmentsthrough the industrial chamber bodies,where even the owners need to be trained inbest behaviour practices with guests.

Action points for travel and touroperators: Certification is a crucial aspect asit provides a degree of credibility of the traveland tour operators and confidence in theirability to offer the services as promised.Ministry of Tourism has a scheme ofapproving Travel Agents, Inbound Tour

Operators, Adventure Tour Operators,Domestic Tour Operators and other sectors.However, the operators covered under thisscheme should be reviewed periodically andinitiatives should be undertaken to increaseits reach. Another innovation that can beintroduced is the concept of star categoryrating of Travel and Tour Operators wherethe rating parameter is developed keeping inmind the different components that make upa tourism product.

Apart from certification, training is a cru-cial component for capacity building oftravel and tour operators and emphasis


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HOSPITALITY REPORT

needs to be laid on: ability to handle thecomplaints of a diverse profile of customers;time management, people management andclient handling and developing a flavour ofthe local demography and attractions.

Action points for hotels and restau-rants: There is an urgent need toinstitutionalise capacity building in all seg-ments of the hotel industry particularly inemerging options such as budget hotels andservice apartments and even the restaurantsand hotels present in the unorganised segment.

Recent studies have shown that the pref-erence for accommodation is gradually

shifting away from budget to the semi-luxuryand luxury segment. In 2015, the share ofclassified category is estimated to increase to62.7 per cent with budget category’s sharedecreasing to approximately 47 per cent ascompared to 58.7 per cent and 53 per cent in2010 respectively. Despite the decline, thereis an urgent need to augment the traininginfrastructure available to service the budgetcategory hotels.

The IHMs and FCIs are primarily involvedin catering to the organised sector workforce.At the same time, there are a large number ofpersons who are engaged in the unorganised

sector such as small hotels, road side eatingplaces, ticketing, travel agencies, drivers anddhabas. The tourists come in contact withvarious service providers therefore it is nec-essary that these are given certain inputs andcertifications which can improve their behav-iour and service levels.

Public Private Partnership: The privatesector (especially industry) can bring in rel-evant experience for skill developmentwhich can help in developing industry rele-vant skill sets crucial for growth of theworkforce of a particular sector. These pri-vate sector initiatives can be appropriatelycertified or monitored by the governmentand hence PPP is an important institutionalinnovation for capacity building in the tour-ism sector.

One such initiative has been setting up ofthe National Skill Development Corporationwhich aims at setting up of SSC. The SSCs willplay a significant role in setting up and deter-mining skills, competency standards andqualifications for various jobs, which can beused by companies to assess employee perfor-mance and skill development needs.

As a part of the private initiative, theNGOs and local travel associations, need tohold training sessions for the tour guides,drivers and tour operators, especially beforethe onset of the tourist sessions. A status re-port from the local authorities could be sendto the Department of Tourism in the stateand likewise the Ministry of Tourism can beupdated about the initiatives taken.

The concept of People Public PrivatePartnership (PPPP) or Public Social PrivatePartnership (PSPP) as a more inclusive formof development is gaining force, owing tothe fact that a large portion of the workforcerequiring capacity building falls in theunorganised sector. The PSPP model is anattempt to restore the social equity as thedispersive nature of the effects ofincremental tourism tends to affect a widepart of the society. ■

The private sector can bringin relevant experience forskill development which canhelp in developing industryrelevant skill sets crucial forgrowth of the workforce of aparticular sector.

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REPORT

Six Questions Hoteliers should Ask toEvaluate Sustainable Technologies

As a global hospitality consultancy,HVS is often asked to commenton emerging technologies that arepotentially applicable to hotel

and resort operations – both from the per-spective of hoteliers who want to learnfurther about opportunities for the moderni-sation of their assets, and vendors who arekeen to expand their hospitality product andservice offerings. These technologies are es-pecially prevalent in building equipment,given an expanding focus on sustainable de-velopment and operation.

Regardless of the nature of the technolo-gy or whether HVS is approached by ahotelier or a vendor, our response to thesesorts of inquiries is consistent: we contendthere are certain common due diligence is-sues that are essential to validating anytechnology, product or service for its poten-tial effectiveness in a hospitality context.

This article covers six fundamental issuesthat should be discussed between hoteliers(owners, operators, and developers) andvendors as an early component of the pro-curement process. While this approach canbe applied to any product or service, it is es-pecially relevant for emerging sustainabletechnologies with larger capital requirementssuch as alternative energy plants, buildingautomation and energy management sys-tems, large-scale laundry systems, motor anddrive retrofits, waste plants, and other backof the house equipment.

Where is the technologyoperational today?The greatest indication of the viability of anew or emerging technology is its perfor-mance in a real-world operational context. Ifthe technology is already deployed in hotels,the first step in the due diligence process

When hoteliers and vendors communicate early onto evaluate a common series of due diligence issues,it enables both parties to rapidly and efficientlyidentify whether a technology, service or productmakes sense for a particular hospitality asset.

should be to speak with ownersor operators of facilities who arealready using it, in order to as-certain its performance andcost-effectiveness.

Owners should be cognizantof the fact that a relatively new in-stallation (within 1-2 years) maynot provide an adequate indicationof the longer term performance andoperations & maintenance (O&M) costs,both of which factor into the overall re-turn on investment. For emergingtechnologies that have notyet been tested in the con-text of hospitality orcommercial real estate, thehotel owner is assuming some ofthe risk and liability of mechanical break-downs, suboptimal performance, permittingdelays, and other unknowns if they elect toproceed with installation of the technologyon a ‘beta’ or ‘pilot’ approach. As such, theseinitial projects are often times provided byvendors at a significantly reduced cost inexchange for the opportunity to test the tech-nology out in a practical application context.

What are the operationalrequirements and constraints?Subsequent to identification of the funda-mental principles of the technology, it ishelpful to have a clear understanding of in-stallation requirements (e.g. spacerequirements, integration with existing build-ing systems, etc.) and operational protocols(e.g. standard operating procedures, equip-ment scheduling, staffing requirements, etc).This information is typically best conveyedvia product cut sheets and technical specifi-cations from the vendor, although it isoftentimes helpful to engage in detailed con-

versations withthe actual operatorsof the equipment in oth-er facilities to ascertaintheir first-hand reactions to thetechnology.

It is essential to identify any issuesthat may adversely impact the guest ex-perience. These issues can originate indesign (technology does not perform accord-ing to aesthetic requirements or brandstandards), operations (equipment efficiencyor downtime), or externalities associatedwith operations (secondary, unintended im-pacts such as noise, vibration, odors, airquality issues, etc). These issues are usuallybest identified by visiting one or more prop-erties with the technology in-place.

The hotel representative should ask fordetails regarding the anticipated mainte-nance regime and also review service


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so they can learn first-hand regarding the an-ticipated permitting regime, timeframe, andcosts.

In addition to any construction or opera-tions permits required, the hotelier shouldalso understand any vendor licensures thatdemonstrate professional competency in thedesign, sale, and operation of the technolo-gy (e.g. business licensure, engineeringaccreditation, membership in relevant tradeorganizations, etc.), as well as adherence torelevant certifications and standards for thetechnology itself (e.g. Underwriter’s Labora-tory, International Organization forStandardisation, etc).

What levels of financialperformance are modeled, andare these costs and returnsverifiable through actualperformance?Most vendors of environmental technolo-gies provide calculations regardinganticipated system performance and costsavings/ROI. Hotel representatives shouldask for details regarding the calculations,any assumptions included (e.g. commodi-ty rates), and whether the calculations aretheoretical in nature or based on actualsystem performance. Whenever possible, itis preferable to speak with an owner withthe technology already installed to under-stand how the system performs with regardto initial financial projections. If the technol-ogy is intended to replace or augment anexisting utility (e.g. energy, water, wastehauling), the financial evaluation shouldinclude a sensitivity analysis based on an-ticipated future variations in commodityrates to provide a reasonable range of an-ticipated returns.

What are the environmentaloutcomes associated withinstallation and operation of thetechnology?If environmental and/or sustainability issuesare an important consideration associatedwith the technology or product (from an own-ership or brand compliance perspective),some level of environmental due diligenceshould be conducted relating to the potentialreduction in resource consumption and/orwaste generation associated with implementa-tion of the technology.

From an ownership perspective, it mayalso be prudent to perform a high-level

REPORT

records (if available) for existing installationsto understand common maintenance issuesand costs. The expected service life of theinstallation should also be understood.

What is the feasibility of securingapprovals and permits?The regulatory regime surrounding deploy-ment of a new technology or product canrange widely – from simple exemption frompermitting requirements (for example, light-ing or plumbing fixture retrofits in somemunicipalities) to the requirement for com-prehensive approvals and permits at multiplelevels of regulatory authority (for example,installation of an onsite power generationsystem). It is therefore important to identifythe regulatory regime under which a technol-ogy, product, or service falls to properlyscope project timeframes and soft costs.

If the technology is new in a certain mu-nicipality and has not previously beenpermitted for use in a commercial buildingcontext, the owner and/or vendor shouldconsider conducting an informal consulta-tion with the relevant regulatory authoritiesto discuss the technology and receive prelim-inary feedback regarding the likelihood ofsecuring the appropriate approvals and per-mits. This meeting is typically referred to as apre-application consultation and is routinelyconducted as an early component of the reg-ulatory permitting process. Based on thelevel of investment required and the impor-tance of the project to the organization,the hotel’s ownership or managementmay desire to participate in thismeeting (in addition to the vendorand/or any retained consultants)

alternatives analysis to understand thehighest and best use of working capital. Forexample, if a hotel’s carbon footprint is animmediately pressing issue (perhaps in termsof securing MICE business), the technologycould be compared with other uses ofcapital to ascertain which investment willresult in the greatest reduction in emissionlevels – and therefore be most attractive topotential customers.

How does the vendor structure itsrelationship with the client?The contractual relationship between thevendor and hotelier can be structured inmany different fashions based on the scale ofthe transaction and potential cost savings as-sociated with operation of the technology.While most transactions are straight pur-chase agreements, alternative relationshipstructures such as performance contracting,power purchase agreements, and equipmentleasing are also being utilized with increasingfrequency.

The hotelier should inquire how the ven-dor typically structures its relationship withclients, as well as review any purchase or ser-vice contracts. The specific details of theagreements (e.g. term, performance stipula-tions, termination clauses, financingprovisions, etc.) can then be evaluatedagainst ownership objectives to determine ifthe technology is viable from an investmenthorizon perspective. This is also an opportu-nity to understand the warranty for thetechnology or service, and to discuss withother customers the extent to which the ven-dor stands behind their product.

ConclusionAlthough a technology may be identified as‘sustainable,’ hoteliers should apply the samedue diligence as with any other procurementdecision, including consideration of techni-cal merit, operational impacts andconstraints, regulatory and brand require-ments, and economic impact. Additionally,since these technologies are intended tominimize or reduce a hotel’s resource con-sumption footprint, it is prudent to evaluatethe anticipated environmental benefits asso-ciated with the technology in comparisonwith other uses of capital which could poten-tially provide a greater environmental and/orfinancial return.

By Kevin A. Goldstein, vice president ofHVS Sustainability Services

14


BRAND ANALYSIS

IHG PLANS 32 HOLIDAYINN HOTELS IN INDIA

Sees Growing Domestic Business Travellers’Demand for International Hotel Brands

Friendly service and modern, attractive facilities define IHG’s mid-market brand HolidayInn. The brand went for a global makeover, a couple of years back, to give it a newidentity. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) plans to open 32 new looks Holiday Inn

hotels in India soon even as it prepares to develop its Holiday Inn Express brand in thecountry. How do the two brands differ? What is the vision for Holiday Inn?

Chris Moloney, COO, IHG, South West Asia answers these and more for us.


| 15

BRAND ANALYSIS

Tell us briefly about the brandHoliday Inn. What is the USP ofthe brand?The Holiday Inn brand family is the largestand most recognised hotel brand in theworld. Guests stay with us because they canbe assured of receiving a consistent, re-freshed experience at an affordable price inany of our hotels around the world, which iswhy nine out of ten travellers have stayed ata Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express hotel –more than any other hotel brand in theworld. Every year 100 million people stay atHoliday Inn hotels around the world – mean-ing three people check in to a Holiday Innevery second.

In 2010 Holiday Inn completed the biggestever re-launch in hospitality history with theUS$1billion refresh of over 3,300 hotelsaround the world. Since this makeover, whichwas designed to ensure Holiday Inn contin-ued to offer the things that matter most to ourguests – great beds, great showers and a fan-tastic service, with a more up to date look.

We currently have seven Holiday Innproperties in India and over 75 per cent ofour development pipeline here is alreadyHoliday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels.But the combination of the size of the poten-tial market, and our industry leadingmid-scale brand, means we are actively look-ing to build on this. Our first Holiday InnExpress in India will open in Ahmedabadlater this year.

How is it positioned in India? Is itdifferent from the global positioning?Our strategy in India is to have a significantpresence across key business hubs and sec-ondary cities. Given the increasing inboundand domestic market, we feel our interna-tionally renowned brands are just whatguests are looking for.

Offering programmes that can keep chil-dren entertained is a mainstay of Holiday Innhotels. The brand first pioneered its signatureKids Stay & Eat Free programme. This featureallows guests under 18 stay for free when theyshare their parents' room and children under12 eat free with accompanying adult guests.Innovative hotel facilities, such as specially-themed Family suites and KidSuites®, KidsClubs and Teen Zones, are available at resortlocations and are all specifically designedwith the young guest in mind.

This iconic brand celebrates its 60th anni-versary in August this year and Holiday Inn

CHRIS MOLONEYCOO, IHG, SOUTH WEST ASIA

Guests stay with us becausethey can be assured ofreceiving a consistent,

refreshed experience at anaffordable price in any of

our hotels around theworld, which is why nineout of ten travellers havestayed at a Holiday Inn orHoliday Inn Express hotel.

has won the Best Mid Market Hotel Brand inthe World and Asia Pacific by readers ofBusiness Traveller for 11 consecutive yearsup till 2011.

Who is a typical guest at a HolidayInn hotel?Like I mentioned, nine out of ten travellershave stayed at a Holiday Inn or Holiday InnExpress hotel. Every year 100 million peoplestay at Holiday Inn hotels around the world– meaning three people check in to a Holi-day Inn every second. So we don’t have a‘typical’ guest!

Both domestic and international travellerswould stay at a Holiday Inn an we have re-sources in India including a dedicateddesign and engineering team who designand project manage the hotels to the needsof the Indian market and its guests whilemaintaining the core DNA of a brand that isinternationally known and loved.

We see increasing demand from domes-tic business travellers seeking a hotel with aninternational brand at great value. India hasa strong domestic market (over 740 milliondomestic trips were taken in 2011 in India)

and is set to grow significantly in the next fewyears. Given that business travellers in Indiaon an average spend 27 nights away peryear, Holiday Inn brand is well-positioned toaddress the need for internationally brandedand high-quality hotels for the value con-scious traveller.

How is Holiday Inn different fromHoliday Inn Express?Although from the same brand family, Holi-day Inn and Holiday Inn Express servedifferent guests needs. The Holiday Inn Ex-press targets a different demographic ofbusiness and leisure travellers who are seek-ing comfort and value accommodation atcompetitive prices in the heart of the city.This demographic of traveller is not seekingthe full range of amenities such as a broadrange of recreational or food and beveragefacilities on offer at Holiday Inn.

How many hotels does the brandhave in the country at present?What are the expansion plans?We currently have seven Holiday Inn prop-erties across key business and leisure hubsin India. We have a robust pipeline of morethan 32 Holiday Inn hotels, accounting for75 per cent of our development pipeline inthe country.

We partner with a number of owners, forexample, we also have management con-tracts with the Amrapali Group to add twoHoliday Inn and four Holiday Inn Expresshotels. This is in addition to the joint venturepartnership with Duet India Hotels Group(DIHL) we signed last year to develop 19new Holiday Inn Express hotels across morethan 12 key cities in India by 2016.

IHG has a robust pipeline of a total of 48hotels (over 1,100 rooms) scheduled to open inthe next few years and we’re well positioned tohave 150 hotels in the country by 2020.

How is India contributing to theglobal revenues for Holiday Inn?We currently have seven Holiday Inn proper-ties across key business and leisure hubs inIndia with a total of more than 3,300 HolidayInn and Holiday Inn Express hotels aroundthe world. Holiday Inn is a very importantpart of our future growth here – we have arobust pipeline of more than 32 Holiday Innhotels, accounting for 75 per cent of our de-velopment pipeline in the country. ■

by PURVA BHATIA

16


Mapple Spreads its Horizon toChhatarpur, Eyes Tier 3 Cities

Mapple Hotels launched its first hotel in 2006 and since then the brand hasdeveloped a portfolio of eight hotels and two trains in a short span of six years.This August, the group is all set to launch their second property in Delhi named

Mapple Exotica in Chhatarpur. Sehar Shamim, general manager - sales &marketing talks exclusively to Hotelscapes about this new

property and the group’s future plans.

BRAND ANALYSIS

Tell us more about the brand?We started in Hyderabad in November2006, we either own or take hotels on longlease. Our partner Sanjay Wadhawan, whois also our joint managing director (he wasresponsible for setting up Usha Lexuschain of hotels) and our chairman SanjayChabbara, had an idea to have 3-4 star ho-tels. As an expansion plan we are lookingat tier 3 cities apart from leisure and corpo-rate sector. We also run the luxury trains

The Golden Chariot and Maharaja’s Express.

Where all do you have properties?Besides having two properties in Delhi wehave properties in Bengaluru, Corbett, Jodh-pur, Manali, Pune, Bhimtal and Jaipur.

What is your business model?In every city there is a different businessmodel for example in Delhi where we havetwo hotels we cater to the corporate, domes-

tic, social and the inbound traveller. We alsodo conferences and weddings. In Pune andBengaluru we cater to the corporate, where-as in Jaipur and Jodhpur there is a mix ofdomestic, corporate, wedding and luxurysegment.

How far have you achieved yourobjectives since the time you started?We have eight hotels and two luxury trains.In the coming years we will be looking at


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places like Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Lucknow,Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bhopal toname a few.

Can you tell us something about yournew property Mapple Exotica whichwill be opening in Delhi shortly?Mapple Exotica has 43 room properties andis spread across 8 acres of land in Chhatarpurin Delhi. It will be operational on August 1,2012 and it has a plethora of options to hostany indoor and outdoor events.

Can you give us a break up of thehotel rooms, how many rooms andsuites it will have?There are a total of six suites and rest are alldeluxe rooms.

What all facilities do you offer inthese rooms?All the rooms are replete with luxurylike high definition LCD TVs with a huge

Luxury on Wheels: The Golden Chariot

range of satellite programs, well stockedmini bars and complimentary tea andcoffee makers.

Do you have a particular themefor these rooms?No, we don’t have any particular theme forthese rooms.

Who is your target customer?We are targeting all the segments starting

from domestic traveller, corporate, (MICE)Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhi-bitions. At Mapple Exotica we have a 13,000sq ft hall which caters to 1,000 people.

Do you have any restaurants orpubs where the guests can chill out?We have a pub and a restaurant. The restau-rant named Elements will be catering to the

connoisseurs of fine taste where as the pubwill be having the best of wines.

What is the USP of MappleExotica?A lot of hotels cater to ‘a particular segment’but we are catering to different kinds ofmarkets. We can handle domestic, foreign,corporate and weddings. We are one stopwedding solution for: Theme weddings, ex-otic cuisine, beautiful floral decorations,exclusive and customised wedding cards,special rituals and performances.

What are you expansion planshow many hotels do you want tohave in your portfolio?By the year end we will have 5 new hotelsand the expansion prospects look bright. ■

by VASUJIT KALIA

Mapple Hotels is the only private companyin India running a luxury train called TheGolden Chariot.

The trains have two different itineraries.Pride of the South travels from Monday-Monday from Bengaluru it travels throughMysore, Srirangapatna, Kabini,Shravanabelagola, Belur – Halebidu,Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal andculminates in Goa.

Whereas Southern Splendour also trav-els from Monday-Monday from Bengaluru,through Chennai & Mamallapuram, Pu-ducherry, Tanjavur – a World HeritageSiteumari, Thiruvananthapuram and endsat Kovalam Thotapalli and Alleppey.

The 11 passenger coaches are repletewith luxury and are named after the mag-nificent dynasties and empires that ruledthis South Indian state, Karnataka - Kadam-

SEHAR SHAMIMGENERAL MANAGER -

SALES AND MARKETING,MAPPLE HOTELS, PALACES AND RESORTS

In every city there is adifferent business model inDelhi where we have two

hotels we cater to thecorporate, domestic, socialand the inbound traveller.In Pune and Bengaluru wecater to the corporate. In

Jaipur and Jodhpur there isa mix of domestic,

corporate, wedding andluxury segment.

ba, Hoysala, Rashtrakuta, Ganga,Chalukya, Bahamani, Adilshahi, Sanga-ma, Shathavahana, Yadukula andVijayanagara.

Each of the passenger coach has acabin fully equipped with amenities likeattached baths and plasma TV. There is agood storage space like cupboards tostore luggage, a side table and readingdesks in every room to name a few.

The train also has two restaurantswhich are designed in Belur and Hampistyle, catering to both the vegetarians andthe non-vegetarians. There is also AnAyurveda centre, a spa and a gym forthose who want to work out.

For the connoisseur of fine winesthere is Madira, the lounge bar which isdesigned in Belur style with the finestcollection of wines and spirits.

18


THE RIGHTINGREDIENTS

FOR YOURSPA

Products used in spa are asimportant as skilledtherapists to offer guests asuperlative experience.Experts say guests observeand feel the type of servicesthat you are providing aswell as the products used inthe spa. So we spoke tosome of the top spas to findout what products they useand how these help themdiffer from the others.


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FORUM OF THE MONTH

The Imperial Spa andSalonJacqualine Tara Herron,directorProduct: We have our own brand SUFI forour signature massages, facials and spa thera-pies blended to our specifications. These are95 per cent pure with a 75 per cent use of or-ganic ingredients. We also offer Natura Bisseproducts that is an exemplary spa and skin-care brand from Spain for which we haveresults driven skin specific facials and bodytreatments. We also use a traditionalAyurvedic product supplier for our Ayurvedictherapies and treatments. Natura Bisse areimported from Spain and SUFI are made byan international product development housebased in India.

Deciding on your spa products is a vitalpart of the development process as it reflectsyour spa concept, philosophy, standard,price point and guest expectation. Our spaseeks to embrace a ‘from the inside out phi-losophy’ utilizing pure and holistic productsfor detoxing and purifying, plus products tosupport real skin care solutions for visible en-hancement and beauty. We have woven aSufi theme through our spa naming and in-spirational art-work and poetry which is alsoreflected in the product names and their for-mulations. These are also retailed withinThe Imperial.

We brought Natura Bisse to India first andmany of our international hotel guests al-ready know the brand and are very pleasedto see us offering their fabulous treatmentsand retailing the products. We retail NaturaBisse and some of the SUFI products plus oursignature scent as an Eau de Toilette.

Guest feedback: The guests do appreci-

JACQUALINE TARA HERRONDIRECTOR,

THE IMPERIAL SPA AND SALON

Our spa seeks to embracea ‘from the inside out

philosophy’ utilizing pureand holistic products fordetoxing and purifying,

plus products to supportreal skin care solutions for

visible enhancementand beauty.

ate the products used and as our staff receivetop level training and guidance on how to useand sell the products and services, the guest isnot left in any confusion about their benefits.

Storage & Supply: For storing the prod-ucts, we have storage in cool, dark placesaway from direct heat and sunlight. Some ofour more sensitive products are stored in alarge refrigerator bought for this purpose.

We have very good relationship with oursuppliers so there is consistent support andsupply. However as overseas purchases canbe a long process, we plan well in advanceso lead time is considered for delivery toavoid running out of essential items.

Maya Spa, The ZuriKumarakom, KeralaResort & SpaDr. Sunil Kumar,spa managerSpa products play an important role in spatreatments of all kinds. For example, inAyurveda, different oils have different effectson the body and in Western treatments theoutcome of facials and scrubs depends onthe products used on the body.

Product: We use Pevonia products for theWestern treatments and source our Ayurvedicproducts from Rajha Herbal and Iraya. All ofthem have distributors and they supply accord-ing to our needs. While selecting the products,the quality of the products is of prime impor-tance because that defines the entire spaexperience. The consistency in quality is impor-tant too because a product that has built areputation over time is more dependable.

The Pevonia products are unique andhave a wide range of beauty products thatwe use exclusively for pigmentation, aged

DR. SUNIL KUMARMAYA SPA, THE ZURI KUMARAKOM,

KERALA RESORT & SPA

While selecting the products,the quality of the products isof prime importance because

that defines the entire spaexperience. The consistency

in quality is important toobecause a product that hasbuilt a reputation over time

is more dependable.

20


FORUM OF THE MONTH

skin and especially for male skin. When cer-tain products provide an exclusive benefit itboosts our wellness offering and helps us bet-ter to create a niche in delivering excellence.

Guest feedback: Guests who frequentlyundergo spa treatments understand and ap-preciate the quality of products we use. Inany case, before beginning a treatment ourtherapists always give the guest a detailedexplanation on the different ingredients andbenefits of the particular product chosen. Wealso have the retail range of the products weuse in the spa. The sales have seen a substan-tial fillip in this financial year.

Storage & Supply: All products comewith quality packaging hence most of thetime storage is not a concern. At times, cer-tain oils are required to be stored in a darkplace with less temperature and our spa hasa dedicated storage area to preserve thesetypes of oils.

R The Spa, Radisson BluPlaza DelhiAlka Katar,spa directorProducts: Spa products play a pivotal role indesigning the spa offerings and the choice ofproduct is in line with the spa’s philosophyand concept. We use finest botanical prod-ucts like Pevonia, and Spa Factory Bali thatensure the journey of the senses is truly bliss-ful. We get the product supply from theIndian representatives/exclusive distributorsof the products in Delhi.

The factors taken into considerationwhile choosing the products are: whether theproduct is matching the service philosophy/promise to deliver; distributors’ selection andcredibility to avoid any after sales or supply

related concerns; product specifications, la-belling and packaging, storage requirement;cost; products used in competition set up,service outcome especially any adverse ef-fect, coverage-body, skin and hair care etcfor target segment.

Guest Feedback: Our purely botanicalformulations provide basic value to Indianguests with western ethos and internationalguests with Indian ethos. We do not placeundue stress on therapeutic aspects but guestderive this as a benefit from our quality prod-ucts and carefully designed therapies. Ourproducts are hypoallergenic, not tested onanimals and absolutely safe for Asian andWestern skin type. We have adapted the tra-ditional offer of wellness to the businessneeds of a traveller.

The spa provides guests with an option ofextending the spa experience home aftergetting a treatment with the finest botanicalformulations for an extended body, skin andhair care. It helps to keep the guest rejuvenat-ed until the next spa schedule. The sale is onrequest and based on skin/body require-ment. We keep all our spa products inairtight containers at a carefully regulatedtemperature away from direct sunlight.

Rejuve The Spa, The LalitSuri Hospitality GroupRichard Rosen,corporate spa headProducts: We have specially formulatedproducts such in the natural line using theage old recipes from India such as: Sara andKyur Ayurveda both from South India. Also acouple of selected 100 percent natural prod-ucts: Monica Polta and Vanya Natural. Thepopular Forest Essentials along with the

RICHARD ROSENCORPORATE SPA HEAD, REJUVE THE SPA,

THE LALIT SURI HOSPITALITY GROUP

We look at the quality andintegrity of our products,

how are they manufacturedin regards to the cleanliness

of the factory, equipmentand staff coming in contact,

the quality of ingredientsused, the process used toblend and the packaging.

ALKA KATARSPA DIRECTOR, R THE SPA,

RADISSON BLU PLAZA DELHI

We use finest botanicalproducts like Pevonia, and

Spa Factory Bali that ensurethe journey of the senses is

truly blissful. We get theproduct supply from theIndian representatives/

exclusive distributors of theproducts in Delhi.


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FORUM OF THE MONTH

much known brand Provonia. We get thesupplies from Kerala, Risikesh and otherparts of India along with the U.S.A.

We first and foremost look at the qualityand integrity of our products, how are theymanufactured in regards to the cleanliness ofthe factory, equipment and staff coming incontact, the quality of ingredients used, theprocess used to blend and the packaging.Also the feel, texture, smell and also and veryimportant the benefits of the product to ourmost valued guests. As Rejuve the Spa putsattention into every detail of our spa servic-es all our products must also be one hundredpercent pleasing to all the six senses.

It is the quality of our therapists andS.O.P.s along with the ‘Products’ that createRejuve the Spa to stand out from others. Wehave gone to great lengths in creating prod-ucts that will assure us the very best in guestsatisfaction. Rejuve the Spa combines thebest from the West and best from the East.

Guest Feedback: The simple fact that ourturnaround rate is amazing says it all! Even theguest staying for a few nights will rebook thenext day. It is common to see our guests com-ing in every day or two for a treatment. We areconstantly getting feedback our spa treat-ments are amazing and they love theproducts. We are going to be getting into theretail aspect of the spa very soon. I don’t seestoring the products as a challenge. As we payattention to details and have a well trainedstaff this is not a challenge and I am mostgrateful too as this can really be a problem.We order for three to four months in advanceor so depending on the time of year as to useall products well before its expiration period.

Divya Spa, The LeelaKovalamSunil Raj, spa manager,As Ayurvedic system of medicine is strictly

personalized, it is important to choose the oiland medicines according to skin type andbodily ailments. After basic consultation withthe doctor, will decide which oil is suitablefor the guests.

We use products from Softouch HCPL forAyurveda treatments which is a multination-al brand having branches in Middle East,South Africa and Europe. Since there is scar-city of herbs day to day, we are giving morepreference to the brand from which all herbsin said product are available and authentic.

All products are genuine and natural andspecially prepared for our spa. This particu-lar Spa oils which we use are only forprofessional use. But we have a retail collec-tion from Kama Ayurveda and ForestEssential products. All our guests are veryhappy about the service and products whichwe using at the Spa. Most of the guests areaware of the differences in products used inone spa over the other.

The Ayurveda oils prepared according tothe old classics, so that the oils have a goodshelf life and we are storing in a hygienic airconditioned room. We are taking all the mea-sures for maintaining hygiene according tothe health department of Kerala Government.

Devi ResortsDr. Rejith Daniel,spa directorProducts: We use L’Occitane products andget the supply from Provence, France. We, atDevi Resorts, blend Rajasthan’s local ingredi-ents with these products to enhance theguest experience of an Indian MediterraneanWellness fusion. L’Occitane has Hectaresof land in south of France where they cul-tivate the natural flowers, herbs, nuts etc.they are purely natural and we make prod-ucts out of them.

Factors considered: The main factors that

DR. REJITH DANIELDEVI RESORTS, SPA DIRECTOR

The main factors that weconsider for any spa

products are: its organicnature, eco friendliness,

effectiveness andauthenticity. L’Occitane is a

brand that offers highquality and sensorial beauty

products and fragrances.

SUNIL RAJSPA MANAGER, DIVYA SPA,

THE LEELA KOVALAM

All our guests are veryhappy about the serviceand products which weusing at the Spa. Most ofthe guests are aware of

the differences inproducts used in one spa

over the other.

22


we consider for any spa products are: its or-ganic nature, eco friendliness, effectivenessand authenticity. L’Occitane is a brand thatoffers high quality and sensorial beauty prod-ucts and fragrances. It uses natural activeingredients with proven traceability. It usesplant based active ingredients. Its products areauthentic and “respectful”. The effectivenessof the products, relaxing and rejuvenating aro-ma which indeed is the purpose of anyproduct, product distinction between skintypes and conditions that caters to individualneeds and requirement makes us stand out.

Guests’ feedback: Once experienced,guest feels the heavenly experience whichthey have never had before. The survey ofthe guest satisfaction rating of our spas andthe products reveal this exciting fact whichitself is our success story. This also makesL'Occitane spas stands on top among otherbrands. In this modern era Spa users are welltravelled guest. They can easily find out thedifference in the spa products. In L’Occitanespas our professional aestheticians providesdetailed explanation about each productswith their benefits used during treatmentwith post treatments advises.

Sanghvi brand’s promoters has taken themaster franchise to develop L’Occitane Spasin India. We have 7 retail outlets in major cit-ies of India. Every L’Occitane Spas in Indiaalso does retail. We are getting a tremendousdemand for the products from every part ofthe country.

Storage & Supply: Storing the Spa prod-ucts and lotions is a big challenge. As allnatural products need an optimum tempera-ture to be stored, we make sure that theproducts are well stored at all times as perthe specifications. We make sure that ourinventory and storage process are closelymonitored to avoid any kind of issues relatedto the spoilage of products.

Jaypee HotelsTarandeep,AGM-marketing and communicationAt Tamaya, when guest experiences a relax-ing and beneficial spa therapy that leaves asense of satisfaction, it is because of threeequally important factors working conjointly:a) The product used for the treatment. It iscrucial to have a range of products that willdeliver that satisfaction to the guest.b) The skill, knowledge and experience ofthe therapist give confidence about experi-encing a therapy.

c) The ambiance of the spa. Peace and tran-quility are very delicate states to maintainand a spa’s ambiance is crucial in complet-ing the experience. All the above mentionedfactors are co-dependent.

Products: Tamaya-Spa.Salon.WellnessCentre uses products from Pevonia Botanica,an elite spa care line chosen by prestigiousspas worldwide.

When we recommend a Pevonia treat-ment, it is always after a thoroughconsultation. This is crucial because it helpsthe therapist to understand guest skin type,concerns, lifestyle and expectations of posttreatment. There are other factors as well thatinfluence this decision such as price, fra-grance and ingredients.

Guests’ feedback: Spa enthusiasts caneasily differentiate between the quality ofproducts that various spas offer. A regular spavisitor will definitely be able to find the differ-ence in products that is used in one spa overthe other. Each spa care brand has its own sig-nature techniques in performing a treatment.

Apart from the professional range, Pevo-nia has a home care range that complimentsthe in-spa treatments. We often have clientsenquiring about the products used duringthe facial and body treatments. The homecare products are meant as after care to pro-long the results of the treatment undergone,making them quite popular. Pevonia has awide range of home care products that in-clude facial products such as cleansers andcare creams to body products such as scrubsand body balms.

FORUM OF THE MONTH

RAVI CHANDRANSR. VP & MD, SPA OPERATIONS

BANYAN TREE SPA

Our refreshing blend ofAsian-inspired treatmentsemphasises on the use ofnatural ingredients likeAsian and native herbs,

spices, flowers and fruits.All ingredients are freshly

grounded and mixed on theday of the treatment.

TARANDEEPAGM-MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION,

JAYPEE HOTELS

The ambiance of the spa.Peace and tranquility are

very delicate states tomaintain and a spa’s

ambiance is crucial incompleting the

experience. All theabove mentioned factors

are co-dependent.


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DR. RATHEESH KUMARSPA MANAGER,

SERENO SPA PARK HYATT GOA

Get the best effect fromany spa treatment, the

products used play a veryimportant role. The spa

products act as a main linkthat connect a particularspa treatment with the

guest and hence attractsmore customers.

FORUM OF THE MONTH

Storage & Supply: Like all cosmeticproducts, these need to be stored in the cooldry place with the exception of a very fewwhich need to be refrigerated once opened.These guidelines are not challenging to fol-low. If stored correctly the shelf life can bemaintained easily.

Banyan Tree SpaRavi Chandran,sr. VP & MD, spa operationsThe spa products and ingredients used for aspa therapy define the uniqueness of eachspa experience. As the first luxury spa inAsia, Banyan Tree Spa prides itself in re-intro-ducing an exotic blend of time-honouredhealth and beauty practices.

Products used: At Banyan Tree Spa andAngsana Spa, our refreshing blend of Asian-inspired treatments emphasises on the use ofnatural ingredients such as Asian and nativeherbs, spices, flowers and fruits. All spa treat-ment ingredients are freshly grounded andmixed on the day of the treatment. Theserefreshing ingredients are specially preparedfor the various treatments such as bodyscrub, facial and body moisturising. Our linesof Banyan Tree Spa and Angsana Spa oil andspa products are created using time-ho-noured recipes originating from the ancientsecrets to beauty and wellness. Workingclosely with three laboratories in China, In-dia and Thailand, our products areexclusively formulated with all-natural ingre-dients. Awarded certification by therespective local Ministries of Health, the

products undergo stringent tests.Inspired by our exquisite spa treatments,

Banyan Tree Gallery and Angsana Gallery –our spa retails – introduced the Banyan TreeSpa and Angsana Spa Essentials outletsalongside the award-winning Spas, whichoffer visitors the option of recreating the con-temporary Asian spa experience in theirhomes. The unique merchandise range in-cludes quality essential and massage oils,aromatic incenses, signature hair and bodycare toiletries, and aromatherapy accessoriessuch as ceramic oil burners, incense holdersand eye pillows.

Our range of Banyan Tree Gallery andAngsana Gallery skincare and haircare prod-ucts such as shampoo, conditioners andscrubs are inspired by our spa signature treat-ments and cater to different skin types. Wedo not use other Spa products brands.

Guests feedback: Guests do appreciatethe back to basic, non-clinical and holistic‘high-touch, low-tech’ approach of our Ban-yan Tree Spas and Angsana Spas. Manyregular guests love our brands and our spaphilosophy. Our refreshing blend of Asian-in-spired treatments emphasises on the use ofnatural ingredients such as Asian and nativeherbs, spices, flowers and fruits. We are dedi-cated towards selecting fresh and indigenousingredients for our product lines. This similarconcept applies to Angsana products.

Sereno Spa, Park HyattGoaDr. Ratheesh Kumar,spa managerTo get the best effect from any spa treatment,the products used play a very important role.The spa products act as a main link that con-nect a particular spa treatment with the guestand hence attracts more customers as it en-hances the treatment benefits, as well as themajor ingredients present in that particularproduct work on the healing attributes. Theproduct quality that you purchase for yourspa should be par excellence.

Products: At Sereno Spa, we mainly usecustomised products from Iraya, as well asan international spa product range and treat-ments from Comfort Zone and Thalion. Wealso use traditional Ayurveda products fromKotakkal Arya Vaidyasala.

Before finalizing a particular productrange, we look into the following aspects:brand value, ease of availability, natural in-

gredients, product customization and thera-peutic effects. The products used in our spastand apart as we customise the entire rangeof products used for our treatments as perour personal specifications.

Guest feedback: Guests are well in-formed and well-travelled; they can tellapart an inferior product from a superiorone. We have a spa boutique at Sereno Spa,where most of our treatment products areavailable for guests to purchase. The spaboutique is quite popular as we recom-mend products to guests for daily use as pertheir body type and constitution. We haveadvanced storage facilities for storing ourproducts. All spa products should be storedin dry, cool and ventilated areas, so that theefficacies of the products are preserved fora longer time. Lotions and creams arestored in good quality air tight plastic con-tainers, whereas aromatic oils, massage oilsand essential oils are stored in airtight alu-minum or opaque glass bottles. Also, weneed to ensure that spa products are storedin a hygienic and clean environment, as it’salways vulnerable to external climaticchanges. ■

24


INNOVATION

MEETING ROOMS THATMAKE YOU FEEL AT HOMEHyatt Innovates with Residential

Style Meeting Rooms

SVEN HOFFMEYERGENERAL MANAGER,

PARK HYATT HYDERABAD

Park Hyatt Hyderabad isthe first hotel in India to

feature Hyatt’sinnovative residential-style meeting concept.Named The Manor at

Park Hyatt Hyderabad,the meeting facilities are

designed in acomfortable and

welcoming style toreflect the

entertainment spaces ofprivate homes.

High-tech gadgets, excellent inter-net connectivity, convenientmeeting spaces – businesshotels are putting all the stops to

grab a share of the growing business travelmarket. Hyatt is doing so with it’sinnovation in developing residential stylemeeting concept. The facilities aredesigned to offer comfortable environmentfor business meetings and events. Theconcept can be seen at Grand HyattDubai’s Al Manzil, which boasts of styleelements of Arabic hospitality andarchitecture.

In India, Park Hyatt Hyderabad is the firsthotel to feature this concept. Named TheManor at Park Hyatt Hyderabad, the meetingfacilities are designed to reflect theentertainment spaces of private homes. Thehotel offers small and mid-sized groups apersonal, tailor-made meetings or eventsexperience, which is aided by a dedicatedEvents Service team.

Hotelscapes spoke to Sven Hoffmeyer,general manager, Park Hyatt Hyderabad whotells us about the concept.

Tell us about the concept ofresidential style meeting rooms.What elements make the room‘residential’?Park Hyatt Hyderabad is the first hotel in In-dia to feature Hyatt’s innovativeresidential-style meeting concept. NamedThe Manor at Park Hyatt Hyderabad, themeeting facilities are designed in a comfort-able and welcoming style to reflect the

Make room for an intimate, personalized, tailor-made ‘meeting’ experienceat Park Hyatt Hyderabad. The execution of the concept is aided

by a dedicated events service team.


| 25

INNOVATION

entertainment spaces of private homes. Thisunique concept offers small and mid-sizedgroups a personal, tailor-made meetings orevents experience aided by a dedicatedEvents Service team.

What is the advantage the guestshave with these rooms?

● It’s more personalized

● You can decorate the manor with yourpersonal pictures/belongings to make it lookmore homely.

● Comfort seating (couch/lounge seating) –Flexible for 10 to 80 people

● Inbuilt refrigerators, Nepresso coffeemachine

● Natural day light to make it more homely

Concept of theManor House ☛ The Manor house was a largecountry home owned by the Lordof the manor or an importantnobleman and was famous for itsweekend parties. The rich andfamous would leave London atthe beginning of summer andmigrate to their country homes formuch of the season. But theywould spend their time visitingand attending the house parties offriends and family who ownedsimilar manor houses in the area.At the beginning visits would lastfor several weeks, or even monthsuntil the roads improved and thevisit become shorter but morefrequent.

The main source of entertain-ment were the parties, which weremore than just passing the time ofday with friends or family, it was avenue to talk business, politics andto socialize. Although relaxationwas the main reason for a coun-try house visit, the deals that wenton behind closed doors couldfurther your business and career.It was a very early form of net-working as we know it today.

Every day breakfast was an in-formal affair with guest helpingthemselves from a sideboard andthey would sit where they wishedmuch like the manor in Park HyattHyderabad.

Currently Grand Hyatt Dubai andPark Hyatt Hyderabad propertiesboasts of Residential StyleMeeting Rooms. What aboutother Hyatt properties?Each property has its own USP. Hyatt selectsnew properties around the world to be fittedin a particular market. Hence if the conceptof manor fits the market then the residentialstyle meeting rooms are set-up.

What is the average capacity ofthese rooms?

The average seating capacity of the man-or may vary based on the way it is designed.This one provides flexible seating for10-80 people.

How will these rooms help

Hyatt position itself differentlyfrom others?Normally, banquet events are considered tolack personalised attention given to guestsat fine dining restaurants. We have taken astep ahead and made sure that even for asmall event, we can offer our guests person-alised service with an interactive kitchen.Also breaking away from the norm of stand-ing buffet our guests can choose to becomfortable in a couch or sit on a dining ta-ble to enjoy the meal. ■

AS TOLD TO PURVA BHATIA

26


DESTINATION ANALYSIS

Bengaluru (formerly known as Ban-galore), the capital city of Karnataka, once called a ‘Pensioner’s Par-adise’ has now emerged as India’s

bustling science and technological centre.The city’s tree lined streets, numerous parksand greenery have led it to being called

‘The Garden City’. Bengaluru attracts peo-ple from all over the world due to thepresence of numerous high-tech knowledgehubs evident from the establishment of pre-mier research centres like Indian Institute ofScience (IISc), National Institute of AdvancedStudies (NIAS), Indian Space Research Organ-isation (ISRO), Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation (DRDO), IndianInstitute of Management (IIM), Indian Instituteof Information Technology (IIIT) and severalprofessional engineering and medical colleg-es at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Bengaluru offers unmatched growth op-portunities attracting migrants from all overIndia. This has resulted in making Bengaluruone of the most ethnically diverse cities inthe country. In tandem with the overall

growth trends, Bengaluru has developed sev-eral shopping malls and multiplexes. With anactive night life and a fast growing popula-tion, a large number of restaurants and pubspopulate the city. After liberalisation of theIndian economy, Information Technology(IT) firms such as Infosys and Wipro estab-lished their base in the city and the successof many of these companies have conferredit the status of ‘India’s Silicon Valley’. Benga-luru contributed 36 per cent of all softwareexports from India in 2009-10. The city hasalso grown to become a manufacturing hubparticularly for heavy industries like aero-space, defence and machine tools. Due tothe presence of a large number of nationaland multinational companies in the city, Ben-galuru leads in commercial stock over othertier-1 destinations including Delhi and Mum-bai. This development profile has also

proven beneficial to Bengaluru’s lodging in-dustry, which has consequently witnessedsubstantial growth over the past few years.

Hotel Supply DistributionBased on our research, Bengaluru has 48branded hotels with 7,734 rooms spread acrossvarious star categories. Some of the prominentinternational operators in Bengaluru includeIHG, Starwood, Accor and Wyndham.

5-star deluxe hotels represent 15 per centof the total supply while 5-star hotels dominatewith 33 per cent of the total inventory. The 4-star hotels contribute 21 per cent whereas the3-star category contributes 24 per cent. Ser-viced apartments in Bengaluru are currentlyoffered by four properties in the branded seg-ment namely Oakwood Premier Prestige,Royal Orchid Suites, Mercure Residences andAscott Group’s recently opened Citadines col-

lectively contributing 6 per cent to the overallbranded lodging supply. The 2-star categorycontributes only 1 per cent to the overallbranded supply.

Lodging Market PerformanceBased on Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ re-search, the below graph represents themarket-wide occupancy, Average Daily Rate(ADR) and Revenue Per Available Room(RevPAR) performance of the Bengalurulodging market beginning fiscal year 2008-09through 2010-11. The performance data is forbranded hotels across all segments.

● Market-wide occupancy was at 67per cent during 2008-09 before witnessing asteep decline to about 55 per cent in 2009-10as a result of substantial supply increases cou-pled with an ensuing economic downturn.Several companies also scaled down their trav-

Bengaluru Hotel Market: SignificantNew Supply Slated to Enter, says

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Research

Sheraton Bengaluru


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Supply PipelineOur research indicates that 9,779 rooms areexpected to enter the Bengaluru market overthe next five years. The upcoming supplyincludes 4,831 rooms currently under con-struction and another 4,948 rooms which areat various stages of planning. The upcominginventory is mostly an amalgamation of do-mestic and international brands spread overvarious lodging segments.

ConclusionBengaluru has emerged as a significantcommercial destination over the last de-cade largely driven by the IT/ITeS sector.The city is also complimented by excellentroad, rail and air connectivity. These at-tributes contributed in an exponentialgrowth of the city with a large number ofnational and multinational companies es-tablishing their corporate base in the area.As of December 31, 2011, Bengaluru fea-tures 6.1 million square meters of Grade-Aoffice stock and this is anticipated to in-crease in the future.

Bengaluru currently has 7,734 roomsspread across 48 hotels and the current sup-ply is expected to witness a significantincrease with 22 hotels in the branded seg-ment coming up in the near future.Bengaluru lodging market was amongst thebest performing hospitality markets in Indiain terms of RevPAR performance till 2008-09. A strong market performance in the pastattracted a large number of developers toenter the hospitality space in the city. Thesubsequent global recession and additionof new supply caused the market-wide Rev-PAR to decline in 2009-10. Nevertheless, asthe global and domestic economies stabi-lised, the performance of the Bengalurulodging market bounced back once againin 2010-11. Overall, as a result of its stronglodging demand fundamentals, coupledwith an excellent connectivity, we expectthe market to maintain its position as aprominent hospitality market in India inthe future.

Nonetheless, the significant amount ofnew supply slated to enter the Bengalurumarket in the coming five years remains asone of the largest threats to the market’sstrength. In the longer term, however, weexpect the new supply to be absorbed intothe marketplace as more development andgrowth occurs. ■

Source: Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Research, India

DESTINATION ANALYSIS

els due to the slowdown. However, as domes-tic and international economies stabilised in2010-11, demand levels strengthened and signsof a recovery were apparent with occupancybouncing back to 65 per cent

● Market-wide average rates peaked in2008-09 at Indian Rupees (INR) 12,000 beforedeclining by almost 32 per cent in 2009-10, asa consequence of the global economic re-cession. However, 2010-11 numbers show arise of 7 per cent in the average rates takingit to a level of INR 8,700.

● Historically, Bengaluru has been rankedamongst the top performing markets in Indiain terms of RevPAR performance. Overall, asa result of occupancy and average rate dy-namics, market-wide RevPAR declined byalmost 44 per cent in 2009-10 from its peak inthe preceding year. This decline can be at-tributed to the addition of new supply duringthis period as well as the ensuing economicdownturn. However, data reviewed for theperiod 2010-11 reveals that RevPAR levelshave bounced back by 25 per cent driven byan increase in occupancy levels.

Premier Inn BengaluruPremier Inn Bengaluru

28


TRENDS

Leela Kempinski Gurgaon

Mood lighting at The Imperial Spa, New Delhi

LIGHT UP YOUR MOOD…


| 29

Eminent architect, planner and writer,Denise Scott Brown once said, “The

expression of the architecture will comefrom the lighting than its structure.” Hotels

require mood lighting as per guestrequirement and themes. Lighting also

depends on the time of the day as well asspace, furniture, colour and texture of the

furnishing. All these factors play animportant role in deciding the mood lightingof the area. Experts from the hotel industry

and lighting giants share their views andideas on the technological innovations

in mood lighting.

ANIL KUMARDIRECTOR-ENGINEERING,

LEELA KEMPINSKI GURGAON

Lighting requirementdiffers in each setup...lighting is also a tool of

comfort as is air-conditioning. Lights can

cause a sense ofdiscomfort if it is brighterthan required or too dim.

VIJAY WANCHOOSENIOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

AND GENERAL MANAGER,THE IMPERIAL NEW DELHI

By adjusting the moodlighting any room can

change from a peacefulretreat to an energetic party

place. We use all kind oflamps in conjunction with

dimmers to set moodlighting of the area.

The Imperial New DelhiVijay Wanchoo,senior executive vice presidentand general managerHotels require mood lighting based onthe guest requirement and the theme ofthe area of the area which is to be litup. Controlled lighting affects the moodof individual even scientists, designersand psychologists believe that lightsplay an important role on human moodand their social behaviors.

Each area needs to be lit differentlysince the mood to be created in eacharea is distinct. In banquets, each eventhas different light requirements depend-ing on the type of the setup. Forweddings usually the lightening is ex-tremely elaborate in banquet spaces,various effects are given dependingupon the theme of wedding.

Guest room and coffee shop shouldhave more of task lighting. A spa needsto have dim lighting to create a warm, re-laxing and inviting atmosphere whereasbar’s lighting needs to be more sensitive.By adjusting the mood lighting any roomcan change from a peaceful retreat to anenergetic party place.

We use all kind of lamps in conjunc-tion with dimmers to set mood lightingof the area. Skillful application ofmood lighting definitely has calmingeffect on the guests and by adjustingthe mood lighting any room can

change from a peaceful retreat to anenergetic party place.

Revamping of mood lighting is gen-erally done along with hotel renovationas a lot depends on interiors in decid-ing the mood lighting. It cost around5-20 percent of the cost of project de-pending on the type of lamps andcontrols mechanism.

Leela Kempinski GurgaonAnil Kumar,director-engineeringLighting is an integral part of hotel in-teriors, it is the first thing whichcatches the attention of guests. Light-ing requirement differs in each setup.For instance, in bedrooms, lights canbe altered according to one’s moodwith the help of several lighting op-tions and dimmers.

Lighting is also a tool of comfort as isair-conditioning. Lights can cause asense of discomfort if it is brighter thanrequired or too dim.

In banquets, lights are adjusted asper the set up and the requirement ofa wedding or meeting. In a coffeeshop, the lighting pattern is set accord-ing to the timing – morning or eveningbut in guest rooms, it depends on indi-viduals. We are currently usinghalogen lamps, GLS lamps for moodlightimg. For dimming, Led dimmingis still under development.

TRENDS

30


The Fern, Jaipur

PARAM KANNAMPILLYCHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR,

CONCEPT HOSPITALAITY

Mood lighting helpselevate the experience ofthe guest and accentuatesthe hotel’s architecturalbeauty... it’s important tohave mood or controlledlighting in banquet halls

as they are used fordifferent events.

Concept HospitalityParam Kannampilly,chairman and managing directorMood lighting helps elevate the experi-ence of the guest and accentuates thehotel’s architectural beauty.

Banquet halls are used for conferenc-es, weddings, seminars and meetingshence it’s important to have mood orcontrolled lighting in banquet halls.Whereas in a guest room, mood lightingcan be altered as per the need of theguest – watching TV or reading. In a cof-fee shop one requires lighting toenhance the experience of the guest, es-pecially if live music is being played. Weuse LED lights to create different moods.

Wipro LightingShailesh Tokekar,group manager – marketingMood lighting is about creating differentmoods with installed lighting system de-pending on need of applications in aparticular area. Typically mood lightingis recommended in areas like guestrooms, restaurants, coffee shops, ban-quet halls and conference rooms in a

hotel. Mood lighting is very critical inhospitality spaces. Let’s take example ofbanquet hall where business meetings,product launches and social functionsoccur. Lighting requirement for eachevent is different. To create lighting sce-nario for each application, architecturaldimming systems are used. Mood light-ing creates an atmosphere which suitsarchitectural surroundings.

Lighting solutions proposed for ban-quet halls, food courts, coffee shopsand guest rooms are different as visualneeds are different in each space. Byusing architectural lighting controlssystem, one can create different light-ing scenarios in these areas to suit aparticular application.

In restaurant and coffee shops therange of conceivable lighting moods isendless – from glaring brightness to in-timate candlelight. The important thingis that the atmosphere should suit thearchitectural surroundings, ensure thatfood is clearly presented and looks at-tractive, and that visual conditions atthe table are right for conversation. Thelevel of brightness selected then deter-mines the degree of intimacy for diners.

TRENDS


| 31

Mood lighting createsstimulating atmosphere.

SHAILESH TOKEKARGROUP MANAGER – MARKETING,

WIPRO LIGHTING

Technology is the biggestenabler in mood lighting... wehave a simplest form of single

channel rotary dimmeravailable along with most

advanced network managedlighting control system which

can interface with otherbuilding management

systems in a hotel.

And all these priorities need to be ad-dressed by lighting compatible with thecatering concept of the house.

In guest rooms, guests should beable to select and regulate the leveland distribution of brightness in theroom to suit their mood. Convenienceis significantly heightened by centrallight control interface at the entranceof the room and also by the bed. Also,older people need considerably morelight than young ones, so the psycho-logical impression of brightness a hotelroom makes differs significantly ac-cording to the guest’s age. For thisreason alone, individual dimmer con-trol is recommended for regulatinglighting levels.

Technology is the biggest enabler inmood lighting. Today we have a sim-plest form of single channel rotarydimmer available along with most ad-vanced network managed lightingcontrol system which can interfacewith other building management sys-tems in a hotel. Advanced lightsources like LEDs, dimmable ballastsand drivers along with lighting controlssystems are recommended in various

areas in hospitality application.LED lights are preferred light source

as they are compact, energy efficient,long lasting and are virtuallymaintenance free. Also, they createvarious colours as per architecturallighting requirement of indoor andoutdoor space in a hotel.

A good quality lighting controlsystem offers flexibility, convenienceand comfort to the users. A smart andstylish dimming system recommendedfor guest rooms, restaurants andbanquet halls will pay back in three tofour years considering the amount ofenergy is saved.

Wipro has a dedicated team oflighting designers who understandneed for lighting control systems andsuggest energy efficient lightingsolutions for hospitality industry.

Designers GroupKhozema Chitalwala, principalarchitect designerMood lighting has always been very im-portant. A lot of small hoteliers in Indiahave realized the importance of mood

TRENDS

32


TRENDS

Public area lighting inhotel Cambay at Jaipur.

KHOZEMA CHITALWALAPRINCIPAL ARCHITECT DESIGNER,

DESIGNERS GROUP

To us the total dressing andambience is incompletewithout mood lighting.

Hotels have different areasand their functionalities

differ... thus mood lightingplays an important role.

lighting specifically, in public areas. As adesigner, mood lighting is the most im-portant aspect of a complete hotel. To usthe total dressing and ambience is in-complete without mood lighting. Hotelshave different areas and their functional-ities differ... thus mood lighting plays animportant role. For example: at an all-day dining, the importance of lighting onfood, buffet area and illuminating the ta-bles, highlighting walls is very important.Since the space is used throughout theday the lighting has to be different forbreakfast, lunch, dinner and supper.Hence, it is necessary to create the rightmood with the blend of natural light ifavailable in these spaces.

The banquet space is used for vari-ous conferences; the lightingrequirement is different than theevening sessions after conferencing. Fora marriage, party or any other socialgathering the lighting requirement is ab-solutely different than what is requiredfor a business meet. Hence mood light-ing plays a very important role in

creating the right ambience. If we con-sider guest rooms we have variousmoods/scenes to be created such asreading mode, TV or entertainmentmode, general ambience, sleep modewhich are preset moods created by thedesigner for the convenience of theguest. Technology is moving very fast. Ithas moved from manual to digital to re-mote access. Today LED is the mostimportant and most preferred form oflighting. As most hotel chains have be-come energy conscious and havestarted using them. Over and above,mood lighting also helps in using appro-priate energy and also creates the rightambience. Hence, mood lighting alsoworks as one of the green element inour overall design. Generally the re-vamping of mood lighting orintroduction of mood lighting is doneduring the hotel renovation project. Todo this in isolation is very difficult. Gen-erally hotels revamp their mood lightingsetups after eight to ten years. ■

by VASUJIT KALIA


| 33

34


MARKETING

Customer Relationship Marketing is a customer-focused business strategyaimed to optimize revenue, profit and customer satisfaction. The practice

believes that the buyer is always the king. Read on to know how hoteliers canmaximise their profits by following this strategy.

MAXIMISE YOURPROFITS WITH

‘Customer Relationship Marketing’

Wise words once said by Mahat-ma Gandhi hold true in today’s competitive market:“Customer is the most impor-

tant person for a business. He is not aninterruption to our work but the purpose of it.He is not an outsider; he is a part of it. We arenot doing him a favour; he is doing us a favourby giving us an opportunity to serve him.”

Globalization in India has seen the entryof many International hotel chains in Indiawhich in turn has increased the pressure onthe sales and marketing team in the hotelindustry to cultivate profit.

The efforts to survive in this competi-tive and its uncertain market place haveled people to realize that managing cus-

tomer relationships is a crucial factor fortheir success.

What is Customer RelationshipMarketing (CRM)?The concept of Customer Relationship Mar-keting emerged in 1990 and ever since, it hasbecome an important tool due to compul-sions of competition, globalization andemergence of more knowledgeable and de-manding customers. Customer RelationshipMarketing refers to all the marketing activitieswhich are directed towards establishing, de-veloping and maintaining successfulrelationship with customers.

Customer Relationship Marketing is astrategy that can help hoteliers build long-

lasting relationships with their customers andin turn increase their profits through correctmanagement system and application of cus-tomer-focused strategies.

Akshay Kulkarni, regional director - hos-pitality, South and South East Asia, Cushman& Wakefield, said that although CRM is im-portant, it’s imperative to understand andadapt the information which is generatedfrom CRM. “It’s more important how oneuses CRM. If one cannot make proper use ofthe information, it is of no use. In fact, manycompanies use similar CRM strategies andtherefore, what do they do with the informa-tion generated from it makes all thedifference and helps separates one companyfrom the other.”

Pullman Gurgaon


| 35

MARKETING

Echoing the similar sentiments, JaganLacsher, hotel manager, Pullman GurgaonCentral Park, said, “CRM is an integral aspectof the Hospitality Industry. It essentially de-fines the quality and quantity of customertouch points and how well these are man-aged is what sets apart one Hotel from theother. In today’s competitive scenario, CRMcould make or break a brand. Its effects anddimensions simply cannot be denied. With-out proper customer relationship marketing,there is no way to attract and retain custom-ers to the business. Hotels need to have adeep knowledge of their customers’ needs,behavior, and preferences to be aware of theways in which their hospitality services willbe delivered. The purpose of all CRM strate-gies should be to create value and therefore,stimulate customer retention and loyalty.”

“Mere customer satisfaction does not assureloyalty towards any brand,” says ArminderOberoi, connoisseur manager, Leela Kempin-ski Gurgaon Hotel. He adds, “I feel that eachand every company has to face a cut-throatcompetition with other competitors for a foot-hold in the ever slippery market. Therefore,mere customer satisfaction is not enough toassure loyalty towards any brand. Since pros-pects are having many choices and are moreprice sensitive now, companies need to dosomething additional to woo customers andmake them feel special. Therefore, companiesneed to emphasise more on relationships.

Caroline Alexander, director of sales,Courtyard by Marriott Pune City Centre,strongly feels that CRM is the strongest andthe most efficient approach in maintainingand creating relationships with customers.She says, “It’s not only pure business but alsoideates strong personal bonding within peo-ple. Development of this type of bondingdrives the business to new levels of successand that’s what sets you apart. Once this per-sonal and emotional linkage is built, it’s veryeasy for any organisation to identify the actu-al needs of customers and help them serve ina better way.”

Applying StrategiesThere are four strategies that help in formulat-ing Customer Relationship Marketing strategies.

1. Personalisation2. Communication3. Rewards4. Special Treatment BenefitsPersonalisation: It refers to the social in-

teraction between employees and their

guests. It is the way in which employee’s re-late to their guests – cold and impersonalreceptions on one end and warm at the oth-er. So personalisation can be regarded as amedium of showing recognition and respectfor the other party.

Some of the indicators of personalisationare attempts made by employees in knowingtheir guests as a person, their efforts to en-gage in friendly conversation and ability toshow personal warmth. This results in a feel-ing of being included in the communicationprocess and of being liked and respected.

About the importance of employees giv-ing a personalised touch while interactingwith the guests, Oberoi said, “It’s absolutelyclear that employees have to contribute inthe successful implementation of customerrelationship marketing. But to achieve this,the employers need to ensure that they aredoing everything to achieve the highest lev-els of employee satisfaction and they are welltrained before they actually face the client.Employees should work together as teamand be committed in striving to achieve thehighest levels of customer service.”

Communication: It’s the most importantthing in any relationship; a hotelier’s commu-nication with his guest conveys his interest inthem and serves to strengthen their relation-ship. These communication strategies are apart of relationships marketing efforts and donot include mass-media communication.However this also does not include face-to-face interaction with the guests as manyhoteliers do adopt direct mail, e-mail, SMSand telephone as a means to interact withtheir loyal customers or the members of theloyalty programmes.

Rewards: Giving a rewards always helps,providing guests with tangible rewards is re-ferred to as ‘level one relationship marketing’Here the hotelier relies primarily on the pric-ing incentives and money savings to securecustomer’s loyality. Few examples are cus-tomer loyality bonuses, free gifts andpersonalised discount coupons, and so on.

However, as far as the rewards as a strat-egy is concerned, Lacsher said, “We believein retaining of loyal customers within thecompany and to honour this relationship weorganize various personalized activities andrewards programmes which helps in creatinga stronger bond and understanding betweenhotel and customers. Our Pullman Perks pro-gramme is specially geared to reward thismuch anticipated loyalty.”

AKSHAY KULKARNIREGIONAL DIRECTOR - HOSPITALITY,

SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST ASIA,CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD

It’s important how one usesCRM. If one cannot make

proper use of the information,it is of no use. In fact, manycompanies use similar CRMstrategies, but how they use

the information makesa difference.

JAGAN LACSHERHOTEL MANAGER,

PULLMAN GURGAON CENTRAL PARK

In today’s competitivescenario, CRM could make

or break a brand. Itseffects and dimensions

simply cannot be denied.Without proper customer

relationship marketing,there is no way to attract

and retain customers.

36


Kulkarni did not feel very enthusiastic aboutit when he said, “I don’t think rewards are aseffective as is customisation. The client today ismore interested in value rather than loyalty.”

Special Treatment Benefits: A point tobe noted here is that all the guests do notneed to be served the same way. Let’s as-sume that if a guest receives personalisedcustomized service from Hotel A and notfrom Hotel B, and if he values this servicethen he is unlikely to leave Hotel A for HotelB. The hotels are quick to distinguish be-tween two identifiable categories: Loyal andNon-Loyal guests and differentiating betweenthese enables a hotel to address a person’sbasic human need to feel important better.

Oberoi said that all these strategies needto be followed to give the client a world classexperience. He added, “We strive to followall the CRM strategies as it is absolutely essen-tial in today’s competitive world to go out ofthe way and give the client an experiencewhich is beyond their expectations.”

Caroline insists that CRM Strategies helpthe hoteliers in understanding the needs oftheir customers better.

“The hotel industry is facing an increasing-ly competitive market that pushes the hotels

CAROLINE ALEXANDERDIRECTOR OF SALES, COURTYARD BY

MARRIOTT PUNE CITY CENTRE

A CRM system consists of ahistorical view and analysisof all the acquired or to beacquired customers. This

helps in reduced searchingand correlating customersand to foresee customer

needs effectively andincrease business.

to have a greater need to differentiate theircustomers. Hotels need to have a deep knowl-edge of their customers’ needs, behavior andpreferences to be aware of the ways in whichtheir hospitality services will be delivered. Thepurpose is to create value and therefore, stim-ulate customer retention and loyalty. In otherwords, they need to create an exceptionalexperience adjusted to their customers’ needsto maintain the company’s long-term suc-cess,” she adds.

Managing customersCustomer relationship marketing is aboutmore than simply managing customers andmonitoring their behaviour or attitude. CRMhas the potential to change a customer’s re-lations with a company and increaserevenues in the bargain. Furthermore it helpsto know the customers well-enough to de-cide whom to choose and whom to lose. Theobjective of CRM is to recognise and treateach and every customer as an individual.

“A good knowledge of our customers en-ables us to develop marketing strategies thattarget customer-specific needs and increasesales. One of the best and easiest ways to in-crease your revenue and profitability is to sellmore to your existing customers. Therefore,it is absolutely essential to retain your oldclients as we do not need to establish ourreputation,” said Arminder Oberoi.

However, Kulkarni felt that employees cancontribute towards successful implementationof CRM, “Yes, I strongly believe in this becauseemployees come face-to-face with the guestsand they can capture the information better

while interacting with the guests. Becausethese days most of the guests refrain from fill-ing the forms which are intended to gatherpersonal information about them.”

Choosing attitude over skillsAccording to Caroline, employees go a longway in contributing towards successful im-plementation of Customer RelationshipMarketing and that’s why an employeeneeds to hired for the attitude rather thanskills. She further added, “We prefer hiringpeople on the basis of their positive attituderather than their skills. We feel that dailyemployee-guest interaction is by far themost important factor to create a “uniqueexperience”, and keep building and main-taining customers trust. The company’sin-depth training ensures that all employeesare on the same page and utilise the sameinterface service techniques when theguests come through the door. For instance,they welcome every guest by their last nameand they are attentive to anything theymight need without being intrusive.”

CRM and spurt in salesScope of most of the strategies is maximisa-tion of profit and CRM is no different. It canoffer superior service at a lower cost, besidestaking care of customer’s unspoken needs.Summing it up, Caroline says, “A CRM systemconsists of a historical view and analysis ofall that is required to acquire customers. Thishelps in tapping in more customers whichleads to steady business. ■

by VASUJIT KALIA

MARKETING


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MANAGING WATER CRISIS

“ITC Maurya hasinstalled STP (sewagetreatment plant) andthe treated water isused for flushing in

the toilets, horticultureand the needs of the

A/c cooling tower. Theterminology for this

style of watermanagement is known

as ‘demand’ sidemanagement.”

GUEST COLUMN

If we focus on the amount of water on earth,in percentage terms: 97 per cent of water isin the sea, 2 per cent is locked up in the Arc-tic and Antarctic Oceans and 1 per cent is

fresh water. Of this ‘one percent’, 22 per cent isin the underground aquifer and the balance 78per cent is found in lakes, rivers and ponds.

India stands second among countries with thehighest precipitation in the world. The country’saverage is 1200 mm, with the maximum and min-imum being 19000 mm in Cherapunji and200-300 mm in Rajasthan respectively. India isfortunate to have a number of rivers crisscrossingthe country. However, with the increase in indus-trialisation in the last 50 years, 70 per cent of ourinland water has been contaminated due to in-dustrial pollution and sewage.

Today the country is facing acute water scar-city in many states and the availability of waterper person per annum has come down from6,500 cubic meters to 2,500 cubic meters per per-son per annum as per TERI.

According to the World Watch Institute,Washington, India will be a highly water-stressedcountry from 2020 onwards. The definition ofwater stress is that, less than 1000 cubic meters ofwater will be available per person, per annum.Given the shortage, it is imperative that the indus-try takes notice of the increasing pressure onscarce water resources. By adopting water frugaltechnologies available in the market today theyneed to optimise the use of various grades ofwater for secondary use.

ITC Maurya has installed STP (sewage treat-ment plant) and the treated water is used forflushing in the toilets, horticulture and the needsof the A/c cooling tower. The terminology for thisstyle of water management is known as ‘demand’side management.

ITC Hotels has focused on water managementissues holistically for the past 18 years in the pro-cess, we have reduced our water consumptionby 50 to 60 per cent and implemented rain waterharvesting in a pioneering manner across thechain. Other water frugal devices such as dual

India is expected to be a highly water-stressed country in 2020. Theterm water stress refers to the fact that less than 1000 cubic meters ofwater will be available per person, per annum. It’s imperative that the

industry takes notice of the increasing pressure on scarcewater resources, says Niranjan Khatri.

flushing system, magic eye in the urinals and lowflow showers have been installed, while water‘swap’ concepts have been introduced in Hydera-bad and Bengaluru.

Knowing that the problem is looming in the ho-rizon, the need of the hour is to change individual/industrial attitudes to conserve water, as it alsomakes economic sense to do so. Before taking off,aircrafts have a very precise system of carrying fueland water, based on distance, weather conditionsand occupancy, to optimise fuel consumption,without compromising on safety, or passenger ex-perience.

The precision and frugality of design thatenables the airlines to control spiraling prices offuel costs.

Such practices of space must be innovativelyinculcated in the airports too. In this regard theairports in India have a great opportunity toembed water sustainable design by introducingtaps with a flow rate of 2 litres per minute, asopposed to current flow rates of 6 to 8 litres perminute. This is akin to the flow rate of taps inmodern aircrafts! Airports are air-conditionedand have the opportunity to recover a/ccondensate water for reuse.

The land footprints of airports by virtue of theirbusiness is enormous and this gives Indian airportsan opportunity of developing a model of workingtowards water neutrality – which can ultimatelybecome water positive and also serve to feed mostwater starved cities with rain water. This can bedone by comprehensively harvesting water in theirhuge land spaces.

Sometimes one hears of runways andpassenger halls getting inundated due to heavyrain. The inconvenience and discomfort as wellas the cost, caused due to such operationalbreakdowns can be avoided with forward-lookingwater management design. The huge footfalls inthe airport restrooms will silently educate flyers toinstall such water frugal devices at home too. Inthe bargain we will be using water like we useeye drops! ■

The author is GM – Welcomenviron Initiatives, ITC- Hotels

38


DEVELOPMENT

THE BRANDEDHOSPITALITY EXPERIENCE

IN PILGRIM TOWNSHoteliers are seeing an increase in room occupancies in pilgrimage

centres like Varanasi, Vaishno Devi and Amritsar. Hotelscapestalks to some leading hoteliers to recount their experience.


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DEVELOPMENT

MANISH KUMAR SINGHGENERAL MANAGER,

WELCOMHERITAGE JUKASO GANGES

Varanasi is main hub ofHindu and Buddhist

tourism. The businesshere is seasonal that is

from October to March isthe peak season where as

from April to Sept isoff season.

The demand for branded hotels in re-ligious towns is clearly on the riseand hotel chains are leaving nostone unturned to tap the growing

opportunity in these towns. We talk to hote-liers from a cross- section of cities to get aninsight on pilgrimage tourism and the busi-ness they are doing in these holy cities.

VARANASIWelcomHeritage JukasoGangesManish Kumar Singh,general managerIn a place like Varanasi, pilgrimage tourismis main source of business. Varanasi is mainhub of Hindu and Buddhist tourism. Thebusiness here is seasonal; October to Marchbeing the peak season where as from April toSept is off season.

Varanasi is witnessing a steady increase inthe number of tourists visiting the city be-cause apart from pilgrimage tourismVaranasi is also an education centre and stu-dents come from around the globe to studyhere.

We have made various packages to attracttourists some of them include VishwanathMandir darshan, Ganga Arti and Sarnath visitand sunrise boating. We are also going tolaunch an Ayurvedic Spa very soon; it will beadded advantage for to lure more tourists.

One of the greatest problems faced by thehoteliers is getting quality workforce at differ-ent skill levels. Most of the HotelManagement students join other sector likeretail and aviation. The other challenge is toretain quality manpower, as attrition levelsare too high.

Taj Nadesar Palace andGateway Hotel GangesSomnath Mukherjee,general manager,

Prospects of pilgrimage tourism are in-creasing as lot of tourists are makingVaranasi as a base to visit Buddhist destina-tions like Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and KushiNagar. Kashi Visvanath and evening GangaArti are world famous and now available online for greater international awareness. Vara-nasi is the only destination in the worldwhich attracts all three major pilgrims - Hin-dus, Buddhists and Muslims.

The number of Chinese tourists is going to

SOMNATH MUKHERJEEGENERAL MANAGER, TAJ NADESAR PALACE

AND GATEWAY HOTEL GANGES

The number of Chinesetourists is going to increaseas direct flight from Chinawill come to Varanasi verysoon. With international

flights connecting Japan andKorea in the pipeline the

place is all set to welcomemore international tourists.

40


DEVELOPMENT

PIYUSH KAPOORGENERAL MANAGER,HOTEL RITZ PLAZA

Amritsar has tremendoustourist potential not only

because of the GoldenTemple but also due to sites

like Wagha Border,Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Fortand Temple of Ram Tirath –which are located nearby.

ABHIJEET UMATHESENIOR MANAGER (HOSPITALITY & LEISURE),

KNIGHT FRANK (INDIA)

Religious tourism isdominated by sporadic

seasonality as there is rushduring holidays and specialdays specific to that deity or

faith. The demand is like apendulum swinging between

extremes of high and low.

increase as direct flight from China will cometo Varanasi very soon. With internationalflights connecting Japan and Korea in thepipeline the place is all set to welcomemore international tourists. Besides thesethere flights to Kathmandu, Bangkok andColombo during winters this adds to thetourist convenience. With two main railwaystations connecting all major cities of thecountry it is frequented by the rail travellertoo. To cater to the increased tourist seg-ment there are a lot of hotels, guest housesand dharamshalas.

Year on year there has been an increasein influx of the pilgrims and both foreignand domestic tourists. Government has up-graded the airport to internationalstandards. The year on occupancy has in-creased from by a healthy percentage inmost of the categories. We further look for-ward to a better growth in the tourismsector in the next three years. One moresegment that has substantially grown in thelast few years is the domestic corporate sec-tor from industries like automobiles,pharmaceuticals and power. However, theinfrastructure of the city needs attention.

We have recorded a year on year growthof both domestic and foreign tourists.

Taj Group of Hotels have floated variousattractive packages for tourists during leanseason, like Bogo offers stay for two nightsthe third night is complimentary on roomonly, flexi credit offers a credit amount to theguest which can be redeemed in varioushotel services, monsoon plan is a map pack-age for two nights with additional discount of20% on food and soft beverages, Spa Pack-age offers one treatment complimentary withthe room rate. We also keep on updating ourpackages so as to attract maximum touristsall over the world.

AMRITSARHotel Ritz PlazaPiyush Kapoor,general managerToday, pilgrimage tourism serves a dual pur-pose of both a pilgrimage and a holidayoption. We need to develop the infrastruc-ture in a manner that the tourist has manymore sources of entertainment after he haspaid respect at the place of worship.

Amritsar has tremendous tourist potentialnot only because of the Golden Temple butalso due to sites like Wagah Border, Mahara-

ja Ranjit Singh’s Fort and Temple of Ram Ti-rath – which are located nearby.

There has been an increase in tourist ar-rivals over the last couple of years and weare doing good business. As per a leadingnational daily there are more footfalls at theGolden Temple than at The Taj in Agra.

Not only us but all the hoteliers try and dosomething new and interesting from time totime in order to attract the tourists. We havepackages designed whereby we offer stayand transport services at a very reasonableprice to the tourists.

But there are a lot problems faced by thehoteliers here there is a lack of skilled man-power as there are very few training centresand colleges, lack of basic infrastructure forthe tourists in terms of roads, parking, publicutilities, guidance and connectivity.

Hotel Ritz Plaza, Amritsar

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Vaishno Devi


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DEVELOPMENT

SANJEEV PAHWAVICE PRESIDENT, CDMS

Our property at Katra hasperformed very well for us.We have maintained 68-70percent room occupancy

during the previous years.And we hope to close 2012

with 75 percent roomoccupancy.

Knight Frank (India)Abhijeet Umathe,senior manager(Hospitality & Leisure)Religious tourism is dominated by sporadicseasonality as there is rush during holidaysand special days specific to that deity orfaith. The demand is like a pendulum swing-ing between extremes of high and low. Forexample Thursdays and Dussehra in Shirdiare the days of high pilgrim visitors but thatwould be limited in number not enough fora sustainable hotel market.

The average stay is just over a day inthese pilgrimage centres as the devoteescome for a darshan and need rooms to re-lax and move on. That is the tourists aren’tthere to holiday and hence the propensityto spend is low.

there is good tourist traffic and the peoplewill keep on travelling as long as the faithexists. But what has to be kept in mind isthat the pilgrimage travellers won’t pay a pre-mium price.

Our property at Katra has performed verywell for us. We have maintained 68-70 per-cent room occupancy during the previousyears. And we hope to close 2012 with75 percent room occupancy. When we start-ed the rates were around Rs 2,000-2,500 perroom per night which have moved uptoRs 3,800-4,000 per room per night.

We are offering various schemes towoo more tourists. We are targeting MICE(Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhi-bitions) market. We are trying to convertone night stays which the pilgrims prefer into2-3 nights stay. Katra has sightseeing placeslike Patnitop which is located at a few hoursdrive from here. The pilgrims can visit theshrine first and later go for sightseeing andthen return back to the hotel.

Talking of the problems, the major chal-lenge is that of connectivity, plus room ratescan’t be very high so you cannot make superluxury hotels and one can serve only vegetar-ian food and no alcohol. ■

by VASUJIT KALIA

Moreover, there is no consumption of al-cohol and non-vegetarian food which impactsF&B sales. In my opinion, low room occupan-cy, low food consumption and negligiblebeverage sales are some of the problemsfaced by hoteliers in this segment.

Pilgrimage tourism is seen as an overallsuperset which continues to grow with in-crease in number of tourists to these entirepopular centres.

VAISHNO DEVICountry Inn & Suites byCarlson Vaishno DeviSanjeev Pahwa,vice president, CDMSThe prospect of tourism is very good in thepilgrimage towns as the land is cheap and

42


CREATING THE RIGHT AMBIENCEFOR WHISKEY AFICIONADOS

“In India, thepopularity of

whiskies is on therise. A major reasonfor this is the easy

availability of avariety of differentwhiskey brands inretail stores which

were earlierdifficult to procure

in India.”

GUEST COLUMN

he true pioneer of civilization isnot the newspaper, not religion,not railroad – but whiskey” –Mark Twain

In India whiskey aficionados must have won-dered why there hasn't been a real homage tothe master of all tipples. To end the speculationwe at the Pune Marriott Hotel & Convention Cen-tre have created for our guests a first of its kindWhiskey Lounge, ‘Bar 101’.

Whiskey is a premium alcohol that needs tobe enjoyed in a seating that suits the auburnhued liquid in terms of class and style. The décorof the lounge thus is a fine play of oak wood andclassic leather, highlighted by a display of arti-facts reminiscent to the Renaissance. Softelegant lighting and cozy seating options renderthe all encompassing whiskey lounge with awarm and intimate ambience. With a perfectamalgamation of old world charm and contem-porary sophistication, Bar 101 exudes thedistinctiveness of colonial style and panache-true to the character of whiskey.

True to its name, ‘Bar 101’ houses the bestand most unique selection of 101 whiskies fromaround the world. Along with a premium selec-tion of scotch, bourbon and single malts, thelounge also houses unique Japanese varietals.Be it Highlands, Lowlands, Spey side, Islay, NorthAmerican and all the way to the premium Roy-al Salute and the Talisker 30 years fine series -‘Bar 101’ houses it all!

Whiskey as a beverage has very complex fla-vours even though it is composed of basicingredients. Made in different countries acrossthe world such as Scotland, Ireland, USA, Cana-da and Japan, the taste of the beverage fromeach of these countries has a distinct characterof its own. We at the hotel respect the aforesaidfact and to ensure that we are able to appeasethe curiosity of the discerning audience we havekept various ‘Whiskey Appreciation’ evenings tointroduce our guests to the various personalities

Whiskey is premium alcohol that is best enjoyed in a seating thatmatches the drink in terms of class and style. Nishanth Vishwanath

lists out aspects that can cheer whiskey connoisseurs.

of the king of tipples.Another treat to the connoisseurs' palette is

the varied collection of creamy, smoky and sweetwhiskey liqueurs ranging from the Wild TurkeyAmerican Honey to the popular Baileys IrishCream. Designed to suit various preferences, theextravagant menu offers a journey through thevast world of whiskey and valuable advice onwhiskey and cheese pairing.

The service further extends itself by offeringcheese and chocolate gratis on rustic woodenboards and modest portions of hors d’oeuvresmaking an ideal venue for you to simply relaxand enjoy! The Bar 101 also houses a collectionof extremely high end cigars taking the conceptof luxury sipping to a different level.

In India, the popularity of whiskies is on therise. A major reason for this is the easy availabil-ity of a variety of different whiskey brands inretail stores which were earlier difficult to pro-cure in India.

Another recent trend can be observed in theburgeoning of whiskey clubs and societies acrossthe country. People from all across the worldappreciate the King of Tipples and whiskey andfood pairing sessions are very common nowa-days and are attended by large audiences.Moreover, whiskey today is also no longer aman's drink as women are also now increasing-ly taking to the beverage. Looking at this, and thefact that the World celebrates the drink globallyon World Whiskey Day that falls on the 27th ofMarch, we at the hotel had celebrated the entiremonth as the Month of the Whiskey in order topay homage to the auburn master.

Bar 101 at the Pune Marriott Hotel is an ex-clusive whiskey lounge which has received theprestigious Gold Certification from the WhiskeyBars of the World. We would also be launchingour own exclusive Whiskey Club by the endof July. ■

The author is Director of Food and Beverage-Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre

“T


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44


SIMON MANOHARDIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES –

SOUTH WEST ASIA & SAUDI PALACES,INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP

Celebrate Service Week isdedicated to thank eachother for being there tomake IHG Great Hotels

Guests Love. The week isfull of activities that

create an even happierenvironment our hotelsare greatly known for,including games, thank

you gestures for thefamilies of colleagues etc.

HR TRENDS

IHG Recognises HardWork of its Employees

Even as the industry deals with theproblem of retaining the right talentIHG continues its efforts to rewardthe hard work and loyalty of its

employees. InterContinental Hotels celebrat-ed a week-long marathon called ‘ThankYou’ from June 25-29, 2012, to felicitate allthe employees across their 4,500 chain ofhotels. This event was organised by IHG tothank all its employees for their invaluablecontributing to the group’s success. Thegroup claims this is the largest recognition

Inter Continental Hotels Group held week-long celebrations to thankits employees and also awarded them for their achievements.

initiative in the hospitality industry.During the week-long marathon in India,

the group has organised various activities foraround 3,400 employees from various depart-ments across India.

The Celebration Week‘Celebrate Service Week’ featured everythingfrom movie screening, dance and cocktail-making competition, talent show to rollingout educational policies for employees’children. The first day of the celebrationswas marked by extending a warm welcometo all employees.

Each hotel under IHG brand organised itsown set of activities. For instance, CrownePlaza Bengaluru, Electronic City, hosted alunch, which was organised and cooked bythe HODs of various departments. The cele-brations concluded by inviting family

members of the employees at the event.Recognising the need for an employee-

friendly organisation, Holiday Inn Cochinintroduced an educational policy for its em-ployees’ children. The hotel is alsoencouraging its employees to be environ-ment-friendly by planting trees on theNational Highway in front of the hotel.

At Holiday Inn, Mumbai International Air-port, the entire week was celebrated withdifferent theme lunches featuring regionaldelicacies, while, Holiday Inn Pune screeneda movie for its employees along with the chil-dren from the orphanage.

Similarly, Crowne Plaza Gurgaon, kicked-off the week with a red carpet welcome forthe employees. At the same time Crowne Pla-za Okhla, organised a friendly football matchbetween the senior management and employ-ees. Besides hosting luncheon and dinner fest,

An employee being welcomed by the management as a part of the service week celebrations.


| 45

the hotel also screened Bollywood blockbust-er movie Kahaani for all its employees.

The general managers across all the IHGhotels rewarded the employees with certifi-cates of excellence, as a token ofappreciation for their endless efforts. The cel-ebrations across all hotels concluded with avideo presentation of the activities recordedthroughout the week. Additionally, all thehotels extended their gratitude by craftingspecial personalised Thank You cards to allthe team members and their families.

Here’s an excerpt from an exclusive chatwith Simon Manohar, director of HumanResources – South West Asia & Saudi Palac-es, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

What is the purpose ofcelebrating 'Celebrate ServiceWeek’?It’s the third year since we launchedCelebrate Service, as a way to recognise thehard work and dedication of the more than345,000 IHG employees around the globe.We've had outstanding participation fromover 3000 hotels globally every time we’veorganised it, all joining the week-longcelebration.

Celebrate Service Week includes games,thank you gestures for the families of col-leagues etc. The week is dedicated to thecolleagues simultaneously across our hotelsworldwide.

During this week and before, great sto-ries were uploaded onto our intranet andbased on the stories, hotels and team mem-bers are awarded.

What are your long and shortterm (less than 1 year) HRactivities plans?Across the regions we operate, IHG has gota robust plan of expanding operation withmany more new hotels of different brandsbeing added to our portfolio. This is indica-tive of the confidence the investors enjoywith IHG and in order to meet those expec-tations we have to ensure a sustainedgrowth of ‘brandhearted’ colleagues fromwithin IHG. This requires a highly competi-tive mixture of Performance ManagementSystem and Compensation package that willhelp us not only attract the right talent butalso to retain and help them grow. That'sour long term plan.

In addition to achieving the regional tar-gets on all four quadrants of IHG Steering

Wheel – a metrics that we use in all our ho-tels to align to the true north, our short termplan is to ensure the smooth openings of thenew hotels in the South West Asia region thatare joining our portfolio during the nexttwelve months, by sourcing the right pool oftalent who can help us create the Great Ho-tels Guests Love. We also have a few talentmanagement initiatives such as “One StepAhead” in pipeline to be rolled out shortly,the successful driving of which will contrib-ute to our long term goals.

Recruitment means criticalfunction of HRM Department.How do you ensure thatemployees fit into the organisationwell?We engage different resources in attractingthe right talent, and we continue to reflectand innovate for ways in which we canmake white whiter! For example, as wespeak, there is a working group which iscurrently putting together a global tool-kitfor “Employee Referral Program”, one ofmany such initiatives. To supplement theseinitiatives, we also have a robust on-board-ing program that ensures a structuredintegration of new comers to IHG. Our Win-ning Ways serve as a simple but powerfulradar that offers guidance in way of work-ing, to fit into the organisation well. Ourcommitments of “Room to be Yourself” con-sists of 4 rooms namely Room To Have AGreat Start, Room to Grow, Room to Be In-volved and Room to be You are simplyphenomenal for the colleagues of IHG to

make our hotels a great place to work.

How do you train, supervise andevaluate your employees?Each hotel carries out extensive trainingneeds analysis using a uniformly structuredsystem to identify the training that willsupport and drive the business. TheHeartbeat scores and the scores fromdifferent metrics are used to decide on thevarious learning & developmentinterventions required in the properties.The essential toolkits, materials andmanuals etc., are provided to the unitsthrough our central resources librarycalled Merlin. Winning Ways forms thefulcrum around which everything elseevolves. Our Performance ManagementSystem has evolved over the years as astrong tool to evaluate and manage thegrowth of individuals with a perfectlyaligned set of leadership competencies.

What more can you explore in thisservice week?Our hotels utilise various forums to recognizethe great performers and continue to do so.Service Week marks a signature to these ac-tivities, where globally we are all aligned asone team in saying ‘thank you’ to each oth-er for the great team we make asInterContinental Hotels Group. Every mile-stone offers us an inspiration to aim higherand this Service Week is one such that con-tinues to inspire us to march forward as‘Great Hotels Guests Love’. ■

by VASUJIT KALIA

HR TRENDS

Special lunch menu for all employees during the ‘Service Week’ celebrations.

46


EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

Hilton Garden InnCelebrates Art

Hilton Garden Inn New Delhi/Saket has launched‘Celebration of Creativity’, an exhibition ofpaintings by a group of contemporary artists, at

India Grill, the all-day-dining restaurant and lounge. Theartists whose paintings are on display include Anita,Gautam Kar, G Raman, Maitreyi, Mukesh, N.P. Pandey,Rakesh Mandal, Ram Onkar and S. Mondal. Guests ofHilton Garden Inn New Delhi/Saket, strategically locatedwithin the DLF Place Mall in Saket and in the heart ofSouth Delhi’s shopping and recreation districts, will beable to soak in the rich, vibrant and expressive artworksthat capture love, music and joy.

With the onset of monsoons, the paintings of LordKrishna pay homage to Janamashtmi, the Shri KrishnaUtsav. The exhibition will be on display till August31, 2012.

The hotel has also tied up with Isha Singh from Art Lau-reate as a part of the initiative to promote art every month.The themes at the all-day-dining restaurant and loungediffer every month. For instance, there have been themesbased on Ganesha, spirituality, Buddha and women. Thepaintings by solo as well as group artists are availablefor sale. ■


| 47

EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

Every year Marriott marks the anniversary of itsfounding, May 20th, by setting aside a week toexpress appreciation to the worldwide family ofassociates. Building on Marriott’s enduring culture

of recognition and pride, this special celebration paystribute to all associates for their dedication, commitmentand outstanding service.

Associate Appreciation Week 2012 was observed withgreat fervour and pomp at the Renaissance MumbaiConvention Centre Hotel with all the associatesparticipating in some activity or the other. It was a week-long celebration from June 4th- 9th, 2012, where associatesindulged in fun activities and were honored for theircontributions as well. A fine balance between work and funwas the highlight of the activity.

Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel had theirown version of IPL called Renaissance Premier League,wherein associates played cricket. The associates donatedclothes, toys, bags, household items to the NGO – ArpanFoundation for the upliftment of poor and also donatedblood as a part of the Spirit to Serve activity. Different funand outdoor activities like tug-of-war and ladies kho-khowere a part of the celebration. There was also an inter-department quiz, talent show, skit and dance competitionwhere the participants got to showcase their skills. ■

Associate Appreciation Weekat Renaissance, Mumbai

48


People…Swiss InternationalHotels and ResortsSheila Nair has been appointed as achief advisor by Swiss International Ho-tels and Resorts (South Asia) forfurthering their business plans in India.She has over 25 years of hospitalityexperience. For over two decadesshe held a senior leadership positionswith the Taj Group of Hotels andJodhana heritage resorts, a venture ofHH Maharaja Gaj Singh with associa-

tion of WelcomHeritage Group of ITC. She was responsible for thelaunch of Ginger brand of Hotels by Taj and Ranvas at Nagpur withJodhana which also featured in Conde Nast Traveller in the World TopOpenings. Nair is a graduate from University of Madras and an alum-nus of XLRI Jamshedpur.

The Pacific Asia TravelAssociation (PATA)Sheila Leong has been appointed asthe as chief operating officer of ThePacific Asia Travel Association(PATA).

Sheila joined PATA in April 1998as director of Northeast Asia in theassociation’s Singapore regional of-fice. In 2000, she assumed the roleof director-events and relocated toPATA’s Headquarters in Bangkok.

Since then she has played a lead role in organising and implement-ing all PATA events as head of the events department.

Before joining PATA, she was working with Franco-Asia Travel,Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort, and Reed Exhibitions.

HVS- Global HospitalityServicesStephen Rushmore, Jr. has beenappointed as the CEO and presidentby HVS. In his new role Stephen willbe focussing to manage the globaloperations of the company, its offic-es and services. Stephen joined theHVS in 2002 and since then he hasbeen instrumental in growing thecompany and building business ap-plications to better support the

needs of HVS clients. A graduate of the Cornell Hotel School he re-cently earned his MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute.

Ananda in the HimalayasJaideep Anand has been appointed asthe general manager by Ananda in theHimalayas. Prior to joining Ananda inthe Himalayas, Jaideep was generalmanager for the Ista Hyderabad.

Jaideep brings with him morethan 20 years of experience in thehotel industry. Jaideep began his ca-reer with The Oberoi in New Delhi,where he occupied several levels ofsenior management. He also workedas director of operations with Pepsico Restaurants Int., as generalmanager for The Cecil & Wildflower Hall in Shimla, and for The ParkHotels in New Delhi and The Radisson in Noida.

Country Inn & Suites byCarlson, MysoreFrancis Mathew has been appointedas general manager of Country Inn &Suites by Carlson, Mysore. His re-sponsibility will entail managing thelaunch of the property, business andmarketing initiatives and the overallfunctioning of the property. In histwo decades of experience in thehospitality and retail sector both inIndia and the Middle East, Francishas been associated with major hotel chains in India including TheOberoi Group, Sarovar Hotels and Angsana Spa & Resorts.

Aditya Sarovar Premiere,HyderabadMichael G. Singh has been appointedas general manager by Aditya Saro-var Premiere in Hyderabad. Prior tojoining Aditya Sarovar Hyderabad, hewas with JW Marriott Chandigarh asthe director of rooms.

In his new role Singh will be ensur-ing efficient and effective operationsin all areas of the property speciallydepartment goals, budgets and finan-cial planning for the hotel. He will also be responsible for deliveringstrong business results through optimizing profitability, cost control andincreasing revenue.

During his 13 years tenure with Marriott, he successfully headedseveral new hotel openings, mergers and conversions in Asia-Pacif-ic. He has also had a long stint of working with Marriott Internationalproperties across Europe.


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People…Courtyard by Marriott,ChennaiRejin Thomas has been appointedas the director of sales at Courtyardby Marriot, Chennai. He will be re-sponsible for revenue generation forthe hotel, besides being in charge ofthe rooms and banquets, he willalso take care of the reservation cov-ers for the day. He started his careerwith The Leela Palaces Hotels & Re-sorts as a sales account manager

and as the associate head of sales at the Hyderabad regional office.He was a part of the group for 5 years. Thereafter, he had a success-ful stint as the director of sales for Hyderabad Marriott Hotel andConvention Centre and Courtyard by Marriott, Hyderabad.

The Claridges, New DelhiVandana Dutta has been appointedas director – business developmentby The Claridges, New Delhi. Beforetaking over this position she wasworking as director of sales for thehotel for past 3 years. In her newrole, Vandana will be responsible forall sales and marketing activities,along with responsibility of brandmanagement and positioning of thecompany as boutique hotel. She will

also be responsible for generating avenues for further business, stra-tegic efforts and leverage the presence of global partnership to drive

more commerce.

Marriott JaipurRadhika Dewan has been appointedas the associate director of sales byJaipur Marriot.

Having joined The Marriott groupof hotels in 2006 she has been work-ing towards achieving the group’sobjectives.

In her current role she will devel-op and implement sales strategies,foster revenues and oversee salesteam. Her areas of expertise include

implementing and executing all aspects of sales analytics of the prop-erty. In her illustrious career she has held many positions ofresponsibility prior to her current position she has served as the salescentre manager at Courtyard by Marriot Mumbai, and assistant salesmanager, Goa Marriot Resort, Panjim.

Sheraton Bangalore Hotelat Brigade GatewayJoyjit Chakravorty has been appoint-ed the director, F&B by SheratonBangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway.Prior to joining Sheraton BangaloreHotel, he headed the F&B division ofthe twin hotel complex – DoubleTreeby Hilton & Hilton, New Delhi.

He is an experienced person infood and beverage industry with over12 years’ of experience.

Joyjit started his career as F&B supervisor with The Leela PalaceGoa where he was recognised as the employee of the month for twoconsecutive months. Further to that, he received the ‘Associate ofthe month’ award as the F&B executive at JW Marriott Hotel,Mumbai.

The Westin Gurgaon,New DelhiMark Nicholas has been appointedas director of rooms by The WestinGurgaon, New Delhi. Prior to this hewas working with The WestinHyderabad as front office manager.In over 17 years of his experience inthe hospitality Mark has beenassociated with reputed brands likeThe ITC Park Sheraton, The Oberoiand more recently Starwood Hotels.

A graduate in Business Administration from the University of Ma-dras he leaves no stone unturned and enriches himself throughprograms at Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration.

Courtyard by Marriott,ChennaiChef Mangesh Sangpal has been ap-pointed as pastry chef by Courtyardby Marriott. As pastry chef, he wouldbe in charge of muffin Tree, the deliat the property.

Prior to this he was with CourtyardMarriott Pune in the patisserie depart-ment.

He has over 10 years of experi-ence and has worked with eminentbrands like Le Royal Meridien, The Orchid and The Grand.

Mangesh is a specialist in baking decorative cakes, Chocolatecarving, margarine carving, and baking muffins.

50


Products…

Luxury Tableware from“Settings by B”The one - stop luxury home solution studio “Settings by B” has re-cently launched the luxury tea and coffee sets.The sets have been designed to reflect elegance with their lines ofvarying weight and intriguing geometry patterns. The set consiststs an oval-shaped coffeepot, a milk jug, a sugar bowl and a teapotall within an oval tray.These table accessories are perfectly su ited for the modern sen-sibilities. They and are designed to enchant through their shine,shape and bring the lightness and transparency of glass to stain-less steel.For more information call: 9910002960

East-Asian Décor rangeby FCML Home

FCML Home brings an array of decor products with an East-Asiantouch. The collection consists of Buddhas amongst other vibrantsculptures, jars and pots.

The range is suitable for hotel lobbies, entrances and livingrooms. The colour palate varies from subtle to vibrant shades of red,blue and purple.

The designs are classical yet contemporary and add a touch ofaesthetic appeal to any ambience. The pieces are ideally suited forthe Indian interiors. Made from stone, polyresin or clay the finish iseasy to maintain and the products are very durable.

The unique look and design of these products is sure toaccessorize your homes, offices and hotels. The price range of theseproducts varies between Rs 650 to Rs 47,690.For more information please contact: [email protected] call 9810374919

IDUS launches outdoor collectionIDUS launches outdoor collectionIDUS has launched its outdoor collection of garden chairs, tables, benches,

loungers, hammocks and swings. The products are maintenance-free andhave UV resistant fibre which is mounted on a stable hot galvanizedframe. The furniture is hand-woven and crafted from polyethyleneand steel, and is best suited for resorts, farm, houses or beachhouses, patio, terrace and poolside. The furniture is made for allkinds of weather. These pieces of furniture come in black, white andbrown.

This range is available at IDUS, Kirti Nagar Industrial Area store of IDUS.For more information call: 011-45888000


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Products…World Bazaar launches planters

BathLine India bringshydrotherapy whirlpool tubsBathLine India brings to you itsOverflow collection from KÄSCH.This collection consists of six kindsof whirlpool tubs: Chi, Float, Lake,Oriental, Pond and Wish. The USPof these tubs is that the water flowsback, continuously recycling, al-lowing you to enjoy this visual andacoustic experience from start tofinish of your bath.The CHI brings elegance into the

World Bazaar has introduced magnifi-cent range of “Planters” by Nature’sLegacy from Philippines. The planterrange is crafted by Stone cast which ishand made from natural materials; giv-ing each piece its own character andnuance. It’s durable, light weight andadaptable to most architectural styles:modern, neoclassical, and post-modern,as well as traditional and classical styles

showcasing its ageless beauty, thus mak-ing them suitable for both indoor andoutdoor area.This range of planters is available inplethora of colours and the price rangefrom Rs 7,000 – Rs 28,000.

For more informationcall 9811945621 orvisit: www.worldbazaarindia.com

Peekay Farm equipments has introduced portable evaporative mist-ing kits. These do-it-yourself misting kits can be handled and installedwithout any technical assistance and qualification. These “low pres-sure misting kits” contain all the components needed to install yourown patio misting system which helps one to reduce the temperatureby 10-15 degree centigrade’s and also save time, money and water.These kits are ideal for pet cooling, balconies, restaurants, kids play-ground, fences, patio, umbrella; lounge chairs garages, lawncooling and small garden cooling. This specially designed nozzlecreates thousands of tiny water droplets. Each droplet is smallerthan the size of a grain of salt and can measure as small as 5 mi-crons in diameter. The droplets are so light they actually suspendthemselves in the air without causing wetting. This process knownas a mist system allows for a reduction in the ambient temperature.These kits are priced at Rs 12,999 onwards.For more information, call: 011- 62811996,or visit: www.mayfairgarden.in

Misting Kit by Peekay Farm

bathroom with its rounded cornersand the fashionable design furtherenhances the experience.The Float on the other hand is veryspacious and incorporates a time-less design. The price of thecollection ranges from Rs 8 lakhs toRs 16 lakhs.For more information, visit:www.bathlineindia.com orcall 011-4769 0000

52


Products…FCML presents digital alarm

clock from PanasonicFCML Hotel Supply has introduced digital alarm clock from Panasonic forthose who value the importance of perfect time. Ideal for hotels, living roomsand offices it comes in plethora of colours to suit every need. Some of thefeatures which make it irresistible are it’s big screen, clear sound and a twoalarm system with tender wake up. FCML Home is the acme of the luxuri-ous European designs immaculately crafted to metamorphose home intoa scintillating marvel, with an assortment of contemporary, innovativeand the latest design products of European origin.For more information please contact: [email protected] call 9810374919

Inspiring design ideasfrom Home ET TU

A premier high-end design store, Home ET TU offers awide range of design ideas in their spring- summer col-lection this season to lure Indian customers.The brand’s exquisite collection includes furniture, cur-tains, valances, blinds and table top treatments ininteresting designs, patterns, fabrics and colour palettes.The USP of this collection is a four-poster bed in veneer(matt finish) with pillars and embroidered sheer drapery.The bed has a textured leatherette headboard. The pastelpink bed cover is made of embroidered-quilted satin.For more information, call 011- 4610 7250 orvisit: www.homeettu.com

Kyndal India introducesBootz Brandy in South India

Kyndal India, one of the leading importers, manufacturers and distribu-tors of some of the world’s most exclusive liquor brands in India hasannounced the launch of Bootz Authentic Dutch Grape brandy in SouthIndia with its tagline – Be Famous. The Bootz brandy is priced at Rs 510for Quart, Rs 314 for Pint and Rs 153 for Nip in Tamil Nadu, Rs 598(Quart), Pint at Rs 306 and Nip at Rs 154 in Andhra Pradesh and a Rs 628for Quart (750ml), Rs 314 for Pint (375ml) & Rs 153 for Nip (180ml) in Kar-nataka. They are available at the select outlets in the states of AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.For more information: www.kyndalgroup.com


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54


NEWS SNIPPETS DOMESTIC

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is upbeat onthe hospitality business and expects to

nearly double the number of properties inIndia by 2015. “While the group manages1,319 properties across various brands in 81countries as of 2011, in India it handles 54properties. We expect this number to go upto 100 by 2012,” Ronnie Lobo, vice

CARLSON REZIDORUPBEAT ON INDIA

GROWTH

president, Operations, South Asia, CarlsonRezidor said.

The Group has also signed up to devel-op 49 properties in partnership withBestech Group in India. Announcing thelaunch of Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in In-dia, Lobo said Carlson India, part of theninth largest hospitality chain with $7 bil-

lion in sales, accounts for about 3 per centof the overall number of properties undermanagement. It has a very healthy pipelineof properties.

The corporate strategy is to increase theoverall number of properties by 50 per centover next few years where India will play avery important role, he said. ■

Keys Hotels, a brand of Berggruen Hotels, plans to double its room inventory and invest Rs 450 crore in new projects across India. Sanjay

Sethi, MD and CEO, Keys Hotels, said: “Currently, we have 11 operation-al properties, and 12 more are in the pipeline. In addition, 45 moreproperties have been signed on. We are spending an average of about Rs32 lakh per room.”

Among the 45 signed properties, 14 are in advanced stages of achiev-ing financial closure, and these would account for an additional 1,400rooms. The added inventory would help the company exceed the targetof 30 hotels by 2015-16, Sethi said. “Our first source of funding is our par-ent company. Then, there are the debt and the private equity routes. Wecan expand our share capital to raise funds through the private equityroute. But as of now, there is nothing concrete,” Sethi said. ■

As part of Mumbai airport's initiatives to reduce flight traf-fic congestion, a new Rapid Exit Taxiway N5 has been

commissioned for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Air-port’s primary runway. The taxiway is expected to reducethe runway occupancy time of landing aircrafts by nine to10 seconds. Located on the northern side of the primary run-way, the new taxiway, with a length of 415 meters, has beendesigned to facilitate all wide-body aircraft to vacate Run-way 09 after landing with ease.

“This initiative will upgrade the capacities of Runway 09 andbring it almost at par with that of Runway 27, which already hasits own rapid exit taxiway,” said a spokesperson for MumbaiInternational Airport Limited. The first flight to utilise this taxi-way on Wednesday was a Jetlite Boeing 737 aircraft. ■

KEY HOTELS PLANS TO DOUBLE ROOMINVENTORY IN INDIA

NEW RAPID EXIT TAXIWAYAT MUMBAI AIRPORT


| 55

NEWS SNIPPETS DOMESTIC/INTERNATIONAL

HAI OFFERS SUMMER COURSES FORPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FAIRMONT TO OPEN FIRSTHOTEL IN INDIA IN AUGUSTFairmont Hotels & Resorts will soon open its very first hotel in India –

Fairmont Jaipur. The hotel will join an iconic collection of Fairmonthotels around world, which include landmark properties like The Savoy,London and Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai.

The property will have 199 rooms. Glorifying the rich heritage ofMughal and Rajput architecture era in each of its guest rooms, most ofthe Fairmont Rooms and Fairmont Gold rooms will enjoy unparalleledviews of the majestic Aravalli hills. The room’s interior exemplifies theMughal architecture, giving the bedroom the authentic feeling ofspending the night in a real life Palace as well as the medieval art thatbrings time period to life.

Among a number of restaurants and lounges, the Fairmont Jaipur willoffer guests Cigar Diwan, a classic smoking room; restaurant Zarin thatserves Indian cuisine and Zoya that serves international cuisine. For sunsetviews with Mediterranean dishes there's an 8th floor rooftop bar. FairmontGold, the group’s concierge level, has a separate lobby, club lounge, andpersonal butler service. ■

Hotel Association of India in collaboration with Swiss Hospitality Manage-

ment giant Lausanne Hospitality Consulting(LHC), the consulting and executive divi-sion of Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne isoffering summer courses on F&B profit max-imization, Rooms – Product & Pricing,

Managing the Training Function, and Hotelopening – Soft & Grand. This is a swell op-portunity to interact with experiencedfaculty and network with colleagues fromacross the country. The study approach isvery interactive and demonstrative throughrole plays, case studies and simulations.

This workshop offers hospitality with un-equalled opportunities to learn and expandtheir professional knowledge, skills andcompetences

The first set of four of these programswould be conducted from July to September2012 by EHL, Switzerland. ■

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCESITS FIRST HOTEL IN SRI LANKA

Marriott International has signed anagreement with Weligama Hotel

Properties, a fully owned subsidiary ofEast West Properties, to open a hotel in SriLanka, the Weligama Bay Marriott Resort &Spa. This will be Marriott’s first property onthe Indian Ocean island. The 200-room, 11-storey Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa,will be operated under Marriott’s flagshipMarriott Hotels & Resorts brand.

“Sri Lanka is a destination that hasgreat potential and opportunity and wehope to capitalise on that and establish a

strong presence in the country. We are con-fident that the reputation of Marriott Hotelsand Resorts and the power of Marriott Re-wards, our loyalty programme, will creategreat interest from both local and interna-tional travellers and be successful inpromoting the beautiful area of WeligamaBay, as well as the country,” said SimonCooper, president and managing directorMarriott, Asia Pacific.

Commenting on the project NahilWijesuriya, chairman, East West PropertiesPLC said: “We are among the first companies

in Sri Lanka to sign up with aninternational branded hotel company andto open as early as 2014. The resort is beingbuilt according to Marriott International'sfive star brand standards, with a beachfrontage of 115 meters on the Galle-Matararoad in the South-East of the country. Theconstruction is being carried out in-houseby East West Engineering Services (Pvt)Ltd. so we have direct control of everyaspect of the construction of the resort andare confident that it will be of the higheststandards and quality.” ■

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LAST PAGE

The Indian traveller seems to be will-ing to indulge his taste buds whileon a holiday. According to a Foodand Travel survey conducted by Tri-

pAdvisor, 97 percent respondents said they arecomfortable with trying diverse Indian foodwhile travelling domestically. The real surprise,however, is to see a whopping 91 percent will-ing to experiment with local cuisine whenholidaying internationally. The survey was tak-en by 1000 respondents across India.

Nikhil Ganju, country manager of Tri-pAdvisor India elucidates, “33 percent of thetotal respondents from our survey said theyhave attended a wine/whiskey tour while ona holiday. Among those who hadn’t, almosthalf expressed their interest in attending oneif given a chance indicating a latent opportu-nity for wine and dine tourism within Indiaas well as promoting such international fests& tours for the outbound traveller. The trendwas similar, in fact more pronounced, forfood & beverage festivals. Another encourag-ing trend is that 25 percent respondents saythey have chosen a holiday destination spe-cifically to experiment with the local food.”

More Palate on your plateThe trends mentioned above represent

that Indians are becoming adventurous gour-

The Indian Traveller Wines & DinesThrough Vacation: TripAdvisor

mands while on a holiday. Other survey find-ings supporting this are:☛A majority of 64 percent respondents aremore likely to explore quaint local eateriesas against the popular restaurants frequentedby tourists. A low 14 percent hunt for Indiandining options for most meals & only 15 per-cent prefer to stick to familiar internationalfood while abroad.☛ While 41 percent said they start cravingfor home food on holiday after more than 5

days, 40 percent said they don't particular-ly miss home food even when holidayinginternationally.

Interestingly, 38 percent admitted to carry-ing Indian food when travelling internationallyon holiday (like snacks, namkeen, pickles orMaggi) which they miss eating or which maynot be available at their destination.

Check, please☛ Only 17 percent respondents said they al-ways convert meal/dish prices into IndianRupees to decide if a dish is too expensive toorder with an equal percent saying they nev-er do that. 66 percent still admitted to doingthe math at least sometimes when travellinginternationally.

☛ 42 percent respondents said theywould be fine spending between Rs. 500-

1000 per meal per person when travelling in-ternationally. However, only 20percentrespondents think it's justified to spend thatmuch money on a domestic holiday.

The Veg VetoFinding great meal options does seem like achallenge for the herbivore compared to themeat eaters☛ 65 percent vegetarians carry nonperishable food items when travelling inter-nationally compared to only 25 percent ofnon vegetarian respondents.☛ Owing to the lack of dining options, vege-tarians miss homemade food more than theircounterparts.☛ 55 percent said they would definitely orsometimes be deterred from going on holi-day to an international destination whichpredominantly has non-vegetarian cuisine,because of lack of enough vegetarian diningoptions. This might prove to be 'food forthought' for countries wooing Indian tourists.☛ 82 percent vegetarian respondents are com-fortable with trying local cuisine internationallyas compared to 96 percent when in India.☛ 50 percent vegetarian respondents wouldlook for Indian dining options for mostmeals or prefer to find familiar internation-al food compared to only 17 percent nonvegetarians. ■

More WomenCompared to Men...

☛ …said they have attended awine/whisky tour.

☛ …have attended a food and bev-erage festival.

☛ …are likely to go to quaint andsmall eateries known mostly to lo-cals instead of popular touristoptions

☛ …like to try local food for almostall their meals compared to men

☛ …said they will explore local cui-sine and find new places to dinewhen travelling international

hotel scapes july 2012

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