Department of Hotel Management, Christ University, Hosur Road, Bangalore 560029 Vol. 3 (10), OCTOBER 2013

Repertoire

October brings us to exams, the end of a semester and the much awaited

vacations. Join us in this issue to read about some exciting new developments in

the Department of Hotel Management. Also see what the holidays have in store

for us and experience the Joy of Giving. Read on for all this and more!

-Avin Thaliath, Editor-In Chief

The Hilton MOU

-Lara Williams

Conrad Hilton founded of Hilton Worldwide in 1919

and today it is one of the largest American global

companies in the hospitality industry. The Hilton

owns over 4000 hotels across the world. They are

looking to expand further and view India as a

potential market with a promising future.

Christ University was established in 1969. It has

been rated among the top 10 educational

institutions in India. In 1991, The Department of

Hotel Management was started in order to develop

well trained students to join the hospitality

industry. Christ University has one of the most

prestigious hotel management (BHM) course in the

country.

Hilton worldwide has come to seek recruitment

from one of the top and best colleges in India. On

the 31st of October, Hilton worldwide had signed a

contract for a strategic partnership with the

department of hotel management of Christ

University. Mr martin Rinck(President, Hilton

worldwide Asia pacific),Mr Brendon Toomey( Vice

president, Asia pacific), Sunil Kumar (regional

director HR India), Mr Manoj Sharma ( director HR

Hilton Bangalore) and other dignitaries were

welcomed by Dr. Fr. lt.Thomas E Mathew. This

moment is a huge turning point in the history of

Christ University.

The agreement allows the students to train under

the Hilton group. This programme includes both

theory and practical training. It designed in such a

way to develop and nurture the student’s skills and

abilities according to international standards of the

hospitality industry. All first year students will

undergo a set of examinations and interviews,

among which 15 of the best will be chosen. This

partnership provides the students with more

exposure and how to deal with problematic

situations proactively. Their contributions towards

training these aspiring individuals will also help to

keep the department up to date with the

international dynamics. They will be able to adapt

quickly to the change in guest demands and adhere

to it more efficiently. They also provide internships

and job offers to promising graduates.

Following the signing of the agreement, the

students then posed questions to the board about

the programme and their company. The questions

were answered so accurately that there was no

room for doubt. After the formalities of the

agreement, the event ended with a cricket match

between Hilton Worldwide and the Department of

Hotel Management. Showing their competitive

spirit, the Hilton won the match. This coming

together of Hilton worldwide and Christ University

will pave a path to the future success and growth of

this industry in India.

Shoreditch: Where all of London goes to party.

-Anahita Girish It was Mid-May and I was nearing the end of my 10

days in England. By then I had had a fairly thorough

taste of fully English culture- the music, the

creativity, the countryside, Cornish pasties and

Cream teas. However, I was yet to experience the

solid nightlife London is famous for.

My gracious host gave me a number of web-links to

analyse and scrutinize in order to choose where to

spend my final Saturday night. After going back and

forth a million times I left it to him to decide.

It was a rather chilly evening with a gentle drizzle

(typically British) and we set out, post-dinner to

meet a few friends at an extremely English pub

called The White Lion. This public house was so

authentic, I felt as though I was on the set of a

movie. With hardly any space to breathe, we

squeezed our way up two miniscule floors only to

be pushed back down to a corner. With Guinesses

in hand, we huddled around an old wooden table

and yelled at each other over loud Brit-Rock. The

energy was electric, with everyone in high spirits.

The cosy nature of the bar allowed people to

mingle easily, generating large new friend groups

nearly every night. A feature of the bar that was

new to me was a narrow shelf that skirted the

exterior of the bar. This was for excess guests who

spilled over on extremely crowded nights! This was

a feature that was also well utilised whenever the

weather was good.

After just a single drink, we ventured out in the cold

to a semi-artsy place called The Book Club. It was

more spread out and packed to the brim. Famous

for magazine launches, topic based discussions and

unusual music concerts; The Book Club attracts a

young intellectual crowd looking for a fun evening

combined with some mental stimulation. The décor

of this hip pub changes regularly as its walls host

exhibitions of local artists.

We shared a decent starter platter while

overhearing numerous conversations at a long

table. The seating was such that many groups often

have to sit next to each other- yet another feature

that was unusual to me.

We then moved to the basement which contained

ping pong tables, pool tables and a large dance

floor packed with youngsters grooving to the latest

underground tunes. Apart from resident DJ’s and

theme nights, this space is said to host new artists

nearly every month.

The Book Club is not just a night spot but also

serves Breakfast, Lunch, Tea and Dinner on

weekdays as well as Brunch on weekends.

(Argyriades, 2012)

The club closed shut down at 12am and so we

stepped out again to look for another place as the

night was still young. After walking around in a

freezing drizzle, we finally hopped into a London

Cab and went a few streets away. We arrived at

what appeared to be an old style leather store.

When my host said we were entering this old

beaten up place, I didn’t believe him.

Inside the Packet

Keerthan Noble

No one can eat just one, No Confusion, Great

Combination, Yehi hain Right Choice Baby…Ring

a bell? Of course! They are slogans from famous

FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) brands.

Where ever we are from, we take our snacking

seriously. But we often forget the fine line between

tasty and healthy snacking, which has now created a

great dilemma in our minds and our eating life style.

Indians for example, are spoilt for choice with over

22 Chip and Snack Manufacturing units around the

country, and with the variety and number of

products produced by every unit, defining Healthy

and Tasty snacking has poses a major challenge.

According to a recent article in the Times of India,

in order to match the change in eating habits of the

people in India, FMCG companies such as PepsiCo,

Nestle, Parle and Marico introduced BFY (Better

For You) products, which assured fat free and

healthy snacks and a few of them included products

such as Aliva, Lay‟s Baked potato chips, Maggie

atta noodles and Monaco Smart chips. But it all back

fired and left FMCG companies suffering losses

comprising close to 14,500-15,000 crores in the

Indian Market alone (according to the PwC, India-

FICCI report). Indian FMCGs today have a few

takers of these healthy snacks. This has resulted in

stacking up shelves with packets of „healthy‟ snacks,

while the „tasty‟ ones are flying off theirs.

The choice left now is to pick between the unique

tastes or the health preference offered to consumers

by these snacks. What is your pick?

Sources-

The Times of India (Nov.5, 2013)

www.potatopro.com

(Sodini, 2011)

On stepping inside, I nearly gasped. It was not even

slightly what I had expected. With cool grey, black

and white interiors, the placed screamed “Hipster”.

Those inside only contributed to the image –most

of them dressed to match the décor. Like The Book

Club, Jaguar Shoes continued into the basement

where the bar and more cosy seating were present.

This bar appeared to be more focused on art than

the previous one. Most of the crowd seemed to be

regulars who purely discussed art, film and fashion

while sipping on classy wines. Nevertheless, it

proved to be a fascinating place where we enjoyed

ourselves people-watching.

The last and final place we headed to before calling

it a night was a tiny bar called Translate. This long

corridor style place housed a fun young crowd and

an exciting DJ who churned out hits from the early

2000’s.

After dancing our final bits of energy away, we

walked out hungry and followed the crowds to look

for a good post-midnight snack. We found ourselves

walking into a small shop with a whiteboard menu

and a hardly legible name. It offered sandwiches,

fries and the like at decent prices and judging from

the quickly growing crowds, was obviously popular.

I had a small bowl of Mexican chilli loaded with

crisp fries. Steaming hot chilli that quickly warmed

my hands and my heart in nearly 5 degree weather

was a perfect end to what was a super fun night in

Shoreditch, East London.

THE JOY OF GIVING – HAVE YOU

EXPERIENCED IT?

- Poorvi Iyengar

Mother Theresa once said, “it is not how much we

give, but how much love we put into giving”. Every

year thousands of Indians rally in the month of

October to celebrate the joy of giving week- a week

to celebrate philanthropy

Initially named the India giving week, Joy giving is

supported by several Non government organisations

and corporate houses and has aboard several top

celebrities participating as ambassadors to promote

the inculcation of the spirit of giving among

citizens.

Since its inception, in 2009 it has channelized about

30 crores in donations and several hours of

volunteering.

Giving is often associated and defined in monetary

terms, but this essentially is where the joy of giving

differs. Money is hardly a consideration. One could

just take time off an otherwise overloaded schedule

at work, college, or even daily home chores and

volunteer at various institutions. If that isn‟t your

cup of tea, dip into your inner artist and offer to

paint a school wall, for this shall help.

The joy of giving has combined artistically money,

time and skills to create a celebration of sorts. The

act of giving is not necessarily directed to the needy,

but all individuals in this diverse society.

The week is celebrated by organising events such as

the 7 days 7 gifts, where individuals are encouraged

to perform random acts of kindness to people they

do not know for every day of the week .The purpose

of conducting this event is to help direct ones

attention towards others and not just on oneself.

Our industry, the hotels have done its bit too. Hotels

in Chennai and Hyderabad have held events such as

Battle of the Buffet and have provided lavish buffets

at zero cost to several Ngo‟s in the respective cities.

Fundraisers are characteristic features of this week

and many hotels have also hosted these events.

Any initiative such is this is bound to face criticism.

The greatest criticism to this initiative stems from

the fact that it focuses and restricts giving to a time

period i.e just a week. The argument against this

statement is that the aim of the initiative is purely to

create an awareness and those who believe in these

ideals will continue to give even after the stated

time period.

HALLOWEEN CREEPS IN TO PROWL

AROUND TOWN!

-Avani Panshikar

Carved pumpkins, eerie lights, bizarre costumes,

and bags filled with candy construe the true spirit

of Halloween from a time dating back countless

years. A day when families wake up wondering

what costumes to make or design, how and when

to carve their pumpkins, kids look forward to a fun-

filled evening when they can trick-or-treat their

way through the streets. The festival is known to

have rooted to the Celtic culture in Ireland,

according to its "Druid" religion, November 1st was

New Years' on their calendar. The celebration

would begin on October 31st, and last into the

following day. The belief was that the spirits of

those who died in the previous year, would rise

and rove on the earth, this night. It is also known

as “All Hallows Eve”. Samhain, the Lord of

Darkness, was known to summon all these spirits

back into the underworld on the evening of

Halloween. Traditionally, Halloween is incomplete

without pumpkins. The famous Jack O’ Lanterns

which were carved out of turnips ( by the Irish,

conventionally) , now are inevitably amazingly

carved pumpkins with a pair of eyes, a nose and a

mouth, usually lit from the insides, placed outside

homes, to drive away the evil spirits.

Halloween is not just about all these spooky and

scary things, it involves very fascinating and unique

sweets, snacks, dishes and desserts. This is a day

when people go all out to make interesting and

innovative things like The Great White Pumpkin

Cheeseball, Monster Eyes, Brew-Ha-Ha Punch,

Various Halloween Cupcakes and Cookies (shaped

like Spiders, Horror characters, and so on.)

Although these myths and practices still vastly

prevail in U.S.A and the English countries, it is rapidly

gaining popularity in other countries like India,

China, Japan, Slovakia, etc.

In India, over the past few years we have seen a

substantial rise in Halloween celebrations and

parties. Like on 31st October 2013, the Sheraton,

Bangalore, hosted an exclusive Halloween party at

Durbar, where guests had gathered to shake-a- leg to

the peppy beats that DJ Tyron had in store for them!

In a few other places too, people across all age

groups were present, including the family crowd.

They put up several props and the kids really enjoyed

themselves. They had skull-shaped bottles from

which people could drink and the response to its

spooky feel was great.

As the business of Halloween is getting bigger and

better with each passing year, a lot of props and

costumes are being imported to India as the demand

for them has surged. People are also willing to spend

a bomb on such evenings. A city-based event

manager and entrepreneur says, "We are organizing

a party with more than 2,000 guests where we will

be giving away Halloween goodies. Pumpkin and

skull lanterns with severed heads, hands and legs,

will be part of the decoration. There is a lot of

demand for costumes this year and we have seen a

change in the merchandize too. A lot of clubs are

also putting up kiosks at the venue where people can

purchase masks and props."

Bangalore is one of the more in-tune cities of India,

with adopting international cultures, which is why

Halloween has become popular in this city.

We can see the influence of this day even in the

homes in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, etc. as we

see little children craving for candy and going from

door-to-door to convince residents of apartments

and gated communities to throw in some candy, with

their ever-sparkling eyes.

Many bakeries, academies and cake boutiques, like

Lavonne kept with the mood and were a part of the

'I LOVE INDIRANAGAR-Big Trick or Treat' and were all

set to be swamped by kids on this spooktacular

Halloween!!

With Halloween slowly digging its claws into a

country like ours, the day is not far, when we would

see huge malls dedicated to Halloween attires and

accessories, haunting their way all over our cities!

All Saints Day

-Claudette Carvalho

In the early days Christians marked the

anniversary of the martyrs death for Christ at

the place of martyrdom. Frequently martyrs

suffered on the same day that led to joint

commemoration. The church felt that a

separate day should be appointed for the

deaths of all these martyr‟s thus began all

saints day. At first only martyrs and St. John

the Baptist were honored by a special

day. Gradually canonization was established.

This day is celebrated o the 1st of

November every year in remembrance of all

the saints. It is also known as All Hallows

Tide, All-Hallomas, or All Hallows' Day.

Christians all over the world celebrate this

day in remembrance of the martyr‟s life. In

France services are offered in church in memory of all

the saints are held on that day. But by the evening the

focus turns towards the dead. Cemeteries everywhere

are crowded with people who come to clean and

decorate family graves. This day is very closely tied

with all souls day that is celebrated on the 2nd of

November in commemoration of the dead. The whole

concept of All Saints Day is tied in with

the Communion of Saints. This is a belief that all of

God's people, on heaven, earth and in a state of

purification are in a communion.

There are many symbols in association with this day.

A few of them are a sheaf of wheat, a crown and the

hand of God.

HOSPITALITY TRENDS – WHAT WE NEED TO

KNOW.

-Poorvi Iyengar

The nature of the hotel industry allows for it to be

dynamic. Subject to constant changes, this industry

has continuously evolved. Numerous trends have

emerged and have become norms that facilitate

functioning.

As students of a hotel management programme it is

an essential to stay abreast with trends that affect

industry. Knowledge of aspects such as this will

prove to be a differentiating factor for us as human

capital.

The trends in the industry cover a fairly large

domain but are focussed primarily on aspects such

as the use of technology, regional preferences,

environment friendly practices and pricing

strategies.

In terms of technology, the hospitality industry has

developed to great extents. Hotels have realised the

role of technology in increasing efficiency,

promoting productivity and streamlining and have

chosen to adopt the technological route in

performing functions. Boutique hotels have

employed the use of cloud computing systems that

have helped reduce operating costs . The industry

has also taken complete leverage of the advent of

smart phone technology and hotels have developed

numerous mobile applications and micro sites to

enable customer interaction. Hotels have also begun

to use customer review sites which help in building

the brands reputation. Hand held devices are also

being used generate KOTs.

Realising the responsibility that they have towards

the environment hotels have now amended and

developed practices to fit the term often described as

eco friendly. The concept of Ecotels has gained

popularity. The emphasis on the utilisation of eco

friendly cleaning supplies as well as locally sourced

food has increased greatly. Plumbing management

so as to use water resources effectively as well as

electrical management by the used of LED and CFL

lighting systems has been employed .

Each year is host to a new culinary trend. In terms of

2013, It is observed that single dish restaurants are

on the rise i.e restaurants built around one type of

food have now become popular and desserts are a

common theme. Brewing styles are turning sour,

individuals are now showing preference towards

sour beers which have appeared in menus of several

craft brewpubs.

Keeping up with these trends and utilising them

effectively will definitely contribute to guest

satisfaction and bring great revenues to a property .

However for us as individuals staying informed

about these trends will bring a marked difference

Editor-in chief

Avin Thaliath

Conceptualized and Designed by

Bryan John Fernandes

Srujana Sagi

Editorial Team

Avin Thaliath

Keerthan John Noble

Vishal Bose

Aravind Varghese

Claudette Carvalho

Shivani Gogia

Anahita Girish

Vishwas Badami

Mahira Alvares

Angelina Maben

Bryan John Fernandes

Srujana Sagi

Poorvi Iyengar

Behzad Tarapore

Lara Williams

Navaz Bharucha

Contact us at:

Christ University, Hosur Road

Bangalore— 560029

Karnataka India

Phone Numbers: +91.80.4012.9100

+91.80.4012.9600

Fax: +91.80.4012.9000

Email: akshar@bhm.christuniveristy.in

Website: www.christuniversity.in

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