ET Hospitality Leadership Forum: Leela Group’s Anuraag Bhatnagar on 'Work From Hotel' model

Key Take Away

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, Indian luxury hotel chain have received enquiries for work from hotel availability.

The COO also mentioned that hotels can look at mini staycations, as people will tend to move out from their houses and stay in a hotel for a change. Safety and sanitisation are going to be a new luxury

The group has partnered with leading certification company Bureau Veritas to revamp the hygiene protocol of all its hotel

For More Information

https://hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/hotels/et-hospitality-leadership-forum-leela-groups-anuraag-bhatnagar-on-work-from-hotel-model/75766444

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announces new Asia Pacific Leadership

Key Take Away

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has appointed Joon Aun Ooi as President of the Asia Pacific region. Our focus in the region and continued commitment to making hotel travel possible for all remains unchanged

The company has brought together its South East Asia and Pacific Rim business with its Greater China operation to establish the Asia Pacific region.

For More Information:

https://www.thehotelconversation.com.au/news/2020/05/18/wyndham-hotels-resorts-announces-new-asia-pacific-leadership/1589755730?utm_source=Mailer&utm_medium=ET_batch&utm_campaign=ethospitality_news_2020-05-18&dt=2020-05-18

NRAI teams up with Dotpe for digital ordering and payment solutions

Key take away

By deploying the Dotpe’s QR-based digital commerce and payments solution, the restaurant fraternity represented by NRAI will be able to reorient their operations by connecting with their customers directly through WhatsApp

Here's how it works :

Guests can scan the QR code placed on the tables from their own mobile phones, and view the entire menu of the restaurant on the phone just like an e-commerce catalogue.

For more information:

https://www.hotelierindia.com/fb/10908-nrai-teams-up-with-dotpe-for-digital-ordering-and-payment-solutions

Lockdown 4.0: FHRAI appeals for relaxation for the hospitality sector

Key Talk Away

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has appealed to the government for relaxation for the hospitality sector at least in the Green and Orange Zones. 

Hotels and restaurants in Green zones be allowed to operate to 100% and in Orange zones to 50% capacities.

For more information:

https://hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/hotels/lockdown-4-0-fhrai-appeals-for-relaxation-for-the-hospitality-sector/75783070

‘Our Serviced Residences deliver a higher efficiency in operations compared to our peers’

Key Take Away

While hotels are hit hard by the lockdown, Serviced Apartments continue to survive on the base of their long-stay guests. Operators like Ascott Limited, highlight this advantage to asset owners and prospective investors

The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators.

ET Hospitality World spoke to Supriya Malhotra, Area General Manager of Ascott Chennai cluster to understand the business and how Serviced Apartments are better placed than regular hotels in the Covid-19 crisis.

For More Information:

https://hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/hotels/our-serviced-residences-deliver-a-higher-efficiency-in-operations-compared-to-our-peers/75466391

Cloud Kitchens — Top 10 mistakes that take your business down

Key Take Away

Foodtech startups have re-defined the food consumption of an average Indian customer. From gourmet to street foods delivered to our home by the innovative, algorithm-driven apps assigning a fleet of concierge delivery guys who pick up the food from several choices of restaurants, disrupting the food industry — both in organized and unorganized sectors.

One such advantage of this technology-driven delivery platform is the existence of Cloud kitchens or dark kitchens. 

The major reasons for the failure of these kitchens are:

1. Lack of Business vision

2. Huge leap in Aggregators commission

3. Too Many Players in the Same Segment

4. Pricing Factor

5. Zero Market Research

6. Lack of Consistency

7. Lack of Technology

8. Dependency on Unreliable Labour

9. Flawed Costing

10. Lack of Structure and Process

For more information visit :

https://medium.com/@srinivasanrangarajalu/10-reasons-for-the-failure-of-cloud-kitchens-any-food-business-3c2ea2dfb65

Proposal - Hotels and restaurants in green zones be allowed to operate at 100 per cent and in orange zones at 50 per cent capacities.

Key Take Away

Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has proposed that hotels and restaurants in green zones be allowed to operate at 100 percent and in orange zones at 50 percent capacities.

The industry is staring at a potential job loss of around 3.8 crore, which is 70 percent of the total workforce.

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/hotels-/-restaurants/hotel-restaurant-players-seek-relaxations-in-lockdown-4-0/articleshow/75774743.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Marriott announces North American, international leadership changes

Long-time Marriott International senior executive Dave Grissen has decided to step down from his position as group president, the Americas, toward the end of 2020 and retire from Marriott in the first quarter of 2021

Grissen leads all aspects of the company's biggest region, the Americas, which generates more than two-thirds of the company's fee revenues

Under Grissen's leadership, Marriott's Americas organization has grown from 2,928 hotels to 5,640 properties today, with another 1,800 hotels in the pipeline

New North American and International Leadership

Marriott also announced plans for the company's lodging operations to be consolidated under two long-time Marriott leaders after Grissen steps down from his current role. Under this plan, Liam Brown will take on the role of group president, North America and Craig S. Smith will take on the role of group president, International.

Brown currently is group president, Europe, Middle East & Africa. Brown was president, Europe, and before that, president, select brands and owner and franchise services, North America.

The company expects that David Marriott, currently president, U.S. full service, managed by Marriott, will join the company's board of directors in 2021

Get Ready to Experience “Island Homes” in Maldives Post Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in almost every human activity on the planet. At the moment travelling anywhere is out of the question for most, even though some countries are cautiously opening their borders

Maldives is ready to offer a fresh concept that you really should experience: Island Homes. The thought of being cloistered in a luxurious home with every comfort available while away from home is definitely something many travelers around the world are yearning to experience for themselves once Maldives is open for business post pandemic.

Most Island Homes are located in a contained private area providing the ultimate in privacy with many of the luxuries you’d usually expect to find at a Maldivian resort.

One of the first such properties to pop up in Maldives is the luxurious Veli Vilaa located in Dhiffushi Island.The property has such a calming and magical effect on the senses that guests often despair having to leave. One Serbian family, who arrived before the pandemic leading to  lockdowns all over the world, chose to extend their stay to six weeks once they realized they’d rather stay and experience the stress-free island life, cocooned and sheltered from the woes of the world at large for as long as possible, before heading back.

Maldives Conducts Webinars For Indian Market, Commences Campaign With Kayak

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has conducted webinars for travel trade in India and  has commenced a campaign with an Indian travel agency Kayak from today till 22nd May 2020.In an effort to inspire travelers to keep dreaming about the destination.

India is one of the key source markets likely to be amongst the top post-pandemic tourists to the Maldives when traveling resumes once again. In January 2020, there were 13,846 tourist arrivals from this market which was a 19% increase when compared to the same period from last year.

These sessions were held to train potential travel agencies and tour operators to yield the maximum business and achieve a greater reach in the market. The webinars by MMPRC also aim to lead engagement in promoting the Maldives and answer destination FAQs over the course of the lockdown.

Till date, these webinars have reached over 302 pax from tour operators and travel agents in India such as Ease My Trip, SOTC Travel Ltd, Travel Triangle and Vacations Exotica to name a few.

The joint campaign with Kayak will have ads depicting ‘Visit Maldives…later’ displayed throughout the website. The messaging in the campaign is intended to encourage visitors to travel to the Maldives once the pandemic has been overcome.

Cocogiri Island Resort to open on 1st December 2020

Cocogiri Island Resort, a new luxury resort situated in Vaavu Atoll is scheduled to open on 1, December 2020.

Located just 12 minutes away by seaplane from Velana International Airport, Cocogiri is already being hailed having one of the best house reefs in the Maldives, making it a dream come true for snorkelers and scuba divers.

Cocogiri is an exclusive, boutique resort featuring 20 water villas and 20 beach villas on a private island ensuring the utmost tranquility for guests.

Guests can also enjoy evenings watching the sunset while dining at Cocogiri’s beach restaurant with a range of international cuisine made by their highly experienced team of chefs, or cool off at the bar. For more adventurous guests, the resort offers the opportunity to scuba dive or snorkel with their on-island Dive School, or raise your adrenaline levels with their extensive water sports programme. Explore the surrounding islands and immerse yourself in the cultural beauty of the Maldives through Cocogiri’s daily excursions.

Regardless of the occasion, Cocogiri Island Resort assures to offer the perfect setting for rare moments of romance, adventure, excitement and memories to last a lifetime.

LUX* Resorts & Hotels Shows Appreciation to Healthcare Professionals in Maldives with Complimentary Stay

In appreciation of the Maldivian medical professionals’ selfless dedication in fighting on the frontline during this challenging time, LUX* Resorts & Hotels in the Maldives shows their gratitude to the local healthcare workers by giving a complimentary two-night stay on full board at either LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas or LUX* North Malé Atoll Resort & Villas, Maldives.

The public can pay tribute to a healthcare professional who had touched their life during this unprecedented crisis by sharing their stories of appreciation on their own Facebook profile, along with the hashtags #CollectivelyWeCare and #CollectivelyWeCareLSAA or #CollectivelyWeCareLNMA, including a picture of the medical worker and tagging the resort they wish to win a stay in for their nominee.

The post with the most likes will enable the nominated healthcare worker to redeem his or her stay for two adults on full board basis including domestic transfers, as soon as accessibility is re-established to the respective resorts. This campaign will end on 3 June 2020.

Additionally, LUX* Resorts & Hotels will honour these two Healthcare Heroes by planting a coconut tree on World Environment Day (5 June) in their names to serve as permanent reminders of their service rendered during this unprecedented time.

No gesture is enough to repay their selfless acts of service, however, we wish to do our bit to provide them with a well-deserved holiday so they can recuperate and rest,” said John Rogers, General Manager of LUX* North Malé Atoll Resort & Villas.

Starbucks to reopen 150 UK stores to serve takeaway coffee

Coffee giant Starbucks has announced that it will begin the “phased reopening” of 150 UK.The stores ​– which will reopen their doors on May 14 – will largely be made up of the brand’s drive-thru locations, joined by a “handful” of cafes offering takeaway, with delivery services expected to be introduced shortly. The move comes after Starbucks announced the closure of all its UK stores in March. 

Starbucks has said that the reopened locations will offer a “near-complete beverage menu”, but the food menu is to be “slightly restricted” and will “focus on more popular items”. The company will also be offering all NHS workers free beverages – in Tall size only, but in any variety – on the house.

The company has said it will introduce enhanced health and safety measures to the stores, including Plexiglass screens, contactless payments, social distancing measures and new cleaning protocols and increased hand-washing guidelines.  

In a letter to the company’s partners, UK general manager Alex Rayner said that the goal was to “be fully open by the end of June”.

“We have been learning, testing and refining these operational standards every day and have tailored to the specific needs of our Government and healthcare officials. You will be able to work safely in our stores.”

Zomato to lay off 13% workforce

Online food-delivery platform Zomato on Friday said it will reduce its workforce by 13%, while also implementing a temporary pay cut of up to 50% for remaining employees as nationwide lockdown to prevent spread of COVID-19 severely affected its business.

In an email to employees, Zomato Founder & CEO Deepinder Goyal said that the workers affected by the layoffs will continue to get half of their salaries, in addition to health insurance and outplacement support, for the next six months or till they find another job, whichever is earlier

The company is also looking at making “partial or full work from home” a permanent feature to reduce real estate costs.

“Our business has been severely affected by the COVID lockdowns. A large number of restaurants have already shut down permanently, and we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Mr Goyal said, adding that he expects the number of restaurants to shrink by 25-40% over the next 6-12 months.

Many people have volunteered for a 100% pay cut for at least 6 months, the company remains short of its salary reduction target.

Lower cuts are being proposed for people with lower salaries, and higher cuts (up to 50%) for people with higher salaries.This temporary reduction in pay will also be eligible for 2x ESOP grants.

 All employees who no longer have any work at Zomato, will continue to be “with us at 50% salary for the next 6 months. During this time, outside of the handover period of 1-2 weeks, we expect these folks to spend 100% of their time and energy towards looking for jobs outside of Zomato.”

Some impacted employees who are not directly on Zomato’s payroll, will get two months of severance 

“Each person leaving us will also be allowed to keep their Zomato issued laptops and phones (if any),” he said, adding, “Previously allocated ESOPs will continue to vest during this period of six months, as all these people will remain on our payroll with reduced pay.”

The company will continue to hire people in some areas, primarily in product and engineering.

Noting that the company’s highest recurring expense today outside of payroll is real estate, Mr Goyal said Zomato has over 150 offices globally, most of which are spaces for their sales and logistics teams. “Given how well we have been working from home, we have decided to make partial or full work from home a permanent feature of our lives.”

COVID-19 Employee Health Check Platform

A robust platform for conducting health assessments when the frontline needs it most. Employee safety equals guest trust.

How does the Health Check Platform work?

• A mobile app that can record symptoms and gather a temperature check prior to entering the premises 

• Enterprise-ready reporting capabilities and printable summary reports instilling customer confidence  

• Can be integrated with Harri’s timekeeping system to collect PPE attestations 

• Supports confidence and trust amongst team members

  The Health Check-In Action

  Health Check Mobile App

• Built into Harri Live, a native mobile app for ops teams, managers can complete symptom screenings and employee temperature checks prior to employees entering the location 

• Ability to log symptoms results prior to the employee entering the workplace

• Employees who do not pass the screening process are signalled to be sent home and HR is notified for awareness

  Customer-Facing Employee Health Report

• Easily generate and print a Health Check summary for guest-facing purposes

• Options include a unique design for display on a restaurant front door and delivery and/or drive-thru orders

  Enterprise-Ready Reporting and Tracking System

• Robust tracking and reporting of health checks at the unit, area and enterprise level

• Proactive alerts for above-unit managers related to failed health check

  PPE In-Use Image Capture

• Employees punch into Harri’s Team Hub timekeeping system, creating a visual audit trail of PPE equipment in use

• AI-powered object-detection determines if a mask is present at the time of the clock in and produces alerts

  Employee PPE Attestations

• Employees attest to being provided PPE prior to starting their shift, complying with numerous local directives

Latin America’s Hotel Construction Pipeline Remains Sluggish at the Close of the First Quarter of 2020

In the recent Latin America Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report, analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE) state that the total construction pipeline stands at 702 projects/124,050 rooms, down 2% by projects and up less than 1% by rooms, year-over-year (YOY).

In the first quarter of 2020, 22 new hotels/3,825 rooms opened throughout Latin America, while new project announcements into the pipeline recorded a new all-time low of 36 projects/3,596 rooms

Mexico leads Latin America’s construction pipeline with 222 projects/40,639 rooms. Next is Brazil, standing at 137 projects/22,607 rooms. Peru follows with 41 projects/5,702 rooms; Colombia is next with 36 projects/5,899 rooms and then the Dominican Republic with 33 projects/8,105 rooms. Collectively, these five countries account for 69% of the rooms in the total pipeline.

Cities in Latin America with the largest pipelines include Lima, Peru with 31 projects/4,691 rooms; Mexico City, Mexico with 26 projects/4,358 rooms; Cancun, Mexico with 23 projects/11,234 rooms; Sao Paulo, Brazil with 18 projects/3,294 rooms; and Guadalajara, Mexico with 18 projects/2,302 rooms.

Top hotel franchise companies in Latin America’s construction pipeline are Marriott International with 129 projects/22,571 rooms, AccorHotels with 98 projects/13,049 rooms, Hilton Worldwide at a record high 88 projects/12,345 rooms, and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) with 61 projects/7,116 rooms. These four companies account for 54% of the projects in the total construction pipeline.

The top brands in the pipeline are AccorHotel’s Ibis brands with 67 projects/8,868 rooms, Hampton by Hilton with 25 projects/2,952 rooms and Hilton Garden Inn with 23 projects/3,189 rooms. These are followed by Marriott’s Fairfield Inn with 17 projects/2,489 rooms and IHG’s Holiday Inn Express with 17 projects/2,075 rooms.

COVID-19 did not have a full impact on first quarter 2020 Latin America results reported by LE. Only the last 30 days of the quarter were affected. LE’s market intelligence department has and will continue to gather the necessary global intelligence on the supply side of the lodging industry and make that information available to our subscribers. It is still early to predict the full impact of the outbreak on the lodging industry. 

Hotel Industry Has Been Worst Hit By The Corona- Crisis.

The Covid-19 epidemic has badly affected the hotel industry in 11 major cities of the country, leading to a decline of 29 percent per room in January-March this year. According to JLL India, the level of filling of rooms in 11 cities-Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata-fell to 5-17 per cent, while per room income decreased by 13-29 percent.

Property advisor JLL India said in a report that the domestic hotel and hospitality sector was badly affected in the first quarter of the year 2020. According to statistics, all the 11 cities lacked both room filling and room earnings.According to property advisory firm JLL India, the first quarter of the current Panchang year during January-March 2020, the ware housing demand in eight major cities of the country has come down by 29 per cent to 59 lakh sq. ft. and new supply has come down by 14 per cent to 90 lakh sq. ft. These eight cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Pune.

Tamarack Resort Announces Plan for Phased Reopening Beginning May 16

In accordance with Idaho Rebounds, Gov. Brad Little’s guidelines for opening up Idaho, Tamarack Resort has received approval from Central District Health for its phased reopening beginning on Saturday, May 16.

The phased approach prioritizes the health and safety of employees, guests, and homeowners while resuming dining, lodging, and recreation-based activities.

Starting May 16, Tamarack will resume its dining and lodging services and will also open its meadow hiking and biking trails for complimentary use while encouraging appropriate social distancing. Tamarack’s recently opened retail outlets, including the Clearwater Coffee Shop and Village Market and Deli, will also reopen with enhanced health and safety protocols. Construction on The Village at Tamarack will resume, including real estate tours of the Village residential units and the real estate gallery. Additional activities will resume on the following dates:

• May 21: Scenic lift rides on Tamarack Express

• May 22 (Memorial Day Weekend): Waterfront Cabana motorized & non-motorized boat rentals

• May 28: Lift-served mountain biking (dependent on mid-mountain snow melt)

• June 6: Tamarack Zipline Tours (dependent on mid-mountain snow melt)

• Mid-June: Guided whitewater rafting trips on the Cabarton stretch of the North Fork of the Payette River.

For all recreation updates, guests are encouraged to visit TamarackIdaho.com for the latest days and hours of operations, and to pre-book excursions.

Several of Tamarack’s new protocols and procedures across the resort will include:

• COVID-19 training for employees pursuant to Central District Health (CDH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines

• All employees will receive daily temperature checks and be provided gloves and masks to wear during interactions with the public

• Enhanced cleaning and sanitizing of all high-touch surfaces, lodging properties, and recreation equipment

• Installation of Plexiglass dividers at all point of sale locations

• Hand sanitizing stations located throughout the resort, including all high traffic areas, elevators, and entry ways to main buildings

• Signage and markers to support all social distancing guidelines

• Limiting the number of guests inside dining, reception, and ticket areas

• Use of one-time menus in dining establishments

• Use of touchless card readers for transactions

• Complimentary masks available for all guests who forget to bring their own

  The resort encourages all guests planning to visit Tamarack and surrounding mountain communities in Valley County to respect new protocols in place at local businesses and recreation areas – by continuing social distancing, wearing a mask in public, practicing good hand hygiene, and staying home when feeling sic

Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts Will Reopen Its Hotels in Germany Before the End of May

Thomas Willms, CEO, Deutsche Hospitality, undertook an on-site visit to the Steigenberger Hotel Munich on Thursday 14 May 2020 in order to clarify how the company’s new extended guidelines and hygiene measures will apply in practice. “We have been trialling and revising a new hygiene concept on an ongoing basis over the past few weeks,” 

Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts will reopen its hotels in Germany before the end of May. The Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts in Bad Homburg, Bad Neuenahr, Bad Pyrmont, Petersberg, Braunschweig, Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Heringsdorf, Jena, Cologne, Leipzig and Zingst will recommence operations on 25 May.

The Steigenberger Inselhotel in Constance will also open on 29 May and the Steigenberger Hotel in Munich on 30 May.

The Steigenberger Hotel Dortmund and the Steigenberger Hotel Bad Wörishofen will be welcoming guests back from 8 June and 10 June respectively. Finally, the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof, the Steigenberger Conti Hansa Kiel, the Steigenberger Hotel Berlin, the Steigenberger Hotel Metropolitan, the Hotel Fürstenhof Bad Pyrmont and the Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg are scheduled to be available again from 1 July. The Steigenberger Hotel Treudelberg Hamburg is already back in business and will be accepting reservations from 15 May.

Presentation of the new standards

Thomas Willms joined Oliver Schafer, General Manager of the Steigenberger Hotel Munich, to explain how guest arrivals will be managed whilst maintaining social distancing and ensuring compliance with the new hygiene regulations. Further areas covered included the restaurants, the guest lifts and the conferencing area.

How the hotel’s facilities could be used without compromising social distancing. One guest room had been adapted by removing the usual decorative cushions, stationery articles and bathrobes. The TV remote control and all the glasses in the room itself and in the bathroom were disinfected after use and packed away in a paper bag. Despite the reduction in the number of utensils provided in the room, guests are, of course, welcome to request any additional items they need at any time.