IHCL, AB InBev launch first 7Rivers Brewpub in Bengaluru

Anheuser Busch Inbev (Ab InBev) and Tata-owned Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) have jointly opened their first microbrewery, 7Rivers Brewing Co, at the Taj property in Bengaluru, after a delay of six months due to Covid-19 led disruption that led to shuttering of bars till it reopened in September.

The microbrewery was in the making since the fourth quarter of last fiscal and original plan was to launch it in peak summer season which overlapped with the nationwide lockdown. Now, the world’s biggest brewer and country’s largest hospitality chain are banking on this pre-pandemic project to revive sales as both sectors have been hit hard amid travel curbs and negligible socializing.

Kartikeya Sharma, president-South Asia at AB InBev said, “People are sick and tired of being at home and drinking beer by themselves or virtually with friends. As government is easing the lockdown and more consumers aching to go out again, it was the right time to open up the venue.” Instead of selling draught versions of existing bottled beer brands, AB Inbev will brew new styles of craft beer at the brewpub.

OYO to triple room count in Himachal by 2022

Hospitality chain OYO Hotels & Homes in Friday announced its plans to strengthen its footprint in Himachal Pradesh, amid coronavirus, by aiming to triple its room count by 2022.

OYO opened its doors in the state in 2015 and since then, has added 570 plus hotels and 7,500 rooms to its chain, while generating over 3,000 indirect job opportunities.

In line with the decision of the state to open its border and ease travel restrictions, the company has adopted new SOPs as a part of its 'Sanitised Stays' programme with an enhanced focus on hygiene and cleanliness.

IHG’s first Hotel Indigo in the GCC announces leadership team appointments

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG’s) first Hotel Indigo in the GCC has announced its leadership team appointments ahead of the opening in October.

Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown will boast 269 rooms, four F&B outlets, bold interiors and works of art throughout the property. General Manager Laura Eggleton will lead a team of 102 professionals at the property ahead of the opening in October 2020.

In 2015, Eggleton was appointed as the first female General Manager for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in the region in Muscat, Oman.

Appointments include Director of Finance and Business Support Neetu Sajnani, Director of Restaurants & Bars Van Qian, Executive Assistant Manager Mohamed Elsayed, Human Resources & Training Manager Omar Wasfy, Director of Marketing & Sales Kevin Cavaco, and more.

Tisch steps up as president at Loews Hotels

Loews Hotels & Co has selected Alex Tisch to assume the role of President.

In his new role, Tisch will work closely with Jonathan Tisch, chairman and chief executive of Loews Hotels & Co.

The duo will collaborate with the executive leadership team in developing and executing the strategy of the company, prudently managing capital and resource allocation, as well as overseeing general operational effectiveness. 

Additionally, Tisch will continue to lead the commercial, acquisitions, development and the Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando Resort teams. 

voco brand to go global with launch in China and US

InterContinental Hotels Group has confirmed it will launch its newest upscale hotel brand, voco, in the United States and Greater China.

The company created and launched the new flag a little over two years ago, focusing on conversion opportunities that combine the informality and charm of an independent hotel, with the quality and reassurance of a respected global brand.

Since then, a mix of 12 conversion and new-build voco hotels have opened across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.

voco continues to generate strong interest from owners too, and with an uplift in conversion activity during the first half of 2020, its expansion into two large and fast-growing markets is a key milestone.

voco currently has a development pipeline of 28 properties will take it into 19 countries over the next five years, while it remains on track to open more than 200 hotels over the next ten years.

BLLA Awards 2020 Winner

BLLA is pleased to present the Winners and honorable mentions for the 2020 StayBoutique Awards!

Boutique Business of the Year
WINNER: Palette by Peter J. Hemsley2nd PLACE: B David Levine

Boutique Hotel Design Project of the Year
WINNER: Zannier Hotels Sonop, Namibia
2ND PLACE: Nayara Tented Camp, Costa Rica
3RD PLACE: Asbury Ocean Club Hotel-Drawing Room, Asbury Park, NJ
4TH PLACE: Living Room at Shinola Hotel, Detroit, MI

Boutique Hotel Under 100 Rooms of the YearWINNER: Asbury Ocean Club Hotel, Asbury Park, NJ
2ND PLACE: The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort, Solvang, CA
3RD PLACE: The Butler Hotel, San Luis Obispo, CA
4th PLACE: ARRIVE Hotel, Memphis, TN

Boutique Hotel Over 100 Rooms
WINNER: The Revolution Hotel, Boston, MA
2nd PLACE: The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL
3rd PLACE: Ironworks Hotel Indy, Indianapolis, IN
4TH PLACE: Shinola Hotel, Detroit, MI

Boutique Travel Businesses-Travel Technology
WINNER: Vertoe, Luggage Storage Anywhere, Anytime
2nd PLACE: The Guestbook, A More Rewarding Way to Stay

Iconic Hotelier of the Year
WINNER: David Bowd, Owner, SALT Hotels
2nd PLACE: Paul McGowan, President & Founder, Study Hotels

Emerging Hotelier of the Year
WINNER: Chris Pardo, Co-Founder & Chief Development Officer, ARRIVE Hotels & Restaurants
2ND PLACE: Zachary Plutzik, Managing Director, The Betsy Hotel, Miami Beach, FL

Dani Boss Promoted General Manager At Red Lion Hotel on the River Jantzen Beach in Portland, USA

Dani Boss has been promoted to the position of General Manager, following her accomplishments as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Red Lion Hotel on the River. An 18- year veteran of the hotel, she has helped oversee the tremendous success of the Red Lion and its evolution into a premier riverfront convention hotel. As General Manager, Dani will continue to apply her keen sales and marketing skillset to all segments of the company, and will lead the hotel and team through a major multi-million dollar renovation.

Ms. Boss will play an integral role in the property's planned changes over the next two years. Dani will shift her duties to exploring new strategic opportunities to support the hotel's growth and reorganization.

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Carnival to sell 18 ships as demand sinks

Carnival Corporation has confirmed it will continue to shrink the size of its fleet as the cruise sector struggles to return from the Covid-19 shutdown.

In July, the company said it would dispose of 13 vessels as demand shrank.

The figure has now been increased to 18 – with Carnival planning to offer approximately 12 per cent less capacity next year when compared to 2019.

Noting all of the ships to be sold were older and less efficient, Carnival said the vessels had only produced three per cent of its operating income in 2019.

Also being older ships, Carnival added their disposal would improve the fuel efficiency at the corporation.

South Africa to reopen to international visitors in October

South Africa is preparing to reopen its borders to international travellers for the first time since March.

In an address to the nation earlier, president Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the process would begin on October 1st.

The move comes as the country enters national lockdown alert ‘level one’ from Sunday, following a significant decrease in infections.

South Africa is currently recording an average of fewer than 2,000 Covid-19 cases per day.

Ramaphosa, however, said travel may be restricted to and from certain countries that are deemed high risk, with a list of these countries set to be announced in the coming days.

All international travellers will be required to present a Covid-19 free certificate dated no later than 72 hours within their date of arrival or quarantine on arrival.

P&O Cruises cancels all departures into 2021

P&O Cruises has confirmed a further extension in its pause in operations, with all sailings cancelled until early 2021.

All Caribbean cruises are cancelled until the end of January next year, while all cruises from and to Southampton are cancelled through February.

This is in addition to trips aboard Arcadia and Aurora, which have already been cancelled through to the end of their spring world cruises

P&O Cruises president, Paul Ludlow, said: “With evolving restrictions on travel from the UK, unfortunately it is necessary to cancel these itineraries.

Alex Beaumont Appointed Executive Chef At Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada, USA

Alex Beaumont joins the Cheeca team with an extensive background in hospitality that spans over 25 years with leading companies including Marriott and Waldorf Astoria. Beaumont is a five-time winner of the Key West Master Chef competition and holds training in classic French cuisine with depth knowledge of western styles. Before joining the Cheeca team, Beaumont served as Complex Executive Chef at Casa Marina & Reach Resort Waldorf Astoria in Key West, Florida. In his role at Cheeca, Beaumont will oversee the management and kitchen at the resort's in-house dining, Atlantic's Edge, Mia Cucina, and Nikai Sushi Bar & Restaurant.

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Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek appoints executive assistant manager- Niccolo Rossi

Niccolo Rossi brings over 14 years of hospitality expertise as the newly appointed executive assistant manager at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek.

Rossi, an Italian national, will be overseeing the entire operation of this heritage hotel, including 14 food & beverage outlets, 21 meeting venues, and 288 rooms.

He has been with the Radisson Hotel Group since 2009, with a strong expertise in food & beverage. He first joined the brand as part of the culinary pre-opening team at the Radisson Blu in Tripoli, Libya.

Rossi then worked in several RHG properties in Eastern Europe as Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage. His most recent appointment was at the 842-room Park Inn by Radisson Pulkovskaya Hotel & Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, where one of his most notable
achievements was bringing significant growth in F&B profitability.

75 pct of Seychelles' hotel and guest house rooms certified COVID safe

Over 75 percent of the rooms in Seychelles' 418 tourism establishments have received safe tourism certificates and are in a position to welcome visitors, though not all of them are open, the tourism minister said.

Didier Dogley said about 4,700 out of 6,000 rooms at hotels, guest houses and self-catering establishments have achieved a COVID-19 certification.

Sybille Cardon, the chairperson of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA), told SNA on Thursday that the number of certified establishments "is something positive and that we couldn't just pretend that we were going to reopen Seychelles and operate things as it was before COVID."

The tourism industry, the top economic contributor in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, came to a stop when the nation closed its borders to tourists amid the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since authorities decided to reopen Seychelles' borders to visitors, the tourism department has been working closely with health authorities to develop guidelines governing the operation of tourism businesses.

A safe tourism certificate is being issued to businesses that have trained their staff and met other public health criteria. 

"The training allowed people to know more about the virus. It was an eye-opener. It also reassured people that if they have a client who is positive with COVID-19 in the establishment that everyone will get sick. It does not mean that a staff who has a fever automatically has COVID. This process was and is important," said Cardon.

She added that "when you get certified, it is good for your establishment, clients and staff, and you are in a better prepared under the new normal."

Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay Set To Open New Cookery School In England

The report states that Ramsay is planning to open a new cooking school next year in Woking, Surrey. According to The Sun, Gordon Ramsay is planning this new venture to give space and opportunity to the budding chefs to grow their talent.  It is expected that the new cooking school will have an industry-leading facility so as to give the opportunity to anyone irrespective of their age to shine their cooking abilities while having some fun in the cooking classes. It is said that the students would also get to work in restaurants under Gordon Ramsay's portfolio and at the end of their class, they will also get a guaranteed job as well. 

Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach appoints new executive sous chef, Jeremy Degras joins after working with Marriott International

Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach has announced the appointment of Jeremy Degras as its new executive sous chef. He will be part of the team responsible for exploring new menu options, while maintaining the resort’s ‘island-inspired cuisine’. Degras will spend most of his time at the flagship Shore House restaurant, using a range of locally-sourced seafood in his dishes.

Degras has previously held culinary positions in a number of hotels and restaurants globally including; Scape Lounge Restaurant & Terrace in the Burj Al Arab, Restaurant Le Quartier Gourmand, a Michelin-starred venue in Tournus, France and the two-starred restaurant, Monte-Carlo-Bay Hotel in Monaco. He leaves his previous position in Marriott International’s Grosvenor House Luxury Collection’s Siddharta Lounge.

“We are delighted to welcome chef Jeremy Degras to our team. He will be leading a vibrant culinary team and working with them to enhance the property’s dining portfolio to create memorable dining experiences for our valued guests”, said Tracey Oliver, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach.

German hospitality industry still far below pre-crisis revenues

The German hotel and restaurant industry in July further recovered from its slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but sales were still down more than a quarter when compared to pre-crisis levels, the statistics office said on Tuesday.

Revenues were up 21.9% month-on-month in real terms when adjusted for seasonal effects and declined by 26.8% versus July 2019, the office said in a statement.

Catering companies were hardest hit with a decline of 41.9% on the year.

The sector was essentially shut down in March as Germany’s 16 states introduced wide-ranging distancing measures to slow the spread of the pandemic.

Some restaurants temporarily closed while others switched to take-away services to stay afloat. Hotels were hit by a slump in leisure travel and cancelled trade fairs and congresses.

Reporting by Thomas Seythal; Editing by Andrew Heavens

The Portfolio Club locks in £76.5m deal to develop new lifestyle brand hotel concept in London

The Portfolio Club is to develop a new lifestyle hotel concept in central London after acquiring an expansive block in Covent Garden for £76.5m.

The Portfolio Club is a joint venture between pension fund APG and real estate investment advisory London Central Portfolio, which was launched last year to create the new hospitality brand in prime central London locations.

The deal to acquire the freehold island site Wellington block on the south east corner of Covent Garden from Capital & Counties Properties PLC, is the second step towards this ambition for The Portfolio Club.

Lebanese American chef launches Dubai cloud kitchen | Dayma by Bethany Kehdy features dishes from her best-selling cookbooks

The vegetarian-friendly menu will focus on seasonal and sustainable ingredients and is available on all major food delivery apps across the emirate.

Lebanese American chef Bethany Kehdy has launched a new Levantine cookhouse for delivery-only in Dubai.

The cloud-based kitchen service, Dayma, will be offering up a range of Kehdy’s signature dishes from the bestselling cookbooks including Kalbid’s rice kibbeh, aubergine, sfiha stars, prawn sambusek, carrot mutabal, and more.

Kehdy is known as the author of The Jewelled Table and The Jewelled Kitchen cookbooks, and was the founder of Taste Lebanon.

Minor Hotels signs for new Thai wellness retreat

Minor Hotels has signed a partnership with M.K. Real Estate Development to launch RAKxa Fully Integrative Wellness and Medical Retreat.

It is hoped the ground-breaking development that will cement Thailand’s position as a world-class medical wellness destination.

VitalLife Scientific Wellness Centre, a subsidiary of Bumrungrad International Hospital, is a third partner on the deal.

Launching in December, RAKxa was conceived as a fully sustainable medical wellness retreat within Bang Krachao on the Chao Praya River in Bangkok.

The concept, at the crossroads of science and tradition, aims to deliver bespoke healthcare in a relaxing environment.

Dubai Tourism closes four establishments over health and safety violations

The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has closed four establishments, suspended the permits of 14 others and issued warnings to 19 more companies for failing to enact proper COVID-19 precautionary measures.

DTCM said the establishments and companies did not put measures in place across all tourism touchpoints, though left out the names of those penalised.

The department stressed that its list of precautionary measures are needed as part of the emirate’s strategy to restart various sectors in a phased manner and eventually bring back normalcy. It added that its recent Safe Travels stamp given by the World Travel & Tourism Council reinforces the importance of these efforts.

The news comes days after DTCM announced that 90 percent of the emirate’s hotels have been awarded the Dubai Assured hygiene stamp. Launched in collaboration with Dubai Tourism, the Department of Economic Development (DED) and Dubai Municipality, the stamp was rolled out in response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The stamp is based on the preventive protocols issued by Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management.