34 Million Fewer Americans to Travel This Holiday Season

AAA Travel expects the vast majority of Americans to stay home this holiday season. Public health concerns and travel guidance are influencing their decisions not to travel over the year-end holidays, a period that typically sees high demand for vacations. While AAA expects at least 34 million fewer travelers compared to last year's holiday season, as many as 84.5 million Americans may still travel from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3, a decline in travel of at least 29%.

"While Thanksgiving is traditionally spent gathering with friends and family, the year-end holidays are when Americans often venture out for longer, more elaborate vacations. That will not be the case this year," said Paula Twidale, senior vice president, AAA Travel. "Public health concerns, official guidance not to travel, and an overall decline in consumer sentiment have encouraged the vast majority of Americans to stay home for the holidays."

The CDC urges Americans not to travel for the holidays this year, warning that travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.

For those who make the personal decision to travel, it is important to understand the risks involved and take steps to keep yourself and others safe. Seek the advice of a trusted travel advisor and refer to AAA's COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Map and TripTik.AAA.com for the latest state and local travel restrictions, and to help determine which rest stops, gas stations, restaurants and hotels are open along your route.

Marriott International Provides Updates on Sustainability and Social Impact Progress

Marriott International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAR) ("Marriott") today released its 2020 Serve 360 Report presenting data from 2019, including progress toward the company's 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. The Report can be accessed here.

In support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Marriott's sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, guides the company's commitment to make a positive and sustainable impact wherever it does business, delivering value for associates, customers, owners, the environment, and communities around the world.

In addition to showcasing data on company diversity, environmental footprint, volunteerism, and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities, 2019 highlights include:

Trained more than 725,000 associates in human trafficking awareness since 2016, in pursuit of the company's goal to train 100% of on-property associates by 2025

Achieved goal of spending $500 million at managed hotels and above-property with women-owned businesses one year ahead of schedule

Launched efforts to replace single-use toiletry bottles in guestroom showers with larger, pump-topped bottles - when implemented across the globe in the future, expected to prevent about 500 million tiny bottles from going to landfills annually - in support of Marriott's goal to reduce waste by 45% by 2025

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Four Seasons Hotel Milano Announces Extensive Renovation In 2021

Four Seasons Hotel Milano announces that it will be closing temporarily on January 2, 2021 for an extensive renovation. Opened in 1993, Four Seasons Hotel Milano, a 15th-century convent turned into a sophisticated garden retreat, set the standard for luxury hospitality in Milan. Indeed, at the time of its opening, it was the first Four Seasons hotel in continental Europe. Since then the Hotel has enjoyed tremendous popularity among its loyal guests who seek it out for its perfect location in the heart of Milan's fashion district as well as for its unparalleled Four Seasons service. To provide those guests with an even more exceptional experience, the Hotel will undergo a complete transformation that will include common areas, restaurants and bars, accommodations, specialty suites and meeting spaces. The work will take place in phases throughout 2021 and will be completed by the end of the year.

Four Seasons Hotel Milano has enlisted renowned architect Patricia Urquiola to bring the vision for the renewed Hotel to life. Urquiola, who is Spanish but completed her studies at the Politecnico di Milano under the mentorship of Italian "design great" Achille Castiglioni, is a fitting choice for a hotel in a city known for its fashion and design culture.

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Fortune Hotels expands its footprint in India

Gurgaon - Fortune Hotels, a member of ITC's hotel group today announced the signing of four individual operating agreements for hotels in Candolim (Goa), Deoghar (Jharkhand), Haldwani (Uttarakhand) and Tirupur (Tamil Nadu).

With these new signings, Fortune Hotels, the leading hotel chain in mid to upscale segment, forays across the cardinal directions of India thereby solidifying its presence in these regions, adding more depth to its business and leisure portfolio.

Highlighting the group's expansion strategy, Samir MC, Managing Director, Fortune Park Hotels Limited, said: "We are pleased to announce our entry into various growth markets of India. With these additions, we not only increase our appeal in the domestic market but also offer a very interesting destination mix to our business and leisure customers, thereby opening up new vistas for their travel."

"We are a truly Indian brand presently in our 25th year of operations. This Fortune Advantage brings a plethora of rich experiences to the table- be it our strength in operating multifaceted hotels pan India, in-depth knowledge of the local markets, or our acumen in curating culinary experiences in food & beverage for our guests. It has always been our endeavour to share our expertise with potential ownerships and help them find fortune with us. We have great confidence in the India growth story and know that the opportunity lies in tier 2 & 3 markets of India. We are currently exploring many new alliances with hotel investors in these markets and are hopeful to close more such alliances in the near future.", he added.

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New Appointment Announcement at Eastin Easy Vita, First International Hotel, in Vita Sangli District

Arun Sharma

Satish Mishra

Mr. Kabir Mehra is delighted to announce new appointments at Eastin Easy Vita, namely Mr. Arun Sharma as Food and Beverage Manager and Mr. Satish Mishra as Accounts Manager.

Academically qualified with a degree in Hotel Management Catering Technology & Tourism, Arun Sharma brings along, diverse experience of over 10 years with in-depth knowledge, experience, and training in all aspects of food and beverage operations.

With over 12 years of experience in the Hospitality industry, Satish Mishra started his hospitality career with Sayaji Hotels in 2008

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Hyatt Announces Plans for Hyatt Regency London Olympia

Hyatt announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with an affiliate of Olympus Property Holding Limited to develop a new Hyatt Regency hotel in London. The 196-room hotel is slated to open in 2024 and will mark the eighth Hyatt-branded property and the second Hyatt Regency hotel in London. Hyatt Regency London Olympia will add to the current portfolio of Hyatt Regency hotels in the United Kingdom, joining Hyatt Regency Birmingham, Hyatt Regency Manchester and Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.

Hyatt Regency London Olympia will deliver the personalized and energizing guest experiences as well as the stress-free environment that embodies the Hyatt Regency brand ethos. Business and leisure travelers alike will enjoy seamless, intuitive service alongside memorable dining experiences as well as flexible spaces to work, collaborate or relax.

“We are delighted to join forces with Olympus Property Holding Limited to be part of the exciting redevelopment of the Olympia exhibition center and bring the Hyatt Regency brand to life in this incredible new quarter of London,” said Felicity Black-Roberts, vice president of development Europe, Hyatt. “Expanding Hyatt’s brand footprint with these plans to add a second Hyatt Regency hotel in London contributes to our ambitious growth strategy for the U.K. and our embodies our focus on thoughtful growth in places that matter most to our guests, World of Hyatt members and customers. With its reputation as a place for people to connect, the Hyatt Regency brand will fit perfectly in this new development.”

Hyatt Regency London Olympia will be part of a new development that will see Olympia, London’s historic convention center built in 1873, redeveloped and transformed into an integrated convention, entertainment, and cultural district in West London. This redevelopment will include upgrades to the Olympia tube and rail station, additional bicycle routes and bus connectivity, allowing guests to access London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports in under an hour by public transport.

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Mandarin Oriental to debut in Saudi Arabia next year

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has signed a management agreement with Al Khozama Company to handle operations of the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh. Once rebranded and renovated, it will be the group’s first hotel in the Kingdom.

The group will take over management in Q1 2021 but will not reflag to Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh until the end of that year when refurbishments to guest rooms and public areas are complete.

“The Al Faisaliah Hotel has been a leading light in Saudi Arabia’s hospitality sector since opening its doors 20 years ago. We are pleased to be partnering with Mandarin Oriental to further develop the hotel and to create the most luxurious and sophisticated property in the region,” said Khalid Abuhaimed, CEO of Al Khozama.

“We are delighted to further strengthen Mandarin Oriental’s presence in the Middle East by introducing the brand to Saudi Arabia and bringing the Group’s legendary service to Riyadh,” said James Riley, group chief executive of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. “We look forward to collaborating with the Al Khozama Company in transforming the hotel into the city’s most exclusive luxury property,” he added.

The hotel features 321 keys, with the new interiors being done by New York’s Adam Tihany Design. Once finished, the hotel will have ‘refreshed’ restaurants, lounge and bars, including a top floor venue giving views of the capital.

Mandarin Oriental has a compact presence in the Middle East, with the Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah Dubai and Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Both of which only came into the MO portfolio last year.

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Dubai hotel occupancy higher than Paris and London

The emirate of Dubai ranks second globally in terms of hotel occupancy right now, behind only Singapore and ahead of both London and Paris.

That is according to The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) Director-General Helal Saeed Almarri, citing figures from analytics firm STR.

Almarri was speaking to more than 600 people from across hospitality, travel and leisure in DCTM's first physical stakeholder meeting since the start of the pandemic. Speaking at an outdoor venue at Dubai’s Fitness Village, the tourism head explained how Dubai had seen occupancy rates of 51 percent this September and is more than capable of alluring additional visitors this year.

He briefed partners on various achievements this year which have made Dubai so resilient, including the recent UAE-UK air bridge, the resumption of international tourism in July 9 and the emirate’s range of health and safety measures.

Additionally, he discussed initiatives such as ‘Retire in Dubai’, which is aimed at bringing in new working professionals into Dubai and thus benefitting the tourism sector greatly.

Carried by state news agency WAM, he explained, "We are grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, for his visionary leadership and guidance that has enabled us to efficiently tide over the challenges posed by the pandemic and inspired us to develop innovative initiatives to further enhance our competitiveness as a destination. Dubai’s proactive approach and exceptional cross functional management of the situation, has put us in a first mover position to reopen to global markets as and when they reciprocally open, allowing the city to be ahead of the curve.

"We are greatly encouraged by the pace of the industry’s recovery since the city opened its doors to international tourists almost five months ago. The steady influx of travellers indicates that we are on the right track. We hope to perform even better before the year draws to a close, accelerating momentum as we move towards the full reopening of the sector. This critical period has highlighted the resilience of our ecosystem, especially the hotel industry, which took the lead in reviving domestic tourism and creating a positive perception of the industry."

Helal Almarri added, "A diversified multi-geographic strategy that allows us to react quickly to market changes across source markets combined with the strong economic relief programme put in place by the local and federal governments, as well as the support of our stakeholders have helped the destination remain highly competitive in spite of global challenges. Our constant dialogue with stakeholders and partners, especially in these tough times, allows us to keep them abreast of the latest domestic and global developments. This provides them an opportunity to be aligned with new industry initiatives and take advantage of diverse campaigns and efforts being made to ensure Dubai stays at the forefront of the world’s safest destinations."

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WTTC hosts first virtual AGM with 120 members and WTTC ambassadors

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global travel and tourism private sector, hosted its first ever virtual AGM, attended by more than 120 CEOs from across the globe, to discuss the progress made so far, the challenges our sector has faced through this pandemic, and the importance of international collaboration.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has devasted the global Travel & Tourism sector, WTTC has been at the forefront of leading the private sector in the efforts to rebuild global consumer confidence, and the drive to rebuild international travel.

In its first ever virtual AGM, the meeting was chaired by Chris Nassetta, president & CEO of Hilton and WTTC chair, and saw contributions from members around the world and WTTC’s vice chairs including: Gary Chapman, president group services & dnata, Emirates Group; Jeffrey C Rutledge, chief executive officer, AIG Travel; Jerry Noonan, co-founder, Global Hospitality & Leisure Practice, Spencer Stuart and Darrell Wade, co-founder and chairman, Intrepid Group.

The regional vice chairs who were also in attendance included: Jane Sun chief executive officer of Trip.com; Desirée Bollier chair and chief merchant, Value Retail; Manfredi Lefebvre, chairman, Silversea Cruises; Arnold Donald, president & CEO, Carnival Corp; Alex Zozaya, executive chairman, Apple Leisure Group; and Hiromi Tagawa, Executive Advisor, JTB Corp.

The meeting was also attended by WTTC ambassadors, Taleb Rifai, WTTC global ambassador; chairman of International Advisory Board of International Institute for Peace through Tourism and former UNWTO Secretary-General; Michel Taride, WTTC ambassador EU, strategic advisor, former group president Hertz International and chair of the GTTP Advisory Board; Michael Frenzel, WTTC ambassador EU and president of Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry; and Peter Greenberg, WTTC ambassador US and CBS News travel editor.

Major 2020 initiatives presented to attendees included WTTC’s ground-breaking 100 million Jobs Recovery Plan, which was presented to and welcomed by the G20 during an historic meeting between G20 Tourism Ministers, and more than 45 CEOs and Members of WTTC in October, under Saudi Arabia’s leadership.

Furthermore, in its ‘G20 Declaration’ announced last week, the Heads of State said they would continue their efforts in collaborating with stakeholders, including the private sector, to facilitate the Travel & Tourism sector’s recovery from the pandemic.

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Accor to merge with Ennismore to create hospitality’s ‘leading lifestyle operator'

The owner operator of The Hoxton and Gleneagles is to enter into a merger with Accor in a bid to create the ‘world’s leading lifestyle operator in the hospitality sector’.

Ennismore and Accor have entered into ‘exclusive negotiations’ to become a combined entity that will comprise 12 brands, with 73 hotels in operation and a pipeline of more than 110 hotels and another c.70 hotels under ‘active discussion’.

The brands include The Hoxton, Gleneagles, Delano, SLS, Mondrian, SO/, Hyde, Mama Shelter, 25hours, 21c Museum Hotels, TRIBE, JO&JOE and Working From_.

The new entity will be headquartered in London and will take the name Ennismore.

Sharan Pasricha, founder and CEO of Ennismore and Gaurav Bhushan, CEO of the Accor Lifestyle division will become co-CEOs.

Accor will be the majority shareholder of the new entity, with Sharan Pasricha holding a substantial minority position, with the deal expected to be completed in the ‘first semester’ of 2021.

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Accor introduces Vivaah at Novotel

Novotel has introduced Vivaah at Novotel. Leveraging its 20 properties across 15 gateway cities across India. With Vivaah at Novotel, guests get to select a host hotel in any city as their wedding venue.

Puneet Dhawan, Senior VP Operations, Accor India and South Asia said, “We are fuelling our resources with digital innovations and entering into this new segment of virtual weddings to make our guest’s day special in the current times. Novotel is one of our most popular brands in India with 20 properties across the nation. With ‘Vivaah at Novotel Hyderabad Airport’ we strive to fulfil all our guests’ needs and demands with our dynamic hospitality services.”

Rubin Cherian, General Manager, Novotel Hyderabad Airport said, “We understand emotions and expectations of our patrons from wedding celebrations ‘Vivaah at Novotel’ provides guests an opportunity to choose from a range of options and design their dream wedding. Bearing the current situation and the restriction on the number of people one can invite for the wedding, Novotel Hyderabad Airport has introduced personalized wedding packages. The wedding packages are carefully crafted and are completely holistic in nature. They cover all the aspects that are required to make a wedding a festive and resplendent affair. Our teams are working continuously to help and assist them to make these celebrations more joyous. With our ALLSAFE label’s strict safety and hygiene protocols, guests can be rest assured and enjoy their moment.”

The two distinctive features of this initiative are Dawat by Novotel and Shagun by Novotel for food and gift hampers respectively which are the two integral parts of any Indian wedding.

With Dawat by Novotel, the guests attending the virtual wedding based out of key cities with a Novotel property will have the same culinary experience delivered at their home, which is served at the host hotel. This way even if physically they are in different cities, they will be able to enjoy the same delicacies as served at the wedding. If a particular town other than the host city has a substantial number of guests, Novotel Hyderabad Airport also provides an option to book a banquet in that particular city, which will also project the wedding on a big screen. The same food and beverage services will be provided at the hotel, which are being served at the host property.

Another aspect of this initiative is Shagun by Novotel, through which Novotel hotels in different cities help guests in delivering selected gift hampers to their relatives and friends. Guests can choose these hampers from plethora of options starting from Royale priced at INR 4000, Luxe package at INR 3000, Prestige hamper at INR 2000 and Premium at INR 1000.

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A pandemic won’t stop weddings

The events industry was one of the first industries which started facing strains when Covid-19 started spreading. Events were being cancelled, people were dropping out at the last minute as panic spread, leaving the organisers with little to do anything about it. The industry was trying to find ways to keep clients engaged and future projects coming during the lockdown, with ways like virtual workshops, seminars, conferences, and more.

The wedding industry, however, couldn’t survive solely through virtual events. Weddings needed to happen for organisers to survive. During the lockdown, people had desperately sought to get married at their own homes, with barely 10-20 people. No decorators, caterers, choreographers or anyone else were needed for these lockdown weddings. Now, after the series of unlocks and the cap being increased and decreased, the wedding industry still doesn’t have hopes from the upcoming wedding season.
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Sahara Star collaborates with PREFME to offer guests with a contactless experience

Sahara Star recently resumed operations with all the safety measures in place. Given that they have resumed operations in full-swing, the hotel company also announced about their partnership with the leading-edge hospitality technology innovator, PREFME. With this, the hotel has taken a leap towards adopting newer technology.

This alliance with PREFME has also increased the safety meter a notch above the regular safety measures with a contactless and personalized experience for the guests at the hotel.   

PREFME provides contactless check-in/out, offers guests to personalize their stays. It also has a feature of multilingual chat. The application also presents the users with in-app service booking, in-app food menu & ordering, food ingredients scanner, along with many other benefits.

With the Prefme app, the guests can pre-check-in from any corner of the world, whereas, on arrival, they can get their identities verified through a quick & secure digital ID verification and avoid check-in queues. Guests can also enjoy a completely contactless and hassle-free checkout by viewing their services and making payments from the app.

Commenting on this collaboration, Manish Sodhi, CEO, Hotel Sahara Star said, “By keeping in terms with the Covid-19 situation in the country, we are ecstatic associating with PREFME giving the best and safest experience to our guests and team members. At Sahara Star, we make sure that our guests experience a completely relaxed stay, and easily access our hotel in a contactless way right from their smartphone.”

The PREFME technology will not only ensure a seamless guest experience amid ongoing Covid crisis but will also help in enabling Post-Covid operations.

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FAITH submits its pre-budget recommendations for the Indian Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Industry

FAITH the policy federation of all the national associations representing the complete tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India (ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI) & cause partner AIRDA has submitted its pre-budget recommendations to the Union Budget FY 21 -22 for the Tourism, Travel  & Hospitality Industry of India.

The core vision laid our by FAITH is that of Tourism - Made in India. As per their vision, India should aim to become one of the most preferred Tourism destinations both for domestic and international tourists offering best in class tourism experiences, infrastructure & services and to enable Indian tourism entrepreneurs to create value for all their stakeholders.
 
As per the World Economic Forum, tourism 2019 competitiveness study, India was ranked at 34th among 140 countries. This ranking is up from 2013 when Indian tourism was ranked at 68th. The  goal is to move India into the Top 20 rank in global tourism competitiveness in 5 years post COVID-19 normal.

In line with this vision, FAITH has proposed the following Budgetary themes for Indian Tourism for Union Budget FY 21 - 22:

• One India, One Tourism

• Export competitiveness

• Domestic leadership

• Capital Formation

• Removing inefficiencies

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Taj Safaris welcomes guests with its Wildlife Escape offer

Taj Safaris, India’s first and only luxury wildlife circuit, has come with its Wildlife Escape offer for a new season of holidays in the wild. The new offer allows guests to enjoy the incredibly diverse wildlife in some of the most renowned National Parks in India and Nepal.

Offering an inclusive experience that allows one to feel the thrill of the forest while delighting in the touch of luxury at the intimate safari lodges, with the Wildlife Escape offer guests can look forward to private safari jeep rides to spot a host of flora and fauna including the Royal Bengal tigers and white tigers, leopards, Barasingha or swamp deer, hyenas, Sloth bears, wild dogs, and over 250 varieties of birds in India’s forests and the one-horned rhino in the jungles of Nepal.

In addition to safari drives, guests can enjoy myriad unique local experiences such as a spectacular high-tea picnic by the serene Khoka Lake at Pench National Park or a Walking Safari to spot wild mammals, birds and aquatic life at Bhamni beside the Banjaar River at Kanha National Park.

At Bandhavgarh National Park, guests can revel in the simplicity of Ranchha village with its mud houses amidst farmlands; whilst at Panna National Park, guests can walk with a local Pardhi guide to the Ranipur village, located in a territorial forest that boasts of gorges and waterfalls. Standing on the banks of the river Rapti, Meghauli Serai in Chitwan National Park, Nepal offers large infinity pool with a viewing deck and a ‘machan’ over the river for private dining and wildlife viewing.

Wildlife Escape is an all-inclusive offer that includes daily meals, a safari ride and recreational activities that allow one to celebrate the revitalizing essence of nature. Considering the uncertainty around travel, the offer allows for flexibility with select cancellations/modifications and is fully refundable. 

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UNWTO joins IMO to highlight importance of cruise tourism

The two UN agencies also recognised the efforts made by the industry, countries and international organizations to protect the safety, health and well-being of passengers and crew, as well as the health of the population of destination port States of cruise ships.

In a joint statement, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently highlighted the importance of the cruise sector for the world economy.

According to industry data, the cruise sector supports 1.2 million jobs and contributes US$150 billion to the global economy every year. Tourism is vitally important for Small Islands States, where it sustains millions of livelihoods and brings substantial socio-economic benefits.

The two UN agencies also recognised the efforts made by the industry, countries and international organizations to protect the safety, health and well-being of passengers and crew, as well as the health of the population of destination port States of cruise ships. Since cruise operations were suspended worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has been reviewing and enhancing its protocols to identify ways to go further in protecting the health of passengers, crew and the general public. 

The joint statement invites governments to use the Guidance on the gradual and safe resumption of operations of cruise ships in the European Union in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic (shared by IMO in Circular Letter No 4204/Add.26) to facilitate the recovery of the sector under safe conditions, as well as three framework documents (operator framework, passenger framework and seafarer framework) developed by the United Kingdom’s Chamber of Shipping together with CLIA.

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Airbnb and MTDC partner to promote unexplored destinations in Maharashtra

Airbnb has partnered with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to promote homestay and bed & breakfast (B&B) tourism in the state of Maharashtra. By promoting homestay tourism, this partnership will encourage travel to lesser-known destinations and will enable inclusive community-led tourism in the state, that will further enhance economic prospects.

Under the agreement, Airbnb and MTDC will:

• Promote nearby travel-to destinations in Maharashtra that are off the beaten track and offer a unique experience to travelers

• Onboard three MTDC properties within Maharashtra that will offer travelers differentiated offerings including farm stays

• Conduct webinars and workshops to train homestay hosts and B&B owners on Airbnb’s enhanced cleaning protocol—the first overarching standardized guidelines for cleaning and sanitization in the home sharing industry—to support hosts in advance of reopening communities for travel.

The partnership furthers both parties’ commitment to support a sustainable tourism ecosystem,  while highlighting current and upcoming tourism destinations in the state. Through knowledge  sharing and training workshops with hosts, the partnership will also enhance the potential of  tourism to create jobs and sustain livelihoods for local communities and will spotlight unique  properties as more travelers explore stays near metro cities. 

Announcing the partnership, Aaditya Thackeray, Minister for Tourism, Environment & Climate Change and Protocol, Government of Maharashtra, said: “Maharashtra is an  ecologically and culturally rich state and offers travelers unique travel experiences. We are  committed to improving community-driven hospitality that is sustainable and offers travelers  accessible, affordable and quality tourism. Safety is also key. With Airbnb, we will strengthen the  ecosystem for the growth of homestays and B&Bs in the state, to revive tourism growth in the  coming months. We appreciate Airbnb’s effort in helping us promote tourism in Maharashtra.”

Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager (India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan) at  Airbnb, said: “This partnership is a valuable opportunity to drive rapid demand growth towards domestic tourism and to support economic recovery. Airbnb has always been committed to  highlighting unique destinations that are off the beaten track, and to ensure that economic benefits  of tourism reach as many communities as possible. We are proud to be working with MTDC, and  to support their vision. Rebuilding trust in travel is a long-term mindset and requires a collaborative  effort between governments, tourism authorities and private players. We have witnessed  commendable efforts put in by the Government of Maharashtra and MTDC towards this endeavor  and are fully committed to support them”.

According to Airbnb’s own search trends and data, destinations within Maharashtra such as  Karjat, Igatpuri, Alibag and Panchgani remain widely searched for options with their stunning  scenery, including in the backdrop of the Western Ghats, and offer authentic cultural experiences  for travelers.

Ascott India and UNHCR organise Vintage Car Rally in Chennai

Actors Shantnu and Kiki Vijay at Somerset Greenways Chennai

Chennai – The Ascott Limited (Ascott) organized a Vintage Car Rally in the city on

Sunday, 8 November 2020. The event was organised in association with the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency and Historical Cars Association of

India. The car rally was organised in support of refugee welfare and highlight the role of the communities

hosting them.

The event began with a display of the classic cars at Citadines OMR Chennai, Ascott’s apart ’hotel

located in Sholinganallur. Over 15 classic cars including Cadillacs, Mustangs, Jaguars and Mercedes’

were on display, with some vintage car owners arriving from Bangalore and Goa to participate in the

event. The car rally was flagged off by Ms Karin Stoll, Consulate General of Germany in Chennai and

Mr Nitirooge Phoneprasert, Consulate-General of Thailand in Chennai. The vintage cars proceeded

towards the city centre and the rally culminated at Somerset Greenways Chennai, Ascott’s serviced

residence in MRC Nagar.

Ms Supriya Malhotra, Ascott’s Area General Manager for Chennai, said: “We are excited to partner with

UNHCR and the diplomatic community in Chennai to host this event this year. We hope this paves the

way for more such collaborations in the future.”

The event saw a remarkable turnout of vintage car enthusiasts and key members of Chennai’s diplomatic

community.

About The Ascott Limited

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

owner-operators. Ascott’s portfolio spans more than 190 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific,

Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA.

Ascott has more than 69,000 operating units and over 49,000 units under development, making a total

of more than 118,000 units in over 760 properties.

Chief Guests at the Event

Cars On Display - Citadines OMR

Chief Guests Flag Off The Rally

Americans Aren’t Staying Home for the Holidays

The pandemic has snarled leisure and business travel this year, but the latest travel horizons™ survey, conducted by MMGY Travel Intelligence, found that the travel industry is likely to get a significant boost over the holidays. The survey, which queried people planning to travel in the next six months, found that half of respondents intend to take trips between November and early January, with 25% traveling for Thanksgiving, 31% traveling for the December holidays and 15% for New Year's celebrations.

The holiday season is being met with optimism, as 67% of those who will travel indicated that they are enthusiastic about their upcoming trips. Much of that fervour is from Millennial travellers - a generation that outpaced its older counterparts1. Thirty-five percent of Millennials will travel for Thanksgiving, compared to only 23% of Gen X, 18% of young Boomers and 8% of older Boomers. For the December holidays, Millennials also led other generations with 43% planning to travel, while only 26% of Gen X, 19% of younger Boomers and 8% of older Boomers will travel.

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InterGlobe Hotels wins the 7th IGBC Green Champion Awards 2020

InterGlobe Hotels Private Limited has been conferred the prestigious 7th IGBC Green Champion Awards 2020 under the category of 'Pioneer in large scale adoption of green buildings in hospitality sector in India'.

InterGlobe Hotels Pvt. Ltd. has been involved in the development of around 6 IGBC green ibis hotel projects so far in the country. The award was presented to JB Singh, President and CEO, InterGlobe Hotels in a virtual event organised recently. 

The Green Champion Awards is an annual flagship event organised by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), part of CII. The award is the most prestigious honour bestowed by IGBC upon the leaders of the green building movement in India. In line with the global spotlight on people and health, the theme for this year is: 'Hygiene, Health and Wellbeing' in Green Built Environment. Each year, organisations are felicitated as recognition of the efforts of organisations that strive to further advance green building movement in the country.

Commenting on the win, JB Singh, President and CEO, InterGlobe Hotels, said that,”We are honoured and delighted to be the recipients of the prestigious ‘Green Champion award’. Our teams work with a deep commitment to ensure best ethical practices are adopted, and this recognition would go a long way to motivate us to remain steadfast in this effort. It is our belief that the natural environment is a vital part of our business environment and this must form a part of our strategic perspective. We also believe that as a leading and a responsible industry player, we have a special role and responsibility to confront the challenges of climate change and sustainability and take a long term and a broad view. We will continue to remain committed to this effort and I would like to congratulate our teams, and everyone involved in our company who continue to work behind the scenes, helping us set new benchmarks.”

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