Marriott News | Marriott Bonvoy Logs into the Metaverse with Debut of Travel-Inspired NFTs

Marriott Bonvoy Logs into the Metaverse with Debut of Travel-Inspired NFTs

Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program featuring 30 extraordinary hotel brands and endless experiences, has teamed up with up-and-coming digital artists – TXREK, JVY, and Erick Nicolay – to create three Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Marriott Bonvoy will become one of the first hospitality brands to create its own NFTs and will unveil the digital art, inspired by the travel program’s recent global “Power of Travel” campaign, on Saturday, December 4 at Art Basel Miami Beach 2021.

“We are excited to bring our extraordinary portfolio of hotel brands and endless experiences into this growing platform,” said Brian Povinelli, Senior Vice President, Brand, Loyalty, and Portfolio Marketing, Marriott International. “We continuously seek opportunities to defy what is conventional and, with our entry in the digital goods space, we are further igniting the transformative power of travel in the virtual world, while supporting this growing community of incredibly talented artists.”

NFTs are one-of-a-kind digital collectibles that can be traded on the blockchain, often referred to as the “key” to the metaverse. The metaverse is a hypothesized iteration of the internet, supporting 3-D virtual environments through conventional personal computing. Each of the NFTs created for Marriott Bonvoy are an interpretation of travel from the artists’ own unique experiences, illustrating how travel has an unmistakable impact on the human spirit.

• MΞMORIED, created by Tarek Mustapha a.k.a. TXREK (Tarek Em), uncovers the magic envisioned from new experiences. Each destination provides its own adventure, with each experience logged into a memory that adds to the previous one as if they are connected. The digital art incorporates Marriott Bonvoy’s path connector as a pathway to the magical journeys ahead and the peace of mind in staying at any of the approximately 7,900 properties within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio.

• The Emotional Journey, designed by Jared “Jay” Richardson (JVY), was inspired by the ability of environmental travel to evoke different emotions, whether seeking inspiration escaping reality, or fulfilling one’s curiosity to explore. The digital art travels between three environments, each expressing a different point of time – from the forest where one can feel lost and the utopia where everything is perfect to the futurism which conveys a postmodern reality.

• THE EXPERIENTIAL IN BETWEEN, developed by Erick Nicolay, explores the duality between the curated elegance of indoor travel experiences and the awe-inspiring scenic exploration of outdoor traveling experiences, with Marriott Bonvoy as the final destination. The digital art merges his appreciation for interior design and love for external nature only made possible through 3D surrealistic depictions.

On Saturday, December 4 at 10:30 p.m., the NFTs will be unveiled at the FaZe Forever Powered by MoonPay event during Art Basel, the world’s premier art show for modern and contemporary art. A countdown clock will draw attendees to the reveal of the NFTCODE where three lucky individuals will each win one of the NFTs as well as 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Marriott Bonvoy’s global Power of Travel campaign executed several industry and company firsts including the first-to-market moment for a hospitality brand with TikTok, the first to employ Pinterest’s technology and real-time trends in an out-of-home placement, and more. Looking ahead to 2022, Marriott Bonvoy aims to continue building a presence within the metaverse and engage with consumers in an impactful and inventive way.

To explore more with Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com.

About Marriott Bonvoy®
Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program and marketplace, gives members access to transformative, eye-opening experiences around the corner and across the globe. Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, as well as through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. With the Marriott Bonvoy app, members enjoy a level of personalization and contactless experience that allows them to travel with peace of mind. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com. To download the Marriott app, go here. Travelers can also connect with Marriott Bonvoy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Bookbanquetroom.com to power The Fern Hotels & Resorts’ Online Banquet Bookings

Bookbanquetroom.com is proud to announce that it will be powering The Fern Hotels & Resorts online banquet booking services. The unique venue booking software developed by ​​Bookbanquetroom.com facilitates booking a banquet hall online for meetings and events in a matter of under 2 minutes.

The Fern is one of the first chains of hotels to have partnered with Bookbanquetroom.com. The Fern Hotels & Resorts (managed by Concept Hospitality Pvt. Ltd) is amongst the fastest growing hotel brands in India. The Fern is a collection of upscale and midscale hotels and resorts. They offer a unique experience with premium accommodation and services. The Fern group currently has over 80 hotels under its management and several more properties are going to open soon in the coming months. 

Of the 84 hotels currently under management, The Fern Hotels & Resorts has installed the banquet booking engine for 58 hotels that have extensive meetings and events facilities. 

Speaking about this new feature, Mr Noshir A Marfatia, Senior Vice President, The Fern Hotels & Resorts mentioned, “In our endeavour to make it easier for our customers to make their banquet bookings, we have decided to deploy this unique banquet booking engine across our group of hotels. We see great value in this booking engine developed by bookbanquetroom.com. In phase I, our customers can now view their preferred venues and check for availability and directly receive a quote for their events. And going forward our customers can book their events online 24/7 in a matter of 2 minutes. This booking engine will offer great convenience to our customers and will help them save time and effort. We see this booking engine solution as an easy-to-use software not only for the end consumers but also for the hotels as it assists bookings, maintains records and data in a matter of seconds.”

Speaking about the partnership with Book Banquet Room, Mr Sarosh Khatib, Founder & CEO said “BBR is one step towards revolutionizing an otherwise technologically limited hospitality sector. It is a software for a more user-friendly and convenient tomorrow. The partnership with a brand like The Fern is proof that the hospitality sector is ready for a technological revamp. I am glad that The Fern saw great potential in BBR and I look forward to a fruitful and profitable partnership with them!”

About Bookbanquetroom.com:

Bookbanquetroom.com is a booking engine that provides white-labelled solutions and offers customized policies and procedures with all the branding of the hotels/ banquet halls. It can help make bookings of a small meeting of 6 people to a large event of 2000+ people. It can also be deployed for Private Dining rooms in restaurants. It is the need of the hour as it addresses all COVID protocols. 

The booking engine simplifies the business process for banquet hall/ hotel managers and owners and helps in increasing revenues, profits and saves manpower costs. Hotel managers can manage their banquet diaries 24/7 from any mobile device.  

About The Fern Hotels & Resorts:

The Fern Hotels & Resorts is India’s leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain and amongst the fastest growing hotel brands in India, with 84 hotels & resorts currently operational under management or opening shortly across 69 locations in India and internationally, under The Fern, The Fern Residency, The Zinc by The Fern and Beacon Hotels brands, with 15 hotels opened during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 & 2021. The company is a part of CG Corp Global, a multi-dimensional Nepalese conglomerate.

Karnataka: International tourism expo slated for February shelved

In September, the government had announced that Karnataka will host the state tourism international expo in February 2022. This was after it assessed that international flights would resume normal operations by November 15.

However, now with the onset of Omicron, Karnataka has been forced to postpone the mega event, which was aimed at reviving the struggling tourism industry.

“The Karnataka International Travellers Expo (KITE), scheduled to be held from February 23 to 25, 2022 has been postponed to April,” said tourism secretary Pankaj Kumar Pandey.

Pandey, however, said the government had taken a call to postpone the event two to three weeks prior to the news of the fast-spreading Omicron strain as normal operations of international flights weren’t resuming anytime soon. “We had made a guesstimate of normal flights not resuming soon and thus took a call to postpone the event...,” said Pandey.

Sources, however, suggested that KITE could be postponed beyond April too as resumption of international flights looks unlikely before March/April next year.

Though ranked eighth on India’s list of states dependent on international travellers, Karnataka has a high footfall of foreign tourists. KIA, as per state government data, was ranked fifth in footfall between January 2019-January 2020.

“Though foreign tourism is next to nil, revival of domestic tourism has helped the industry experience a semblance of recovery as many people who were cooped up in their homes for over a year are suddenly out and travelling,” said tourism director Sindhu B Rupesh.

“With Karnataka recording the first cases of the new variant, we worry if the situation will once again deteriorate,” said a department official.

Co-living startup Settl raises $500K in seed round from ah! Ventures, others

Settl, a technology-driven managed accommodation platform, has raised $500,000 in seed round. The funding round witnessed participation from We Founder Circle, ah! Ventures, and other angel investors like Saurabh Jha, director- growth and analytics, Housing.com; Ashu Dubey, (principal product manager-Linkedin; Mahesh Pillai, senior vice president, Pierian Services Pvt Ltd; and Abdul Paravengal, ex CBO, Shipper.

Settl plans to deploy the funds to enhance its technology stack and acquire more supplies. It also plans to expand aggressively across cities, including Delhi-NCR, Pune, and Chennai, targeting an inventory of more than 2000 beds in the next six months for urban professionals.

“Settl is disrupting the co-living concept by offering fully managed living spaces using their years of experience in this domain. They offer multi-city multi-location beautiful 1&2 BHK options at your fingertips using smart tech…" said Neeraj Tyagi, co-founder and CEO, We Founder Circle.

“We are building a network that caters to the modern needs of flexi living where Settl brings thoughtfully designed spaces and curated experiences with a bunch of amenities that makes city living effortless" said Bharath Bhaskar, co-founder, Settl.

"There are competitors in the space, but the space still has a lot of potential. Since covid and work from home are coming into play - a lot has changed for the real estate world and in the rental space. Hence, a lot of people are investing to enter the market at its lowest…", said Karn Rajani, venture partner, ah! Ventures.

In a little over a year, Settl has locked 1,200 beds in two cities. It has been witnessing 30% rise in demand quarter on quarter. Following the fresh fund infusion, it aims to serve over 3,000 clients per month, the startup said.

Fortune Hotels adds property in pilgrimage destinations

Fortune Hotels adds property in pilgrimage destinations

Fortune Hotels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd announced the signing of two individual operating agreements for hotels in Katra (Jammu & Kashmir) and Amritsar (Punjab), thereby strengthening its growth strategy in key pilgrim locations and adding over 100 new rooms to its existing inventory.

Speaking about the group’s current business development strategy and new alliances, Samir MC, Managing Director, Fortune Park Hotels Limited, said: “We are pleased to announce our entry into two of the most revered pilgrimage centres of India- Katra & Amritsar. These additions further strengthen our focus on pilgrimage destinations and add more depth to our existing portfolio of operational and hotels in pipeline in various locations like Tirupati, Madurai, Haridwar, Dharamshala, Deoghar, Shirdi and Ajmer.”

“We thank our new partners for their trust in us and seek to affiliate with more such like-minded Owning Boards to bring the Fortune Advantage to their hotels and our reputed brand to their towns. Fortune Hotels today purvey a very interesting mix of business and leisure hotels, thereby offering a gamut of new experiences to guests who stay with us. We thank our Owner Partners for entrusting us with their hotels,” he further added.

Fortune Park The Atrium, Katra set in the heart of Katra city home to the Holy shrine of Maa Vaishno Devi. This 58-room spacious hotel with a glass pyramid-shaped atrium roof, is poised to open in the summer of 2022 with refreshed contemporary interiors, modern facilities and impeccable services that promise to offer homelike comfort to leisure traveller looking to explore this popular tourist destination. The aesthetic property is owned by M/s Swastik Resort.

Expressing delight at the alliance, Nishant Sharma of Swastik Resort said: “This is our maiden venture with a branded hotel chain and we are delighted to bring Fortune Hotels to Katra. With the Indianness, efficient world-class management and culinary strength they bring, our guests are sure to delight in the renewed us. We hope for new success with the Fortune Team and are certain to become the most preferred hotel amongst business and leisure travelers in the city in our segment.”

Fortune Inn Heritage Walk, Amritsar, is a 50-room boutique hotel conveniently located in close proximity to Jallianwala Bagh, just off Heritage Street and a 5-mins walk from the sacred Golden Temple. This gratifying property is undergoing a refurbishment programme and is anticipated to open towards the mid of 2022

Samir MC, managing director, Fortune Park Hotels Limited with Inderpal Singh and Navinderpal Singh, Owner partners of Fortune Inn Heritage Walk Amritsar at the signing of the MoU.

Highlighting the momentous signing Inder Pal Singh and Navinder Pal Singh of M/s Hotel City Park said: “We are delighted to partner with Fortune Hotels for our onward journey. Their operational acumen, service standards and warm hospitality backed by the ITC legacy are hidden from none.”

Strategically located in their respective destinations both hotels enjoy a distinct positioning and address the growing accommodation demand for branded hotels in these high potential markets by offering quality stay options at an attractive value.

With these signings, the premier domestic chain now adds over 100 new rooms across 2 key cities of India, bringing their existing inventory to over 4000 rooms across 46 cities.
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New Executive Committee of PHA Elected for 2021-22

New  Executive Committee of PHA  Elected for 2021-22

Poona Hoteliers Association, a body representing 60+ Star Hotels of Pune, 11 Hotel Management Institutes, and 10 Hospitality Vendor Members, elects Mr Sharan Shetty as President for 2021-22 at the Annual General Meeting held on 30th September, 2021 at Amanora The Fern Hotel. He continues his 3rd Year as President. 

The Executive Committee (Office Bearers) of the Poona Hoteliers Association 2021-22 is as under :

President of Honour - Mr. Suresh Talera

Immd. Past President - Mr Neerav Panchamia

President - Mr. Sharan Shetty

Vice President - Mr. Amit Sharma

Hon Secretary - Mr. Vikramraj Shetty

Jt Hon. Secretary - Mr Vinay Nair

Hon Treasurer - Mr. Shrinivas Chaphalkar 

Jt. Hon. Treasurer - Mr. Sumit Sharma

Secretary General - Ms. Prapti Deshpande

Members - Mr Suju Krishnan, Ms Mahua Narayan, Mr Biswajit Biswas, Mr Akhil Agarwal, Mr Sumit Kumar 

Past Presidents - Mr Arun Nayar, Mr Sanjay Singh

Patrons - Mr MPS Anand, Mr Satish Bakre 

Note from President - I am thankful to the members for having elected me for the year as their President. The past two years have been very tough for the Hospitality Industry due to the Pandemic situation . The PHA has been in the forefront , engaging local as well and state authorities about a number of issues  such as Industry Status, MSEB charges , waiver for Property Tax, taking on the Novex , IPRS & PPL amongst a host of other issues . The Poona Hoteliers Association has been an active voice in Maharashtra in highlighting and working towards these issues along with the Regional Associations and the government. It also took up the successful recovery of all dues owed by the State Govt to the hotels which were taken for the front line workers during the first wave . We also have many activities planned for members such as Educational Seminars, Training Programmes, Blood Donation Camp, PHAPL 4.0 (Cricket Tournament) and many more for the year.

In Photo - Complete Executive Committee - Sitting Left to right - Mr. Arun Nayar, Mr. MPS (Pali) Anand, Mr. Neerav Panchamia, Mr. Sharan Shetty, Mr. Amit Sharma, Mr. Sanjay Singh, Standing left to right - Mr. Akhil Agarwal, Mr. Vikramraj Shetty, Mr. Biswajit Biswas, Mr. Suju Krishnan, Ms. Prapti Deshpande, Mr. Shrinivas Chaphalkar, Mr. Vinay Nair, Mr. Sumit Sharma. 

Indian government puts a brake on scheduled international flights

The directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA) in a notification announced the government’s decision.

With the new Coronavirus variant disrupting the world yet again, the Government of India has withdrawn its decision to allow scheduled international flights into India from December 15.

The aviation regulator, directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA) in a notification on December 1, 2021, announced that the government has decided to postpone its earlier decision (released on November 26, 2021) to open the Indian skies for international scheduled flights with conditions.

“In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” DGCA informed.

The Prime Minister himself had voiced his concern on the new variant Omicron, and asked the agencies to review the decision to start the international scheduled flights a couple of days back.

Various countries of the world including Israel, Japan, Australia, among others, have already imposed similar restrictions on international flights as a precautionary measure.

The health ministry has already issued strict vigilance, testing and monitoring of international passengers at airports. Meanwhile, the presence of the new variant has been reported in new geographies, including Saudi Arabia.

FHRAI joins hands in Siliguri hotel owner’s case against OYO in Supreme Court

This will enable the federation to represent many other aggrieved budget hotel owners with their cases

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has been allowed to join the party in the appeal of the Siliguri Hotelier, Mona Agrawalla’s in the apex court against OYO, the budget hotel aggregator. This will help the federation to represent the cause of many aggrieved budget hotel owners in the case.

According to a press statement issued by the federation, based on the civil appeal filed by FHRAI under Section 62 of the IBC, challenging the final order dated July 07, 2021 passed by the NCLAT, the Supreme Court has allowed its plea to be tagged along with the appeal of Mona Agrawalla of Dabriwal Enterprises of Siliguri against OYO. The case will come up for hearing next on December 15, 2021.

This development comes after the NCLAT vide its July 7 order had allowed the withdrawal of application filed by an operational creditor, Rakesh Yadav on his reaching a settlement with OYO. The federation in its plea to the SC had stated the withdrawal application was accepted by the NCLAT without taking into account the 110 other operational creditors with dues of over INR 225 crore.

“The latest development has offered several hoteliers especially, those operating in the budget and mid-market segment a ray of hope of recovering the dues owed by OYO. Aggrieved by the NCLAT’s impugned order, several members approached FHRAI to file a civil appeal against the order and to also be impleaded in the appeal matter of Agrawalla. Many hoteliers including our members are facing hardships due to COVID19 and have scarce resources to file individual and costly litigations in the SC on their own. These hoteliers just can’t leave their businesses to go to Delhi especially, during pandemics and hence FHRAI filed a civil appeal challenging the judgment passed by the NCLAT. The SC has allowed our association to be tagged along with the Siliguri-based hotelier’s appeal. This is a big breakthrough,” says Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, vice-president, FHRAI.

The FHRAI was also an intervenor in the NCLAT and represented around 50 members with claims of approx. INR 100 crores..

TAAI appeals to Maharashtra Govt to synchronise new covidprotocols with Central Govt

TAAI appeals to Maharashtra Govt to synchronise new covidprotocols with Central Govt

Travel Agents Association of India(TAAI) in its communication to Shri Aditya Thackeray, Minister of Tourism, Govt of Maharashtra has appealed to synchronise the new covid protocols, for Domestic and International Travellers, coming to Maharashtra, in line with the directive of the Central Government.

Domestic Travel:

As per the new guidelines and directions issued for Maharashtra by the the Chief Secretary on 30th November’21, it has been made mandatory for all travellers to carry a RT-PCR test report 48 hours prior to departure, before entering Maharashtra, irrespective of being dually vaccinated.

Due to this we shall be facing a huge challenge since travellers will cancel their bookings to Maharashtra, where we were seeing gradual revival of business and enhancement to the economy of the state. Refunds from airlines, hotels, etc, shall also become a huge burden and further aggrevate huge losses to the trade and overall economy, stated Smt Jyoti Mayal, President of TAAI.

The travel trade and economy has taken a big hit in the past 2 years and during this revival stage when the numbers are well curtailed and controlled, it is our humble appeal to maintain Uniform Regulations set by the Central Government, she stated.

International Travel:

Jay Bhatia, Vice President of TAAI states that, as per the new guidelines and directions issued for Maharashtra by the the Chief Secretary on 30th November’21, it has been made mandatory for all arriving from At Risk Countries (as per GOI list) to undertake institutional quarantine for 7 days.

Due to the said directive, travellers have panicked and are planning re-routing through other states and cities out of Maharashtra and shall stay for a day obtain RT-PCR and then arrive into Maharashtra.

This shall create a huge challenge to monitor as well for the Government. The purpose to check, monitor and adhere shall get totally defeated, he added.

Hence by permitting them to arrive into Maharashtra and follow universal protocols across the country shall not only enable but also assist the government in appropriately monitoring the situation, stated Bhati

Further, the list of Instiutional quarantine accommodations is not yet released by the state, citywise and travellers arriving from tomorrow night, 3rd December’21 shall be stuck at the airports.

We have appealed in this regard that the State of Maharashtra, vide the Chief Secretary, Shri Debashish Chaktrabory,Dr Pradeep Kumar Vyas Additional Chief Secretary- Dept of Health, as well as Smt Valsa Nair Singh, Principal Secretary Tourism of Maharashtra Govt,  in the interest of its citizens safety as well as the economy, immediately consider our request to follow standard universal protocols in sync with the Central Government for International as well as Domestic travellers arriving into the state, stated the TAAI communication.

Suryadatta Group of Institutes of Hotel Management ink pact with Eclat Hospitality to ensure global careers for students.

From Left to Right

Mr.Atul Deshpande , Mr.Ulhas Chaudhari, Mr.Vikas Mehra, Ms.Anuradha Khot

Suryadatta Group of Institutes of Hotel Management ink pact with Eclat Hospitality to ensure global careers for students.

Pune: Suryadatta Group of Institutes of Hotel Management inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Eclat Hospitality for training and placement opportunities for its students.

The MoU was signed by, Mr. Vikas Mehra, Director of International placement, Eclat Hospitality and Ulhas Chaudhari Principal in Incharge of Suryadatta Institutes of hotel management said that this will help students remain in sync with the ever-changing

From Left to right

Mr. Atul Deshpande TPO Suryadatta Group of Institutes of Hotel Management

Mr. Ulhas Chaudhari Principal Incharge Suryadatta Group of Institutes of Hotel Management

Mr. Vikas Mehra Director of International Placements Eclat hospitality

Ms. Anuradha Khot Senior Advisor - Institutional Tie-ups Eclat hospitality

Dr. Kaviraj Khialani was invited as Guest of Honor- Industry Expert at ICOHOST 2021- International Conference on Hospitality and Tourism- GNA University, Punjab.

Looking at the welcome back and some of the safe to move trends in the Hospitality and Tourism business and the way forward approach to create a synchronised formulae towards achieving success and stability one of the recent initiatives taken include the ICO-HOST 2021, international conference held on 27th November 2021 at the GNA University campus. Among many noted dignitaries and well known academicians from around the world the event also saw a good number of students from hospitality and tourism management course who chose to be a part of the full day highly informative and valuable seminar.

The use of technology in hospitality industry and its pros- cons along with its functional aspects, guest satisfaction grid rate, adaptability and accessibility aspects etc were a few of the many points spoken and discussed during the sessions. Dr. Kaviraj Khialani highlighted the need of the hour of being mentally and physically strong to start with and to work on the sync with technology which surely can be beneficial for hospitality professionals but not to overlook the importance and merits of basic know how and foundation knowledge of our technical subjects and departments. His deliberation included the thought process to be clear, the mind set to be positive and the balance factor which makes it easy for us to accept, adapt and acknowledge the use of technology in a highly effective manner which can help us see happy guests coming back to our hotels and restaurants more often.

“It is important to have the correct combination of clarity of mind with a synchronised approach towards building a better professional delivery and professional approach on a day to day basis in order to offer quality service with the highest possible standards of safety and well- being to our valued and esteemed guests who will always keep in mind the experience they went through while visiting or during the course of their stay at our hotels” – Chef Kaviraj also concluded by saying that the students looking forward to graduating in the near future have a very good scope and varied openings to choose from in various verticals in the hospitality industry and with an open mind and zeal to perform it would be a great professional journey for all. The grand event saw its end with a special felicitation ceremony in which Chef Kaviraj was presented and awarded a memento and certificate of appreciation by the vice- chancellor, dean and head of department at GNA University.

Overall the one-day international conference was a great success and it shared a lot of important facts and created awareness among the attendees as well on various aspects attached to the world of hospitality.

Cake Mixing ceremony heralds Xmas season at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore

Cake Mixing ceremony heralds Xmas season at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore

With exactly a month to go for Christmas and New Year, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore ushered in good tidings and happiness with the traditional cake mixing ceremony.

The fanfare witnessed guests, hotel staff, and teachers from prominent hospitality institutes get together to combine all the ingredients- massive varieties of candied fruits, assorted nuts, mixed spices, fruit peels all soaked in rum, wine and other alcoholic beverages. The day of the event was rung in under the watchful eyes of newly appointed Executive Chef Ajith Cheruvattath and Pastry Chef Kaushik Mitra.

“The heady mix of exotic ingredients will now be allowed to rest for at least a month. The more the ingredients get soaked in good quantity of spirits, the better the taste. We will combine flour with this mixture for the dough, to be baked to perfection for some finest Christmas Cakes, Carrot Cakes, Dundee Cakes, Stollen breads and other festive indulgences..richer, yummier and blissful in taste,” Chef Ajith said.

“Last year, we hosted one-of-a-kind virtual cake mixing ceremony with the digital mavericks of Bengaluru. However, this time we celebrated in an even bigger way with our in-house guests, Chefs as well as team members. Through this fruit soaking ceremony, we also invited educators from reputed institutes to express our appreciation for adapting, engaging, planning, and most importantly showing compassion to students when they needed it the most. It was truly ecstatic to watch them participate in the mixing, thereby, celebrating the onset of festive season”, said hotel’s General Manager Subhabrata Roy.

A takeaway counter for traditional delicacies along with Christmas Hampers will be available to guests closer to the festival. “As we usher in the season of joy and festivities, we have plans to ring in Christmas and New Year in style. The cake mixing ceremony is just the beginning of the celebrations,” Subhabrata Roy added.

TAAI and Expo 2020 Dubai tie-up turns out to be a great success, Delhi roadshow was a big hit: TAAI

TAAI and Expo 2020 Dubai tie-up turns out to be a great success, Delhi roadshow was a big hit: TAAI

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Expo 2020 Dubai team organised a presentation for its members in Delhi to inform and educate members on the mega-trade show. The event was led by Anoop Kanuga, Managing Committee Member & Chairman of the Tourism Services Council, association’s Northern region and Charson Advisory, who is the official sales & marketing representative for Expo 2020 Dubai in India. Present on the occasion were members of TAAI along with National President, Jyoti Mayal at the Delhi Roadshow on November 25, which turned out to be a huge success. Earlier, the association had also organised a successful roadshow in Mumbai.

The entire travel trade industry and representatives of airlines including Emirates and Etihad (who made their presentation) alongside Vistara, and IndiGo representatives also attended the event. Flydubai was there as well, whose representatives shared their views about the opportunity with Expo 2020 Dubai, which can be encashed with the re-start of tourism.

Speaking on the occasion, Mayal congratulated everyone for making the event in Delhi a big hit and requested the entire travel trade & consumers to visit the Expo 2020 Dubai to have an eye opening experience and understand how the world envisages the future. “Last month, TAAI also organised a virtual session on Expo 2020 Dubai for its members. Vice president Jay Bhatia, Hon Secretary General, Bettiah Lokesh and Anoop Kanuga, Managing Committee Member & Chairman of the Tourism Services Council had attended the webinars and briefed members about the benefits of the partnership. This is our moment the travel business stakeholders to reap the benefits for ourselves and cater for the needs of our customers in the best way possible. This is the time to encash this golden opportunity,” she said.

Acknowledging the efforts and the presentation given by Carl Vaz, Chairman & CEO, Charson Advisory Services on Expo 2020 Dubai, Kanuga commented, “This is the turning point for the tourism sector and the re-opening of tourism at such a healthy pace will definitely add to the revival and restructuring of it.”

“The Dubai Expo 2020 is expected to attract over a million Indian visitors in the span of six months, from October 2021 till March 2022,” anticipated Vaz talking about the event. On the occasion, Neeraj Malhotra, Chairman, TAAI Northern Region informed, “TAAI and Charson Advisory have tied up to promote Expo 2020 across its member, travel and tourism companies through continuous presentations, roadshows, and webinars.

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Dr. Himanshu Talwar

Executive Director, TAAI

TAAI congratulates ICC for successfully organising Annual Session & AGM, joins interactive session with Jyotiraditya Scindia

TAAI President Jyoti Mayal had a fruitful interactive discussion with the Union Aviation Minister virtually where he was very positive on collaborations and working together with travel trade to support the industry.

The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) organised its Annual Session and AGM virtually where they invited the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia as Chief Guest to interact with members and industry stakeholders on Bharat@75. Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) also joined the session and held a fruitful discussion with the Minister where he showed positive intent on growth-oriented collaborations and working together with travel trade and tour operators to support the industry.

Mayal, who is also the Chairperson of the Travel and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) and Member of the ICC Aviation & Tourism Steering Committee on the occasion congratulated ICC for successfully organising Annual Session & AGM and said that she is very pleased hearing Scindia’s positive and futuristic youth approach and feels excited to have him as the Union Minister of Civil Aviation. “I would like your intervention and consideration for the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to think beyond airlines and also towards our 3,000 plus memberships, mainly comprising of IATA agents. We sometimes feel as orphans by not having anyone we could work in collaboration with & bear the brunt of no ease of business, no consideration of policies, no collaborative understandings, no one to share our pleasure and pain specially when airlines default and take away our & the consumers hard earned tax paid income.

She further requested the travel trade associations to the Minister and MoCA’s advisory board or task force. “As we are the catalyst of growth for aviation and as travel agents are the ones who fill the bellies and the seats of the aircrafts and are also a strong link to develop tourism and avenue to employ people in this huge value chain of the industry. We are the ones who will be able to create a robust aviation & tourism industry according to the vision of our Honourable Prime Minister.

During her interaction, Mayal asked the Minister to discuss the opportunities to work together in detail. “Jyotiraditya Scindia ji, can we expect ease of business and opportunity to discuss this further with you on priority to build an Atmanirbhar industry and a robust ecosystem of growth for everyone,” she commented.

WeddingWire India data predicts that the top three metros- Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore continue to be the hub for weddings!

WeddingWire India, the Indian subsidiary of The Knot Worldwide, a leading online marketplace for couples and wedding professionals, released insightful statistics on how the wedding season is  back in the new normal with a surge of 57% in November 2021 as compared to the previous year. With the increased pace of vaccination and state governments relaxing rules for gatherings, the floodgates for weddings have opened up this season.

The data highlights that Delhi NCR followed by Mumbai, Bangalore, Lucknow, Jaipur has the most demand for wedding planners and wedding venues in the Q4 season. Further highlighting that big-fat weddings are back in demand is the fact that hotels & banquet halls have become the most requested service by the users and there is a drastic decrease in the number of people interested in having a home or virtual weddings. This trend has seen a growth trajectory starting July 2021. Destination weddings are also witnessing a huge uptick with every 10 out of 100 guests enquiring about destination weddings with Jaipur, Udaipur, Mussoorie, and Lonavala being the top choices. 

As per the platform, while October had the maximum traffic, November has the maximum number of registered users getting married. Industry estimates by CAIT reveal similar trends that around 2.5 million weddings will take place in November & December. In fact, the first Maha-Saya i.e. 21st November had 8000 weddings in one single day in Delhi itself.

The people who postponed their weddings in Q2 and Q3 are now finally tying knots at the end of this year and in the following year.  Therefore, as per current queries for 2022, the top 3 destinations with the highest demand are Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Data also revealed, with this change in trend and keeping safety as a priority, more and more couples are adopting WedTech platforms for planning their wedding and there is a surge of 27% registered users on the WWI app in November 2021 in comparison to Nov 2020.

Talking about the snowball trend and growth, Anam Zubair, Associate Director of Marketing - WeddingWire India, a part of The Knot Worldwide, said “After almost one and a half years of significant fluctuations owing to the pandemic, there’s a steady growth in the wedding market. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the wedding industry has officially made a comeback. We are certain that this increase in demand will continue to grow and will further lead to the recovery of the industry.”

“The good news is the situation seems to be gradually getting in control and we can witness a good number of demand on saaya dates. It is quite challenging at the moment to find a decent venue anywhere in the country for auspicious dates such as November 21 and November 28. We were pre-booked for November and December, and we already have several queries for January and February as well. Our hotels across Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur, and Lonawala are seeing an uptick in numbers.” added Varun Chhibber, Complex General Manager, The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences, and The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, a Venue Partner of WeddingWire India.

About WeddingWire India

WeddingWire India, launched in mid-2017, is one of the fastest-growing and trusted wedding technology platforms in India connecting engaged couples with local wedding professionals. The virtual marketplace gives couples in India access to any and every wedding service provider and online planning tool they can think of. It is the one-stop destination for all wedding planning requirements with a robust vendor directory covering over 60,000 vendors across categories such as venues, photography, hair and makeup, catering, music, etc. From vendor management, checklist, website creation, budget allocation, guest list creation, community ideas, and inspiration, millions of couples search, compare, and connect with required wedding services from WeddingWire India’s vast directory of vendors. It is dedicated to building innovative tools and resources and is present across apps, websites, and mobile web as the online marketplace of venues and wedding professionals that simplify and inspire the wedding planning process that is unique to its customers. WeddingWire India helps clients plan their dream weddings across 28 states and 8 union territories.

Weddingwire.in is the Indian subsidiary of The Knot Worldwide, the world’s largest global wedding technology platform with over four decades of expertise in the wedding industry which is present in 15 countries and has been helping people in celebrating their life’s biggest milestones.

10 Spectacular New Hotels and Attractions Set To Open Before The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Qatar Tourism reveals exiting projects set for completion before FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ to take place from 21 November to 18 December 2022

Qatar Tourism reveals 10 spectacular new hotels and attractions set to open before the tournament kicks off. 

Qatar Tourism previously revealed there are over 100 hotels and hotel apartments in the country’s construction pipeline. More than 40 are scheduled to be opened over the next 12 months, as Qatar gears up to welcome more than one million fans across the duration of the tournament.

To meet demand Qatar is looking to utilize every available accommodation option. Innovative choices for fans in 2022 will include camping in the desert and staying onboard a temporarily moored cruise liner with stunning views of Doha’s cityscape skyline. Qatar will have up to 130,000 available rooms for the one million-plus fans expected over the course of the 28-day tournament.

Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel, said: “Football fans will have an exceptional variety of accommodation options to choose from. We want travellers to discover the best of Qatari and Middle Eastern hospitality and have an unforgettable experience that will make them want to return. As well as watching the football, we encourage all fans to investigate Qatar’s variety of attractions, from sampling the local cuisine to exploring our iconic museums, from exhilarating dune bashing to re

Want to Work in Qatar

NEWS | Another feather in the cap as one more tourist destination opens its gates after a long covid wait: TAAI

Another feather in the cap as one more tourist destination opens its gates after a long covid wait: TAAI

A significant drop in Covid-19 cases and increased vaccination pace has led to a rise in tourist footfall in the state of Odisha. Industry insiders are very happy that normalcy is returning and hoped for a fast recovery in business.

Expressing her happiness towards the revival of tourism business and congratulating Government of Odisha, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) President, Jyoti Mayal commented that it is indeed a much-needed step on the government’s part which will encourage other states too in the same direction. “Covid did take a lot from us, now it is time to compensate for all the losses faced during the pandemic,” she said.

“After the prolonged curbs for over 18 months, tourists are showing a strong desire to travel & are registering a month-on-month increase in demand. It is indeed a brilliant start to the tourist season with rooms almost full during the weekend and a sizeable number of domestic visitors flocking to spots. If the current situation continues then the recovery could be done in lesser time,” mentioned Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI.

Bettaiah Lokesh, Hon Secretary General, TAAI stated, “The government of Odisha is leaving no stone unturned and coinciding with the upbeat mood of tourists by organising series of exciting events, including glamping at seven eco-retreat sites. A collective effort is required for the better and early revival of tourism sector which got massively hit during pandemic days.”

Whereas, Shreeram Patel, Hon Treasurer, TAAI went on to thank the Government of India for a successful vaccine drive in the country which has encouraged travellers and has created a sense of safety amongst people of all walks.

NEWS | Emirates plans to issue IPO, prepares for recovery in 2022

The Dubai-based airline Emirates may become a publicly-traded company. Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates at the Dubai Airshow 2021, said that that it could happen as the city-state tries to boost its local financial market while promising that its fleet of iconic double-decker jumbo jets would soon fly the skies again. This comes after Dudai announced plans to list its state-owned electricity company and other government-backed firms to raise liquidity and expand the local Dubai Financial Market so it can compete with bigger counterparts in the region.

Following the news that Dubai-based airline Emirates could be included in plans to issue initial public offerings (IPOs) on the city’s stock market, Neha Bhatia, Construction & Infrastructure Editor at GlobalData’s MEED, said that Emirates appears to be on the path to recovery, and the airline’s potential listing could further buoy optimism around its post-pandemic growth prospects. “Emirates’ listing – should it proceed – could restore confidence in the airline’s financial position and reiterate its reputation as Dubai’s most valuable asset. However, the company’s significance to the local economy has already been established over the past two years. The contributions could pay dividends as the airline looks to secure post-pandemic growth,” she said.

Net losses of Emirates in April to September narrowed to AED5.7 billion from AED14.1 billion in the first half of 2020-21. The half-year loss in 2020 was Emirates’ first in more than 30 years, and, after having largely weathered the global financial crisis of 2008-10 and the oil price crash of 2014-16, the airline laid off around 30,585 staff in 2020-21.

Emirates received a capital injection worth over AED11 billion from the Investment Corporation of Dubai – the city’s sovereign wealth fund and its ultimate owner – to sustain its operations in the 2020-21 financial year. It was a pivotal development for Emirates, which has historically provided a dividend to the wealth fund. The wealth fund injected a further AED2.5 billion in Emirates during the first half of 2021-22.

NEWS| Sayaji Hotels enters into strategic partnership with majority stake in Intellistay Hotels

With this move, Sayaji Group of Hotels will now operate 2,772 rooms across 41 operational hotels with a series of new hotel launches in the pipeline.

Hospitality brand Sayaji Hotels on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership with a majority stake in integrated asset-light hotel management company Intellistay Hotels that will add 27 hotels to its current collection of 14 properties. The partnership will add 27 hotels in 15 cities to Sayaji Hotels' current collection of 14 properties with its existing brands 'Sayaji Hotels', 'Effotel by Sayaji' and 'Enrise by Sayaji', the company said in a statement.

"We are delighted to welcome Intellistay Hotels with its portfolio of highly successful brands to the Sayaji Hotel family.

"This strategic alliance gives us a significant presence in key leisure and metro markets where Intellistay Hotels has already established its footprints," Sayaji Hotels Managing Director Raoof Dhanani said.

Currently, Intellistay Hotels operates 1,350 rooms and plans to add 1,000 rooms with 20 hotels across the country by the second half of 2022.

With this move, Sayaji Group of Hotels will now operate 2,772 rooms across 41 operational hotels with a series of new hotel launches in the pipeline.

"We will leverage our shared expertise to enhance our market share, expand our product portfolio and provide best-in-class offerings for the guests.

"We believe this partnership will create new avenues for growth and reinforce Sayaji Group of Hotels as one of the fastest-growing hotel chains in the country," Sayaji Hotels Vice-President (Operations and People) Rakshit Sharma said.

NEWS | Top celebrity chefs joins OneRare, the world’s first Food metaverse

Arnold Poernomo, Saransh Goila, & Jaimie Van Heije

Top celebrity chefs joins OneRare, the world’s first Food metaverse

New Delhi,November, 2021- OneRare, the first-ever project to build a metaverse for food, gaming, and NFTs on the blockchain ecosystem have announced their collaboration with top celebrity Chefs Arnold Poernomo, Saransh Goila & Jaimie Van Heije. 

With this collaboration, OneRare’s revolutionary concept of the world’s first Food Metaverse on the blockchain has caught the eye of foodies around the world. OneRare will be tokenizing the Chefs’ signature dishes as NFTs, and players will be able to claim these special artworks by collecting ingredients and playing the game. 

Supreet Raju, Co-founder, OneRare said on the collaboration "We are very excited to collaborate with the best forces in the Food & Beverage industry celebrity Chef Arnold Poernomo, Chef Saransh Goila, and Chef Jaimie Van Heije.  We would like to expand the idea of Foodverse with the help of these pioneers and celebrate their culinary journey as NFTs in the foodverse at a Global scale.

With the rapidly growing reach of the blockchain, the Chefs will get to interact with international audiences for the first time and introduce them to exciting culinary concepts from their part of the world. 

With the recent successful fundraise of $2M from notable angels & the biggest funds in crypto, OneRare is now ready to grow their Foodverse. OneRare’s engaging gameplay brings the global F&B industry onto the blockchain for the first time, and keeping in mind the global appeal of Food, the project is striving to partner with top chefs from various countries to celebrate culinary delights from every corner of the world.

Speaking about the collaboration- Chef Arnold Poernomo said, “The success to my passion for the food industry & is now making his way to the blockchain to explore the new realms of Food. “Food brings people together. Combined with metaverse and Onerare, the possibilities are endless and for sure delicious”. 

Sharing his thoughts on the collaboration, Chef Saransh Golia said, “From being a chef in my home kitchen to teaching and creating recipes virtually I've learned that food really has no boundaries. Super excited to explore this new chapter of food in the metaverse by OneRare. The fact that you can create your favourite recipes in the metaverse and own dish NFTs is fascinating for me. I'm really looking forward to showcasing my favourite dishes on OneRare, and hoping to make the metaverse a delicious space. 

Sharing his thoughts, Chef Jaimie Van Heije said, “I love to create the best dishes out of nearly nothing. “I’m very in love with the idea of OneRare, like there is a connection in my restaurant with the food and the client. There is also a connection between crypto, the food, and the beverage sector. I truly love the idea and I can’t wait to play!”

Distant from the regular noise with a completely different dimension, OneRare is penetrating the blockchain metaverse and it is poised to be a major milestone in this sphere. The project is leveraging the increasing number of GameFi buffs and a growing community of food lovers spread across various parts of the globe to redefine the concept of an existing virtual realm.

With OneRare, the blockchain metaverse will cater to global audiences as food mavens will have an opportunity to come into the Foodverse and monetize it while exploring it to the fullest. Foodies can farm for ingredients, trade them at the Farmer’s Market, or head to the Kitchen to claim Dishes. The Foodverse also features a Playground where users can use their NFTs to battle in mini-games.