NEWS | Another big tick on the list as Singapore & India reaches agreement on commercial flights: TAAI

Another big tick on the list as Singapore & India reaches agreement on commercial flights: TAAI

Commenting on the proposed resumption of flights between India and Singapore from November 29 under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL), Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) extended her warm wishes and gratitude to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation on the resumption of scheduled commercial flights between the two countries.

Singapore’s VTL with India will start with six designated flights daily from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. Applications for vaccinated travel passes for short-term and long-term pass holders from India will start from November 29. ‘’Taking such a step-in time of Covid prevalence is indeed a bold move which will not only strengthen the relations between the two countries but will also work as a revival of tourism sector’. I strongly feel that more commercial flights are needed to revive inbound tourism to India,” she further quoted.

Airlines can also operate non-VTL flights between the two countries, although passengers on non-VTL flights will be subjected to the prevailing public health requirements. “We at TAAI have been in constant dialogue with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. The opening of the skies for international commercial passenger routes highlighting our concerns on ease of doing business,” commented Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI.

Taking positive efforts, TAAI Southern Region in association with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) organised a travel webinar earlier this year in July which witnessed a large participation. “Such productive decisions are always welcomed by tourism sector and travel associations as the good part of the economy is dependent on travel and tourism. Economy everywhere needs a good revival especially after Covid trauma,” Bettaiah Lokesh, Hon Secretary General, TAAI.

“Travel agents continue to be acknowledged as one-stop solutions for customers, guiding and professionally managing all aspects of domestic and/or international travel which now includes complying with Covid requirements of departing and arriving at destinations,” said Shreeram Patel, Hon Treasurer, TAAI as he also extended his thanks to the authorities of both the countries.

Visit Maldives | Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Announces Grand Relaunch in February 2022 Following Multi-Million-Dollar Refurbishment

The first international resort brand to arrive in the Maldives and soon to complete 25 years, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island readies to introduce its next chapter filled newly designed accommodation and experiences with massive multi-million-dollar refurbishment. The relaunch will officially happen in February 2022.  

Renowned for delivering authentic barefoot luxury and leading the way as the ‘Island of Firsts’, the twin-island property is home to the world’s first undersea restaurant Ithaa, first underwater bedroom set within the two-level residence The MURAKA, and first twin-island resort experience in the Maldives, amongst others. 

According to Carla Puverel, General Manager, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, guests can expect “newly-designed water villas, refreshed restaurants, new experiences, brand new Teens Club and various other exciting additions. As the ‘Island of Firsts’ we pride ourselves on remaining innovative and offering a level of personalized service unique to our resort.” 

Conrad Maldives Rangali will offer elevated guests experiences through the enhanced brand-new spaces including Majaa Explorers Hub, Furaavaru Teens Club, adults only gym and the luxurious water villas of Rangali Island. Inspired itineraries offer unique experiences to guests like swimming with whale sharks and manta rays, turtle safari, sunset dolphin cruises and coral planting in the house reef with the marine biologist. 

With the upgraded experiences, the twin-island resort ensures that it continues to offer authentic barefoot luxury that guests have long enjoyed since the resort landed in the shores of the Maldives. 

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NEWS | EaseMyTrip makes 2nd acquisition, buys Spree Hospitality

Online travel platform EaseMyTrip continues to aggressively expand its hotel and holiday businesses by acquiring Spree Hospitality. This is EaseMyTrip’s second acquisition where Spree Hospitality will add a new revenue vertical for the company and enable it to scale up its hotel and holiday portfolios rapidly.

Additionally, customers will be offered exclusive deals and offers on Spree Hospitality while doing bookings from EaseMyTrip, EMT said in a statement. EaseMyTrip’s expertise and data on the evolving travel market will enable Spree Hospitality to efficiently choose new property locations and offer dynamic pricing options, the statement added.

Earlier this month, EaseMyTrip, which announced its listing on the stock market in India earlier this year, acquired B2B travel platform Traviate for an undisclosed sum.

Spree was founded in 2011 by Keshav Baljee, who has more than 15 years of hospitality experience and is also co-promoter of Royal Orchid Hotels (a publicly listed company with a market cap of Rs 252 crore). It has a diversified portfolio across hospitality verticals such as hotels, corporate guest homes and residential clubs. 

The company is debt-free, cash-rich, and follows an asset-light model, which claims to have enabled it to record profitability even during the pandemic. Spree Hospitality has an established footprint of 1220 operational keys across hotels in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Manali, Amritsar, Dehradun, Coimbatore and Delhi, amongst others.

Prashant Pitti, Co-founder, EaseMyTrip said, 

“There is a synergy between EaseMyTrip and Spree Hospitality where we leverage the asset-light model to build a lean and efficient infrastructure. With this acquisition, we believe that EaseMyTrip is well-positioned to unlock the market potential of a recovering hospitality sector and quickly scale up the business to meet the evolving needs of the modern traveller.”

“We will enable Spree to expand to 200 properties in the next five years becoming one of the biggest names in the Indian hospitality sector,” Prashant added.

During the pandemic, Spree Hospitality had signed 18 new hotels and hired over 250 additional employees to support the expansion. With a team that comes with several decades of hospitality experience, Spree is poised to revolutionise the Indian landscape through its brand of hospitality.

NEWS | Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels collaborates with Laxmi Nivasam Developers They will develop Zone Connect Yadagirigutta, an upscale hotel at the pilgrimage destination in Telangana

Laxmi Nivasam Developers and Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited have announced their collaboration for developing Zone Connect Yadagirigutta, an upscale hotel at the pilgrimage destination in Telangana, 60 km from Hyderabad.

Zone Connect Yadagirigutta is being developed by Laxmi Nivasam Developers, a Hyderabad-based real estate company. It will be developed in phases and will feature 400 suites, Café C, an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality restaurant, 10000 sq. ft. of banqueting space, and a host of leisure activities for all age groups.

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited will be managing the property and the first phase with 150 rooms is expected to be operational in 2022. Speaking on the occasion of signing at THE Park Hyderabad, Rajendra Prasad, Chairman, Laxmi Nivasam Developers said, “Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has a special focus on the development of the destination and has been very supportive in guiding and creating world-class facilities for the devotees. We are excited to take this vision forward by developing this property. We are happy to partner with Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited which has experience of over 50 years in developing and managing hotels in the country, to manage Zone Connect Yadagirigutta. We are looking forward to taking this relationship to other religious destinations across the country.”

Commenting on the signing,  Vikas Ahluwalia, General Manager and National Head, Zone by The Park Hotels stated, “We are delighted to expand our presence in the state of Telangana and the religious tourism sector, and extremely excited to partner with Laxmi Nivasam Developers. We are thrilled to bring to the city our social-catalyst brand Zone Connect. Zone Connect is conceived as the nucleus of all things social for modern corporate travelers. It is the social catalyst that connects you to the city and to all things urban and modern. We are looking forward to bringing Zone hospitality to the divine destination of Yadagirigutta."

Appointment | Th8 Palm appoints three leaders to its team

Th8 Palm appoints three new leaders to its team following its opening in November 2021. The property, part of sbe, a portfolio of hotels managed by Accor, is now open on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah.

The hotel has brought in Grant Budde as resort manager, Margarita Vaanmonde as executive head chef and Keegan Payne as F&B manager.

Grant Budde has been in the industry for over a decade, the majority of which has been spent in Dubai. Coming from an F&B background, he joined Jumeirah Group in 2009 as an outlet manager, moving up to beverage manager two years later.

He then worked at Kama Resorts as operations manager before returning to Jumeirah.

Budde then moved to Sofitel Dubai Downtown as assistant director of F&B, later moving to Lapita with Marriott as a director of F&B.His most recent role before Th8 was at the QE2 hotel moored in Dubai’s Mina Port.

The8 Palm appoints Margarita Vaamonde

The hotel’s signature F&B offering includes Envy, coffee shop EllaMia and more.

Vaamonde will lead culinary operations at these venues, leveraging her previous experience with the likes of MasterChef, the TV Experience and Catch LA and Dubai.

He said: “I am delighted to be taking the reins at this landmark property which further establishes this boutique hotel’s footmark. As resort manager, I intend to lead by example, and guide the team to position the hotel’s authentic and unconventional ways, assemble the best team possible and empower them to use their talents.”

Ingredient Ideology | The Cheesecake MedleyBy: Dr. Kaviraj Khialani- Celebrity Master Chef.

Delicious- Delectable -Dynamic

While the concept of cheesecake goes a long back in time and history when it is said that the romans spread the tradition of making cheesecake from Greece to all across Europe and ever since New York created some of the world’s best variety recipes in cheesecakes it has gained popularity all across the globe being a favorite pick – n – choice for food lovers and connoisseurs.

The traditional greek cheesecake used ricotta cheese and these cheesecakes were sweetened with honey and while some used flour blended with the cheese and then baked and some used a crusty base for the cheesecake. Most Americans have grown up eating the crunchy crushed cookie or digestive biscuits or crackers being powdered and set with butter at the base of a well flavoured cheese mixture which would chill and set on the base and come out wonderfully perfect when sliced.

While technically speaking cheesecakes are a version of pies and not cakes since the base structure is usually unleavened. Most baked variety of cheesecakes use a custard base for the fillings comprising of milk, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla and other flavorings in addition to the cheese. A small amount of flour, corn starch, arrowroot and potato starch can be found in some cheesecake recipes as well to help stabilise the mixture.

While the varieties remain numerous and versatile with the concept of cheesecakes from eggless, with egg, baked, no –bake, set and chilled, vegan and wow some keto cheesecakes and more, there is something in store for each one of us!

Here are a few simple and easy recipes to try and enjoy with Cheesecakes!

Recipe-1] FRUITY MELANGE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

For the Fruity mixture

Mango pulp/ Strawberry pulp-2 cups

Sugar-1/2 cup

For the base with biscuits:

Digestive biscuits/crackers- 8-10 no

Melted butter-1/4 cup

For the cheesecake:

Cream cheese-130 gms

Condensed milk- 130 ml

Vanilla essence- ½ tsp

Fresh cream- 50 ml

Mango pulp-2-3 tbsp.

For the topping:

Fruit pulp- ¼ cup of your choice

Corn flour-1 tbsp.

Water-2 tbsp.

Sugar-2 tbsp.

Method:

1. For the fruity mixture- prepare a smooth pulp from the mangoes.

2. Cook the mango puree and sugar on a low flame until it starts to bubble, remove and cool it down completely.

3. For the biscuit base, grind the biscuits in a food processor and add melted butter and churn it well to a smooth texture.

4.Place the crumb and butter mixture into a tin for the cheesecake and using a spoon press it down well on all sides, and chill the mould for 30-45 mins.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. in a bowl combine the cream cheese, condensed milk, vanilla essence and mango puree and blend it well to a smooth texture add in the cream and blend again.

6.Pour the above mixture on the biscuit base in the tin and cover the base of the tin with aluminium foil, place it in a little water bath in the baking tray and place the tin for baking in the oven 25-35 mins until the surface is firm to touch and the texture is a little wobbly.

7.Remove and cool and cover it with a cling wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake for 10-12 hours. For the final topping, in a pan combine mango puree with corn flour water and sugar and stir well cook on a medium flame until it leaves the sides of the pan, cool completely. Fill into a piping bag with a nozzle and gently de-mould the chilled cheesecake and start decorating with the prepared fruity topping, pipe or cover it well and allow to chill for another 2-3 hours and slice and serve garnished with fresh mango & mint leaves.

Recipe-2] NEW ERA NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

For the cheesecake crust:

 Powdered digestive biscuits/crackers-1 cup

Melted butter-1/2 cup

Brown sugar/grain sugar-2 -3 tbsp.

For the cheesecake filling:

 Full cream, whipping variety-2 cups

 Cream cheese, mild salted is fine-2 cups

 Vanilla essence-1 and a half tsp

Sugar- ¾th cup

Yogurt/curd-1/2 cup thick 

Method:

1. To prepare the crust, in a mixing bowl combine together the powdered crackers, melted butter and sugar and mix them well, place the mixture at the bottom of a cheesecake tin and press it well to settle, chill for 1 hour.

2.In a separate mixing bowl, combine and beat up together the cream cheese, yogurt, vanilla essence until nice and fluffy, separately whip up the full fat cream in another bowl, now fold it into the cream cheese mix and blend.

3. Pour the above mixture onto the chilled crust as prepared and spread it evenly all across the tin, allow to set and chill for 3-4 hours, remove, de-mould it and cut into wedges and top up with the berry sauce or toppings and serve.

Recipe-3] VEGAN COFFEE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

To prepare the crust/base:

Cashews/almonds/walnuts-3/4th cup

Dates-1 cup, chopped

Raw cocoa- 2 tbsp.

Vegan coconut oil- 2 tbsp. melted

For the filling for the cheesecake:

Raw cocoa-1 tbsp.

Vegan coconut oil- ½ cup

Dates-1/2 cup chopped

Raisins-2 tbsp. chopped

Lime juice-2 tbsp.

Cashews-1 and a half cup, soaked for 2-3 hours

Coconut milk-1/2 cup

Coffee powder-2 tsp.

Warm water-1/2 cup

Method:

1. To prepare the base for the cheesecake, using a food processor combine together the nuts, dates, coconut oil and cocoa and blend it to a smooth texture, assemble it at the bottom of a removable cheesecake tin and press it well, chill the base for 30 mins.

2. To get together the filling for the cheesecake, using the blender jar prepare a paste of the dates and little warm water and then add in the drained cashews and cocoa and oil, coconut oil and blend it all well, remove into a bowl and add in the lime juice and instant coffee and mix well.

3. Transfer the prepared mixture into the chilled base tin and spread it evenly using a spatula. Continue to chill the cheesecake for 2-3 hours, remove and de-mould carefully, dip a knife in hot water and neatly slice up the cheesecake and serve with a hot cuppa coffee!

Recipe-4] THE CHOCOLATE LOVERS CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

For the crust for the cheesecake:

Chocolate cookies/crackers/biscuits- 200 gms

Almonds/walnuts-2 tbsp. chopped.

Butter- 120 ml, melted

For the chocolate cheese filling:

Powdered sugar-1/2 cup

Whipping/full fat cream- 220 ml

Dark chocolate- 250 gms, melted.

Vanilla essence-1 tsp

Cream cheese- 350 gms

For decorating the cheesecake:

Ganache topping with cream and chocolate combination can be used.

Assorted shavings/chocolate garnishes/fresh fruits etc as desired to decorate.

Method:

1. To start with this delicious cheesecake recipe let us first start with the base crust for the same by using a food processor the chocolate cookies/crackers into crumbs along with the nuts and melted butter and getting it all together.

2. Prepare a loose bottomed cheesecake tin or mould and set the prepared base mixture and spread it evenly and press it using a spatula or spoon, allow to set and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

3. Now to continue with the filling, in a mixing bowl beat up cream cheese, vanilla essence, powdered sugar and add in the melted chocolate and using a spatula mix it all well, separately whip up the fresh cream to soft peak texture and fold it into the cheese and chocolate mixture.

4. Pour this mixture into the prepared chilled cheesecake base tin and spread it evenly all over and allow to chill and set for 2- 3 hours and then remove, carefully demould, decorate with whipped cream, ganache topping, cherries, mint etc and serve.

Brief about Writer: Chef Kaviraj Khialani

Appointments | Sheraton Grand Pune and Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar appoints Deepa Chandiramani as Senior Cluster Marketing and Communication Manager

Deepa will oversee the marketing, public relations and social media for both the hotels

Marriott International has announced the appointment of Deepa Chandiramani as the new Senior Cluster Marketing and Communication Manager of Sheraton Grand Pune and Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa. She brings with her over 9 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Backed with a degree in Business Administration from Chennai, Deepa will oversee the marketing, public relations and social media for both the hotels. Deepa is looking forward to establishing the positioning of the two properties through new and innovative strategies.

Deepa began her career at Courtyard by Marriott, Chennai in the year 2012. During her 5-year tenure apart from managing the hotel’s marketing communications, she was a key task force member at Jaisalmer Marriott Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, Courtyard by Marriott Bilaspur and Courtyard by Marriott Raipur. She then went on to join Conrad Pune is 2017 and Novotel Pune Nagar Road in 2019.

Deepa is extremely passionate about fitness and yoga. She also loves to cook and experiment with food. She is a hotelier by profession and a salad-tosser at heart. She enjoys traveling and exploring new places.

NEWS | FHRAI appeals PM Modi to provide immediate relief to the industry from the abnormal increase in the cost of LPG

India’s apex Hospitality Association - Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has submitted a representation requesting the Hon’ble Prime Minister – Shri Narendra Modi to provide immediate relief to the Hospitality industry from the abnormal increase in the cost of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The Association has requested that the tax rate charged on LPG supplied to standalone restaurants be reduced from the current 18 per cent to 5 per cent. It has stated that since standalone restaurants are not allowed to claim ITC, this move will help reduce the cost burden on restaurants.

The latest price hike is the second highest increase in LPG since January 1, 2014, when the 19-kg cylinder became costlier by Rs.353.50 (in Delhi). Restaurants, especially standalone, do not have any more headroom left to absorb such a steep increase in input costs. FHRAI has stated that LPG being one of the most essential commodities in the restaurant industry, the steep price increase will sound the death knell for hundreds of small restaurants from all parts of the country.

“The unprecedented increase in the cost of diesel has drastically raised the logistic tariff which in turn has led to an abnormal hike in the prices of grains, pulses, edible oil and other essentials raw materials. There has been an exponential increase in the cost of raw materials used in restaurants since the lockdown period. This cost escalation of roughly over 30 per cent is severely affecting restaurants that are trying to resume operations and stay afloat after a turbulent twenty months of lockdown and closures. Add to this, the steep hike in the LPG cylinders. Under these challenging circumstances, the sector is constrained to increase the cost of food items on the menu which will directly affect the working lower and middle class population that have to eat out. We request the Government to reduce the tax rate on LPG at least for standalone restaurants from the present 18 per cent to 5 per cent. Since standalone restaurants cannot claim ITC, this move will help reduce the cost burden on the restaurants which in turn will ensure that it does not burn a hole in the consumer’s pockets,” says  Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI.

Amongst all the sectors, the hospitality sector in the country has taken the biggest hit due to the pandemic. Business came to a complete standstill after the lockdown came into effect. Since then, 30 per cent of hotels and restaurants in the country have shut down permanently due to financial losses. Close to 20 per cent of hotels and restaurants still haven’t opened fully and the remaining 50 per cent are running in losses with revenues below 50 per cent of the pre-COVID19 levels.

“The debilitating impact of the pandemic has dealt a colossal economic blow to businesses along with millions of job losses in the hospitality sector. The ripple effects of the two successive waves of the pandemic have destroyed the entire hospitality eco-system in the country and even today, when all other sectors in the country are being allowed to function normally, the hospitality sector faces several restrictions in operations. This situation has become more severe due to the steep hike in the LPG cylinders, making hospitality a most unviable business in the country. We, therefore, request the Government for its support on this very serious issue impacting millions in the foodservice industry in the country,” concludes Kohli.

NEWS | ITC Hotels signs 297 keys Mementos property in Shimla

Mementos Shimla sprawls over an area of 10 acres with a total of 297 keys including 40 Villas of four bedrooms each.

Expanding its footprint in the picturesque state of Himachal Pradesh, ITC Hotels has now signed Mementos Shimla.

Mementos Shimla sprawls over an area of 10 acres with a total of 297 keys including 40 Villas of four bedrooms each. The 200 sq. mt. luxurious villas offer a marvelous view of the valley and are ideally suited to house large family and friends’ staycations.

Widely applauded for their versatile Food & Beverage repertoire, ITC Hotels bring the flavours of their cuisine legacy to Mementos Shimla. The food and beverage options at the property include an all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant, a bar and a specialty rooftop restaurant.

Anil Chadha, Chief Executive-ITC Hotels stated “Himachal Pradesh is one of the key hill destinations that witnessed huge footfalls post pandemic. This state has unsurmountable beauty and is truly everyone’s favourite. From ‘white Christmas’ to green glory, our latest luxury outpost Mementos Shimla brings you the best of all seasons. With demand mainly stemming from road trips to nearby destinations, Shimla is poised to receive high influx of domestic tourism and destination weddings.”

Pankaj Gupta, Owner, Mementos Shimla stated "We are building one of the largest hotels in the hills, in the heart of Shimla and so we had to choose a partner that has the ability and experience in managing large luxury hotels. We are delighted to get ITC Hotels on board with their Mementos brand and are extremely confident that this alliance will deliver an outstanding luxury experience to guests".

Bringing nature’s splendor closer to guests, the hotel offers a great view of the mountains. Uniquely located, Mementos Shimla truly exemplifies the local lush offering all rooms a beautiful view of the rich green forests. Soak in the sunshine, plan a trek or a mountain picnic-each experience promises to be a wonderful memory. The enchanting beauty and serenity of the surroundings create beautiful scenic stories.

Already a much sought-after New Year destination, Shimla is being seen as a preferred ‘all time celebration destination’ , Mementos Shimla displays a massive 7500 sq. ft. pillar less banquet space to cater to the rising demand for destination weddings in the hills. Mementos Shimla is equipped with a state of the art fitness centre overlooking an all-weather swimming pool and spa. Be it business, leisure or bleisure, Mementos Shimla is your home away from home.

Mementos Shimla is situated in the heart of the city and is just a 30-minute drive from the Shimla Airport and 10 minutes’ drive from the Shimla railway station. The famous Shimla Mall Road is just a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

EVENT | Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla hosted the timeliness traditional of Cake Mixing Ceremony

Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla hosted the timeliness traditional of Cake Mixing Ceremony

Pradipt Sinha, Director of Food and Beverage kick started the spectacular show by narrating fables and history around the Cake Mixing ceremony. He informed that the activity marks the arrival of harvest season and onset of Christmas festivities.

“In olden times, a lot of dry fruits and nuts were harvested during the autumn season and were used in the preparation of traditional Christmas fruit cakes. They used to store the mix for the coming year with a hope of another fulfilling and abundant year. Later, this ceremony became a family affair where everyone got together and soaked the harvested fruits in wine or rum which are further dried and stored.” he shared.

Now it was time for the most awaited moment of evening – The Cake Mixing ceremony. Amidst the refreshing autumn breeze, the poolside was decked with twinkling lights and shining props, ushering the spirit of festivities. However, the star of the show was the mesmerizing assortment of dry fruits such as cashews, prunes, pistachios, almonds, figs, apricots, raisins, nuts, black current etc. in a boat shaped cauldron.

The hotel patrons and team members rolled on their sleeves and wore the aprons to participate in a hearty

mixing of the dry fruits with spices and spirits. The live music, varieties of Christmas bakes, Sangrias and Mulled Wine added to the charm of the ceremony. Post the ceremony, the mixture was put into airtight container so that it soaks up the spirits and spices.

The same mix would be used by the Chefs to bake array

of goodies such as Plum Pudding, Plum Cake Dandee cake, Mince pie, Christollen, Christmas cookies which will be available at French Heart - patisserie of the hotel. Guests will also have option to customize delectable Christmas hampers for gifting and indulgence.

Shuvendu Banerjee, General Manager, Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla said, “Although the cake mixing ceremony is a warm-up to the festive holiday season, it

has far more significant in the current times. The underlying essence of the ceremony is also a reminder of the cross-cultural impact of celebrations. The festivities come wrapped with hopes and revival for a happier tomorrow.”

The event also marked the announcement of the ‘Grills by the Pool’ experience at the hotel with the invitees being the first ones to taste the new menu. With the nip in the air, the ‘grilled-to perfection’ dishes paired with invigorating cocktails made for the perfect after-party.

Appointments | Mondrian Doha appoints new commercial director Peter Haber

Mondrian Doha in Qatar has brought in a new commercial director. Peter Haber has been with the luxury lifestyle property for four years, first joining as director of sales.

He will be responsible for working to increase footfall and revenues across all aspects of Mondrian Doha. He will also work on forging relevant strategies across pricing, marketing, and public relations for Mondrian Doha. 

In his new role, he looks to increase the hotel’s market share, pushing it into markets such as Saudi, UAE, Bahrain, Australia and the USA. His renewed focus comes as the country’s hospitality sector looks to capitalise on the landmark FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

It is estimated that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 could add US$20 billion to the national economy, according to officials within the country. That’s equivalent to around 11 percent of Qatar’s GDP for 2019.

On the hospitality side of tourism, the World Cup presents a golden opportunity to welcome international guests and potentially enjoy 28 days of full occupancy. Over the course of a month, more than 1.5 million people are expected to fly into Qatar for the winter event, close to the tourism figures for all of 2019.

Pushing Mondrian Doha’s vision

Vasileios Oikonomopoulos, Mondrian Doha GM, added: “I would like to congratulate Peter on his outstanding performance. I believe he will be a great addition to our commercial team, and I look forward to having him thrive at the property and make further achievements.”

Mikel Ibrahim, regional vice president of sales and marketing, said: “Peter has been part of our Mondrian Doha family for four years, and we are delighted to witness his efforts being acknowledged and rewarded. We are looking forward to his exceptional contribution to achieving Mondrian Doha’s vision in Qatar and beyond”.

Haber added: “I am thrilled to continue on this incredible journey with Mondrian Doha, and to carry on with the success story which started four years back. I look forward to start working relentlessly on enhancing the hotel’s positioning, as well as reaching out to new markets across the globe”.

NEWS | Marriott Bonvoy introduces Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform

The platform gives members the chance to use Marriott Bonvoy points earned from travel and everyday activities such as hotel stays at Marriott’s extraordinary hotel brands

Football fans have something to celebrate as exclusive NFL Moments go live on the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform. These money-can’t-buy packages allow members of Marriott Bonvoy’s award-winning travel program to use their points to access incredible experiences at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.

The Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform gives members the chance to use Marriott Bonvoy points earned from travel and everyday activities such as hotel stays at Marriott’s 30 extraordinary hotel brands, co-brand credit card purchases, ride-sharing, or food delivery, to gain VIP access to bucket list experiences all over the globe. Members may redeem their points for either fixed-price experiences or use them to bid on packages through auctions.

The platform will offer multiple exclusive Super Bowl LVI experiences that will give members an unforgettable way to enjoy the biggest weekend in football. This includes the chance to meet NFL Legends, gain field access at Super Bowl LVI and attend Super Bowl LVI in style in the Courtyard by Marriott stadium suite. 

“Our members are passionate football fans excited to take their passion for the game back on the road this NFL season and for the return of in-person football experiences. We’re thrilled to be able to offer these once-in-a-lifetime Marriott Bonvoy Moments at the Super Bowl once again through our longtime partnership with the NFL, giving our members the chance to use their points to make unforgettable memories with friends, family, and new connections,” said David Flueck, Senior Vice President, Marriott Bonvoy.

NEWS | FHRAI appeals PM Modi to provide immediate relief to the industry from the abnormal increase in the cost of LPG

India’s apex Hospitality Association - Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has submitted a representation requesting the Hon’ble Prime Minister – Shri Narendra Modi to provide immediate relief to the Hospitality industry from the abnormal increase in the cost of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The Association has requested that the tax rate charged on LPG supplied to standalone restaurants be reduced from the current 18 per cent to 5 per cent. It has stated that since standalone restaurants are not allowed to claim ITC, this move will help reduce the cost burden on restaurants.

The latest price hike is the second highest increase in LPG since January 1, 2014, when the 19-kg cylinder became costlier by Rs.353.50 (in Delhi). Restaurants, especially standalone, do not have any more headroom left to absorb such a steep increase in input costs. FHRAI has stated that LPG being one of the most essential commodities in the restaurant industry, the steep price increase will sound the death knell for hundreds of small restaurants from all parts of the country.

“The unprecedented increase in the cost of diesel has drastically raised the logistic tariff which in turn has led to an abnormal hike in the prices of grains, pulses, edible oil and other essentials raw materials. There has been an exponential increase in the cost of raw materials used in restaurants since the lockdown period. This cost escalation of roughly over 30 per cent is severely affecting restaurants that are trying to resume operations and stay afloat after a turbulent twenty months of lockdown and closures. Add to this, the steep hike in the LPG cylinders. Under these challenging circumstances, the sector is constrained to increase the cost of food items on the menu which will directly affect the working lower and middle class population that have to eat out. We request the Government to reduce the tax rate on LPG at least for standalone restaurants from the present 18 per cent to 5 per cent. Since standalone restaurants cannot claim ITC, this move will help reduce the cost burden on the restaurants which in turn will ensure that it does not burn a hole in the consumer’s pockets,” says  Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI.

Amongst all the sectors, the hospitality sector in the country has taken the biggest hit due to the pandemic. Business came to a complete standstill after the lockdown came into effect. Since then, 30 per cent of hotels and restaurants in the country have shut down permanently due to financial losses. Close to 20 per cent of hotels and restaurants still haven’t opened fully and the remaining 50 per cent are running in losses with revenues below 50 per cent of the pre-COVID19 levels.

“The debilitating impact of the pandemic has dealt a colossal economic blow to businesses along with millions of job losses in the hospitality sector. The ripple effects of the two successive waves of the pandemic have destroyed the entire hospitality eco-system in the country and even today, when all other sectors in the country are being allowed to function normally, the hospitality sector faces several restrictions in operations. This situation has become more severe due to the steep hike in the LPG cylinders, making hospitality a most unviable business in the country. We, therefore, request the Government for its support on this very serious issue impacting millions in the foodservice industry in the country,” concludes Kohli.

Appointment | Westin Sohna Resort and Spa appoints Tusch Daroga as GM

In his new capacity, Daroga’s vision is to continue leveraging the reputation of the brand to lead it through its next phase of evolution.

The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa has announced that Tusch Daroga has been brought on board as its new general manager.

A seasoned hospitality professional equipped with over 15 years of diverse multicultural experience working with a myriad of luxury brands across the country in varying capacities, Daroga brings with him a wealth of knowledge, deep expertise in the industry, and great experience in handling the Indian market.

A management graduate from the Merit Swiss Asian School and having learned the finer nuances of hospitality from The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development; he began his career with the Oberoi Group in 2004 and worked with them for over a decade in five of their properties which covered both luxury and premium hotels in the business and resort space across the country. Thereafter he moved to The Leela Group where he held strategic roles with The Leela Palace Udaipur and The Leela Palace New Delhi in his efficacious stint of 3 years. His journey with Marriott International began in 2018 as Hotel Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Bangalore, where he was pivotal in scaling new heights and creating industry benchmarks in many aspects for the luxury hotel.

Appointment | DoubleTree Suites, Bengaluru, appoints Ajith Cheruvattath as executive chef

In his new role, the chef will be responsible for supervising smooth functioning of the F&B outlets and managing culinary operations at the hotel.

doubletree suites by Hilton Bengaluru have appointed Ajith Cheruvattath as the new executive chef. Having experience of more than two decades in food production, Cheruvattath possesses extensive culinary knowledge in International and Indian cuisine.

Prior to joining DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bengaluru, he worked as an executive chef at Sarovar Group of Hotels, Bengaluru. He has also worked with reputed brands such as Radisson Atria Bangalore, Trident Kochi, ITC Fortune Bangalore, Le-Meridien Bangalore, and Carnival Cruise Lines. He has perfected his culinary skills effortlessly to become a crucial asset to every hotel he has been a part of.

Having an innovative approach to setting the stage for a customized dining experience, Ajith was a part of the pre-opening team of two Indian restaurants in New Zealand where he was also overseeing operations as a head chef.

Appointments | Zone by THE Park Hotels appoints Kiron Nair as its director-operations

Nair’s primary focus would be to enhance and lead operations and guide the team to strive towards growth.

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd’s upscale social catalyst brand, Zone by The Park has appointed Kiron Nair as its new director of operations.

In his new role, Nair will be responsible for driving operating efficiencies across the Zone by THE Park Hotels. He will be focussing on positioning the brand as a market leader with his years of expertise in the hospitality sector.

Nair’s primary focus would be to enhance and lead the operations and help foresight and guide the team to strive towards excellence and growth.

An avid traveler and a cricket fan, Nair has been in the hospitality business for more than two decades now. He has previously worked with leading hospitality brands across the country which highlights his deep hotel industry experience and exposure in the rooms division and hotel operations.

Eclat Insights | GPOV - The Most Authentic Way To Look At All Your Service Interactions

POV - Point Of View is the mental position from which a story is observed or narrated. GPOV is the Guest Point Of View. When we look at every interaction, every process from the Guest's Point Of View.

Why is it relevant to Hospitality & Service Industries?

All hospitality and service stem from creating experiences for customers/guests. Everything we do should be aimed at creating lasting value and fulfilling the customer need.

Sometimes, however, over a period of time, processes become more team/operations-oriented, rather than guest-oriented. It then becomes paramount to relook at these processes with a fresh pair of eyes, especially the guests' so that we can eliminate, change, upgrade the process.

More Detail on the topic

Think of a big customer-facing process, and then look at it or go through it from a guest's point of view.

Let's take Hotel laundry. In many hotels, a laundry slip is still used. The guest is supposed to fill it up, marking the various items and count on a piece of paper which sometimes has a self carbon so that the guest can keep a copy as proof. This is both cumbersome and irritating, to the guest.

If you saw this from a GPOV, you would realize that a lot of time we put our dirty laundry in the bag just after taking a bath. We then need to remove the dirty laundry and count it again to fill in that sheet. Why would anyone want to do that, just after getting dressed and about to leave for a meeting/work?

Can we then think about making this easier, better for the Guest?

This can be looked at in two ways:

1. Incremental Change - small improvements

• Increase the font size on the forms

• Make the forms Index Card sized

• Instead of big form for all possible items, make small ones specifically for the type of clothing etc.

2. Quantum Change - Rethink - Make it easy

• Reduce categories. Instead of all types of items listed with varying prices, have one or two prices for all types. Then it is only about the total number of pieces and maybe the guest can just scribble that on the laundry bag itself.

• Let the guest just dump all the laundry on the bed and when you collect it, send the guest a quick message with the laundry bag contents listed. If there is a discrepancy, the guest can reply, if not, it's all good.

Just thinking about what the guest feels, sees, goes through, can unlock remarkable innovation and value.

Actionable Insights

Go through every process as a Guest.

Team Exercise - Playback Theatre

Playback Theatre is an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot.

For our purposes, we will do this with Customer / Guest Stories. Guest interactions with the product or the service.

HOW TO DO IT

• Get your team to sit together in a circle.

• Ask one team member to recount/share a guest experience story. For example, a guest called the front desk because he thought he felt an earthquake.

• After the story is shared, get team members to enact, retell the story by acting the scene out. Use as many actors are required. For the above example, one team member plays the role of the guest, the other of the front desk agent.

• From time to time, pause the play and discuss the emotion being played out. Let the team talk about it. For the above example, it could be fear, reassurance etc.

Do this with as many stories - positive or negative, as you like.

Want to make this WOW?

Get your favourite / regular guests to participate in these workshops. Let them exaggerate some of the things that irritate or baffle them about your processes.

If you read this till the very end, here is a special something for you. You can reach out to me to discuss any process you like. I will also be happy to conduct a workshop on this with you and your team. This is completely FREE. p.bedi@eclathospitality.com

Prabhjot

Bedi

is an Hospitality Ideator. A process innovator, trainer, and professional speaker, he has worked with the Taj Group of Hotels, conducted training programs for hospitality leaders, launched a National Council Accredited Hospitality Institute as Principal, successfully launched and sold three hospitality businesses. He now assists hospitality leaders and educators in creating superlative services and products. He also edits the very popular www.hospemag.com - the largest hospitality career e-mag

Visit Maldives | Maldives Participates in An Online Travel Mart Organized By JATA

Maldives participates in an online travel mart organized by the Japanese Association of Travel Agents, JATA.

JATA 2nd Online Mart is organized by the Outbound Travel Promotion Division of JATA. The event consists of online seminars to be held from 16-17th November and business meetings to be held from 25th-26th November.

It connects travel industry professionals from Japan and overseas, allowing exchange of the latest information on border openings, travel restrictions, travel safety protocols and destination attractions. Visit Maldives is representing the country in the online event, while industry partners including CrossRoads Maldives, The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo & Grand Park Kodhipparu are taking part in the B2B meetings of the event.

Through this event Maldives is being promoted as a safe haven for Japanese travelers post lifting of travel restrictions in the country. This event is aimed at maintaining and strengthening destination presence and establishing Maldives as the top of the mind destination for Japan travelers. JATA Online Travel Mart provides a platform for industry stakeholders to meet and connect with travel trade partners from the market and create destination awareness on products, experiences and current travel guidelines. Through this online mart we will approximately connect to over 1000 agents from the Japanese market.

Participation in this event comes in line with Visit Maldives’ marketing strategy for the Japanese market, aimed at promoting the destination as a safe haven, emphasizing on the unique geographic advantage of our scattered islands which allow natural social distance for tourists. It helps to promote the Maldivian tourist products, including resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards, along with experiences unique to the Maldives to travel trade and tourists from Japan. This webinar assists in staying up to date with the latest market and sector trends including travel forecasts and consumer sentiment towards long haul travel in Japan. Such activities are expected to increase future bookings and arrivals from the Japanese market.

In 2019, a total of 44,251 travelers arrived from the Japanese market ranking Japan as the 9th top source market for Maldivian tourism. The Japanese border is currently closed for international leisure travel and therefore the Maldives have witnessed a drastic drop in the number of travelers arriving from Japan.

Visit Maldives aims to maintain destination presence and to place Maldives as the top choice destination to travel to as soon as the Japanese borders open for international travel. Activities in the pipeline for the Japanese market include media and celebrity familiarization trips, and social media campaigns.

Appointment | Sidharth Koul joins JW Marriott Bengaluru as its director of sales and marketing

JW Marriott Bengaluru has announced the appointment of Sidharth Koul as its director - sales and marketing. Koul brings to the table over 15 years of experience, and will be seen overseeing the room sales, events sales and marketing department.

Koul was last associated with Conrad Bengaluru as its commercial director where he focused on sales and marketing strategies to drive hotels revenue performance and brand positioning in a highly competitive landscape.

In his new role, he is focused on optimizing hotels revenue performance across all verticals and maintaining the market leadership position of the flagship Marriott brand.

In his leisure time, he likes to expand his knowledge by reading leadership and autobiographies on business leaders and athletes in the sports world.

On his appointment, Sidharth said, “I look forward to working with the seasoned team members to create experiences and foster connections for our esteemed guests.”