Hyatt News | Hyatt Centric Brand Debuts in Australia with the Opening of Hyatt Centric Melbourne

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The first Hyatt Centric hotel in Australia marks a significant milestone for Hyatt’s rapidly growing lifestyle brand

CHICAGO December 2021 - Hyatt Hotels Corporation  (NYSE: H) announced today the opening of Hyatt Centric Melbourne, marking the entry of the vibrant Hyatt Centric brand into Australia. Located in a prime location in the heart of Melbourne’s fast-emerging downtown, Hyatt Centric Melbourne will inspire savvy explorers to discover authentic experiences and hidden gems in the dynamic city.

“Hyatt has had a presence in Australia for over 30 years and we are excited about the launch of the Hyatt Centric brand in the country and the introduction of its adventurous style of exploration and hospitality,” said David Udell, group president, Asia-Pacific, Hyatt. “As interstate and international borders in Australia reopen, we look forward to welcoming guests from near and far to discover afresh Melbourne and its cosmopolitan spirit.”

Homebase with Melbourne Flair

Designed by Architectus Australia and Hecker Guthrie Interiors and built by Hickory, Hyatt Centric Melbourne features 277 contemporary guestrooms across 25 levels. The stylish yet understated interiors celebrate the character of Melbourne’s urban fabric, from the city’s Hoddle Grid business district and use of tessellated tiles as seen in the custom-designed rugs in the rooms and public spaces respectively to the Victorian era-inspired brickwork in the public spaces. The design also pays homage to Melbourne’s history in wool production and during the Gold Rush through a curated collection of soft furnishings and light fixtures by local designers, setting the stage for guests to continue their personal discovery of the multi-faceted city.

Hyatt Centric Melbourne collaborates with emerging and established local artists, food producers and designers to encapsulate Melbourne’s unique spirit. This includes street art by Damian Cazaly, coffee from family-owned South Melbourne roasters Cottle Coffee, luxurious Mr. Smith bath products and fashion wear by PAGEANT for the hotel team’s attire.

Local Flavors

Short for “Taste of Melbourne Australia,” TOMA Restaurant & Bar on the 25th floor offers sustainably- sourced, Mediterranean-inspired menus featuring Victorian produce alongside panoramic views of the city, the Yarra River and the Southbank. The café, Allie Lane, serves treats from local producers including coffee and craft beer as well as homemade pastries and sandwiches. The kitchens are spearheaded by Chef Jordan Monkhouse, a well-known face in Melbourne, which is also famous for being Australia’s foodie capital.

Location, Location, Location

Hyatt Centric Melbourne is close to many of the city’s popular hotspots as well as a trove of hidden gems, and offers convenient access to Southern Cross Station, the Docklands and Southbank precincts, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the Crown Entertainment Complex. Located at the corner of Downie Street and Flinders Lane, the hotel is an ideal launchpad for exploration for both local residents and visitors.

“We are delighted to be working with Hyatt to launch the first Hyatt Centric hotel in Australia,” said Paul Little AO, Chairman and founder of the Little Group. “This property brings new life for local, domestic and international visitors to the southwest corner of the Melbourne city center. We look forward to Melburnians and visitors with an adventurous spirit celebrating special moments and creating shareworthy experiences at Hyatt Centric Melbourne.”

Guests can enjoy wellness facilities such as the 82-foot (25-meter) pool and 24-hour gym. Bellarine Meetings on level six offers 2,260 square feet (210 square meters) of flexible function space, plus a spacious 2,670-square-foot (248-square-meter) alfresco terrace for personalized celebrations and lively entertainment.

“Hyatt Centric Melbourne is set to inspire the curious-minded, savvy explorers who wants to be in the heart of the action,” said Ilan Weill, general manager, Hyatt Centric Melbourne. “Our team, engaged and passionate Melburnians, are keen to share their local knowledge, helping our guests to discover authentic experiences, blending the city’s street art hot spots, vibrant coffee culture, artistic spirit and bustling creative laneways.”

Bookings for Hyatt Centric Melbourne are now open, with stays from December 1, 2021. For more information, please visit: hyattcentricmelbourne.com.  

Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatt’s multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind. More information on Hyatt’s commitment can be found here: hyatt.com/care-and-cleanliness. 

World of Hyatt Gives Members 500 Reasons to Stay Somewhere New

To provide World of Hyatt members even more ways to be rewarded, World of Hyatt is offering members the opportunity to earn 500 Bonus Points for qualifying nights at Hyatt Centric Melbourne, from December 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, part of World of Hyatt’s new hotel member offer. Additional participating hotels and their offer stay periods can be found at worldofhyatt.com/newhotelbonus. No registration is required and members can earn on top of other offers.

Gordon Ramsay opens pizza restaurant at Atlantis, The Palm

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Gordon Ramsay has opened his third restaurant in Dubai – Gordon Ramsay’s Street Pizza. Envisioned as a more relaxed venue, Street Pizza offers unlimited pizza by the slice and will host live DJ performances every night of the week.

The new outlet will be next to his existing Bread Street Kitchen in Atlantis, The Palm. Made in the showcase central pizza oven, guests can choose from five pizza combinations. Signatures include Margherita, pepperoni, charred aubergine, and corn and chorizo, along with a daily special, with options including pulled lamb or wild mushroom.

Ramsay said: “Pizza doesn’t need to be complicated, and I’m ready to introduce Dubai to simple, delicious bottomless pizza – served by the slice so guests can enjoy as much of our signature toppings as they like. I believe in supporting growth, and more importantly, opening really great places for people to eat and have fun. I invite everyone to come and enjoy fantastic pizza, listen to the best DJs, and have an amazing time.”

His other Dubai restaurant – Hell’s Kitchen – is at Caesar’s Palace on Bluewater’s Island and is at a different price point to his two Atlantis outposts. His new outlet offers bottomless pizza for AED95.

Atlantis has 35 individual restaurants, bars and a beach club, with venues from Gordon Ramsay, Nobu Matsuhisa and Giorgio Locatelli. The resort serves 4.4 million dining guests every year and, with the addition of Atlantis, The Royal in 2021, Atlantis Dubai will be home to more celebrity chef outposts than any hotel in the world. 

Burj Al Arab creates dedicated spaces for tour guide visitors

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The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah looks to distinguish its new tour guide offerings from its existing hospitality offerings. In its latest move, the hotel has announced new dedicated areas for tour guide visitors to use during these visits.

Burj Al Arab’s new Exit Lobby opens this month and the space will be soon welcome the public for the first time. This installation will add to the list of Sans Souci’s projects in the Middle East which includes the W Hotel The Palm and KCA achievements including Dubai Metro and Caesars Palace Bluewaters Dubai.

Designed by KCA International for Jumeirah Group, the newly renovated Exit Lobby features a striking spiral chandelier as the bespoke centerpiece for the interior.

London-based interior designer Khuan Chew of KCA International created the original designs for the Burj Al Arab lobby – an environment of ornate grandeur with an explosion of color.

“Burj Al Arab is a globally-recognized symbol of Dubai and luxury so we were delighted to work on this project,” said Elie El Khoury, managing director of Sans Souci Middle East. “We wanted to create a unique installation for the new interior that embodies the opulence of this iconic hotel.”  

Jiří Krišica, head of design at Sans Souci, added: “The core design for this piece is taken from our Symphony collection and we then worked with the design team to create a truly unique chandelier that highlights the stunning interiors of the hotel. The final effect is an installation that plays with light and shade, creating a beautiful focus for the space.”  

Jumeirah Group has announced guided tours for its flagship hotel – Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. The ‘Inside Burj Al Arab’ tour promises to show the ins and outs of the famous property.

The tour lasts 90 minutes and is guided by one of the property’s butlers. It includes a visit to the hotel atrium and royal suite as well as an experience suite. There will also be digital interaction, allowing guests to see the history with the original architectural designs of the hotel.

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

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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

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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.


D&I Champion & Company of the Year - Kannan Aiyer & Soho House Mumbai

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What an amazing journey it has been this year for Soho House. The year is certainly closing on a high note for them. Soho House always had creativity as it's soul. Started in 1995 as a private members club for the creative fraternity, diversity & inclusion was always at the core.

Soho House Mumbai decided to take this up a notch higher this year, introducing the following policies:

1. House to Home – 2 days no questions asked Menstrual Leave

2. Parental Leave – 90 days paid holiday for all single/same sex parents if they choose to

adopt or go through assisted reproduction.

3. Paternity Leave – Increase from 10 days to 30 days for all male employees

4. Same sex partners covered in our health insurance

5. Transgender covered as a specific gender in our health insurance

6. Gender Re-assignment surgery is now a part of our health insurance program

Apart from this they dedicatedly started focussing on diverse group hiring;

  • Yash Charitable Trust (YCT): They are our Neuro Diverse community partners. Saurabh Kambli who joined us as an in intern just before the 1 st lockdown completed his training through both the lockdowns and has now gained a full time employment with us.

  • Samavesha Chamber of Commerce: They are our partners for LGBTQIA+ hiring.

  • Faujnet: Our partners for Military Veterans hirings

  • Zetta Women: Our partners for hiring of women with career breaks/loss of jobs etc.

Noteworthy initiatives:

  • Rev it up with Reuben: A monthly chat show run by Pastry Chef – Reuben Moraes. With this the aim is to make learning about D&I a fun experience.

  • Sustainability and D&aI: Partnering with Dr. Binish Desai, also known as India’s Recycle Man to take up the sustainability initiatives a notch higher. The Coffee waste (on an avg amounts to 60 kgs per week) is being recycled into crockery, jewellery, decorative products etc. and the single use discarded masks are being converted into bricks which are used to build toilets and homes in rural areas.

Soho House Mumbai is a truly diverse, inclusive, safe & equitable space for every employee, member & guest. Transformance Group awarded the following to SOHO House Mumbai:

Individual Awards:

1. D&I Champion of the Year – Kannan Aiyer

2. HR Policy of the Year – Kannan Aiyer

Organizational Awards:

1. D&I Company of Year

2. HR Team of the Year

Excited about Qatar’s very own ‘Winter Wonderland’? Here’s all you need to know

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Ready for a mouth-watering hot chocolate and some spectacular rides? Well, 2022 will have way more than just football spirit. 

Good news for all theme park lovers! Qatar will soon have its very own Winder Wonderland at Al Maha Island, located off the coast of the Marina and Tarfa Lusail area.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, also known as Winter Wonderland, is a large annual Christmas event held in Hyde Park, London, from mid-November to early January. The theme park is widely known as a unique destination for tourists around the world, and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Now, it is coming to Qatar.

The country’s Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani attended the signing of a contract to establish and operate the Doha Winter Wonderland project between Qatari Diar, Qatar Tourism and Elegancia Group.

The now unique Qatar version theme-park will be ready just in time for Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup— adding yet another exciting activity to next year’s calendar.

“This project is planned to start receiving visitors before the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 despite the challenges of its implementation in a short period of time i.e. less than a year, we believe in the strength of the partnership between Qatari Diar, Qatar Tourism and Elegancia Group, and the real desire of these parties to realize this outstanding achievement,” said CEO of Qatari Diar, Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah.

The park will be operated by International Marketing Group, the global company specialising in operating events, including the operation of “Hyde Park Winter Wonderland” in Hyde Park London.

It will extend over an area of 200,000 sq.m. and will include six areas for amusement rides with more than 50 world-class games for different ages.

It will also include marine sports, marine club, family chalets, and an area for parties and various events.

Doha Winter Wonderland project will be a qualitative addition to tourism projects in Qatar, as it will be more than just a games area but rather an integrated entertainment destination comparable to the most prominent international entertainment cities,” said Chairman of Qatar Tourism, CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker.

The official added that the project will add yet another entertainment destination the Gulf nation’s list, attracting millions of tourists and visitors during the next five years.


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Karnataka: International tourism expo slated for February shelved

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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

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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.

Appointment | Licious appoints Prashant Verma as chief revenue officer

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Licious has announced the appointment of Prashant Verma as its chief revenue officer. The country’s largest tech-first D2C fresh meats and seafood brand will focus on amplifying growth and profitability as it enters the next phase of evolution.

A seasoned leader for digital-first businesses, Verma brings 15-plus years of rich experience across growth, brand building, strategy, marketing and sales, across diverse sectors including e-commerce, consumer internet, FMCG and financial services. His mandate at Licious entails P&L ownership, category management, brand, product development, platform growth and new city expansion.

Prior to joining Licious, Verma has led marketing and growth at Grofers, where he drove e-commerce adoption and the brand’s growth over four years. He loves building fearless teams that challenge the status quo, break boundaries, and achieve moon-shot goals.

An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and NSIT Delhi, Verma has also led brand strategy for Lowe Lintas and Leo Burnett across multiple sectors such as consumer internet (Freecharge), FMCG (Unilever - foods, oral care and desserts) and financial services (Axis Bank). He began his career with ICICI Bank and Avaya.

Fortune Hotels adds property in pilgrimage destinations

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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

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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. 

 



Appointment | HRAWI Appoints Kunal Gujral As Its Secretary General

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Mr.Kunal Gujral

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has appointed Mr. Kunal Premkumar Gujral as its Secretary General, effective 18th October 2021. Mr. Gujral has over two decades of industry experience across F&B, sales and marketing, and prior to joining here he has served at the Riverside Resorts and Holiday Homes Pvt. Ltd. in Goa as its Vice President of Revenue & Sales. Mr. Gujral has worked in some of the finest and renowned hospitality brands in the country including Bharat Hotels Limited, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Park Hotels and IHHR Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., among others.

“As Secretary General of HRAWI, my role entails liaising and facilitating the various processes and functions of the office for efficient management of the Association and its affairs. Other than this, policy advocacy with the Government, membership service and most importantly carrying out all such tasks to mitigate the hardships caused to members due to the pandemic will be on priority. I will do my best to carry out the functions with efficiency and I thank the EC for reposing faith in me. My experience in hospitality has equipped me with the requisite industry knowledge and it will be my endeavor to put this knowledge to optimum use for the benefit of the Association and its members,” says Mr. Kunal Gujral, Secretary General, HRAWI.

Trained in Food & Beverage service, Housekeeping, Front Office and Food Production, Mr. Kunal Gujral holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition (IHM) – Mumbai.

 

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 71 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants in Western India. Its members include various restaurants and smaller Hotels up to 5-Star Deluxe categories. The bulk of its members like any growth economy are made up of restaurants and budget hotels. With membership base spread across Western India, HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa, and is considered to be the voice of the Hotel and Restaurant Industry. The association is part of the national body of Federation of the Hotels & Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI), located in New Delhi, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950 by the late Mr J.R.D. Tata.

Appointment |ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru appoints Gaurav Soneja As General Manager

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Welcoming Gaurav Soneja As General Manager - Itc Gardenia, Bengaluru

Gaurav Soneja is the new General Manager of ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru from November 22nd, 2021.

An alumni of IHM Bangalore, Gaurav started his career with The Leela Hotels in 2003, followed by stints of international exposure as Restaurant Manager at Emirates Palace - Abu Dhabi and Ishtar Palace – Jordan. He joined ITC Hotels as Restaurant Manager at Sheraton, New Delhi in 2007. 

In 2009, he moved to ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru as Beverage Manager during the pre-opening phase and played an instrumental role in setting up the beverage portfolio of the hotel. He then moved on to ITC Windsor, Bengaluru, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai and ITC Sonar, Kolkata in the role of Food & Beverage Manager. 

Subsequently, Gaurav rose to become the Resident Manager at ITC Sonar, Kolkata where he was elevated to the position of Cluster Hotel Manager for both ITC Sonar and the recently opened ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata. In 2018, after the successful Opening & Operationalizing ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata, he was transferred to the flagship hotel of the chain- ITC Maurya, New Delhi as Hotel Manager. In this role, he was responsible for the overall operations of the hotel. He then returned to ITC Gardenia as the General Manager of the hotel in November 2021.

Along with operational excellence, Gaurav’s passion for food & beverage fructified in new brands for the chain at both ITC Gardenia and ITC Royal Bengal. His go getter attitude and strive to succeed brings out the best in the people who work with him. 

Gaurav is an avid golfer and loves to meet people from different spheres of life. He loves spending time with his daughter and family. He is also an animal lover and is a proud parent of two dogs.


Eclat Insights | We’re Influenced By Very Particular Types of Rewards. Now That You Know That, What To Do About It @ Work.

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Expected rewards reduce motivation on a task. Surprise rewards increase motivation on the same task. Fixed rewards are less powerful than performance-based rewards, even with creative tasks. - Zach Hamed

Why is it relevant to Hospitality & Service Industries?

Typically you would use this for team members/employees and some actionable insights are mentioned below. But I invite you to use this to think of customer/guest behaviour too.  

Our job as hospitality leaders and managers is to make sure that we design our services in a manner that produces the greatest amount of value or joy for our guests.  The ideal would be to design services and processes that bring joy to both, the guests and the team.

Actionable Insights

Rewards are used to create the desired behaviour. We train the mind to do something because there are rewards attached to the activity and a positive outcome. There is a whole lot of information at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation.

Let's break the insight down to smaller learnings:

Expected rewards reduce motivation on a task.

If you know you will only get X, to do Y, you may not want to do it. Since you know what the X is. Of course, this will not hold true, if what is expected is equal to or greater than what you want for that task.

Surprise rewards increase motivation on the same task.

When the surprise is revealed, it must be equal to or more than the value of the expected reward.

Fixed rewards are less powerful than performance-based rewards, even with creative tasks.

This makes intuitive sense. If everyone just gets the same reward, irrespective of effort or outcome, then the incentive to do more is taken away.

Real-World Example

Let's try and run 3 examples. 

Example 1 - Only For Guest Behaviour

The most simple, yet amazingly effective use of this insight, is the Happy Meal @ McDonald's.

“Few things are more iconic in American kid culture than the garishly decorated McDonald's Happy Meal box. Who among us can’t remember whining to their parents for a cheeseburger when all we really wanted was the latest Barbie figurine, Hot Wheels car, or cheap movie tie-in tchotchke?”– Kayla Webley

It is the perfect combination of expected & surprise reward. The child knows they will get a toy (expected), while which toy on that day and visit is the surprise.

Example 2 - For Your Team

Most organisations celebrate employee birthdays. Most also run 'employee-of-the-month type programs. In both these cases, the rewards are known and hence not really a surprise.

Imagine a different reality. Let's say it's your birthday and the HR team (or interdepartmental, which we suggest) gives you 4 boxes to choose from. Each box has a different gift so to speak, but all are similar in value. You don't have to get a cake or a voucher, you may get free tickets to a movie, a free phone recharge or even a gift card etc. You wouldn't know what yo

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

Appointment | Yasin Shaikh joins Radisson Resort & Spa Lonavala as Director of Revenue

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Radisson Resort & Spa Lonavala announced that Yasin Shaikh will head its revenue division as Director. He has over 10 years of experience and is equipped with specialized skills in quality hospitality service, strategic planning, business intelligence, analytic and maximizing revenue.

Prior to joining Radisson, Shaikh was associated with properties including Ramada Powai Hotel and Convention Centre Mumbai, Movenpick and Fariyas. In his new role, he will be instrumental in driving revenue strategies for the resort.

Kamat Hotels (India) bestowed with Maharashtra State Best Employer Brand Award 2021

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Kamat Hotels (India) bestowed with Maharashtra State Best Employer Brand Award 2021

Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd. has been conferred with Maharashtra state best employer brand award 2021. The award was hosted by the reputed Employer Branding Institute World HRD Congress and Stars of the Industry Group. KHIL received the award in regards to the covid challenges faced by one of the most worst affected industries and the critical teamwork by the staff to take care of covid patients, foreign returning Indian guests and staff well-being challenges alike.

Intensely researched by Dr. R. L. Bhatia, Founder of World CSR Day, and chaired and headed by Dr. Indira Parikh Ex-Dean of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad this award recognizes organizations that have used marketing communications effectively in attracting talent, retaining talent, developing talent, and in the retention policy.

The award was received by Varun Sahani, Vice President Operations, Kamat Hotels who said "What makes Kamats A great place to work is its our people cultures that has been imbibed over the last 75 years of our existence by the Late Shri Venkatesh Kamath and now by Dr Vithal Kamat. We invest in one's capability so that they can make the most of their career whether as part of us or when they branch outwards. Creating entrepreneur-thinking while keeping to our warm Indian Traditional Hospitality. During the lockdown, we rolled out various initiatives for our employees to protect them and their families. Connect with the people, Trust - Team Building, Appreciation, Expressing gratitude to employees boosts morale and help them endure difficult times.

Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd. (KHIL) is a leading Indian Hospitality player in India owning the Brand Orchid know to be Asia’s pioneering chain of environmentally sensitive hotels and resort and starting Asia’s First 5 Star Ecotel, The Orchid – Mumbai. Spread across multi states they also own a Heritage Collection of Fort JadhavGadh, Pune, Mahodadhi Palace, Puri and Lotus Eco Resorts.

Indian government puts a brake on scheduled international flights

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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

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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..