Category Archives: Hotels

SaffronStays, which started with one property in October 2015 in Matheran called SaffronStays Parsi Manor, announced its expansion plans to other parts of the country. Devendra Parulekar, Co-Founder, SaffronStays, says, “We currently have 28 properties and plan to add 40 more by the end of December 2017. The goal is to have over 2,000 properties managed and branded by SaffronStays in the next five to seven years. Now that we have cracked the product-market fit, achieved unit-level and even transaction-level profitability, and also understood all the operational problems associated with the model and figured out ways to overcome these problems, we think it is time to raise some serious money to rapidly scale the business.” According to the company, it has clocked over USD 1 million in revenues in less than 19 months since it started. SaffronStays is largely operational around Mumbai, Pune, Goa and a few chosen locations in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

AccorHotels and InterGlobe Hotels announced the opening of ibis Coimbatore City Centre, marking the debut of the smart hotel brand in the second largest city in Tamil Nadu. The business hotel is strategically located in the city’s central business district at Lakshmi Mills Junction, within close proximity to local tourist attractions and shopping hubs. With 129 well-appointed rooms, the hotel boasts of a contemporary design that offers unparalleled comfort and convenience. Speaking at the hotel’s launch, Shwetank Singh, Vice President – Development and Asset Management, InterGlobe Hotels Pvt Ltd, said, “The city is not only a business destination but also a vacation stop for those travelling to other parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. ibis Coimbatore is positioned at offering great value with international standards at a mid-market price-point.” Pierre-Etienne de Montgrand, Director of Operation ibis & ibis Styles India, AccorHotels, said, “The city is fast emerging as a growing business hub for textiles, industries, commerce, education, information technology, healthcare and manufacturing. The opening of this hotel caters to the growing needs of business as well as leisure travellers in the region.”

Lemon Tree Hotels announced the opening of its two hotels, Lemon Tree Premier, Patna and Lemon Tree Hotel, Alwar. Signaling the group’s focus on Bihar, and their overall expansion plans across India, Rattan Keswani, Deputy Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels and Director, Carnation Hotels, said, “We are delighted to bring the Lemon Tree brand to Patna and Alwar. These hotels are a first for us and present an exciting branded alternative to the city residents as well as our existing customer base. Both cities imbibe a rich cultural heritage and attract business and leisure travelers alike. We invite guests to discover our unique brand and enjoy the same refreshing experience, quality and consistency that Lemon Tree is known for.” Lemon Tree Premier, Patna boasts of plush and stylish interiors and charms its visitors with large glass doors and a beautiful fountain in the driveway, a contemporary lobby accentuated by a serene Buddha sculpture and remarkable modern art. Designed to offer both comfort and convenience to its guests being located in the heart of the commercial and entertainment hub of the city, just 5 minutes from the railway station, it’s proximity to prominent office near Gandhi Maidan such as, RBI, Biscomaun Bhavan, FCI, NABARD, and city landmarks like Vidhan Sabha, Patna Secretariat and Patna High Court, is also an advantage. Together with 105 plush and spacious rooms and suites, a 24×7 multi-cuisine coffee shop– Citrus Café with a show kitchen, a rejuvenating spa and salon- Fresco, a fully equipped gym, a rooftop swimming pool and a soon to open Indian restaurant, the hotel offers a refreshing alternative to both business and leisure travelers as well as city dwellers. The hotel also …

Pride Group of Hotels has opened its latest resort in Puri in Odisha named Pride Ananya Resort Puri. The 80-room property offers resort-style accommodation with a beautiful oceanfront. It is a walk from Puri beach and offers a pool, restaurants, a business centre, and spa among other offerings. The Pride Group currently has properties in Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Aerocity Delhi, Ahmedabad, Goa, Jaipur, Vadodara and Dharamshala and now Puri.

After extensive renovations, The Oberoi, New Delhi, will reopen on January 1, 2018. The hotel has commenced reservation on its website or on phone. The Rs. 500 crore-revamp project which was slated to reopen in April next year will be completed ahead of schedule. Built in 1965, the Oberoi New Delhi was closed two years ago for renovation, will have 218 rooms. It will become the first hotel in India to have an air purifier to address growing concerns over the air quality in the national capital.

The GST Council has recommended slash in GST rate for AC restaurants to 12 per cent from previous 18 per cent. This recommendation was made during the Council’s 22nd meeting held on October 6 in Delhi under chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley. The federal tax body has set up a five-member panel of state ministers to make the quarterly tax filing and payment scheme for small businesses more attractive and to rework the tax rate on restaurants.

AccorHotels has signed an agreement to acquire Gekko, a major player in the business travel hotel reservation segment. The transaction, which values Gekko at €100 million, will have an accretive effect on AccorHotels’ financial performance from 2018. The transaction is subject to approval of competition authorities and has already been approved by AccorHotels’ employee representative bodies. This transaction is in line with the strategy aimed at strengthening AccorHotels’ leadership across the entire customer experience by enhancing the range of services offered to business travellers, the Group’s key customer segment. Stephane de Laforcade and Olivier Delouis will remain at the head of Gekko and will continue to run the group independently. Gekko offers search and reservation solutions via an interface connected to more than 500,000 hotels worldwide, ranging from budget to luxury. Its turnkey management tools allow business travellers to manage their online payments, offering them the option of tracking and optimizing their costs. Gekko serves more than 300 corporate customers and 14,000 travel agencies through its subsidiaries: HCorpo (key accounts), Teldar Travel (leisure travel agencies), Teldar Travel Biz (SME-focused travel agencies), Miles Attack (loyalty program) and Infinite Hotel (wholesaler serving independent French hotels). Gekko operates in France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and has been posting very strong year-on-year growth for many years. Founded in 2010, Gekko is managed by Olivier Delouis and Stéphane de Laforcade. They introduced HLD, a European investment fund, as their reference shareholder in 2015. Thibault Viort, Chief Disruption & Growth Officer, stated, “We are very pleased to have Gekko’s team join our Group. AccorHotels’ extensive global footprint, together with Gekko’s technological leadership, today paves the way for the creation of a global leader in B-to-B hotel …

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), conducted its 52nd Annual General Meeting at The Ashok, New Delhi. Chairing the meeting, Ravneet Kaur, IAS, Chairperson & Managing Director, ITDC, announced that corporation closed the year with a turnover of Rs. 495.14 crore during 2016-17. The net profit before tax has been recorded to Rs.17.52 crore during 2016-17. Also, the board declared and approved a dividend of 13.30 per cent amounting to Rs.11.41 crore approximately in the meeting held on May 30, 2017. Other Board of Directors present during the meeting included Piyush Tiwari, Director (Commercial & Marketing), Pradip Kumar Das, Director (Finance), government nominee directors and independent directors. The CMD announced that ITDC has shown a significant improvement in the operational efficiency. Overall occupancy during 2016-17 was 58 per cent as against 52 per cent during 2015-16 with flagship Hotel ‘The Ashok’ recording highest turnover of Rs. 152.91 cr during 2016-17. The board said that a big push is being given to connect ITDC with new customers especially with younger generation through print and social media. Steps are being taken to make ITDC website more attractive and user friendly.

Sarovar Hotels has announced the signing of its latest hotel in Bengaluru, La Marvella Sarovar Premiere. The takeover is expected to be completed by the first week of November. La Marvella Sarovar Premiere, Bengaluru – Jayanagar, is Sarovar’s fifth hotel in the city after Davanam Sarovar Portico Suites, RBD Sarovar Portico, Park Plaza and Radha Hometel. La Marvella Sarovar Premiere is promoted by SVG Exports offering all facilities and services of an upscale five-star business hotel located in Jayanagar. With 102 rooms, a multi cuisine restaurant and a lounge bar, the hotel ensures guests a great stay. An Italian specialty restaurant will soon be introduced to bring a unique culinary experience to guests. Commenting on the development, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, says, “We are delighted to be signing a deal for yet another hotel in Bengaluru. La Marvella Sarovar Premiere located at a prime destination in the city is ideal for business as well as lesiure travellers. With Bengaluru emerging as one of our key markets, we look forward to further growth and increased traffic contribution from our hotels here. We will continue to focus on our expansion and also strengthen our position as we look to spread farther across South India.”  

Berggruen Hotels announced the launch of two new properties – Keys Hotel Aqua Green in Port Blair with 48 rooms and suites and Keys Prima Aamari Resort in Ramgarh with 22 executive rooms and three executive suites. The room tariff for the property in Port Blair and Ramgarh starts from Rs 6500 per night and from Rs. 6000 per night respectively. Anshu Sarin, Chief Executive Officer, Berggruen Hotels, elaborates on the company’s aggressive expansion plans and says, “We are really grateful to our hotel partners who have shown faith in us to manage their properties. With the launch of ‘Your Happy Stays’, Keys as a brand is set to differentiate and offer enhanced experience to the ever evolving customers. With this new brand promise we reiterate our commitment to our guests and importantly to ourselves.” Commenting on the growth plans, Kabir Kewalramani, Managing Director, Berggruen Holdings, says, “We have deepened our investments in the brand in order to expand the portfolio and make Keys a dominant brand across its product offerings. We are optimistic about the business and feel it is a right time to focus on growing scale in the Indian market.”