Category Archives: Hotels

Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Cygnett Inn Duvvada. The budget hotel features 40 guest rooms and suites with modern interiors, stylish furnishings and spacious event and banquet space. The hotel also adds ease to those travelling to the city as it is conveniently located close to the airport, railway station, and famous tourist attractions. As one steps outside, there is a fitness centre, a business centre and one of three banquet halls to choose from which are segregated among the lobby and the first floors. Pavilion is a one-stop destination to relish in the hotel’s delicacies. Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder and Managing Director, Cygnett Hotels and Resorts, said, “While it cannot be ignored that finances, proper pricing and timed positioning of one’s brand are important aspects for any business to cater to, it is essential that we, at Cygnett always prioritises on giving our guests an experience which hopefully they will remember for life!”

Marriott International has opened its sixth ‘Aloft’ branded Hotel in India with the launch of Aloft New Delhi Aerocity. ‘Different by Design’, Aloft was created keeping in mind the needs of the next-generation traveler, bringing together tech and design to enhance the experience and provide innovations. The hotel’s 253 guestrooms are designed with a bold and contemporary tonality reflective of the brand’s philosophy. The urban design encompasses open spaces providing an environment of informality and opportunity for personal engagement. Food and Beverage offerings include the Re:mix lounge, the on-trend W XYZ® bar with regular ‘Live at Aloft Hotels’ music performances by local emerging artists and Nook – the all-day dining restaurant. With state-of-the art business meeting facilities, the hotel is well equipped to host large conferences. Recreational options include Re:chargeSM – the fitness center and Splash – the outdoor pool bar and lounge. “The Aloft New Delhi Aerocity is a significant addition to the brand’s distribution in India. With the recent milestone of Marriott International celebrating 100 hotels in the country, we continue to see huge opportunity for growth, especially for distinctive brands like Aloft.” said Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President, South – Asia, Marriott International. “The brand’s value proposition resonates with the new-age traveler who is looking for unique experiences and technological innovations that establish a ‘connect’ and make the stay match his lifestyle” he adds. The Hotel’s General Manager Suman Gahlot added, “We are extremely excited about the opening of Aloft New Delhi Aerocity. With spacious rooms, a vibrant atmosphere, music and technology, we expect the hotel to become the hottest city hangout, attracting both savvy travelers and young local professionals.”

OYO Hotels has announced its foray into China with a strong focus on strengthening its hotel chain in the country. With this launch, OYO Hotels is all set to substantiate its leadership in the market while working towards its mission of bringing great living spaces in the country in the form of well-designed small hotels while introducing best-in-class training and education in the sector. Its current chain comprises of over 11,000 exclusive – franchised or manchised – rooms in 26 cities including Hangzhou, Xian, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Xiamen and Kunming among others. Commenting on the development, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO – OYO said, “After our successful overseas expansion and operations in Malaysia and Nepal, we are thrilled to offer OYO hotels hassle-free and standardized stay experience to guests in China. The country’s tourism industry is on the cusp of booming and flourishing wherein it enjoys a strong influx of both domestic and international tourists; also the market is as fragmented as the Indian hotel market. With our expertise in managing chain of hotels backed by technological innovations, we will further continue to strengthen our footprint while empowering neighbourhood hotels to emerge in the same league as the big boys of hospitality.” China is the third overseas market for OYO, after its successful venture into Malaysia and Nepal where it has grown multifold. The company will be working towards transforming the region’s hospitality industry by introducing its strong hotel brand and operating solutions for ensuring a seamless experience for both guests and asset partners while generating lucrative job opportunities for locals in smaller tier provinces.    

Leisure Hotels Group has added 30 new rooms to its luxury wildlife resort making it the largest capacity resort in the Corbett Park & Ramnagar Area. The Riverview Retreat has now become the largest MiCE Resort in the Corbett National Park. ‘The Riverview Retreat’-a wildlife resort situated along with the banks of River Kosi, spread over nine acres, now offers 90 well-appointed rooms and private villas of two, three, four bedrooms or independent and duplex rooms. Almost every room in the resort has a breath-taking view of the hills. The sloping tiled roofs, cool stone floors with throw rugs, and block wood furniture creates a wild natural ambience. The rooms are very tastefully designed & decorated with plenty of daylight. The resort offers an intimate ambience with private sit-outs and garden, offering a complete family holiday experience. Emphasising that The Riverview Retreat, makes for a key Mice destination, Vibhas Prasad, Director, Leisure Hotels Group said, “Corbett is well connected with many major North Indian cities, which enables convenient travelling. It could be thrilling for corporate employees to mix business with pleasure by lazing around, meditating and playing etc., in luxury accommodations such as this – The Riverview Retreat”. The villas have private garden and entrances. Besides invigorating meeting sessions amidst scenic & serene environs surrounded by nature & wildlife, the luxury wildlife resort has on offer Activities & Leisure, all in one location, for everyone to indulge in entertainment nights with live performance, cocktails and bonfires, bird watching, fishing, safaris, nature walks/ treks/ hikes, and much more.

Choice Hotels India has announced the opening of its new property in Varanasi – Comfort Inn Benaras, located in Cantonment area overlooking Varuna corridor. With this property, Choice Hotels India has expanded its footprint of over 30 hotels in India. The Food and Beverage options include The City Spoon, serving  multicuisine restaurant with a choice of Oriental, Northwest Frontier, South Indian, Chinese and tandoor delicacies to tickle the best of foodie’s taste buds; The Café Hashtag, a rooftop restaurant with views of the entire city with an open kitchen serving  barbeque, Continental with innovative mocktails and beverages.  The Café by Corridor offers a variety of tea and coffee with snacks. The hotel has a modern architectural structure with banqueting facilities to cater for meetings, conferences and social gatherings. Vilas Pawar, CEO, Choice Hotels India, said, “We are committed to offer international experience with world-class services at best value proposition. The warmth of international hospitality at Comfort Inn Benaras will help redefine the service standards offered to travellers.”  

MSR Hotel and Spa Bangalore, which until the end 2017 was operational as Movenpick Hotel and Spa Bangalore Hotel has now been bought over by Gokulam Hotels and Resorts. The Gokulam Hotels and Resorts are owned by Sree Gokulam Chit & Finance Co have ambitious plans for the hotel group to have a strong brand presence built on robust operational services and hotel offerings, amenities and facilities. AM Gopalan, Managing Director says, “The Gokulam Group’s leap into the five star segment is a huge boost for the company. Bengaluru has always been a favourite destination and a start in Bengaluru is like a dream come true. Baiju Gopal, Executive Director says, “We are known for our excellent service standards and stellar properties across South India. Gokulam Grand is our foray into the IT city of Bangalore. We are firmly committed to strengthening, structuring and increasing the reach of our Hospitality division in the country, by standardizing our brand SOPs, deliverables and creating a niche brand in the market. We believe in becoming better with every guest feedback, and this premise of honoring our guest loyalty is our USP in every city that we operate in. Under their hospitality division, the company has properties across South India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) under the brand name ‘Gokulam Park Hotels and Resorts’. With the addition of the MSR Hotel and Spa Bangalore to their portfolio, the group aims to strengthen its presence in the Southern region further and establish their brand in Bangalore.

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced the signing of a Vivanta in Katra with Delhi-based DMG Group. Speaking on the signing, Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President – Real Estate & Development, The Indian Hotels Company Limited said, “We are pleased to partner with DMG Group in bringing the Vivanta brand to Katra. This announcement is aligned to our strategy of expanding our footprint and driving growth across popular pilgrimage and tourist destinations.” Located in Katra – the base camp for the holy pilgrimage of Vaishno Devi, the hotel is conveniently located 42 kilometers from the Jammu airport. The 80-room hotel, spread over eight acres, offers charming views of the Holy Shrine and Trikuta Mountains. The hotel features an all-day restaurant, banqueting and recreation facilities including a gym, swimming pool and badminton court. Commenting on the partnership, Sushen Gupta, Managing Director, DMG Group said, “We are delighted to partner with The Indian Hotels Company Limited. We look forward to working with them to bring their unique Vivanta brand and legendary experience to visitors to the holy shrine.” The DMG Group hotel at Katra is an existing property. The owners will further invest approximately Rs 10 crore to bring the hotel to Vivanta brand standards by early 2019. Vivanta Katra will be the third IHCL branded hotel in Jammu and Kashmir, strengthening the company’s presence in the state.  The company also manages the Vivanta Dal View in Srinagar and Ginger in Katra.

According to a latest research study by Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), in 2016-17, rooms revenue contributed a notable 53.6 per cent to the total hotel industry revenue, an increase over its percentage share in 2015-16, and an improvement from the declining trend exhibited in the years 2012-13 to 2014-15. On the other hand, contribution from Food & Beverage and Banquets declined to 39.5 per cent from 41.5 per cent recorded in 2015-16. The contribution of the other operating departments has remained range-bound,with a marginal increase recorded in 2016-17 over the previous fiscal.

Lords Hotels & Resorts has announced plans of launching a new resort in Gujarat’s Chotila. Currently under construction, the resort is expected to commence operations in the last quarter of 2018 making it the chain’s 16th property in Gujarat and overall its 29th. To be launched as Lords Resort Chotila, the forty-six rooms resort will offer accommodations to the pilgrimage tourists visiting the popular Chotila Mata Mandir. Being a resort property it will host all kinds of recreational facilities which will serve as great holiday stays for the leisure tourists too. The development is also in line with Lords Hotels & Resorts’ focus on capitalising on pilgrimage tourism – a segment which is one of the support pillars of the Incredible India campaign. “We are delighted to announce our latest venture in Chotila. This will be our eighth property located at a pilgrimage site and we are consciously focusing on expanding in this segment. While Lords Resort Chotila will be a great place to stay for the pilgrimage tourist, the resort will be a fabulous retreat for the leisure traveller too. The resort architecture is inspired by the shape of a crescent moon and the rooms are designed in the traditional Bhunga style with adjoining private sit out areas overlooking water bodies built around it,” says P R Bansal, Chief Operating Officer, Lords Hotels & Resorts. “I wish to congratulate Ramzan V Halani who owns the property and look forward to partnering for future ventures in the region,” he adds.

StayWell Holdings and Prince Hotels have announced the launch of a new luxury hotel brand offering – The Prince Akatoki – which will target the international market (outside of Japan) and complement the brands already operated by StayWell and Prince Hotels. Prince Hotels has agreed that StayWell Holdings will be assigned the rights to use The Prince Akatoki as the 5-star brand for future global development opportunities. Simon Wan, President and Director of StayWell Holdings said,” The Prince Akatoki will provide travellers with an opportunity to experience luxury services and amenities expected of a 5-star hotel brand reflecting certain elements of Japanese refined hospitality and culture. Japanese hospitality is renowned for service, tranquillity, and its peerless aesthetic. This is precisely what The Prince Akatoki will deliver. For international travellers, it offers a unique and authentic Japanese flavour.” “The travellers we anticipate as guests of The Prince Akatoki brand are those actively seeking high quality services and amenities when visiting from gateway cities worldwide, with a specific focus on London, New York, Singapore, Bangkok, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Shanghai,” he said. “Customers in Japan are familiar with the Prince brand, so they will easily recognise the new brand when they are looking for a hotel overseas. For travellers who have not yet experienced Prince Hotel brands, The Prince Akatoki will be their first brand experience, and will build positive sentiment and greater brand awareness globally, whilst increasing inbound tourism in Japan,” Wan said.