Harkaran brings with him 15 years of varied experience across Marriott & Hyatt hotels in India. He began his journey with the Hyatt family 12 years back and has worked across Hyatt Pune in 2010 to Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli, Hyatt Regency Kolkata and was General Manager at Hyatt Raipur, before taking on his latest role at Hyatt Regency Dehradun.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, is pleased to celebrate its continued and growing partnership with The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts through the addition of two new properties to its global portfolio. With the launch of The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru in September 2021, and the addition of The Leela Palace Jaipur in November 2021, Preferred’s partnership with the Mumbai-based group has expanded to encompass 10 globally recognized properties across India, with plans to expand further in 2022 and beyond. This longstanding partnership with one of India’s most awarded hotel brands is a testament to Preferred’s strength in executing innovative global strategies that cater to the individual needs of its member hotels to create mutually beneficial relationships.
The Spectacular Luxury Resort Is a Haven of Breathtaking Design and Mindful Experiences.
Sustainability has become a key focus in the hospitality sector in recent years, with several hotel chains committing to reduce their environmental impact by implementing eco-friendly practices. Hotels gain from sustainable practices in two ways: first, they enhance resource efficiency and provide cost savings, and second, these policies serve as a marketing tool, attracting today's eco-conscious travelers. While most of the focus has been on the operational aspects so far, incorporating green technologies and resources into construction can also go a long way in achieving sustainability objectives.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India’s largest hospitality company, has announced that it will collaborate with UNESCO to help preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage of India, as part of a major new initiative meant to transform the travel landscape in the post pandemic world.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), India's largest hospitality company, today announced the opening of Vivanta Navi Mumbai, Turbhe. Nestled at the base of Parsik Hills, the stylishly designed hotel will be the first Vivanta in Navi Mumbai.
Embassy Office Parks, India's first publicly listed real estate investment trust (REIT) and one of Asia's largest by area, has opened the first Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Bengaluru.
Radisson Hotel Group further strengthened its portfolio in India with the signing of nine new hotels across five brands in 2021. Located in key gateway cities and emerging destinations, these new hotels will collectively add over 1,000 rooms to its domestic network in the next three to five years. In 2021, the Group grew its presence in India with the opening of 12 new hotels and introducing two new brands, including Radisson Individuals and Radisson RED.
The Indian hospitality industry has grown rapidly in recent decades, employing 8.8% of the country’s workforce in 2019. However, the industry has long struggled with a shortage of trained workforce although several students emerge from hospitality colleges each year. The demand-supply equations are daunting even though the sector has tried to close the gap over the years. As per a Ministry of Tourism study, the manpower shortage in 2018 was 2.6 million, and the sector is staring at a deficit of 1.1 million in 2025, posing a significant threat to the sector's recovery post-COVID. Several factors have contributed to this, and the situation is expected to get worse post the pandemic.
Ginger expands its footprint with the launch of a new hotel in Greater Noida, National Capital Region (Delhi-NCR). Designed on the lean luxe philosophy, the hotel offers a co-existence of contrasts through dynamic spaces, seamlessly blending the lines of work and play.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) today announced the signing of a new SeleQtions resort in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The formerly operating resort will be rebranded as Anand Kashi, an IHCL SeleQtions resort post renovation.
Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), popularly known as the Paradise on Earth, is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty and scenic splendor. From pristine valleys, beautiful lakes, gardens, snow-capped mountains, and glaciers to famous religious places, temples, and monasteries – the union territories have something to cater to every tourist. The region’s distinctiveness rests in the fact that each season has its own allure. It's no surprise, then, that since the region's lockdown was lifted, Jammu & Kashmir has seen a significant increase in tourist traffic and is slowly reclaiming its position as one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Reports indicate that over 6 lakh tourists visited J&K in 2021, surpassing all previous records, with half of them arriving in October to December as early snowfall drew a huge number of visitors to the region. As a result, hotel occupancy has been at an all-time high, with certain resorts in Pahalgam and Gulmarg being sold out at the end of the year.
With over 15 years of innovative experience and expertise in a myriad of skills and hospitality brands, he has proven himself to be a consistent winner across various verticals. His inspirational journey comes with many milestones to be admired – from including an array of recognitions across leading hospitality brands like Marriott International, Taj Hotels and more. He has successfully been a pillar at changing the course of business functioning and sales outputs across organizations. These achievements, and his ingrained value towards result driven strategies, have helped shape his journey along the way.
The emergence of a new COVID strain, Omicron, in late 2021, threw the global travel sector into upheaval once again, as several countries re-introduced travel restrictions to combat the spread of the highly transmissible virus. The crucial year-end holiday season was significantly disrupted with thousands of flight cancellations, cruises forced to dock, and fewer hotel bookings. As per media reports, over 4,500 flights were canceled worldwide over the Christmas weekend, and more than 3,000 flights, half of which were US flights, were canceled over the New Year. The impact was noticed in India as well, with 30-35% of travelers canceling or rescheduling their January 2022 travel plans as the reintroduction of travel restrictions severely impacted the impressive rebound in domestic travel.
Santanu Guha Roy has been appointed as the General Manager of Radisson Blu Resort and Spa Karjat, effective 10th January 2022.
Radisson Hotel Group has today announced the opening of Radisson Resort Pondicherry Bay in the coastal fishing village of Arikamedu in Pondicherry. Uniquely situated between a lagoon and the Bay of Bengal, the hotel looks to welcome business, leisure, and MICE travelers to enjoy safe and memorable stays. This opening makes Radisson the first international hotel brand to operate in the union territory of Pondicherry - which is increasingly becoming a staple on the list of Indian travelers.
Crowne Plaza Greater Noida has appointed Sharad K Upadhyay as the new General Manager. With an illustrious experience of over 20 years across a broad spectrum of hospitality functions, Sharad K Upadhyay holds specialization in hotel operations with an avid interest in food and beverage as well as in sales and marketing. He has held various leadership positions and worked with renowned domestic and international hospitality brands across the country and beyond.
The Westin Pune Koregaon Park is pleased to announce the appointment of Apratim Gole as Marketing and Communications Manager, who shows promise to shoulder the responsibility of managing all marketing and PR activities, elevating and sustaining the hotel's brand positioning, driving engagement and additional revenue through invigorating Marketing and PR Campaigns.
The Union Budget 2022 (Budget) can be summarized as a mix of hits and misses for the Indian hospitality sector, which after two years of bearing the brunt of the pandemic, was hoping for some much-needed reforms to help accelerate the sector’s recovery. However, even though the Economic Survey 2021-22 acknowledged that the ‘trajectory of tourism remains uncertain due to Omicron’, the Budget failed to give any direct and immediate measures to boost the sector’s revival. While few of the recommendations made by industry stakeholders to the government at various forums were incorporated into the Budget, most others were not.
Rajan Malhotra joins Conrad Bengaluru as The Commercial Director in January 2022. With over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry, prior to this he was leading the sales and marketing team and was part of the pre-opening leadership team at India's first iconic brand Raffles. Rajan's body of work also includes successful stints at Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Services India Pvt.Ltd., The Zuri Group of Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien Jaipur Resort & Spa, Taj Palace, New Delhi and The Grand New Delhi.Having pursued his postgraduation diploma in Business Administration, Rajan comes with a wide gamut of knowledge pertaining to the industry. Thus, his new role at the property would entail focus on various arena's such as business development, budgeting, forecasting and achieving the hotel's commercial objectives.