Spring has sprung a spiked surprise, second year running. And sadly caught us napping again. Lockdowns abound, soaring hopes have been negated; frustration and despair are rising – in different measures and pressures, depending on a person's station in life, and business responsibility.
Chaudhary will be responsible to drive Strategic HR and foster Hilton culture within team members. He brings with him close to a decade of experience working at different roles with Marriott International.
In his new leadership position, he will be responsible for spearheading operations at the hotel and leading the team to newer heights of success. He brings rich experience from his previously served designations and strongly believes in taking calculated risks for enhanced financial outcomes.
As per a recent travel survey, almost 65% of the Indians who participated in the survey were keen to travel for leisure and adventure in 2021. Several domestic tourists are now looking beyond traditional holidays. They want to try new experiences at open and less crowded places, which is likely to boost adventure tourism in the country. In fact, domestic tourists traveled to adventure sports hotspots in the country soon after the lockdown ended last year.
Fortune Hotels, member ITC's hotel group, announced the opening of its first hotel in the historic town of Hubballi, Karnataka making it their sixth hotel alliance in the State.
Mumbai's rapid hotel performance recovery is projected to return to more moderate levels, according to a recent market forecast from STR and Tourism Economics.
In the last decade, India has emerged as one of the leading medical tourism destinations globally. The presence of several high-quality, well-equipped healthcare facilities along with a strong base of highly skilled and specialized English-speaking medical professionals, offering world-class treatments at much more affordable costs compared to developed nations are some of the reasons for the growth of this segment in India. Reports indicate that medical treatments and travel in India cost up to 50% less than that in developed western countries. India has also been successful at attracting medical tourists from other developing nations, mainly from Asia and Africa, looking for specialized treatments that may not be easily available in their home countries.
India hotels achieved a 50% occupancy level in February, which was the first time the country eclipsed that monthly mark since the start of the pandemic.
The midscale and upscale hotel segments have been driving the growth in the branded Indian hotels sector in the last few years and are the sweet spots for upcoming development in the country. The upscale segment, in fact, has regained the mindshare of hoteliers in the last couple of years due to the significant demand in this segment. As a result, upscale properties accounted for 31% of the total signings by properties in 2020 compared to 15% in 2018, while their share in signings by keys has increased from 27% in 2018 to 37% in 2020.
The popularity of homestays has increased manifold in the post-COVID era when social distancing, cleanliness, hygiene, and privacy have become the top priorities for travelers.
Further to its commitment of phasing out single-use plastics from across its hotels, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), South Asia's largest hospitality company, reinforces its commitment towards sustainable business practices with the introduction of bottling plants across its hotels in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai in India and in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The initiative to replace all plastic water bottles from the hotels with reusable glass water bottles, bottled with treated water, will avoid the use of 6 million plastic bottles per year.
Franchising is slowly but steadily making its presence felt in the Indian hotels sector. Approximately 17% of the total brand signings by keys in 2020 were franchised properties as compared to 14% in 2019 and 10% in 2018. However, management agreements continue to dominate the sector, accounting for 76-80% of the total brand signings by keys during the same period.
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), South Asia's largest hospitality company, today launched an open call for innovators worldwide to bring efficient, climate-smart, cost-effective cooling solutions to India's hospitality sector.
In the aftermath of the ongoing pandemic, brand signings by keys in India witnessed a year-on-year decline of 42% in 2020. Signings were especially low in the first half of the year, due to the uncertain market conditions and challenges related to closing deals on virtual platforms because of the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions.
Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Pradipt Sinha as the Director of Food & Beverage. Mr. Sinha will head Food and Beverage Service as well as Food Production (Kitchen) department at the property. He will oversee the functioning of all four Food and Beverage outlets at the hotel namely ChaoBella, Edesia, Copper Bar and French Heart along with room service and banquets. He will work closely with the Sales and Marketing team to drive revenues and enhance brand visibility for the hotel's food and beverage.
Hotel transactions value in India contracted by approximately 50% to reach INR24,611 million (approx. US$332 million) in 2020 compared to INR49,372 million (approx. US$690 million) in 2019, but was still higher than the previous peak of INR19,929 million achieved in 2015.Going into 2020, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) activity in the sector was expected to be stronger than that witnessed in 2019.
Domestic leisure tourism has been driving the recovery in the Indian hotels sector in the post-COVID era, as inbound tourism continues to be on a standstill even after a year. Key leisure markets such as Goa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala have been brimming with domestic tourists looking for a break from their COVID-blues, which helped India-wide hotel occupancy to reach 33-35% at the end of 2020.
Radisson Hotel Group is proud to announce the debut of Radisson Individuals in India with the opening of Classic Grande Imphal, a member of Radisson Individuals today. Radisson Individuals offers independent hotels, along with local and regional hotel chains, the opportunity to benefit from Radisson Hotel Group's international awareness and experience with the freedom to maintain their individual uniqueness and identity. Each hotel joining the Radisson Individuals brand is selected for their own characteristics and personalities. The brand offers guests an opportunity to discover new locations around the world, while experiencing Radisson Hotel Group's high standards of quality and Yes I Can! service, combined with the local flavors and personality of each hotel. The brand was launched last year and is expected to be a key contributor to the Group's growth story in the market.
As a leader in championing gender diversity and inclusion, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), South Asia's largest hospitality company, today announced South Asia's first all women-managed luxury residences, Taj Wellington Mews in Chennai. This initiative is in line with the Company's ongoing efforts in creating an equitable workplace and ecosystem, while empowering women in the hospitality industry.
The Indian hospitality sector has grown rapidly in the past couple of decades and is a key employment generator for the country. According to WTTC, travel & tourism sector contributed 6.8% and 8% to the country's total GDP and employment, respectively, in 2019. However, shortage of quality personnel has been a perennial problem for the sector even though several students graduate from specialized hospitality institutes in the country every year. It is high time that the hospitality sector introspects on this challenge, especially as several hospitality students prefer joining other sectors after their graduation.