Page 184 - Hospitality Recreation

AirAsia, Uber partner for seamless, affordable travel

Uber and AirAsia announced their partnership to help provide a seamless, affordable and convenient door-to-door experience for travelers, through joint marketing efforts and technological integration.The two companies will work together to help passengers get home or to work, or to the airport and back more seamlessly in the 52 cities in 16 markets across India, Asia Pacific and the US, where AirAsia operates and the Uber app is available.Further, AirAsia will incorporate a "deeplink" feature that allows Uber riders to request or schedule rides in advance when confirming, booking or checking in for flights. New users to the Uber network will also enjoy promo codes for free or discounted rides."By working together, we can provide a service that allows customers to request their Uber ride to the airport in step with their itinerary and have their Uber driver partner waiting for them when their flight lands," said Brooks Entwistle, Uber Chief Business Officer, Asia Pacific."AirAsia is ...

China's Didi Chuxing to launch bike-sharing platform and brand

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese ride-hailing application Didi Chuxing plans to launch a bike-sharing platform within its app that will host partner firms such as Ofo as well as its own bike-sharing brand, the company said on Tuesday.

Telangana: 3,200 buses to ply ahead of Sankranti

Ahead of Sankranti festival, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has decided to release 3,200 special buses to make traveling feasible and convenient for passengers during the festive period.Speaking to ANI, E Samuel, bus conductor, said, "I am working in Khammam district. Now as the festival is approaching, the buses will be crowded. Keeping this in mind the RTC has kept special buses for this festival which will be convenient for everyone."Jyothi, a passenger, said people are relieved and happy after hearing the news."Because of the festival, more people tend to visit their hometowns which create trouble in traveling. Now the traveling will be comfortable and I wish the RTC would make other changes like this which will make traveling more convenient," she added.Yadagiri, the regional manager of Mahatma Gandhi bus station (MGBS), said that as most of the crowd moves out of the city during this time, the trains and buses tend to get full.Keeping that in mind, the ...

Cycling tours in C'garh to create environmental awareness

The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) will organise cycling tours as part of its "tourism on wheels" campaign to create public awareness for the need to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. CTB general manager Sanjay Singh said three cycling tours would be organised of which the four-day-long "Tour De Chhattisgarh" would be the highlight. The 400 kilometre tour will be held from January 26-30 and cyclists will cover Sirpur, Barnawapara, Gangrel, Chitrakote, Tirathgarh and Kotumsar Caves, all tourist locations of the state, he said. It will be flagged off from the capitals Marine Drive and as many as 54 participants, including one from Germany, have registered so far to take part in this event, Singh informed. He said that about 100 cyclists from all over the country are expected to register for the tour. The other tours include the "Tour De Raipur" starting on January 14and another one that will be held onFebruary 10-11 and will cover Kawardha, ...

Kailash bar fire: Restaurant's owner absconding

RV Dayashankar, owner of Bengaluru's Kailash bar restaurant, where a massive fire broke out last night, has been absconding after a call from the police.Five people were killed in the fire at the restaurant in the Kumbaara Sangha building in the wee hours of Sunday.All the deceased were employees of the bar who were sleeping inside it when the incident happened.The reason behind fire is yet to be ascertained and the matter is being investigated.

Online ticketing facility at Victoria Memorial

Visitors at the iconic Victoria Memorial in the city can now book tickets online, an official release said today. Union Culture Secretary Raghvendra Singh today launched the e-ticketing facility. Two automated ticket vending machines were also inaugurated on the occasion, which would be placed at the South and North gates of the famous landmark of the city. Ticket to the garden that costs Rs 10 over the counter will be priced around Rs 11 when booking online, while the Rs 20 ticket, that includes both the garden and the museum, will be charged around Rs 22. Foreigners will have to shell out Rs 200 for the online ticket, the release said.

Britney Spears' former Calabasas house sold for USD 8.1 mn

Singer Britney Spears's former mansion in Calabasas, California, which was purchased for USD 8.1 million last year, was one of the most expensive houses to be sold in the area. The house has a 10,000 square feet of living space, a two-storey library and a glass-bottom swimming pool, according to LA Times. The master suite boasts a boutique-inspired dressing room, and a dry sauna for a total of six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Spears never owned the property and had instead leased it from producer David Broome, who purchased the estate in 2013 for about USD 5.4 million. Isadora and Tomer Fridman -- who also work with several of the Calabasas-based Kardashian-Jenner family members -- co-listed the property with several other agents of Compass and Hilton and Hyland.

'World Sweet Festival' in Hyderabad from January 13

Food lovers will be in for a delight as they would get a chance to savour around 1,000 sweets from India and other countries at the 'World Sweet Festival to be held here from January 13. The sweets from around 25 states in India and 15 foreign countries, to be prepared locally by members of various associations, will be displayed at the event, being organised by the Telangana government. "The sweet festival is being organised to showcase the cosmopolitan nature of Hyderabad in a sweet way," tourism and culture secretary B Venkatesam told PTI here. The three-day festival would be organised in association with various cultural, language and region-based associations of people, including those from foreign countries living in Hyderabad, since many years, he said. "We are planning to organise the sweet festival with such families (who have made Hyderabad their home); like Indians live in America as Indians," he said. The women from these region-based associations would make .

Virtual tour of Khajuraho, Kerala's backwaters in Netherlands

A virtual reality tour of India's famous monuments will be the major attraction for visitors to the Netherlands' largest holiday fair beginning here from Tuesday. "Virtual reality offers immersive, 3-D experiences via videos with 360-degree perspectives through which visitors will be able to enjoy the experience of visiting the Qutub Minar, Amer Palace, Khajuraho, Nalanda, Kailashnath Temple, Athirappiliy Waterfalls, Alappuzha backwaters and various other cultural and natural landmarks in India," a statement issued today by the Indian Embassy here said. The India tourism and Kerala tourism stalls and virtual reality displays at the Vakantiebeurs (holiday fair) will be inaugurated on January 9 by India's Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony and the Mayor of Utrecht Jan van Zanen. Traditional lighting of lamps will be followed by Bhangra dance performances and Indian refreshments throughout the day to showcase India's cultural richness to visitors, it ...

Benares under the Makar Sankranti sky

By juxtaposing the open terraced buildings with the spires of temples that overwhelm Benares, artist Mamta Malhotra brings to life the chaotic flavours of the holy city on canvas in her painting -- 'Neelkanth Nagri'. The artwork will be showcased as part of her upcoming solo show that looks into the depths of Kashi's "soul" through the kaleidoscope of Makar Sankranti. 'Kashi ke Rang: Of Faith and Festivities' will open on January 9 at India Habitat Centre here. Kites soar high in almost every painting in the collection, dotting the city skyline, symbolic of Benares' ambitious movement towards urbanisation. But, it is the thin string keeping the kite grounded, that interests her -- it represents the city's grit to stay rooted in its traditions despite the ongoing development. "As the city moves towards urbanization, we ponder how best to maintain our essence while embracing the future and respecting the limits of nature," she says. Before her stint with painting, Malhotra ..

Yasmin Karachiwala curates Pilates festival

Celebrity fitness expert Yasmin Karachiwala will be curating a four-day Pilates festival which will give new perspectives, wisdom and a fresh appreciation of the physical fitness system.

CSTM not to lose World Heritage site tag by converting offices into museum: Railways

The Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSTM) building would not lose its Unesco World Heritage site tag even if it shifts the Central Railway offices from there to convert the office space into a museum, Railway Ministry officials claim.

'Game of Thrones'-themed ice hotel opens in Finland

"Game of Thrones" may return in 2019 but the winter is already here for the fans of the HBO epic fantasy drama who can now have a freezing experience in a new hotel that has opened in Finland, inspired by the show. The Leland Hotel SnowVillage transformed its annual ice hotel into a "Game of Thrones"-themed frozen resort in collaboration with HBO Nordic, according to Conde Nast Traveler. The resort is complete with corridors and guest rooms lorded over by enormous hand-sculpted homages to the iconic White Walkers of mega-hit series. The hotel took barely one month to build with professional ice sculptors from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Latvia working on it. The GOT admirers also have an option of sleeping under the stare of a White Walker or under the direwolf sigil, which belongs to House Stark. The temperature inside the hotel hovers around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, which warrants full winter wear, but in comparison to outdoor temperature, around 10 degrees, it is ...

Kit Harington thrown out of bar

Kit Harington, best known who playing Jon Snow in "Game of Thrones", was caught on video getting thrown out of a bar here after a dispute around a pool table.

IIT-KGP course to rediscover technique used in making ancient

The IIT Kharagpur has embarked on a course to rediscover the technique used in building ancient Indian landmarks such as the Dilwara Jain temple or the Kailasa temple of Ellora caves. Such ancient structures are marvels of architecture built from top to base cutting a single gigantic stone, IIT Kharagpur Director Prof Partha Pratim Chakrabarti told PTI. "We are amazed to think about the tools used in construction of structures such as the Dilwara temple or the Kailasa temple," Chakrabarti said. These structures were built from top, while modern day architecture talks about elevation from the ground, he said. "We have to find out the design and implementation technology of these structures. We have to study the symbols dating back to that era," he said. Construction of the Kailasa temple of Ellora caves in Maharashtra was attributed to 756-773 CE, while the Dilwara Temple in Rajasthan was completed between the 11th and 13th centuries CE. The IIT-KGP director said the ...

Save your scalp from dryness by avoiding chemical treatments

Due to the cold winter season, the scalp starts getting dry which can lead to eczema, psoriasis or superimposed fungal infection. Avoid using chemical treatments and apply coconut oil to save scalp from dryness, suggest experts.

'Where Eagles Dare' to explore Uttarakhand's Badrinath

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today flagged off a team of adventure tourists for Badrinath, saying it will boost the adventure tourism in the hilly state. The 35-member team --"Where Eagles Dare"-- will visit the snowbound Himalayan shrine and adjoining areas for the next five days. The group of four women and 31 men from Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, Haryana, Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu will tour the area on 15 motor cycles and five cars, before returning to Dehradun on January 10. Such expeditions will give a boost to winter and adventure tourism in the state, the chief minister said. He said that one new tourist destination, each in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand, is being developed besides development of Tehri lake as a hub of adventure tourism. Rawat also expressed hope for favourable weather conditions for the forthcoming Federation of International Skiing Race to be held in Auli from Jan 15. Uttarakhand is hosting the international sporting event ...

Sub-zero swimming challenge held at China festival

Hundreds of brave swimmers challenged freezing temperatures on Saturday to compete in China's Harbin Ice Swimming contest.

Westin Kolkata Rajarhat announces new appointments

The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat has announced appointment of Suman Julka as director of sales and marketing, Ravish Ranjan Mishra as executive sous chef, and Payal Singh as assistant director of food and beverage.A sales and marketing expert, Suman Julka is armed with over 18 years of experience in a number of sectors. A true hotelier at heart, she believes in offering memories to her guests.She began her career as a guest service officer at Grand Hyatt Delhi, and has over the years worked at Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, Hyatt Regency Delhi, Hotel Soul Vacation, Goa, The Grand New Delhi, The Westin Gurgaon, Hyatt Regency Gurgaon.In addition to the sales focus, Suman is responsible for managing the business at the hotel and positioning and establishing The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat as the most sought after 5 star hotel in the city and East India, for business, leisure and MICE segments alike.Having extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in international as well as Indian cuisine, chef ...

Author-actress Tessa Dahl arrested

Author-actress Tessa Dahl, mother of model Sophie Dahl, has been arrested and will appear in a US courtroom next week on a charge of larceny.