Page 57 - Hospitality Recreation
Heavy snowfall cripples normal life in Chenab Valley
Heavy snowfall lashed the entire Chenab Valley of Jammu province including the tourist hotspots like Patnitop, Sanasar, Batote and Bhaderwah throwing the daily life out of gear as it hampered the vehicular movement and disrupted power supply and telecommunication.However, the season's first snowfall came as a delight to the locals and the tourists who flocked to the famous tourist places to experience the snowfall.The people from Udhampur, Jammu, and Katra headed towards Patnitop soon after the rainfall. The tourists were seen enjoying horse ride and photography. Some of them were seen hiring snow boots and fur coats to fend off the bone-chilling cold.However, the blanket of snow made the roads slippery due to which traffic on 55 Km Batote- Doda stretch of National Highway-44 (NH-44), 52 Km Ramban -Gool on NH244(NH1B) and other link roads were disrupted.
Celebrities arrive for Isha Ambani's big day!
The Night has finally arrived! Its Isha Ambani's wedding and Altamount Road is jammed with guest pouring in for the ceremony.Everybody from Bollywood celebrities to politicians to industrialists have marked their presence for the happy occasions.A while back, Gauri Khan arrived at the venue dressed in a hot red saree with sequins worked over it, coupled with a golden blouse.Alia Bhatt looked graceful donning a monochrome lehenga choli detailed with threadwork and coupled with a sheer dupatta. The actor completed the ethnic look with heavy golden earrings.Superstar Rajinikanth also made it to the ceremony. The actor was accompanied by his wife Latha Rajinikanth.Latha looked elegant dressed in an ethnic silk saree, as Rajinikanth opted for an all white Kurta Pajama.From the Cricket world, Sachin Tendulkar arrived at Ambani's residence with his wife and son.Tendulkar donned a red kurta and his son opted for a green one, both with golden embroidery around the neck. Standing alongside her .
FHRAI seeks govt intervention on discounts by travel portals
Several hotel and restaurant associations, who are up in arms against two online travel portals over the alleged hefty commissions and steep discounts being offered by them, Wednesday sought the government's intervention in resolving the issue. Around 270 hoteliers in Ahmedabad have stopped accepting bookings from MakeMyTrip and Goibibo travel portals, alleging they are offering heavy commission and indiscriminate discounts to customers. Besides, the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) had Monday warned OYO of action, alleging large-scale breach of contracts, jeopardising consumers safety and violation of laws by the hospitality firm. The room aggregator has, however, strongly denied the charges. "Together GoMMT (Goibibo and makeMyTrip) and OYO (have) created a monopoly in the industry which, in turn, has increased their highhandedness in dealing with the hoteliers. "If the current situation persists, the entire budget hotel owners will get .
Mysterious folly at DLF Golf and Country Club charms art lovers
The golf communities of Gurugram gathered to witness the launch of a unique and mysterious piece of art by the renowned artist Vishal K Dar on December 9 at The Sanctuary, Golf Drive of DLF Golf and Country Club.The evening was curated by DLF5 in collaboration with the Architectural Digest (AD).Created at The Sanctuary, Golf Drive inside the premises of DLF Golf and Country Club, the artwork is called Black Folly. According to the architectural terminology, a folly is a kind of construction that has no practical use. It is a building constructed primarily for decoration.The folly has three computer-controlled beams of light in motion. The beams are bound within the Cartesian geometry of x-y-z axis that reflects a mirror strip. There is also a floating presence of three large circular mirrors in the folly. The process is such that when the controlled light beams playing, geometrical lines move around inside the folly. Being reflected around by the mirrors and mirror strips ...
Town made famous by Statue of Unity to now get a railway station
Kevadiya, a small town with a population of 6,788 people and just 3.5 km from the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, is all set to get its own railway station, sources involved in the planning told PTI. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are slated to lay the foundation stone for the same on December 15, they said. The Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is located in Gujarat's Narmada district and to reach it, one has to reach Kevadiya first. "During the first 11 days of its opening, the monument has already been visited by around 1.3 lakh tourists. This is great news for tourism in the state. However, this area is plagued by connectivity issues and we needed to address that. This will be a modern railway station and will see huge footfall. Other than a boost in tourism, the project will lead to development in the area, create employment among other things," a source said. Currently, there is no direct air or train connectivity to Kevadiya. The nearest ...
Shimla receives season's first snowfall
Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla Wednesday morning received season's first snowfall which has brought cheers on the faces of tourists and local hoteliers. Tourists have gathered on the Ridge and Mall Road to experience snowfall. Snow frozen on the leaves of the trees and on the rooftops of the buildings especially located on the Ridge, Mall Road and Jakhu is giving a pleasant look. Shimla has so far received 3.8 cm snowfall, the Meteorological department said. Snowfall is still continuing and hotels expect that tourists from nearby areas of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi will soon visit Shimla in a large number to experience the snowfall. Another tourist destination Kufri located in Shimla district also received 7 cm snowfall, the MeT Centre Shimla director Manmohan Singh said. Besides tourist spot Dalhousie in Chamba district got 1.5 cm snowfall while Kalpa in tribal Kinnaur and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district also received 6 cm and 3 cm snowfall respectively, he added.
'Killing spirit of actual dish just to be competitive isn't good' (Lead, correcting para four)
Chef Akshay Bhardwaj, whose experience in the food and beverage market comes from Europe's finest kitchens like Le Bateau Ivre - Jean Pierre Jacob, Oceania Cruise line and Noma by Rene Redzepi to name a few, says as globalisation of food is happening, people must not forget the real essence.
Norway's Vipps seals deal with China's Alipay to expand payments
OSLO (Reuters) - Vipps will cooperate with China's Alipay to enable its Vipps-payment to be used outside Norway and to open the system up for mobile payments by Chinese tourists visiting the country.
'Killing spirit of actual dish just to be competitive isn't good'
Chef Akshay Bhardwaj, whose experience in the food and beverage market comes from Europe's finest kitchens like Le Bateau Ivre - Jean Pierre Jacob, Oceania Cruise line and Noma by Rene Redzepi to name a few, says as globalisation of food is happening, people must not forget the real essence.
England keep faith with Test squad for West Indies tour
England kept faith on Monday with the squad that delivered a Test whitewash in Sri Lanka, naming the same 16 players who finished that tour for the series against the West Indies. That means no place for Surrey's Ollie Pope, who was initially selected for Sri Lanka but left early to get game time with the second-tier Lions side, and a reprieve for Kent's Joe Denly. The uncapped 32-year-old was not required during the 3-0 win but will once again travel as batting cover for the three Tests, ahead of Pope and his overlooked county colleague Jason Roy. Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was a late addition in Sri Lanka after an injury to Jonny Bairstow and takes his place as a first-choice pick after collecting man-of-the-series honours. The 15-man one-day squad also has a familiar look as the countdown to next summer's World Cup continues. Left-armer David Willey returns and Mark Wood is included ahead of Olly Stone, who made his bow in Sri Lanka. England are due to play three Tests, five one-day ..
Indian Motorcycle commences bookings for FTR 1200 S in India
American niche bike maker Indian Motorcycle Monday said it has commenced bookings for FTR 1200 S and FTR 1200 S Race Replica models in India. While FTR1200 S is priced at Rs 14.99 lakh, FTR1200 S Race Replica is tagged at Rs 15.49 lakh (ex-showroom). "To pre-book this street and racing machine, interested customers can pay a booking amount of Rs 2 lakh at the Indian Motorcycle dealerships across the country," the company said in a statement. The deliveries of the bikes will begin from April 2019 onwards, it added. Powered by a new liquid-cooled 1203cc V-twin engine, the models also come with various features including stability control and selectable riding modes.
Ben Ungermann to bring European influence to Indian cuisine with gourmet experiences
Renowned "MasterChef Australia" 2017 Runner up Ben Ungermann, who is in India for the Johnnie Walker Gourmet Experiences that will start from Wednesday, says he is in love with the diverse Indian cuisine and with this association, he is trying to bring European influence to the spice palate of the Indian cuisine.
Taj ticket increased by Rs 200
Those wanting to see the main mausoleum at the Taj Mahal will need to buy an additional ticket of Rs 200 from Monday. Vasant Swarnakar, Archaeological Survey of India's chief archaeologist in Agra, said domestic visitors will have to pay Rs 250 and foreign visitors Rs 1,300 to see the main mausoleum at the 17th-century monument. The visitors from SAARC countries will have to pay Rs 740 instead of Rs 540. The new ticketing system will help reduce the human load on the main structure. Visitors who buy the Rs 50 ticket would not be allowed to enter the main mausoleum, but would be able to move around the Taj and see the rear side, the Yamuna river front at the back. The Taj Mahal is considered one of the finest specimen of the Mughal architecture. In 1983, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.
Dream Group investing USD 100 million for luxury resort in New York State
Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal-led Dream Hotel Group is investing USD 100 million to build a luxury five-star resort in a popular mountainous region in New York state. To be built on 26 acres, The Chatwal Lodge will come up in the Catskill Mountains in Sullivan County in southeastern New York State. The resort is expected to open in spring 2020. The groundbreaking ceremony for which was held last week. Chatwal said the resort will help in the revitalisation of the iconic Catskill Mountains. "Sullivan County has great potential. Going by the history of this area, it was number one for tourism in the tri-state area. Now, it's time to bring it back as a top tourist destination," he said. New York State Assembly Member Aileen Gunther said once open the project will become a world-class destination and an attractive addition to both New York State and Sullivan County. "The Chatwal Lodge will bring full and part-time jobs, during construction and after it opens," said Bethel ...
AP capital region's first five-star hotel inaugurated
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Sunday inaugurated the first five-star hotel, Novotel Vijayawada Varun, in the state capital region Amaravati. The 227-room facility is Accor Hotels' 20th hotel in India under the brand Novotel and the third in Andhra Pradesh. "We will soon build another five-star hotel on a four-acre site in the core area of Amaravati. Besides, work on a one-lakh-sft convention centre will begin in March 2019 and completed in a year. These facilities too will be under the Novotel brand", said Varun Group chairman V Prabhu Kishore. Novotel Vijayawada Varun is a green building with solar power, LED lighting and other eco-friendly features, Kishore said. "We have a Olympic-size 45 metre roof-top swimming pool, which is a first in the country in the hospitality industry. A 202-m rooftop Uniflow walking track is another unique feature", he said. Speaking about Varun's expansion plans, Kishore said his group recently acquired the Taj Gateway ..
Dubai tourism growth stalls in first nine months of 2018
DUBAI (Reuters) - Growth in the number of foreign visitors to Dubai stalled in the first nine months of year, official data showed on Sunday in a sharp slowdown in tourism in the Gulf emirate.
Folk dances, organic food: Rajaji National Park resorts get 'creative' to attract tourists
Resort owners at the Rajaji National Park are employing new ways in their endeavour to attract more tourists to the wildlife getaway, amid fears of low footfall after the Uttarakhand High Court restricted the number of Gypsy Safaris and banned the commercial use of animals for joy rides. The hotels are banking on a variety of activities such as yoga classes, nature walks, bird watching programmes, and adventure trips, in addition to folk performances and local culinary experience, to improve the numbers. "The court decision has put a limit on the number of visitors to the Park," said Anil Painuly, forest range officer, Rajaji National Park. In its August decision, the court restricted the number of Gypsys hired by tourists for safari in Corbett and Rajaji tiger reserves, citing the breach of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The order came as a setback for Gypsy owners and private resort owners even as environmentalists and wildlife ...
Fitness is everything, whether you are sportsperson or not: Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya's back injury is keeping him off the field. And, naturally, the national team cricketer says his priority is get fully fit and play for the country again.
Pune eateries adopt 'half filled glass' measure to save water
An apex body of eateries in Pune in Maharashtra has asked hotels and restaurants to adopt the "half filled water glass" initiative to save water and avoid its wastage. The Pune Restaurant and Hoteliers Association (PRAHA) will also be handing out "theme cards" to hotels and restaurants to spread the word about water conservation in the state's second largest city, a senior functionary said. Ganesh Shetty, president, PRAHA, said Pune was facing water shortage, adding that his eatery, Kalinga in Erandwane area, had adopted the "half filled water glass" measure as had several other establishments. "Earlier, we needed about 1,600 litres of water per day in our hotel. But since we adopted this measure and started serving half glass water to our visitors, we managed to save almost 50 per cent water daily," Shetty told PTI. He informed that, on an average, about 100 millilitres of water is wasted per customer per visit. "With water cuts being implemented in the city, the water .
Priyanka, Nick, Aishwarya attend Isha-Anand's pre-wedding function in Udaipur
Celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vidhya Balan, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, businessmen L N Mittal were among nearly 1,200 guests who attended a pre-wedding function of Isha Ambani in Udaipur on Saturday. Many of the guests arrived in 48 chartered planes which landed at the Udaipur airport on Friday and Saturday, an insider engaged in arrangements said. The wedding of Isha, the daughter of Mukesh and Nita Ambani, and Anand, the son of Ajay and Swati Piramal, will take place on December 12 in Mumbai. Both the families are in the city of lake for pre-wedding celebrations scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. A special 'Swedeshi Bazar' has been set up inside the hotel where 108 traditional Indian art forms have been put up by master craftsmen and craftswomen from different parts of the country, including Rajasthan, the source said. Textiles of 30 types, paintings, were among other items available in the market set up for the guests. Second ...