Page 4 - Hotels

Chocolate tree, local produce: How hotels went all out for G20 Summit

ITC Hotels was entrusted with the task of catering for the presidential and prime minister's banquets

Tourist inflow push occupancy, room rates back to pre-Covid levels: HAI

With high demand coming from the G20 summit in India and tourists coming to metros to witness happenings related to the event, hotel occupancy and room rates are back to pre-pandemic times, according to Hotel Association of India Secretary General MP Bezbaruah. Due to the existing demand-supply situation, room rates have been sometimes a little higher than the pre-pandemic, he told PTI in an interview. "I understand there is very big demand at this time from not only G20 but also from tourists and people who are coming to the metropolitan cities to see all this happening in the cities and for that demand is quite high," Bezbaruah said. Apparently, the prices also have gone up because it is primarily a demand and supply situation in the market, he added. He was responding to a query on what feedback Hotel Association of India (HAI) was getting from its members in terms of room rate tariffs and occupancy with regard to demand from the G20 Summit. On the impact of the high demand on

Excise dept asks hotels to submit police verification certificate by Sep 15

The Delhi government has made it mandatory for proprietors and firm partners running hotels, clubs and restaurants in the city to submit their police verification certificates by September 15, officials said on Tuesday. The step was taken by the excise department to ensure that a person holding the excise licence was of good moral character and did not have any criminal record, officials said. A recent order of the excise department stated that proprietor or owners of hotels, clubs and restaurants (HCR) as well as partners and directors in firms running such establishments will have to submit their police verifications. The direction came in the wake of the excise department being not informed about HCR licensees changing owners, directors or partners of the firms running hotel, clubs and bars. "It was a precautionary step to ensure that the retail liquor trade in Delhi was not affected by any unwanted persons in the wake of the alleged irregularities related to the excise policy .

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Tourists urged to avoid Maui as hotels prepare to take in evacuees

Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid travelling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders on the island that faces a long recovery from the wildfire that demolished a historic town and killed more than 90 people. About 46,000 residents and visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the devastation in Lahaina became clear Wednesday, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses," the agency said in a statement late Saturday. Tourists are encouraged to visit Hawaii's other islands. Gov Josh Green said 500 hotels rooms will be made available for locals who have been displaced. An additional 500 hotel rooms will be set aside for workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some ..

Important roads, hotels linked to G20 meet being revamped: Raj Niwas

Sixty one important roads and twenty-three hotels associated with the G20 summit are being monitored by Delhi LG VK Saxena for their upkeep and revamp, Raj Niwas said on Monday. The recent rains and flooding had slowed down the progress of work and also caused substantial damage to revamp, especially in the central district along Ring Road/Yamuna and the Samadhi Complex, officials said. This prompted the LG to take stock of the situation afresh and ensure targeted efforts by ensuring inter and intra-agency coordination. Several areas of the city were flooded as the water levels of the Yamuna rose following heavy rainfall and the release of water from Hathnikund barrage. The flooding had led to the closure of several key stretches including Outer Ring Road and Vikas Marg. "Sixty one important roads along with the venue outside ITPO and 23 hotels, associated with the forthcoming Summit, spread over seven districts in the capital, are being monitored by the LG for their upkeep, spruc

Himachal tourism corporation offering up to 50% discount on hotel room rent

The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) on Saturday announced offering up to 50 per cent discount on hotel room rent, days after the state government evacuated more than 70,000 stranded tourists following landslides and flash floods due to heavy rains. The discount on room rent in HPTDC-run hotels will be in force till September 15, a spokesperson of the corporation said in a statement. He said that by providing this substantial discount, HPTDC endeavours to elevate the overall experience of the esteemed visitors and foster higher occupancy in their hotels during the monsoon. The tourist occupancy in the state is almost nil after the heavy rains between July 7 and 14, Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association president M K Seth said, adding that the situation is fast improving and roads are being opened. Tourists are welcome to the state, he said. HPTDC is renowned for its warm hospitality, impeccable service, and comfortable accommodations. The special room re

OYO enters premium resorts, hotels category, launches Palette brand

Hospitality technology platform OYO on Tuesday announced its foray into premium resorts and hotels category with the launch of its new brand -Palette with plans to have a total of 50 properties by second quarter of FY24. The company has started 10 Palette resorts as a pilot in Jaipur, Hyderabad, Digha, Mumbai, Chennai, Manesar and Bangalore. It will add 40 more Palette resorts to its portfolio by Q2 FY 2024, OYO said in a statement. "The expansion will encompass destinations like Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Amritsar, Shimla, Goa, Udaipur, Pune, Mussoorie, Srinagar and Kochi," it added. On the reasons behind the expansion, OYO Chief Merchant Officer Anuj Tejpal said, "Today, travellers are seeking more than just a place to stay; they are craving unique and memorable experiences. This paradigm shift, fuelled by rising disposable incomes, has prompted us to diversify our portfolio and introduce the Palette brand." He further said the company has witnessed a very encouraging response for the .

OYO launches 'Spotless Stay' programme; to conduct hotel audits for upkeep

Hospitality technology platform OYO on Thursday said it has launched a 'Spotless Stay' programme as part of which it will conduct audits of hotels to assess them for overall upkeep and maintenance. As a part of the Spotless Stay programme, hotels with high cleanliness ratings from customers will be awarded benefits such as high search rankings, OYO stated. The company's on-field officers will conduct a comprehensive on-ground audit of one property every day, leading to a total of over 3,000 audits each month. This number will be scaled to 6,000 audits per month by October 2023. "The hotels will be carefully assessed for overall upkeep and maintenance of the property, cleanliness, in-room hygiene, maintenance of upholstery and linen, and washroom cleanliness, while also taking into account the customer ratings received during the week prior to the audit. The property owners will be asked to conduct an overhaul and thorough deep cleaning, including replacement of upholstery, linen, .

TN tweaks norms, directs hotels to provide accommodation for drivers

The Tamil Nadu government has amended rules making it mandatory for hotels and lodges to provide dormitory and toilet facilities to vehicle drivers of guests. A dormitory shall be provided by hotels and lodges to make exclusive accommodation available to the drivers of guests, amendments made by the government said. Space to move around the bed, one separate toilet and one separate bathroom for every eight beds have been mandated. The dormitory may be provided either within the premises of the hotel or lodge or within a distance of 250 meters radius of the premises, the government said. The Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building (TNCDB) Rules, 2019 has been amended mandating hotels and lodges to provide amenities such as dormitory to vehicle drivers. In this regard, two specific TNCDB rules have been tweaked. The amendments to the rules have been made by the Tamil Nadu Housing and Urban Development Department. A government order dated June 28, 2023 has been issued for this .

The Fern Hotels to add 1,000 additional rooms spanning 13 hotels: Suhail

The Fern Hotels & Resorts will be adding 1,000 more rooms spanning 13 hotels this fiscal, most of which will come up in the East and Northeastern markets, as the group seeks geographical diversification. The city-based hotel chain, which follows an asset-light model, wherein it does mostly operations and maintenance, has already added seven hotels this year, taking their total assets to 100 properties in 85 cities mostly in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Concept Hospitality, the holding company was founded by the veteran hotel management professional Param Kannampilly in 1996. Concept Hospitality runs five brands, which straddles from 5-star hotels under the Fern brand (27 hotels), the 4-star Fern Residency (26 properties), the Beacon brand of 23 economy hotels, the Zinc Journey by the Fern -- an upscale lifestyle brand (two operations) and the Fern Habitat (two properties offering upscale service apartments). "We have already opened seven hotels this year, the latest in Palghar near ...

OYO to add 300 hill station hotels by Aug to cash in on vacation rush

Hospitality and travel-tech firm OYO on Monday said it will onboard and add 300 hill station hotels to its portfolio by August 2023 to cash in on the summer vacation rush. In north India, the new hotels will be in places such as Manali, Mussoorie, Nainital, Srinagar, Shimla, Dalhousie, and Haridwar while in the South, it will be Ooty, Munnar, and Kodaikanal, the company said in a statement. Gangtok, Darjeeling, and Shillong in the East; and Lonavala and Mahabaleshwar in the West will also see new OYO hotels, it added. The company is witnessing a surge in demand for hill stations and the trend will continue throughout the next three months, an OYO spokesperson said. "With our expansion across key hill stations in India, we aim to provide a wide range of options for travellers, while also contributing to the growth of domestic tourism," the spokesperson added. In addition to expansion across hill destinations, OYO is also aiming to add 1,800 new hotels to its portfolio in 2023 as pa

Priciest real estate, backbone of digital world: What are carrier hotels?

Located mostly in key cities, the carrier hotels allow the companies to collect, process, and then route the data in one place. Here is all you need to know about them

Room rates, occupancy surpass pre-Covid levels for hotels, says report

Mahindra Holidays is aggressively expanding its inventory by acquiring properties and creating more resorts

Joshimath land subsidence: Affected families can stay in hotels till Apr 30

The Uttarakhand government on Sunday said that the families rendered homeless after incidents of land subsidence in Joshimath will not be asked to vacate from hotels or temporary camps until April 30

Premium hotels revenue likely to surge 80% in fiscal year 2023-24: Report

Premium hotels are expected to log in strong growth across operating parameters, especially on the revenue side, which is expected to surge 80 per cent this fiscal and a further 15-20 per cent next, buoyed by the continued recovery across categories, as per a report. Hotels are getting higher bookings across leisure, corporate, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions), and international travels, leading to a decadal-high occupancy for premium hotels, a Crisil Market Intelligence report said. The report is very bullish on the revenue growth of the premium segment owing to better operational parameters, primarily due to higher demand, increase in room rates and employee rationalisation The revenue of premium hotels is expected to surge 80 per cent in fiscal 2023, and a further 15-20 per cent in fiscal 2024, according to the report. Rising demand has the average room rates (ARRs) hitting the pre-pandemic levels, leading to record high operating margins, which is also

OYO urges govt to probe into functioning of hotel association's committee

Travel tech platform OYO on Sunday said it has requested the tourism ministry to probe the functioning of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and order eviction of the "erring" executive committee members. The representation by OYO alleges that FHRAI's actions are detrimental to small hotel owners. It urged the tourism ministry to take necessary action against FHRAI's "illegally run" executive committee and its members alleging that they are working for self-interest rather than the interest of the small hotel owners. When reached out for a response, FHRAI Secretary General Jaison Chacko told PTI: "It would have been desirable if OYO would have tried to counter FHRAI's allegations and tried to clear the pending dues of hundreds of hotel partners." He said FHRAI had approached authorities, including the CCI, NCLT, NCLAT, SEBI and government against OYO's "oppressive and unethical" business practices. Chacko said FHRAI had received several complaints from .

IPO-bound OYO looks to double number of premium hotels in India this year

The firm plans to add about 1800 premium hotels this year, with a focus on key business cities

Restaurants pull out the masks and gloves to keep new Covid wave at bay

Sanitisers find their way back at entry points; Christmas and New Year bookings sold out, no cancellations so far

OYO announces launch of category for highly rated hotels in 70 cities

Best hotels ranked by customer experience, location, analysis of reviews: CEO Ritesh Agarwal