Chennai Hotels thread

[Murali Bala]

Seems to be a good idea with power situation in the state. The concept of eating in the dark may be inevitable in the days to come.

[jaish]

Originally Posted by krishnaswamy

Aama..Its "All" over and "All" is Well..

how do you know all is well? Only You can hope all his well.

[pg.preeth]

BS Reporter / Chennai May 28, 2012, 00:53 IST

Following an order from the chief metropolitan magistrate, Egmore, Pegasus Asset Reconstruction Company has taken partial possession of Chennai-based Breeze Hotels.
The action comes after the hotel management defaulted the loan taken against mortgage of the property on the Poonamallee High Road, Chennai, to IndusInd Bank.

According to a press note, Pegasus Asset had approached the chief metropolitan magistrate for taking physical possession of the mortgaged property of the mortgager/guarantor, Breeze Hotel. The dues currently amount to around Rs 60 crore. “The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate had passed an order appointing an advocate commissioner for taking possession of the property and hand over the same to the authorised officer of Pegasus Assets . The advocate commissioner, with police protection, has taken part possession of the property and handed over the same to the authorised officer,” the company said in the press release.
The magistrate has also fixed the auction date to sell off the property as June 20, 2012, though it is considering giving back the property to the promoters if they could remit the money in a fixed period.
The management of the hotel has sought 15 days time to remit the amount and, based on this, the advocate commissioner has not taken possession of the entire property. The hotel has 91 rooms, besides banquet halls, coffee shop, restaurants and a bar, the release added.

Source :

http://www.business-standard.com/ind...hotels/475487/
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...ry-and-economy

[karthikarthik]

Originally Posted by Murali Bala

Seems to be a good idea with power situation in the state. The concept of eating in the dark may be inevitable in the days to come.

may be the idea is stolen from here watch from 1:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fZZUe3NbOE

[pg.preeth]

Source : http://news.in.msn.com/business/arti...ntid=250085992

Chennai: City-based Accord Group is hoping for eight hotels under its belt following a three-pronged strategy of acquisitions within and outside India, building new facilities and running hotels under management contract in three years' time, a top company official said.



"The plan is to have around 1,100 rooms under the group in three years' time from around 320 rooms that we have now," newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Venkatesh Bhat told IANS.
Currently, the Accord group has three five-star hotels - the 162-room Accord Metropolitan in Chennai, the 105-room Accord Puducherry and the 53-room Highland in Ooty. While the first two are owned by the group, the Ooty property is leased.
"The group is in the process of finalising negotiations to acquire 1.5 acres here (opposite the Hilton hotel) to build a five-star hotel. The proposed hotel will have lots of water bodies which will be something new for the city. We are also looking at a greenfield property in Bangalore," he said.
On the group's overseas plans, Bhat said talks are on with some parties in London, Singapore and Dubai.
Bhat said with the Puducherry and Ooty hotels functioning this fiscal, the revenue for the group is expected to touch Rs.75 crore.
Outdoor catering is also another area that the group would be looking at.
"To provide the authentic cuisine demanded by the customer, we will outsource the activity through specialists while front ending the service part. In other words, if a customer wants a particular cuisine then we will hire the specialist in that domain to cook the dishes while service will be rendered by us."
Source: IANS

[karthik racer]

Taj has started the work on the sholinganallur property next to accenture in OMR. Yesterday saw the poster in that building

[saysenthil]

New hotels beckon the business class



Gone are the days when business executives shuttled between the boardroom and the company guest house, on official tours. Today, the men in suits simply check into upscale hotels for both work and stay. With several five-star and five-star ‘deluxe' hotels coming up, the city is fast becoming a favoured Meeting, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibition (MICE) destination.

Thanks to a boom in the automobile industry, IT-ITES and pharmaceutical sectors, city hotels are finding new clientele among top executives of firms. The fact that new hotels cater to their specific needs with more technical facilities, banquet halls and conference rooms, has helped.

Hotels that will change the façade of the city include the ITC Grand Chola, The Leela Palace, Park Hyatt, JW Marriott and Westin. Park Hyatt and Westin will come up on Velachery Road in Guindy this year. The skyline of MRC Nagar will also get a facelift with beach-facing hotels such as Leela Palace coming up there.

Among the five-star ‘deluxe' hotels, the ITC Grand Chola is set to open soon. Sources say it has already begun a trial run for the launch. Spread across eight acres, its luxury serviced apartments and the lights that lit it up in the night sky are already the cynosure for commuters taking the busy stretch.

Among the many firsts at the hotel is its cutting-edge technology that deviates from standard solutions and employs one-of-a-kind technology, including iPad-controlled mechanism in all rooms,” said hotel sources.

In the three and four-star category, the competition gets more exciting. Sarovar Hotels and Resorts is coming up with three properties by 2014, Empee group's Grand Orient is also looking at opening its Anna Salai property within the next one-and-a-half years.

According to sources in the hotel industry, in the last 15 years, a large number of five- and five-star ‘deluxe' hotels have opened in the last two years.

According to M.P. Purushothaman, president of South India Hotels and Restaurants Association, the city has 17 five-star and five-star ‘deluxe' hotels with 2,595 rooms. Another five with 1,550 rooms are coming up by 2013. Given the volume of inventory entering the hotel market, occupancy levels are expected to come down, said a study by HVS Global Hospitality Services.

But hoteliers are not ready to buy that. “There is still a shortage of rooms and when the inventory is more, demand is also more. I see more scope for three- and four-star hotels,” said Mr. Purushothaman.

New destination

Till now, as a MICE destination, Chennai has not been able to conduct many mega conventions due to lack of rooms. Though the Chennai Trade Centre has been able to offer space for holding conferences with 1,000-1,500 delegates, the lack of more options has always been a lacuna. Now, ITC Grand Chola and The Leela Palace have hall capacities of 1,500 plus.

“Our one lakh square feet of banqueting and convention facilities, include a 30,000-square feet pillar-less ballroom. Preliminary responses encourage us to deem that the facilities have the potential to leverage Chennai as the new convention destination of India,” said a source in ITC Grand Chola.

R. Rangachari, Advisor, South India Hotels and Restaurants Association, says MICE is a tourist segment that aids a ‘trickle down' effect. “There will be families of conference delegates staying in hotels. There will also be pre- and post-conference sight-seeing tours. The city will get better mileage and investments would also improve,” he added.

“Though new hotels have come up, the old ones have been able to retain their occupancy rates. It means that the supply is fuelling the demand,” said Pascal Dupuis, General Manager, The Leela Palace, which is slated for inauguration sometime in August.

And hotels have their own marketing teams that keep track of major events that shift from one city to another and that travel across the globe. They also tap corporates for company-specific meets and also medical and scientific associations for their annual conferences. Hotels offer special discounts to MICE clients due to the large volume they bring in.

An industry source says that a convention bureau will help generate a good art and culture exchange platform and will position the city and State strongly in the global landscape.

However, any discounts that are offered seem to be nullified by the levy of luxury tax on the actual room tariff rather than what is offered to the guests. “Even if you offer a special rate, the committee which organises the conference has to pay luxury tax on the actuals. That's where we take a beating when compared to similar MICE destinations. If this is changed it could make all the difference,” said M.K. Ajit Kumar, President and CEO, Global Conference Management Group.

[saysenthil]

Challenging times for hospitality sector



As the hospitality industry readies for unprecedented growth in the city, people from varied cultures and different communities are gradually making Chennai their home.

With youngsters from the North East looking towards South India for greener pastures, and executives from the West being roped in to bring in an international perspective, recruitment patterns are facilitating a rare cultural exchange.

For Roger Brantsma from Netherland, it's his first stint here. Although he was cautioned about the humid weather, the general manager of The Hilton has little qualms settling down with his family. “The dinner invitations extended by Indian families and getting invited for festivals such as Diwali is only adding to my international experience,” says Mr. Brantsma, who came to the city 10 months ago.

With inventory going up, the number of people required by the industry is also on the rise. But challenges such as poor remuneration, long working hours and limited career prospects, are not attracting the kind of talent the industry needs.

According to I. Raj Galli, Director (HR), The Park, to meet the challenges, the hotel industry is increasingly “dropping its threshold salary” and taking in a good number of candidates from the north-eastern states. “Ten years ago it was difficult. Probably only 10 per cent of staff comprised those recruited from outside the state. Today in some hotels it is a 50:50 ratio,” says Mr. Galli.

Hotels too are going all out to bring in manpower. As an executive says, previously only luxury hotels provided accommodation to their staff. Today, it has become more or less a standard. More international chefs are also being flown in to add to the culinary experience in the kitchen.

Hotels also put in a lot of time training the staff. For instance, one hotel has a cross cultural training in place. It invites industry experts hailing from different nationalities to address its employees and educate them about the nuances of their respective culture. Another hotel had a sensitisation programme about the differently abled and their needs and how they must be treated.

When a hotel is set up, many groups seem to welcome executives from the West as they would set standards for the different processes that come together to make the hotel — its just not about the building.

“It is hard work to get a hotel going. A lot of things have to be pieced together, systems have to put in place and work timings should not matter to staff at that point of time. But many youngsters don't understand that it is a learning experience and not always will one get an opportunity to work in a hotel that is being built from scratch. Which is why there is a high turn over rate in such projects,” said a person, who has been in the industry for over 20 years.

[iaafosc]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle3477223.ece

Chennai's hotel industry is stepping into a new dimension, as a prime destination for Meeting, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibition. Catch the full story by Liffy Thomas and Deepa H. Ramakrishnan in the City pages of The Hindu on June 1.

[krishnancv]

ITC Grand chola, Chennai is coming with 2 Presidential suites. How many 5 star hotels in India have more than 1 presidential suite?

[bonoslack7]

[bonoslack7]

[karkal]

Tamil Nadu to get 76 new hotels

The hotel industry in Tamil Nadu is in for a boom with likelihood of 76 new hotels to be established in the state in a couple of years, said state tourism minister S. Gokula Indira.

Inaugurating the centre for tourism and hotel management at Madurai Kamaraj University on Wednesday, she said there was also a possibility of 4 and 5 star hotels with 3,500 rooms coming up across the state.

She was hopeful that the 5-year integrated post graduate programme on tourism and hotel management, to be offered by the university from this academic year, would help students get employment in star hotels and draw salaries at par with IIT students.

Having realised the importance of tourism and scope for growth, the varsity proposed the programme and admit about 120 students, she said, appreciating effort of vice chancellor Kalyani Mathivanan.

While 77 colleges in southern districts are affiliated to MKU, three more would be added, as CM Jayalalithaa has ordered to start colleges in Tirumangalam, Vedasanthur and Aruppukottai from this academic year, she said, pointing out that AIADMK government has allotted Rs 15,000 crore for education.

VC Kalyani Mathivanan said the varsity has planted seeds for two ambitious projects — tourism and hotel management programme and opening a multi-speciality health centre for those living on campus and in its vicinity.

She said tourism and hotel management have become areas of prime concern with increasing tourists and expanding global markets. It is one of the largest service industries, providing 8.78 per cent employment in India.

The centre would focus on cardiology, gynaecology, diabetes, dentistry and ophthalmology, she said.

[murlee]

Grand Chola
image hosted on flickr

Westin Velachery

image hosted on flickr


Copyright: http://www.flickr.com/photos/insanityunplugged/

[madrasi7777]

This is a carbon copy of the Taj Gateway Hotel in Kolkota in design, size, colour and floors. Can you double check it?

Originally Posted by bonoslack7

[saysenthil]

Tree in a restaurant



The tree huggers

It's easy to just include the tree into the building rather than chop it down. Prince Frederick and Anusha Parthasarathy tell you how

[karkal]

Hotels jostle for room space



Both global brands and budget brands are expanding their presence in the city.

With high-end hotel brands pitching in for a share of the same guest pie, the rates may fall further in Chennai.

Another few months and Chennai can boast of housing more than a dozen major global brands in the hospitality industry. Be it Novotel, Taj, Marriott, Carlson Rezidor, Choice Hotels, Sheraton, Hilton, Meridian and Luxury Collection, Westin, Hyatt, Aloft, or even relatively lesser-known brands such as Berggruen, it will have them all.

The city that hardly had 1,500 five-star rooms till a couple of years ago currently has 3,000 such rooms. The next couple of months will see an additional 2,000 rooms coming up. Going by the industry's thumb rule of ‘a crore a key' for five-star hotels, the new hotel rooms would involve an investment of Rs 2,000 crore, excluding land value.

While hotel brands that cater to affluent travellers are vying with each other, quietly, over a dozen ‘upscale business' class and budget brands, too, seem to be expanding their footprints in the city.

For example, the Raj Palace hotel group is putting up a huge property on GST Road near Guindy; the Empee group is building a new hotel on Anna Salai; a (Taj) Gateway property is coming up along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR); and tens of beach properties are cropping up on the East Coast Road.

Besides hotels, the serviced apartments sector, too, is gaining prominence in the city with industry majors such as Oakwood, Accor, Ascott and The Royal Orchid group focusing more on this market.

According to Mr Ajit Koushik, Ascott's India Operations Head, the occupancy level in serviced apartments ranges between 80 and 90 per cent. “The growing number of business units, particularly in the electronics and automobile sectors in Tamil Nadu, are turning out to be a new feeder market for us,” he said.

ENOUGH DEMAND?

Will there be enough demand to meet the increasing supply in the city? Given the volume of new hotel rooms coming up in the city, occupancy levels are expected to come down in the next two to three years, say experts.

The consulting and services organisation, focused on the hotel, restaurant, gaming and leisure industries, says demand will grow in the near future, but the increase in supply will make occupancy levels decline in the next couple of years.

Mr Kaushik Vardharajan, Managing Director (South Asia), HVS Global Hospitality Services, said: “We would not recommend developing any more hotels in the luxury and upscale spaces in Chennai for the next few years.”

With top-end luxury brands, such as Westin, Park Hyatt, ITC Grand Chola, JW Marriott and Leela Palace, pitching in for a share of the same guest pie, the rates will come under further pressure. The city has historically shown greater choice in the themed-market segment.

The new luxury and upscale hotels being developed in the city at present will provide additional choices for traveller looking for a more upgraded hotel product, said Mr Vardharajan.

For example, he said, a hotel such as Grand Chola, with an extensive amount of meeting, conferencing and banquet space, can create additional meeting and group demand for itself and also for other hotels in the market.

The hotel will have greater impact in the meeting and conference segment due to the lack of a proper convention centre in Chennai at the current time.

BUSINESS TRAFFIC

As it is, most of the hotels in the city depend on business traffic. If we take the city's IT corridor — OMR, for example — a clutch of hotels have sprung up on the stretch in the last couple of years.

You have Ginger, Fortune, Aloft, Sabari Classic, Asiana — with close to 800 rooms in all. Over 80 per cent of all the hotel rooms on this stretch are sold to corporate clients, largely through annual contracts. With the amount of commercial and industrial development occurring in areas such as the OMR, Sriperumbudur, Oragadam and GST Road, hotel demand in the city is expected to increase strongly.

However, given the volume of inventory entering the market, it is believed that occupancy and average rate levels will be depressed in the near future.

This supply will be absorbed over a period as commercial development continues.

[saysenthil]

Tata group to invest over Rs 600 crore to open 55 Ginger hotels

Tata group firm Roots Corporation that runs mid-budget hotel chain Ginger, today said it will invest over Rs 600 crore in the next four years to open 55 new properties across the country.

"In the next four years, we plan to open 55 new hotels. This will require us to invest over Rs 600 crore," Roots Corporation Chief Executive Officer Prabhat Pani told reporters.

Roots Corporation, which is a subsidiary of Indian Hotels Company Ltd, currently operates 24 hotels and the 25th one was inaugurated today at Faridabad in Haryana.

"While we will open multiple hotels in bigger cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, we are also looking to set up properties in smaller places like Nagpur, Patna, Coimbatore and Kochi," Pani said, adding on an average one property would have about 100 rooms.

For owning the properties, the company opt for various models, including acquisition of existing hotels, leasing, management contract or fully developed by Roots Corporation.

"If any existing facility fits into Ginger model, then we are open to acquire and convert it. We are looking at this option," Pani said without identifying any possible target.

Out of these proposed 55 properties, seven hotels are under construction in Noida, Greater Noida, Chennai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Amritsar and will be opened in the next 12-15 months, he added.

"While some of these hotels are leased ones, some are constructed by us. The total investment will be Rs 60-70 crore for these seven hotels, comprising a total of around 600-700 rooms," Pani said.

When asked about the mode of funding its investment, he said it will be done through equity and debt.

The company had last year inked a deal with Singapore based private equity firm Omega TC Holdings to raise Rs 150 crore through multiple tranches by selling a minority stake in Roots Corporation.

Additionally, Omega acquired Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares from some existing holders for an aggregate consideration of Rs 70 crore.

Ginger Hotels, which currently has properties in places like Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Jamshedpur, Chennai and Bangalore, have an average occupancy of 70-75 per cent.

[saysenthil]

The Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts Expands Across the Globe

The Luxury Collection of Hotels & Resorts, a luxurious hotel brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, will be opening ten hotels and resorts in cities and resort destinations globally within the next year.

The brand will be opening new hotels shortly in Shanghai and Sanya in China, Jaipur and Chennai in India, the Blue Mountains in Australia, Koh Samui, in Thailand, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Luxury Collection of hotels will be offering the brand’s signature Luxury Collection Concierge services, opulent amenities, and local cultural experiences to its guests. The brand is currently offering around 80 hotels and resorts in 30 countries worldwide.

Paul James, the global brand leader, for St Regis and The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, said, ‘This is a milestone for The Luxury Collection as we open ten new hotels and resorts, the most of any year in the brand’s history. As a new generation of global affluent travellers emerge, we are strategically growing our portfolio beyond the traditional luxury grid and in diverse destinations, like China’s Hainan Island and India’s Chennai, that have become important hubs for business and leisure.’

The 142-room Royal Begonia, a Luxury Collection Resort in Sanya, in China will debut in August 2012, while in September 2012, Twelve at Hengshan, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Shanghai will open in China.

The ITC Grand Chola, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Chennai, India will also be opening in August 2012, and The Sarasvati, a Luxury Collection Resort hotel in Bali, is expected to open in January 2014.

[iaafosc]

excuse my ignorance ...but the hotel next to SUN tv office....with ramee mall and all...is that Hyatt regency or Park Hyatt...???