HOTELS

Price is the most important factor to 47% of consumers when selecting accommodation, according to a poll by GlobalData. With less budget for travel but a strong desire to escape, many will turn to budget providers. Gus Gardner, Associate Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “Budget hotel operators will …

Hazel Jain India’s monthly occupancy reached a pandemic high in February (53.9%), which looked to be solid progress toward recovery as the monthly level was roughly 73% of 2019. By April, however, occupancy in the country fell to 31%, and more recently, just 21.5% for the week ending 30 May. …

Cross Hotels & Resorts, which already operates hotels across Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, has now expanded its reach further by entering the Japanese market with a remarkable seven-hotel deal in a master franchise agreement with AB Accommo Company. Cross Hotels & Resorts currently operates 21 hotels across three distinct brands …

Chandan Pandey, Co-Founder & COO, WB Hotels & Resorts, hopes that hotels will start doing well with at least 50% to 60% of occupancy by the beginning of October 2021 with the vaccination drive in full momentum. He adds that their plan for 10K keys by December 2022 is on …

While the talk of sustainability has been going on since long, COVID has put a spotlight on this aspect. Experts share how and why tourism should be a flagbearer of sustainability and how hotels, airlines and travel companies are making sure that being responsible is the way forward. Atul Bagai, …

Never before has the tourism segment had such a catastrophic experience as the COVID-19 pandemic. Hotels are almost defunct, tour operators have gone into oblivion and 90 per cent of travel agency staff is jobless. Anand Singh, Director, Earthen Experiences, believes it’s time that hospitality and tourism need hand holding …

Hotel Association of India (HAI) has urged the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance to understand the plight of the hospitality industry and decide on what they need. He says that their advocacy is only that the government give a comprehensive package instead of small things happening here …

John Spence, Founder and Owner of Karma Group of Hotels and visiting professor at Yale University, shares his views on how he thinks the hospitality industry should cope in the present and restart in the near future. I think it will bounce back very swiftly. Clearly, the pandemic has affected …

Hilton Chennai’s approach has been to offer flexible event solutions in an optimum pricing band, thus encouraging clients to feel confident to restart physical and hybrid events, even on a small scale to begin with, says its General Manager Ruban Das. Hazel Jain Do you see corporates booking for this …

MP Bezbaruah, Secretary General, HAI, believes the government should provide sectoral, comprehensive packages. Hazel Jain With extensive experience in both Indian tourism and hospitality, Madan Prasad Bezbaruah has seen both these industry grow and evolve over the past few decades. A retired IAS Officer and a Former Secretary at the …