India Nepal Bhutan Sri Lanka Tibet Maldives
| October 2016
 
Hotel News
     
  The Oberoi Sukhvilas Chandigarh
   
 

Delhi-based Oberoi Hotels and Resorts will open its 13th Indian property later this year, located in North India’s Chandigarh. The Oberoi Sukhvilas is the 21st addition to the group’s global portfolio.

The luxury spa resort is surrounded by 8,000 acres of protected natural forest on three sides. Accommodation is laid out in clusters to suit families and large groups, and ranges from 65 sqm Premiere Rooms up to the 392 sqm Kohinoor Villa.

Facilities include a 279 sqm ballroom that can be divided into smaller spaces, and 465 sqm of outdoor space available for use for corporate events. The business centre, meeting room and boardroom are equipped with wireless projection and video-conference facilities.

The hotel will offer one multi-cuisine restaurant, one Indian restaurant and a bar, as well as a spa with crystal steam sauna, ultraviolet sauna, lifestyle showers and a vitality pool.
The Oberoi Sukhvilas is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2016.


  Marriott overtakes Taj to become India's largest hotel chain post Starwood merger
   
 

In a move that changes the top order of India's biggest hotel companies, global hotel chain Marriott has overtaken Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces to officially become India's largest hotel company with 79 operating hotels and 18,000 rooms post the successful global acquisition of Starwood.

On Friday, Marriott International announced that it has completed the acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, creating the world's largest hotel company, and bringing together 30 hotel brands. The new company will now operate or franchise more than 5,700 properties and 1.1 million rooms, with Marriott's distribution more than doubling in Asia and the middle East. The new merged entity will open 80 new hotels in the next three to four years in India with 100 in the pipeline, said Rajeev Menon, chief operations officer, Asia Pacific (excluding greater China) at Marriott International. "We operate 14 brands in India now with the 15th one W opening very soon in Goa. As a company we have always been bullish on India. It is our second most important market after China," he added.

Marriott also announced that it will match member status across Marriott rewards - which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards - and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), enabling members to transfer points between the loyalty programmes for travel and exclusive experiences when they link their accounts. Globally, the company's board of directors has increased from 11 to 14 members, with the addition of Bruce Duncan, former chairman of the board of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and president, CEO and director of First Industrial Real Estate Trust, Eric Hippeau, partner, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, and Aylwin Lewis, chairman and CEO of Potbelly Corporation. The company will grow to over 500 hotels across Asia Pacific which is about 166,000 rooms.


 
  W Hotels eyes its first property in India in November
   
  W Hotels Worldwide plans to open its first hotel in India, W Goa, in early November, as it seeks to expand its global portfolio to 75 properties by 2020. "W Goa, the brand's 50th hotel globally, will be the first W Hotel in India, disrupting the traditional luxury hotel scene.

"From its fresh take on fashion and music to its electrifying nightlife, W Hotels is the perfect complement to Goa's ever-colourful, fiercely independent spirit," W Hotels Worldwide Global Brand Leader Anthony Ingham told PTI here. The W Goa, under the W Escapes portfolio, will offer 160 rooms and celebrate the local culture in the backdrop of luxury. The property will be manned by 360 people, hired from the hospitality industry as well as varied service sectors like fashion, music, retail and design.

"While recruiting people for the W Hotels, we look at the right personality, persons who are passionate for hospitality and are flexible and innovative," Ingham said. He said the brand is looking to achieve its target of 75 properties globally by 2020. The expansion is on track with W Hotels and Escapes set to open in Shanghai, Tel Aviv, Goa, Abu Dhabi, Phuket, Amman, Jakarta, Panama, Costa Rica, Riviera Maya, Muscat, Hainan Island, Suzhou, Changsha, Chengdu, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur.

  India's Svatma hotel, the new boutique gateway to Tamil Nadu's temples and palaces
   
  SVATMA, a restored traditional century-old family mansion in Tanjavur opens as a new 38-room boutique hotel for the winter season – the first luxury offering in the area and home to the great Living Chola Temples of Tamil Nadu, South India. SVA – ‘one’s own’ and ATMA – ‘Soul’ has been conceived as an immersive destination retreat by Owners & Architects, Krithika and Sumanth Subramainian.

The property will offer a unique insight into Tanjavur’s rich heritage through a carefully curated progamme of cultural, architectural, culinary experiences and a vibrant schedule of performance arts. Tanjavur (formerly known as Tanjore) is regarded as the cradle of South Indian religion, art, and architecture and, up until now, has only been known to the most discerning of ‘Indophiles’.

Most of the Great Living Chola Temples, which are UNESCO World Heritage Monuments, are located in and around Tanjavur. The foremost among these, the Brihadeeswara Temple, is located in the centre of the city. The city is also home to Tanjore painting, a painting style unique to the region as well as the Bharatanatyam classical dance form and Carnatic music.

     
  Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces launches Taj Bangalore
   
 

As per a report in The Times of India, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces recently celebrated the launch of Taj Bangalore -the latest addition to the brand's luxury hotels portfolio and the sixth group hotel in the `Garden City'. The new property offers panoramic views of green landscaped gardens and the soothing water bodies adjoining them.

Gracing the event was Dr GVK Reddy (Co-Chairman of Bengaluru International Airport Ltd), Sanjay Reddy (MD of Bengaluru International Airport Ltd) and the entire leadership team of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, led by Rakesh Sarna (MD & CEO). Adding glamour to the evening were Leena Singh, Vinisha Nero, Suman Ranganath, Ujjala and Prakash Padukone, Manoviraj Khosla, Margit Hellwig-Boette, German Consul General, Bengaluru, Dominic McAllister and British Deputy High Commissioner, Bengaluru, among others.

The glamorous launch witnessed an amalgamation of traditional and modern experiences, offering guests the best of both worlds. A host of music and dance performances, including aerial art, enthralled the guests. Through its sleek and spacious design, the new hotel offers a window into the progressive spirit of the city. The melding of indoor and outdoor spaces are complemented by the use of natural light - a tribute to the city's temperate climate.

The culinary team brought to life cuisines from across Karnataka and the world. A gastronomic flair at Cafe 77 East, as well as signatures from the Royal kitchens of Punjab, Awadh, and Rajasthan at Tamarind, live Teppan and sushi at Soi and Sake, a dessert library , and a chocolates and liqueur lounge, took guests on a global culinary sojourn.



Creative Plaza, Nanakpura, Moti Bagh, New Delhi 110021. India.
Tel: 24679192, 26872257-58-59, 26114281 | Fax: +91-11-26885886 / 26889764
USA Fax: +1-646-349-1614 | Europe Fax: +44-20-7681-1242
engage@creative.travel | www.creative.travel


Creative Travel, creative.traveltravel2india.com, The Guru of Destination Management and all
associated logos and motifs are registered trademarks of Creative Travel.