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The Maharashtra State Excise Department vide a Government Resolution (GR) has granted permission to star-rated hotels in the state to serve liquor in their open-to-air terrace restaurants. Until now, these restaurants could only serve food. The permission, however, will be granted only to those hotels that have obtained an NOC from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and from the Fire Department for statutory compliances. The GR also allows hotels to apply for a single composite licence covering all its restaurants, lounges and cafes, making the process of applying for liquor licence simpler. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has welcomed the move and has indicated that it will continue holding dialogues with the government for making the same applicable to restaurants, too. “The Association has been liasioning with various departments of the state for over a decade on this subject. We wish to thank the State Government and the Excise Ministry for considering our suggestions. While this is applicable only to star-rated hotels as of now, we would be interacting with the department to include non-starred hotels and stand-alone restaurants as well,” said Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, President, HRAWI.

Radisson Hotel Group continues to expand its footprint in Vietnam with the signing of the country’s first Radisson resort, located on the island of Phu Quoc. Radisson Phu Quoc, nestled on Truong Beach, will feature 218 spacious sea-facing rooms and suites, with private balconies or terraces. “We are delighted to debut our internationally renowned Radisson brand in Vietnam. The introduction of Radisson Phu Quoc, alongside the upper-upscale Radisson Blu Resort Phu Quoc, will provide guests with two wonderful vacation options in this up-and-coming destination. Moving forward we will continue to seek opportunities to expand our presence across this beautiful country,” says Katerina Giannouka, President, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group. Located in Kiên Giang province, just off Vietnam’s south coast, Phu Quoc is the country’s largest island and an increasingly popular tourism hotspot. Radisson Phu Quoc will have a selection of dining options serving international cuisines. The hotel will also feature a spa and a state-of-the-art fitness centre.

Radisson Hotel Group has unveiled plans to launch its first Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Malaysia. Continuing the recent expansion of this midscale concept, the group has signed a management agreement for Park Inn by Radisson Putrajaya, a new-build hotel currently under development in De Centrum City, close to Malaysia’s administrative capital, Putrajaya, and just 20 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur. Owned by Protasco Berhad, the property will offer 191 contemporary rooms. Business meetings and other events will also be supported by the latest audio-visual technology, and guests will be able to keep up their fitness routines at the hotel’s gym. “Park Inn by Radisson has experienced impressive global growth in recent years, catering to the rising consumer demand for comfortable, modern upper midscale stays. We are now delighted to announce the arrival of this versatile brand in Malaysia,  one of Southeast Asia’s most visited countries and the home of affordable travel,” said Katerina Giannouka, President, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group. “Radisson Hotel Group envisages strong potential for all our brands in Malaysia, and the signing of Park Inn by Radisson Putrajaya is the first step in a broader expansion plan for this dynamic country. This follows two Radisson RED hotels in Kuala Lumpur which were recently signed. We look forward to welcoming guests to our exciting new hotels in future,” she added.

Lemon Tree Hotels has announced the opening of Lemon Tree Hotel, Banjara Hills, their fourth hotel in Hyderabad. The 85-room property will cater to travellers looking for value-for-money accommodation in Hyderabad. Lemon Tree Hotel, Banjara Hills, is strategically located in close proximity to major commercial hubs and popular malls. It is easily accessible from RGIA Airport and is only a 45-minute drive from Hyderabad’s railway station. With this new opening, Lemon Tree now holds a cumulative inventory of 663 rooms in the city. Commenting on the launch, Vikramjit Singh, President, Lemon Tree Hotels, said, “We are delighted to add a fourth hotel to our growing portfolio in Hyderabad. A very demand-driven micro-market with immense business potential, Banjara Hills is an urban commercial centre of importance. We look forward to welcoming our discerning guests here. With this opening, Lemon Tree Hotels further strengthens its footprint in the city.”

After three years of flat prices, price for overnight accommodation rose two per cent globally in 2017, according to the latest Hotel Price Index (HPI) from Hotels.com. In a year, where cryptocurrencies flooded the market, hashtags took over the red carpet and political debate turned well, political, the needle also moved for travellers, with a two-point rise in the global index to 116, the closest it has been to the 2007 peak of 118. Every regional index, except for North America, grew in 2017, signaling strong growth in the travel industry. Johan Svanstrom, President, Hotels.com, said, “The slight increase in average accommodation prices globally combined with numerous markets having record visitor growth signals a strong travel economy and a growing desire from consumers to experience the world. Cultural events have inspired travel more than ever before as we aspire to not just stand by and observe the action, but to instead actually be part of it. ” Due to the implementation of new economic policies and GST in 2017, which introduced multiple tax slabs to cover different hotel categories, Indian hotel prices have witnessed an increase for the year.

Radisson Hotel Group has signed a new property, Radisson RED Mandaue in Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines. This will be the first Radisson RED for the city. Scheduled to open in Q4 2021, Radisson RED Cebu Mandaue will form part of Astra Centre, a new mixed-use development. The property will have 146 guest rooms, 24×7 facilities, and two F&B outlets among other features. The hotel’s Meet Event Studios take an outside-the-box approach to corporate functions by providing innovative spaces. “Expressive, technologically-savvy and social, Radisson RED is perfectly suited to Asia’s new generation of travellers who desire experience, flexibility, and connectivity above all else. Cebu City is the perfect location to introduce Radisson RED to the Philippines. The country’s first capital, this is a dynamic, fast-paced urban centre with a youthful vibe and positive outlook. We look forward to welcoming guests at Radisson RED Cebu Mandaue and introducing a new era of hospitality to the country,” says Katerina Giannouka, President, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group. Radisson RED Cebu Mandaue will become Radisson Hotel Group’s second hotel in Cebu, following the upper-upscale Radisson Blu Cebu, located in the North Reclamation Area. This hotel joins several other Radisson RED hotels in the Asia Pacific pipeline including Guangzhou in China, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Mohali in India.

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), through a memorandum to the Government of India for the upcoming Budget 2018, has asked for ‘Infrastructure’ and ‘Industry’ status for the hospitality sector for projects of Rs 25 crore and more. FHRAI has also asked the government to keep uniformity in a flat tax rate at 12 per cent on all the categories, as a lower rate of 12 per cent will contribute to the nation’s GDP and encourage tourism-induced employment across the country. “The tourism sector suffers from a gap in terms of world-class infrastructure development in the country’s tourism destinations. This gap can be bridged by encouraging investments in hotel sector by giving infrastructure status for lower investments. Also, no other nation has a GST rate as high as 28 per cent on hotels and tourism. Charging different tax rates on the nature of accommodation and destination may escalate a perception that India is not a tourist-friendly nation,” says Garish Oberoi, President, FHRAI. Since there are restrictions in place for hotels to be constructed near the beaches and coastlines, FHRAI also recommends permission for construction of hotels, however, mandate may be given to hotels to ensure that the requisite environmental and safety norms are adequately taken care of. The memorandum also states that all foreign exchange earnings should be treated as exports or deemed exports. If the same would qualify as export or deemed export of services, the credit balance would be available for adjusting GST liability on domestic taxable supplies. Under GST also, government should provide the benefit as covered in SEIS. Declared tariff should not be basis for rate categorisation; rate categorisation should be on …

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has welcomed the GST Council’s decision to cut tax rate for restaurants to 5 per cent, without Input Tax Credit. A delegation from the industry led by Garish Oberoi, President, FHRAI, which also included Sudesh Poddar, President, HRAEI, and Pranav Singh, Hony. Secretary, HRAEI, had earlier met with the GST Council at Guwahati and requested the government to either bring down the GST rate on restaurants to 12 per cent with input credit or at 5 per cent without input credit. “We are extremely thankful to the government for making these much-required changes in the GST regime. This will help restaurants across India rationalise tariffs,” said Oberoi. The association had requested the committee to look at seven key issues for the hotel and restaurant industry, namely: IGST be made available for immovable properties for tourism accommodation such as for hotels, cruises, campsites, and for restaurants. Transaction value and not declared tariff be the basis for rate categorisation of hotels. GST on hotels be lowered to 12 per cent. Foreign exchange earnings in tourism services be treated as exports or deemed exports. Hotels and resorts be allowed to unbundle their package rates. GST not be charged on complimentary meals. Rationalisation of GST on restaurants at 12 per cent from 18 per cent, with input tax credit or 5 per cent, without input credit, be done.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Katerina Giannouka as President, Asia Pacific. She will be based in Singapore, at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s Asia Pacific headquarters and will report directly to John Kidd, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Carlson Hotels. Giannouka will be a member of Carlson Hotels’ Executive Leadership Committee where she will work in tandem with the global and Asia Pacific leadership teams to drive success and growth for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. In her role, she will be responsible in leading the Asia Pacific executive committee and its corporate offices in Singapore, Shanghai, and Delhi. “Asia Pacific is a key growth engine for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group as we expand our presence and develop our successes. Katerina’s dynamic and energetic leadership experience, complemented with business intelligence and a tenacious work ethic, are testament to her accomplishments in Asia Pacific and EMEA. I am confident that she will propel our Asia Pacific business to greater heights,” says Kidd.

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has joined hands with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to train the wards of CISF personnel under ‘Hunar se Rozgar Scheme’, a skill development programme sponsored by Ministry of Tourism through The Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management (AIH&TM), one of the premier PSU hospitality training institutes of the country under ITDC. The first training batch on food production for 31 wards of CISF personnel was inaugurated by OP Singh, IPS, Director General, CISF and Piyush Tiwari, Director (Commercial & Marketing), ITDC, along with Sudha Chandra, Principal, AIH&TM and General Manager, HRD ITDC, and Neelam Singh, President, Sanrakshika at Samrat Hotel, New Delhi, on September 6, 2017. Other senior officials from ITDC and CISF were also present during the function. Speaking at the inauguration function held at Hotel Samrat, Tiwari said, “ITDC is grateful to CISF for their faith in ITDC’s expertise in hospitality training and management. Our talented team at AIH&TM has trained more than 15,000 candidates under ‘Hunar Se Rozgar’ scheme through its hotels and industry partners. The students are well placed in the hospitality sector. We are sure that this collaboration of ITDC and CISF is going to impart employable skills to these young wards who are aspiring to join the relevant sector soon. Our faculty at AIH&TM will make sure that they have best of the training in the best suited atmosphere. We are going to plan more programmes in the coming quarters for enforcing strength and leadership quality in other organisations as well.”