Snippets

Jaypee Vasant Continental wins award

Jaypee Vasant Continental has been awarded a URS Certificate of Registration by UKAS Quality Management. This award had been given to the hotel in recognition of the quality system, which complies with ISO 9001: 2000 + HACCP. URS Certificate of Registration covers the scope of activity like food preparation and serving quality to the guests.

The group over the last one year has renovated its properties and created its own niche, having consistently invested in bettering the experience of travellers to its hotels.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide partners with China's Qunar.com

Carlson Hotels Worldwide, a global leader in operating hotels, and Qunar.com, China's largest travel search engine and second largest travel media, recently announced a comprehensive marketing and distribution agreement, according to which Carlson Hotels will market its full range of hotels across 950 locations in 71 countries directly to its Chinese consumers, while Qunar will provide its users an opportunity to book on all Carlson branded hotel web sites in the Chinese language.

Three customised Bentley Continental Flying Spurs delivered to St Regis Singapore

The St Regis Singapore recently took delivery of its fleet of three customised Bentley Continental Flying Spurs, following a commission made to Bentley Motors to provide a customised fleet of exclusive motor vehicles, which would not only chauffeur its guests around in style but also provide a unique experience in keeping with the St Regis brand values.

The St Regis Singapore's fleet of three Bentley Continental Flying Spurs has been specially customised for the hotel. While the car's exterior colour matches the distinctive bronze that is one of the brand's corporate colours, other features include customised St Regis badges and St Regis embroidered monograms on the headrests, deep pile carpets for guests to rest their feet on after a long journey and a wine cooler hidden in the rear cabin to store chilled drinks.

Phuket's Villa Santi partners with the IndoChine Group

Villa Santi, a newly established luxury resort and villa development in Phuket, has signed an agreement to partner with the IndoChine Group - a Singapore-based company which operates stylish bars, restaurants and nightclubs around the region and in Europe - to open IndoChine Villa Santi. The new luxury resort and villa development is located on a prime location overlooking Santi Bay, Kalim Beach in the Patong area of Phuket.

IndoChine Villa Santi, fully facilitated with health club, tennis, squash and spa, will house an all day dining and entertainment complex in the form of a three-storey glass building with a rooftop displaying a panoramic view of Patong Bay.

The IndoChine Group will play a major role in terms of marketing and logistical support to its new partnership.

Accor to open two hotels in Sydney

Accor is soon to launch its new 5-star Pullman brand in Australia, ahead of the Pullman Sydney Olympic Park scheduled to open in August 2008. The group has also signed a deal to add an Ibis hotel to its growing Australian portfolio. The new-build Ibis King Street Wharf, which is set to open by the end of 2008. The Pullman Sydney Olympic Park is being developed by Tourism Asset Holdings, one of Australia's largest hotel ownership companies, of which Accor is a minor shareholder. The Park is part of a global launch of the brand that will initially include 50 Pullman hotels in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America.

Banyan Tree to open its first urban retreat in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Banyan Tree, a leading developer, designer and operator of top-tier hotels, resorts, spas and retail galleries worldwide, recently signed a management agreement to operate a Banyan Tree resort on one of the four islands in the Saraya Islands mixed-use project in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

This is Banyan Tree's twelfth flag in its portfolio of upcoming properties in the Middle East, and will complement the Group's current desert resort development in the emirate.

The Banyan Tree resort at Saraya Islands will be the first property in the Middle East that realises the Group's 'Villas in the Sky' concept, which will see the creation of 150 large-sized suites overlooking the Persian Gulf.

Arabian Hotel Investment Conference to have special India focus

The fourth Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, to be held from May 3-5, 2008 at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, is scheduled to have a special India focus. Its 2008 theme, 'Ever Increasing Circles' is set to look at the influence and impact that this growth has had, and will continue to have, on the region, and the rest of the world.

It has also for the first time added a 'summit session' on hotel investment in India - A Summit on India. Surjit S Bhalla, MD, Oxus Research & Investments, Abhijit 'Beej' Das, MD (India), Molinaro Koger, Raymond Bickson, MD & CEO, Taj Hotels & Resorts & Palaces, KB Kachru, executive VP (South Asia), Carlson and Gaurav Bhushan, senior VP (Development) Asia Pacific, Accor Hotels are some of the India panel experts.

Carlson Asia Pac to open Regent Hotel in Phuket

Carlson Hotels Worldwide - Asia Pacific has announced it is expanding to Phuket, Thailand with a luxurious new Regent hotel scheduled to open in March 2009 in Cape Panwa on the south-eastern tip of Phuket island.

The Regent Phuket Cape Panwa, which is owned by the Pacific Phuket Company, will combine Regent style with a beachfront locale. The island's international airport is just 45 minutes away while nearby attractions include Phuket Zoo and Aquarium. The hotel will feature 106 rooms, each with a private balcony facing the sea. Accommodations will include 48 terrace rooms, 22 deluxe villas, 35 pool villas and one presidential villa.

Carlson is also expanding its network of hotels in other key markets in Asia Pacific with over 45 hotels under development.

Lite Bites, Jiggs Kalra in JV for restaurants

Amit Burman promoted Lite Bite Foods, announced a strategic joint venture with the father-son team of Jiggs and Zorawar Kalra to establish a food court and chain restaurant company in India. Burman added the venture will focus on a wide spectrum of consumers through a chain of Quick Service Restaurants, casual dining restaurants, fine dining restaurants and exclusive high-end catering services. Lite Bites, promoted jointly by Amit Burman, Rohit Aggarwal and Tejpavan Gandhok, plans to invest nearly Rs 200 crore to establish a pan-India network of 200 restaurants.

Priceline.com acquires Agoda

Priceline.com has acquired Bangkok- and Singapore-based Agoda Company, an online travel company specialising in hotel discount bookings throughout Asia, in a transaction that includes an initial cash payment and a multi-year, performance-based earn-out. Priceline.com said it intends to retain Agoda's current management team, who will continue to manage Agoda's operations independently as part of Priceline.com's international business.

Taj renews partnership with Cornell

Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces has renewed its partnership with Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research at the highest level and will continue as a senior partner of the center. As senior partner, Taj's managing director and chief executive officer, Raymond Bickson, will participate in the center's advisory board, holds a seat at all of the center's Industry Roundtables, and will meet directly with researchers at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.