Snippets

Liquor to be dearer in Goa

The Goa state government, in its budget for 2008-09, has increased the excise duty on liquor. For Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) other than wine and beer it has been increased from Rs 9 per bulk litre to Rs 15 per bulk litre. The state has also levied excise duty of Rs 200 per proof litre for liquor that cost Rs 1,000 or more. All foreign liquor entering Goa will be charged an import fee of Rs 200 per bulk litre for a 750 ml bottle costing up to Rs 1, 500, while more expensive liquor will be charged an import fee of Rs 300 per bulk litre. The licence fee for sale of IMFL in shops and in hotels has also been increased. The state has also doubled import fee on wine to Rs 100 per bulk litre. The state will also charge an additional fee of Rs 1 lakh on hotels having a casino that want to serve alcoholic beverages. The government has in a concession, done away with the existing excise duty at 4 per cent per bulk litre on all wines manufactured by fermentation of fruits alone.

DLF to pump in US$ 5 billion in hotels

Delhi based real estate DLF Ltd, will invest US$ 5 billion to build 125 hotels in India in the next seven years. The company will construct 25,000 rooms including 4,000 in the first three years the company's vice chairman Rajiv Singh was quoted saying in an interview. The company has a JV with Hilton Hotels to develop 75 properties across the country. It also had recently purchased luxury resort company Aman Resorts group. It has also inked an agreement with Four Seasons Hotels to operate a property in Gurgaon, New Delhi.

B&B debuts in Chandigarh

Based on the Bed & Breakfast model of Delhi, the Chandigarh administration has fixed a minimum tariff of Rs 750 per day, which will include a bed, breakfast, parking space, attached washroom and air-conditioning. B&B accommodations will be categorised into Gold and Silver groups. The administration has planned to convert accommodations measuring more than 7.5 marlas into B&B provided the owner of the accommodation stays at the property which has a safe-parking space, air-conditioner and an attached washroom. The formalities for this are that 'C' forms need to be supplied to the accommodation owners, and according to the rules, foreign tourists are required to fill 'C' forms, whenever they take an accommodation to stay in the city. These 'C' forms shall be supplied to each such accommodation (operative under the scheme), and it would be the accommodation owner's responsibility to get them filled and submit the same at the police station of the area. Each year 25,000 to 30,000 foreign tourists visit the city as compared to 7-8 lakh domestic tourists.

GRT Hotels to add 500 keys

Chennai-based GRT Hotels and Resorts plans to add 500 rooms to its current inventory of 395 rooms in its existing properties in Chennai, and in green field projects in Coimbatore and Hyderabad. the group owns five properties - a four-star hotel GRT Grand in Chennai's retail district T Nagar, a five-star hotel Radisson Hotel GRT near Chennai airport, a five-star resort Temple Bay at Mahabalipuram and two three-star properties in Madurai and Kanchipuram.

Imperial Palace Hotel, Mumbai joins WORLDHOTELS

The Imperial Palace Hotel, Mumbai, has joined WORLDHOTELS as a member of the Deluxe Collection. The 417-room hotel is part of the Royal Palms Estate that includes the Royal Palms Golf & Country Club and is located seven kilometers away from Mumbai's Sahar International Airport. The Imperial Palace is one of three hotels, including the Park Plaza, in the exclusive Royal Palms Estate development. It features a spa, state-of-the-art business centre, and conference and banqueting facilities for up to 300. F&B options include a specialty restaurant and coffee shop. "At Royal Palms Estate, our endeavour is to offer an entire leisure and lifestyle concept catering to all classes and age groups," said Dilawar Nensey, joint managing director, Royal Palms Estate.