Crouching Tiger, Roaring Dragon: - Travel News Digest

22 hospITALITy November 2011 · TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST
Non-traditional solutions
push hotel revenues up
Hoteliers are now increasingly
employing non-traditional
distribution channels such as
maximising online bookings
through websites to push up
their revenues.
Kenneth Gatchalian,
Waterfront Philippines Inc
president, says the hotel’s tollfree
reservation line delivered
Hotels investing in IT
In a bid to improve guest experience,
the hospitality industry
is now spending more on Information
Technology. Hoteliers
are investing in mobile technology
in a big way to equip their
workforces, improve operational
efficiencies and enhance
the customer experience in a
better way.
Hospitality companies are
also investing in new technology
Hotel Leela
to sell
Kerala property
The Leela Group is set to sell its
property, Leela Resorts Kovalamin
Kerala, to NRI industrialist
Ravi Pillai for `500 crore to ease
its debt burden, the Economic
Times said citing the group’s
chairman CP Krishnan Nair.
Leela will subsequently enter
into a management contract with
Pillai to manage the property for
30 years. Leela Venture, a listed
company, had accumulated debts
of `3,830 crore at the end of FY11
significant results and has
become a principal source of
revenue generating its own
steady stream of sales for the
company.
Bookings from the website
have also registered an increase
from 3,261 room nights in 2009
to 3,701 in 2010 and a noted 20%
revenue increase. Gatchalian
and wireless networks to handle
data volumes and increasing
demands for high-speed
access from the customer and
mobile workforce, according to
the Motorola Solutions 2011 Hospitality
Market Barometer. The
research also points out that
smartphones, tablets and mobile
applications are the new trends
moving into 2012 in the hospitality
industry.
owing to capital expenditure of
over `4,000 crore, which is currently
underway. The company
has been looking to sell properties
across the country to cut its
debt. The Nairs are also believed
to be contemplating selling their
soon-to-launch The Leela Palace
Kempinski hotel in Chennai to
the same buyer. In March again,
the company announced plans
to sell an IT park in Chennai for
`950 crore.
said efforts will be made to
send representatives to
trade shows, develop key
linkages and increase
promotion
efforts.
IHCL’s Gateway Hotels
expands footprint in Gujarat
Gateway Hotels and Resorts, a
part of Taj Group of Hotel , has
launched its new hotel at Gir,
popularly known as a home
to Asiatic lions and one of the
major tourist destinations in
Gujarat. The Gateway Hotel
Gir Forest, with 28 rooms, is the
fourth hotel by the company in
the state. “With this opening, we
endeavour to pioneer new and
Spa trends and performance
Spas operating in hotels and
resorts don’t necessarily ride the
same performance wave as their
hosting properties. Varying factors,
such as the economic climate
and travel demand, impact
both spa and hotel/resort performance
independently. According
to an independent research
company Intelligent Spas covering
spas operating in the Asia-
Pacific region, in 2009 revenue
unique destinations. While Gir
Forest needs no introduction,
we feel that there is great scope
to develop tourism and hospitality
here. We are happy to have
received support and encouragement
from the state government
and hope to grow and expand in
the state,” said P K Mohankumar,
chief operating officer, the
Gateway Hotels & Resorts.
per visit was up by 8% whilst
the hotels and resorts they were
located in reported an 11% drop
in average daily rate. The report
also states that only half (49%)
of hotel and resort spa visits are
from people staying at the accommodation
property.
Other key findings of the report
are:
• Between 2008 and 2010, the
Wyndham Hotel
Group signs
agreements with
3 hotels in India
Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC,
the world’s largest hotel company
based on number of
hotels and part of Wyndham
Worldwide Corporation today
announced its expansion in
India with the signing of agreements
to franchise three hotels
under its Wyndham Hotels
and Resorts and Ramada
brands: a luxurious, 154-room
Wyndham Grand property in
Agra, and two new-construction
Ramada properties in
Alleppey and Ghaziabad. Set
to strengthen the company’s
presence in India, these properties
add to Wyndham Hotel
Group’s 14 hotels already in
operation and the 15 properties
that are currently under development
in the country. Joining
the Wyndham Hotels and
Resorts brand’s distinguished
Wyndham Grand Collection is
the 154-room Wyndham Grand
Agra, scheduled to open by the
end of 2011. The hotel is owned
by Shekhar Resorts Limited,
which is exploring additional
hotel opportunities in India’s
Northern area.
average revenue per available
treatment hour fell by 18%.
• The majority of hotel and
resort spas within the Asia-
Pacific region have less than
10 treatment rooms.
• Spa revenue per employee
dropped by 5% between 2008
and 2010, and the number
of employees per spa
decreased by 9% during the
same period.