Category: Hotels

Hyatt says all of its hotels in the Asia Pacific region have completed the first phase of its new cleanliness programme, Business Traveller reports. All 149 hotels in the region have hired “hygiene and wellbeing leaders”, a measure that is part of the hotel group’s Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment, which was announced in early May to restore confidence in travel. Other hygiene and safety measures introduced in phase one include providing alcohol wipes at restaurants and as part of in-room amenities, knock-and-go room service, “increased frequency” of cleaning air filters, implementation of a new wellness policy for colleagues, and ... Read more

Expedia Group Media Solutions, the global digital advertising organization of Expedia Group, has announced further details of its destination relief programme, as part of its $275 million commitment to helping travel par­tners rebound from the impact of COVID-19 and fuel industry-wide recovery efforts. To help re-ignite travel demand to destinations, Media Solutions is making $25 million of advertising relief available, which includes products, programmes and media value add from Expedia Group brands for display campaigns across Expedia Group sites. Several brands within the Media Solutions portfolio – including Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Wotif, ebookers and CheapTickets – are offering customized brand ... Read more

The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, has reopened to guests. The relaunch of Aruba’s top luxury resort comes as the destination opens its borders to tourists from the United States, Caribbean Journal reports. The Palm Beach-area property has made some changes, including a newly-crafted menu, the addition of carry-out options at restaurants, and a reopened casino that is now the “premier non-smoking casino in Aruba”. The property has a total of 320 guest rooms and suites, the aforementioned 24-hour casino, a club lounge and a spa with 13 treatment rooms and six eateries. Those eateries include the signature BLT Steak, and Casa Nonna, the ... Read more

The Delhi High Court has asked SoftBank-backed Oyo Hotels & Homes to file an affidavit in the court in two weeks on its unencumbered assets. The July 7 order came in a case filed by hospitality company Anam Datsec, which has accused Oyo of non-payment of dues for its Golden Sands property at Calangute in Goa and sought more than Rs 8 crore in damages. Anam Datsec claimed that Oyo had agreed to pay Rs 14 lakh a month as the minimum guaranteed amount when it entered into a management services agreement with the company for the property in 2018. ... Read more

Marriott has expanded its AC Hotels brand to Japan, with the opening of the 296-room AC Hotel by Marriott Tokyo Ginza. Located in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district, the hotel’s modern glass and stone façade makes it a standout landmark in the heart of the capital’s luxury shopping, culinary and fashion scene. “We are thrilled to be bringing AC Hotels by Marriott to Ginza – one of Tokyo’s most esteemed neighbourhoods,” said Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. “This represents a milestone in the expansion of our European-inspired lifestyle hotel brand in this region, and further compliments Marriott ... Read more

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has been voted the World’s Best Hotel Brand by Travel + Leisure, USA World’s Best Awards Survey, 2020. Owned by Brookfield Asset Management, The Leela hospitality brand is best known for its cuisine and artisanal craft and is rooted in its offering of India’s rich heritage to the world. This accolade is a recognition of the brand’s consistency in pursuing excellence and an affirmation of its commitment towards curating authentic luxury experiences with the graciousness of Indian hospitality, the hotel said. In the same survey, The Leela Palace Udaipur gained top honours as the #1 Resort ... Read more

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a public sector undertaking, under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to implement preventive measures against Covid-19 infections. ITDC wants to provide a safe, hygienic and healthy environment to guests and staff across its hotels and offices and is looking to lay down a relevant protocol in association with AIIMS. To take the initiative forward an advisory board will be formed consisting of representatives from AIIMS, ITDC or representatives from any other organisation to provide inputs on designing and developing the ... Read more

Niraamaya Wellness Retreats, known for its bespoke wellness offerings, has devised a set of ayurvedic treatments that are being offered to boost immunity. The Niraamaya Immunity Booster Package, the hospitality firm says, is designed to help strengthen you against the various afflictions in the world today. In Ayurveda, the objective of immunity-boosting is achieved through rasayana, vajikarana and ojovardhaka therapies. Rasayana and vajikarana medications enhance the immune system by using immuno-modulatory agents of herbal origin. The Ayurvedic concepts of Vyadhi Kshematwa, Ojas and Bala are the primary focus areas, Niraamaya stated in a press release. The therapeutic strategy of this ... Read more

The JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Indianapolis is taking reservations with plans to reopen to guests this Thursday, July 9. Indiana’s largest hotel temporarily closed down operations more than 100 days ago due to the business decline caused by COVID-19. At that time, roughly 600 people worked at the JW Marriott in various capacities. Over the last few months, however, that staff has been reduced to only a handful of people, according to a report by Fox59. A rehiring process is underway to support the reopening. The hotel and hospitality industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Indianapolis, hotels ... Read more

The Chicago-headquartered Hyatt Hotels Corporation has said it will continue to grow the Thompson Hotels brand throughout the southern United States with deals for two new properties—Thompson Savannah and Thompson Buckhead—expected to open in Georgia in 2021. Marking the brand’s entry into the state, these projects will join four other Thompson hotels already under development including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas. These six new properties are expected to join Thompson’s nine hotels across the United States and Mexico, many of which have resumed operations and are welcoming back guests. Thompson Hotels is a subsidiary brand of Hyatt. “We ... Read more

Michael Dominic, the Chief Executive Officer of CGH Earth, one of Kerala’s best-known hospitality brands, believes efficiency and productivity will define the way forward for the Indian hospitality sector. He refers to the coronavirus crisis as a catastrophe that will force changes in the way we perceive the tourism sector and even entrepreneurship as a whole. In an interview with TourismNewsLive’s Editor-in-chief DJ Hector he talks about how there will be a paradigm shift in the business with “lean organisation” becoming the watchword. Excerpts: Q: Best wishes on reopening all your properties across Kerala. Probably, CGH Earth was the first major hospitality ... Read more

The Hotel Association of India (HAI) on Monday appointed former Ministry of Tourism secretary, Madan Prasad Bezbaruah, as its secretary general. Bezbaruah succeeds R K Puri, a senior bureaucrat and first Director of Tourism, Railway Board, who was instrumental in the conceptualisation and launch of “Place on Wheels”. The appointment comes in the wake of the hotel industry struggling on account of the pandemic. Puneet Chhatwal, president of HAI and managing director and chief executive of the  Indian Hotels Company Limited said that it is now time to devise ways in which the hotel industry can evolve from the Covid-19 ... Read more

Marriott International has opened a second hotel under the JW Marriott badge in the Orlando area. The JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa is a 516-room property close to Walt Disney World and about 30 minutes from Orlando Airport. It includes the debut of the brand’s new family suite concept, which offers views of the nightly theme park fireworks displays, shuttle service to Disney Parks, loft beds, larger living areas and spa-like bathrooms, says a report by Travel Weekly. A Kids Conservatory is designed for games and crafts, and an Activities Garden features a rock-climbing wall, a minigolf ... Read more

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced the opening of the Hyatt Centric Downtown Minneapolis. Once known as the Minneapolis Athletic Club, the 154-room upscale lifestyle hotel with 22 suites is centrally located in the heart of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Located in the city centre of Minneapolis with direct access to an 11-mile, temperature-controlled skyway system and just thirteen miles from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Hyatt Centric Downtown Minneapolis connects travellers to popular attractions like the US Bank Stadium, First Avenue, Target Centre and Target Field, Rus Tourism News has reported. The hotel features contemporary design, upscale guest room and hotel amenities such ... Read more

The Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) hosted a webinar on “Preparedness of Hospitality, Travel & Tourism industry during COVID-19” recently, attended by senior officials representing various segments of the hospitality and travel industry.  Agreeing that domestic tourism is likely to be the first sector to be revived, almost all the panellists were of the view that the industry can bounce back to health if all the stakeholders come together to support each other. To promote India as a destination among the foreigners, it is important to properly communicate and convince the world and prospective travellers that they are safe while ... Read more