Category: Hotels

Medical tourism will revive faster in India than that in many other countries, a senior India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) official has said. “Indian medical tourism industry is likely to revive faster than even some developed nations in Europe, and probably USA too. India has shown comparatively better handling of the pandemic situation as compared to these nations,” said Piyush Tiwari, director (commercial and marketing), ITDC. “Medical tourists will look at countries which seem relatively safer. They will look at a country that has better health protocols. Countries like India that have had a lower number of Covid-19 deaths, are ... Read more

Marriott International, which has reopened all its hotels in China, is seeing a steady recovery in the United States, its biggest market. Chief Executive Officer Arne Sorenson said, “It’s not just leisure travel growing, but it is business travel. Chinese are flying again.” Sorenson said the occupancy rate in China was 40% currently, up from 7% to 8% in February, when COVID-19 started spreading. In the United States, Marriott’s hotels that have remained open, crossed the 20% occupancy threshold and continue to see an improvement, Sorenson said. The company had an occupancy rate of about 12% in North America in ... Read more

In accordance with relaxations in lockdown conditions as announced by the West Bengal government, Sinclairs Burdwan is reopening its property from June 5. The rooms, suite and the restaurant will start functioning from that date, but the bar will remain closed till further notice. The swimming pool also will not be operational. At Sinclairs Burdwan, high standards of cleanliness will be  maintained with special emphasis on hand washing hygiene to sanitising of guestrooms and common areas, the hotel said in a press release on Tuesday.  Sinclairs Burdwan is spread over approximately 4 acres of land and in view of its ... Read more

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday announced phase-wise resumption of economic activities in areas outside Covid-19 containment zones. The guidelines will come into play from June 1 and would be effective till June 30. Hotels, malls and restaurants to open Activities to be allowed from June 8 as part of Phase 1 plan: Religious places of worship for public, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services. Shopping malls to be allowed to open from June 8. Health Ministry would issue SOPs for the above activities, in consultation with the Central Ministries/ Departments concerned and other stakeholders, for ensuring social distancing and to ... Read more

Marriott International has begun to add job listings on recruitment websites, in an early sign of recovery from an international lockdown that has devastated the global hotel industry. Most of the jobs listed, are for the Chinese market. In March, as the Coronavirus pandemic set in, the hospitality industry put a complete stop on hiring as revenues plummeted. But in the past two weeks, job listings at Marriott International saw their first spike since March. The jump in job listings is certainly telling, but the types of jobs Marriott is hiring for, show early signs of international travel for an ... Read more

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has urged mall owners across the country to waive off rentals during the lock-down period and renegotiate commercial terms going forward. NRAI has written to mall owners to urgently resolve commercial concerns of food and beverage retailers, whose business has been hit very hard by the pandemic. “The mandated lock-down has forced us to shut shop and prevent the malls to allow entry to our guests, staff or suppliers. This is a clear case of force majeure and therefore all charges of rentals or common area maintenance for the duration of the lock-down ... Read more

For the past three months, Las Vegas wore a deserted look. No crowds, no lights, no fun. But now the famed casinos are set to open, promising to bring some life back into the city. For the past two weeks Nevada has shown a decrease in the number of new coronavirus cases, encouraging governor Steve Sisolak to set a tentative date of June 4 to reopen casinos state-wide, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Our members have spent more than two months preparing for this day,” Virginia Valentine, president and CEO of the Nevada Resort Association, said in an emailed ... Read more

The Union Tourism Ministry has extended the validity of certification of hotels and the travel agents, tour operators, adventure tour operators, domestic tour operators and tourist transport operators till June 30. According to a note issued to this effect on Tuesday, the ministry said, “The decision was taken considering the current situation when the hospitality industry is going through a very difficult time in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown that has severely impacted the accommodation sector. Validity of approval or certifications of hotels and other accommodation units whose project approvals and classification have expired are deemed to ... Read more

As a result of the unprecedented crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, all the seven properties of Sinclairs Hotels at Siliguri, Darjeeling, Dooars, Kalimpong, Burdwan, Port Blair and Ooty are currently closed. The launch of the eighth property in the Sinclairs’ chain – Sinclairs Gangtok -scheduled on April 15 had to be postponed. In response to today’s needs, Sinclairs is introducing a host of changes and new initiatives to keep our guests safe and healthy. Sinclairs will now have special emphasis on hand washing hygiene to sanitizing of guestrooms and common areas so that our guests enjoy hospitality in a ... Read more

Indonesian hospitality startup BoboBox has secured US$11.5 million in a series A round led by Horizons Ventures and Alpha JWC Ventures. Other new and existing backers such as Kakao Investments, Sequoia Surge, and Mallorca Investments also participated in the round, according to a statement. Bobobox provides affordable hotel accommodation in the form of modular capsules. They are fitted with applications and internet-of-things systems to improve security, comfort, and affordability. With the fresh funding, the three-year-old startup plans to accelerate its product improvement by growing its tech team and strengthening its manufacturing and operating models. It also plans to extend its ... Read more

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) has announced a new collaboration with Google to expand the industry’s efforts to meet the continued demand from first responders and healthcare workers for accommodation in hotel rooms. This joint effort comes two months after the launch of American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) ‘Hospitality for Hope’ an initiative designed to match emergency and healthcare workers who require temporary housing in hotels during this unprecedented health crisis. More than 17,000 properties across the country volunteered to serve their communities and participate in the programme. The initiative was designed to boost collaboration between the ... Read more

One of the world’s most luxurious properties, The Ritz Carlton Bali, has launched an exclusive offer to be booked before June 15, 2020 for stays until May 31, 2021. Priced from IDR2,750,000 including tax and service per room per night, this special offer includes accommodation in a Sawangan Junior Suite with extensive daily buffet breakfast for two at the Senses restaurant. Guests are also given a daily resort credit of IDR500,000 which can be used towards further indulgences such as room upgrades, dining or spa treatments. Located on pristine white sandy beaches of Nusa Dua, guests at the property can ... Read more

Hilton has announced that all its hotels in China have officially resumed operations. Each hotel has implemented strict anti-epidemic measures to ensure the health and safety of guests and employees, the hospitality major said. Hilton said it has also made adjustments to policies and operations in order to meet the needs of guests and the community at large, during this time. “Today, I am thrilled to announce that all Hilton hotels in Chinese mainland have officially resumed operations,” said Qian Jin, Area President, Hilton Greater China and Mongolia. About 150 Hilton hotels were closed for bookings after the pandemic turned ... Read more

Kerala Tourism has stated that hotels accommodating non-resident Keralites (NRKs) on paid quarantine will have to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) as detailed below: PRE- REQUISITES AND CONDITIONS • The guests willing for paid quarantine should register themselves with the online portal designed for paid quarantine hotel bookings. The details of persons shall also be provided. • The guest should not be having any symptoms at the time of checking in at the hotel • Only family members who have travelled with them would be allowed to share the hotel room. • The guests should be willing to abide ... Read more

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has assured hotel representatives that his government will consider granting approval for reopening hotels in the next three days, where they can start dine-in services with limited customers at a time. Many hoteliers met the CM in Bengaluru on Tuesday and threatened to start pushcart service on footpaths if the government does not allow them to restart full-fledged services. The hoteliers said they are ready to take up all measures including sanitising, wearing of masks and other precautions. In Karnataka, there are about 50,000 hotels including darshinis, of which 15,000 are in Bengaluru alone. According to ... Read more