Booking.com and Hilton ink partnership

Booking.com has inked a distribution agreement with Hilton Hotels Corporation. Under the new agreement, Hilton's worldwide portfolio of hotels will be available directly on Booking.com and via its network of over 4,500 distribution partners. Hilton properties will have access to Booking.com's customer base of over 30 million visitors each month.

Gillian Tans, Director Hotels at Booking.com said “Hilton's high quality brands are recognised globally and we are excited to offer them to our customers. With Hilton hotels in 77 countries, we are eager to further develop this beneficial relationship as we continue our global expansion.” Philippe Garnier, Senior Director, Distribution Sales at Hilton Hotels Corporation added “We are pleased to be establishing a strategic global partnership with Booking.com, an ideal partner to help us reach millions of additional travelers worldwide.

HRAWI conducts seminar on F&B management

Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI) had recently organised a seminar on F&B management at the InterContinental Marine Drive Mumbai. The speakers for the event were Eric Lobo, Beverage and Bar Consultant, Satyendra Sinh Dasondi, Executive Director, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt Ltd and Ameer Ismail, Executive Director, LinOpinion. Apart from HRAWI committee members, D S Advani, Chairman, Seminar Sub─Committee, HRAWI, Kamlesh Barot and Sunit Kothari, Co─Committee Members, HRAWI, the seminar witnessed around 50 attendees from across the hospitality industry.

In his presentation, Dasondi expressed his views on how to combat the present recession period and bring back the customers. “Four trends that will influence food service are: by reinventing comfort food, shifting the focus back on local and fresh products, story telling and positive messaging on the menu and keeping it simple,” adds Dasondi. However, Dasondi stressed that there is no set solution and rules to fight the present economic meltdown but there are always ways and means which can be tried out to increase the F&B sales and cut down on costs.

Dominica's Fort Young Hotel celebrates 20th anniversary

Dominica's Fort Young Hotel will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. To celebrate their anniversary the Fort Young Hotel developed various packages, finalised plans to upgrade the 32 original rooms, published a book on the history of the hotel and will launch an extensive jubilee programme at the end of 2009.

“Despite the difficult economic times the world and the region are facing, we are cautiously optimistic about the future. What started as a need to provide comfortable accommodation of 32 rooms for visitors to the island has grown into the island's premier hotel of 71 rooms. We are full of inspiration and plan to position the Fort Young as the hotel of choice in the Caribbean for nature lovers, adventure seekers and scuba divers. We thank our guests, shareholders, the Government of Dominica and staff who have made it possible to expand the Fort Young Hotel and achieve its special status as Dominica's premier hotel.” says Fort Young Hotel's Chairman Phillip Nassief.

Fort Young Hotel is located on the outskirts of Dominica's capital, Roseau.

Metro Cash and Carry India conducts HORECA fair in Mumbai outlet

Metro Cash and Carry India hosted a HORECA fair at their Mumbai outlet on February 23, 2009. The event showcased Metro Cash and Carry's own label of products (H─Line and HORECA Select) for the hotel trade apart from the store's regular brands on display. Other events which took place simultaneously included a cookery competition, flair bar tending competition and panel discussion for (Business to Business) B2B customers from the hospitality sector.

A company official informed Hospitality Biz that Metro intends to exclusively showcase the brands and products available for the hotel business. “The HORECA segment has always been an integral part of our operations and we plan to leverage our services and offerings with the help of such trade fairs,” informed the official. The event was a part of Metro's ongoing knowledge sharing initiative – 'Chef U & Metro', this is an interactive programme that provides value─added services to the customers on areas like thematic cuisine creation, food festivals and menu merchandising. The company has tied up with various Chefs in the city for this programme.

Ritz Carlton Bali to be rebranded as Ayana Resort and Spa

The Ritz Carlton Bali Resort & Spa is set to operate under new management from April, as Horst Schulze, the founder and chairman of The West Paces Hotel Group, will assume administration responsibilities. The execution of these new responsibilities will be conducted through a joint venture of The West Paces Hotel Group, and the property will be rebranded as Ayana Resort and Spa.

Schulze is the former President, COO and founding member of the Ritz─Carlton company. "I have known Horst Schulze since he was COO of The Ritz─Carlton Hotel Company and a part of the opening team for our hotel, The Ritz─Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa,” says Rudy Suliawan, Managing Partner of PT Karang Mas Sejahtera, the owner of the property. Suliawan adds, "Ayana is the Sanskrit word for 'place of refuge,' and it truly defines what we will create here."

Sonesta Maho Beach Resort wins 2nd Incentive Magazine award

For the second year in a row, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino, a Caribbean hotspot for meetings, has been honored with Incentive Magazine's Platinum Partner Award. Granted to hotels and resorts that exceed expectations serving incentive travellers, the distinction is awarded annually to only 30 hotels worldwide. Incentive Magazine's subscriber audience of 65,000 meeting planners selected the award winners.

“This award is a welcome testament to our resort's commitment to the group business market. From our rapid response initiatives, beginning with a client's initial inquiry, to our comprehensive Convention Services Department, meeting planners have learned why we are a superior meeting destination,” says Director of Sales & Marketing, Fiona M. Taylor.

With more than 16,000 square feet of meeting space, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino has earned its reputation as St. Maarten's premier resort for meetings and social events. For after─work hours, the Maho Promenade features over 40 shops, restaurants, new nightclub Tantra and world─class Casino Royale. The hotel specializes in custom─designed programs for groups of all sizes.

German hotel chain market outperforms Europe in 2008

The chain hotel market in Germany had one of the better performances in Europe, finishing 2008 with a 1.8 per cent increase in Revenue per Available Room. MKG Hospitality's market monitoring database, Hotel CompSet, reported that the Average Daily Rate in Germany rose by 3.9 per cent compared to 2007, whilst Occupancy Rate saw a slight reduction of 1.3 percentage points. Budget and midscale chain hotels were the most successful in 2008, both categories enjoying a 3.1 per cent increase in Revenue per Available Room. This was fuelled by a 6.2 per cent increase in Average Daily Rate for budget hotels, and a 5.5 per cent increase for midscale chain hotels.

The upscale segment saw their Occupancy Rate weaken in all categories, but managed a slight increase of 0.9 per cent in Revenue per Available Room. “We can expect this trend to continue during 2009's economic downturn, as people cut back on expenses and travel less. Germany particularly relies on the MICE sector, which is also forecasted to suffer this year. The economic crisis will continue to force many businesses to cut back on business travel as much as possible, as well as spend a lot less on marketing and promotions.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations adds two destinations to resort portfolio

Holiday Inn Club Vacations announced that it is adding two new destinations to its resort portfolio, Myrtle Beach, SC, and Gatlinburg, Tenn., bringing the total number of resorts to six. The new resorts will join the three locations currently available to owners and guests ─ the flagship location, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Fla., and resorts in Lake Geneva, Wis., and Panama City, Fla., ─ with another location in Ascutney, Vt., scheduled to go live later this month.

Orange Lake Resorts, under an exclusive licensing agreement with IHG to use the Holiday Inn Club Vacations brand, has acquired the 256─unit South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and 109─unit Crown Park Resort ─ to be renamed Smoky Mountain Resort ─ in Gatlinburg, Tenn., from Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc. Orange Lake will own and operate these resorts as a privately held company.

“The addition of two new resorts to the Holiday Inn Club Vacations portfolio in such a short period of time demonstrates the strength of the alliance and our ability to find strategic opportunities to grow this brand", said a spokesperson.

Govt restricts use of polyols in food articles

The Centre has restricted the use of polyols in foods. Polyols such as Isomalt may be used in certain percentage as per GMP in the food articles like traditional Indian sweets (carbohydrates based and milk products based) Halwa, Mysore Pak, Boondi Ladoo, Jalebi, Khoya Burfi, Peda, Gulab Jamun, Rasogolla and similar milk product based sweet sold by any name, instant sweet meat mixes (pongal mix, gulab jamun mix, jalebi mix), bakery products, jams, jellies and marmalades, edible ices, ice cream, frozen desserts and sweetened yoghurt. Also, Polyols such as Erithritol may be used in the food products like dairy drinks (chocolate and flavoured milk), carbonated beverages, non carbonated water based beverages (non alcoholic), ice cream, yoghurt, pudding, non dairy toppings, bakery mixes, cake, cookies and pastries, ready─to─eat breakfast cereals, chocolate and hard candies.

A draft notification (GSR 43E) has been issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW) recently, which stated that Polydextrose may be used in the food articles like traditional Indian sweets (carbohydrates based and milk products based) Halwa, Mysore Pak, Boondi Ladoo,etc.

Starwood plans to double its footprint in China by 2011

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc, the largest international upscale hotel operator in China with 47 existing properties, have announced the addition of five new hotels to its growing portfolio. The new signings include the first St. Regis resort in Sanya; the first St. Regis hotel in Chengdu, Sichuan; the first Sheraton hotels in Jiangyin and Dalian; and a second Sheraton resort in Huizhou, Guangdong.

Starwood remains on track with plans to double its footprint in China by 2011 with 50 hotels in the pipeline. In 2009, the company will open more than 10 hotels throughout China, including Le Meridien Xiamen, The Westin Nanjing, Sheraton Qingdao and Four Points by Sheraton Guangzhou.

zxs long term growth opportunity in China is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere in the world. China is home to the largest number of our hotels outside of North America, and more importantly, it comprises the largest portion of our pipeline outside of the United States. As a point of perspective, within two years we expect to have a presence in Shanghai that rivals our existing footprint in New York City.