Express Food and Hospitality (Special Issue) March, 2019

EDITOR’S NOTE

Change is the new beginning “When you're finished changing, you're finished."

F

ormer US president Benjamin Franklin may not have been an entrepreneur by trade, but his words apply today more than ever before. We are in a fast-changing communications and technology landscape. Twenty years ago, there was no email and now it's hard to imagine life (or business) without it.

Today millions of businesses use LinkedIn and Social Media to network and communicate.

We like to think the new look of Express Food & Hospitality reflects the need for change in modern times. A lot of things have changed about Express Food & Hospitality - the masthead, the management and the format, but the content remains as rich as ever.

As India's leading food and hospitality publication, we have tried to give our readers a comprehensive onestop repository of news, views and analyses that they need to deliver in their businesses and stay ahead of the competition.

We have also included a new section, Start Up Zone, where we will feature expert guidance as well as

“ As India's leading food and hospitality publication,we have tried to give our readers a comprehensive one-stop repository of news,views and analyses that they need to stay ahead of the competition ”

dynamic new ventures in the food and hospitality space that show promise. Another must read is the top technology trends by Riccardo Campione, an associate professor and Dr Alain Imboden, associate professor and accreditation officer at Les Roches Global Hospitality Education, Switzerland. Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar features in our Chef's Platter and so does Chef Agostino D'Angelo from Sicily, example of how the new Express Food & Hospitality has an eye on both the Indian and the international arenas.

Our Cover Story this issue features 10 frontrunners of leading hotel brands in Goa, India's most popular beach destination. They share their thoughts on the hospitality market in the state and their management mantra. We hope to see them and their teams at our upcoming tradeshow in Panaji from April 11 to 13 at DB Bandodkar Ground Campal.

Goa here we come!

STEENA JOY Editor Express Food & Hospitality editor.efh@gmail.com

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY WEST: Satish Dange Mob: 9821876620 email: satish.dange@indianexpress.com

EAST: Debnarayan Dutta Mob: 9051150480 e-mail: debnarayan.dutta@expressindia.com

Datta K Mob: 9821580849 email: datta.kandalkar@indianexpress.com

Ajanta Sen Gupta Mob: 9831182580 email: ajanta.sengupta@expressindia.com

Ziyad Tungekar Mob: 9820512718 email: ziyad.tungekar@expressindia.com

SOUTH: Sreejith Radhakrishnan Mob: 8867574257 e-mail: sreejith.radhakrishnan@expressindia.com

Branch Offices : NORTH: Prabhas Jha Mob: 9899707440 email: prabhas.jha@expressindia.com

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EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

March 2019

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CONTENTS CHEF'S PLATTER Chairman of the Board Viveck Goenka Sr. Vice President Neil Viegas Asst. Vice President Harit Mohanty

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Editor Steena Joy* Correspondent Akshay Nayak

I THINK THE WORLD PERCEIVES INDIAN CUISINE WITH A LOT OF RESPECT AND CURIOSITY: CHEF RANVEER BRAR

DESIGN Assistant Art Director

STARTUP ZONE

Pravin Temble Chief Designer Prasad Tate Senior Designer Rekha Bisht Graphics Designer Gauri Deorukhkar Senior Artist Ratilal Ladani Photo Editor Sandeep Patil DIGITAL TEAM

As a precursor to our upcoming food & hospitalitytradeshow in Goa from April 11 to 13,2019,Express Food & Hospitality met the frontrunners of leading hotel brands in the state to get their insights on the hospitalitymarket in India’s most popular beach destination

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Head of Internet

(18-39)

Viraj Mehta SCHEDULING & COORDINATION Arvind Mane

TECH BYTES

MARKETING / SALES Ziyad Tungekar Dattaram Kandalkar

FOOD START-UPS IN INDIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

P16: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Taj Connemara Chennai

Satish Dange Venkatesh Subramaniam Sanjay Kumar

P15: PRODUCT TRACKER

Sreejith Radhakrishnan

Organic turmeric granules from Gaia

MARKETS

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FOOD AGGREGATORS SUPPORTING UNLICENSED PLAYERS: SANTOSH SHETTY, PRESIDENT, AHAR

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JUMEIRAH HOTELS TO DOUBLE ITS GLOBAL PORTFOLIO TO 50 PROPERTIES BY 2029

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HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IS A MAJOR DRIVER FOR LG’S COMMERCIAL AC BUSINESS: SUNIL KHATWANI

PARTNERSHIPS, TIE-UPS Anishi Khetan CIRCULATION

P50: WEEKEND

Mohan Varadakar

Scene and heard by Marcellus Baptista

PRODUCTION General Manager B R Tipnis

P55: MOVEMENTS

Production Co-ordinator

Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS)

Dhananjay Nidre

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THE TOP TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN HOSPITALITY FOR 2019

Copyright © 2018 The Indian Express (P) Limited. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. *Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act

MARKET

Food aggregators supporting unlicensed players: Santosh Shetty, president,AHAR Steena Joy Mumbai LIKE the NRAI which has filed a petition agaginst some online food aggregators, the Indian Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHAR) has also expressed discontent with the way these food delivery platforms are doing business.

Speaking exclusively to Express Food & Hospitality, Santosh Shetty, president, AHAR said, “How can these food aggregators offer 20-50 per cent discounts when we ourselves work on a margin of 10-15 per cent of net profit. Moreover, they have been promoting illegal places which do not have licenses. As we are licensed players, we pay commercial utility bills that increase our costs. These illegal outlets can definitely give higher discounts because they have no such cost overheads. Hence,

As we are licensed players, we pay commercial utility bills that increase our costs. These illegal outlets can definitely give higher discounts because they have no such cost overheads

Santosh Shetty

we have taken this stand.”

AHAR has more than 5000 members most of whom are the small and medium enterprises.

He also lauded the central government's decision to reduce the GST on food served at eateries and food outlets from 18 per cent to five per

cent. “From the beginning, we were against the 18 per cent tax on food at restaurants mostly in Mumbai at least 7080 per cent of customers are from the lower middle class and middle class, and for them, the 18 per cent slab becomes too much of a burden,” he said. Replying to a query about the food waste management practices observed by restaurants and other food outlets, Shetty replied, “When you are talking about restau-

rants per se, with the ongoing technology, there is very minimal wastage in food. Food wastage happens on a larger scale in cases like outdoor catering events, which is not likely with the restaurants as we have tied up with certain NGOs from where people have volunteered to curb wastage of food,” he said. “But again there is a lack of networking in the whole process of collection of food to the delivery. The government has

come up with certain initiatives for resolving this issue but it seems to have lost steam and needs to be taken up on a warfooting,” he added.

Commenting on the single-use plastic ban, he said, “We have supported and informed all our members and also welcomed the move by the government to ban single-use plastic because that is one of the major pollutants that has a negative impact on the environment.”

Support from the state government needed to drive tourist arrivals into Tarkarli: Ravindra Khanvilkar,founding member,TTDS Akshay Nayak Mumbai TARKARLI, being isolated yet a destination of great potential, is a village located in Maharashtra on the shores of the Arabian Sea. The major source of income for the villagers is the tourism industry which includes marine activities like scuba diving, water sports, parasailing, as well as

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attractions like beaches and the Sindhudurg Fort, informed Ravindra Khanvilkar, founding member & ex-president of Tarkarli Tourism Development Sanstha (TTDS).

Although being an attractive destination, Khanvilkar feels that there has been a lack of support from the state government in terms of promoting Tarkarli to both the domestic as well as interna-

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tional travellers, which is evident from the dip in tourist arrivals to the village since the past five years. He said that the destination now has over 200 resort properties and more than 100 homestays, but due to low demand, this has led to a cut-throat competitive scenario within the village.

Also entry of new players in developing hotels and resorts in the village from the outside,

has further dampened opportunities for the locals.

In a bid to boost the popularity of Tarkarli as a destination and to reach to the modern-day tech-savvy travellers, Khanvilkar said that TTDS has recently developed their own website – tarkarlitours.com which will act as a window to vital information about the various excursions and activities to explore in the destination, and

also attractive offers like 50 per cent discount on select properties during off-season, etc.

Khanvilkar further added that the government should look into improving the connectivity infrastructure like the roads.

Imposing taxes on outside entrants and initiating certain subsidies to local players will further help sustainability in terms of local employment, he concluded.

Jumeirah Hotels to double its global portfolio to 50 properties by 2029 Akshay Nayak Mumbai DUBAI-BASED luxury hotels brand Jumeirah, which operates the globally recognised Burj Al Arab, has plans to have 50 hotels under its global portfolio over the course of next 10 years, hence doubling the current portfolio comprising of 24 hotels spread across countries including the UAE, UK Maldives, and China among others, confirmed Shaf Butt, regional director of marketing, MEASA & APAC, Jumeirah Group.

Shaf Butt

The company recently opened two properties in China i.e. Jumeirah Living Guangzhou and Jumeirah Nanjing, Nanjing and has six more hotels in the pipeline scheduled to open in the following fiscal in locations including China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, informed Butt. “For Jumeirah there is a focus on three key pillars, which firstly includes integrated personalised services which will be beyond expectations; second is elevating our dining experience by putting F&B at core of the brand, for which the company

made a very strong acquisition by appointing renowned epicure, Michael Ellis as Chief Culinary Officer, and third is the focus on product, design and architecture, for a Jumeirah guest’s travel is enhanced by both warm atmosphere and the sense of a place that Jumeirah hotels evoke,” said Butt about the hotel company’s strategy to further scale up their offerings for their patrons.

When queried about the potential of Indian customers for Jumeirah, Butt replied, “India is a potential market for us and

AccorHotels opens its 50th hotel in Kolkata EF&H Staff Mumbai ACCORHOTELS recently announced its 50th hotel ibis Kolkata, Rajarhat in partnership with InterGlobe Hotels.Speaking at the launch, JeanMichel Casse, COO, India & South Asia, said, “With this new hotel we continue to be a digital innovator. Through this, we want to give our customers a luxurious experience, with respect to design, technology, food at economical price points. In India, this would be our 50th hotel, and 19th in the ibis brand.”ibis Kolkata Rajarhat will act as an archetype for some of the future ibis

hotels in India considering the new features including a sleeker and more colourful facade that breaks away from the traditional monochrome exterior and more colourful rooms with wider windows and the much loved Sweet Bed. J B Singh, president & CEO, InterGlobe Hotels, said, “The new property covers 4000 sq ft area with 189 rooms. The total investment for this property is Rs 120 crore, and the cost per key is Rs 59 lakh. There are six more properties in the pipeline with a total investment of Rs 1000 crore.

They will soon be launched in Thane and Vikhroli in Mumbai, Hebbal in Bengaluru and Goa.”

over the past years it has also been in the top 10 markets for most of our hotels. Most of the Indian visitors frequent to our properties in the UAE, London, Maldives and some patrons in China and Germany as well.

Also, we are having high-potential agents in India to reach out to ultra-high luxury travellers, and the MICE and weddings segment. Moreover, since the past three years we have focussed on the B2B market, working with the likes of MakeMyTrip and other OTAs,” added Butt.

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Hospitality industry is a major driver for LG’s commercial AC business: Sunil Khatwani Akshay Nayak Mumbai SPEAKING about the major business drivers for LG Electronics India’s commercial air-conditioning segment, Sunil Khatwani, business head & VP – system air conditioning division, remarked that hospitality and healthcare industries and educational institutions are the brand’s potential clientele.

Focusing on the hospitality market, Khatwani said that it is one of the fastest growing industries for them. “Also, the number of hotels that are coming up in India is actually good business for us. We are focused not only on hotels but also restaurants and QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants) segments for our commercial air-conditioning range,” he

Sunil Khatwani

told EFH.For larger hotels, LG offers chillers, while the medium to large hotel structures go for VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) systems and scroll chillers.

“For the restaurants and QSR segment, there is a variety

of products that we have on offer including cassette and ducted AC units, and VFR systems,” he said while speaking about the range of products that the brand offers to the hospitality industry in India.

LG’s share in the commercial air-conditioning system markets is divided as per the product on offer that they are having, told Khatwani. “In inverter cassette and inverter ducted range of AC units, we are number one in the market, but in terms of chillers, we have come in late so we are slightly below the leaders, but we are picking up very fast.

Our new product on offer i.e. the magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller – people are showing a lot of interest in this product for its long-lasting efficiency, cost & energy saving proposition, and also is

silent with decreased vibrations. Since hotels run 24×7, with the use of these magnetic bearing centrifugal chillers the total power consumption

by HVAC systems will further drop by 10-20 per cent. Having presented the data to hotelier clients, they are showing a keen interest in this product,” he added.

“We have substantially increased the energy efficiency of our products to the best level or near to the best as compared to competitors while depending on the products. For example, our VRF segment is the best in energy efficiency, which is very popular in the medium to large sized hotels. For the restaurant space our inverter cassette, inverter ducted AC units are having the best energy efficiency already. Also

the larger hotels, we are providing them with the magnetic bearing centrifugal chillers of which I mentioned earlier. Moreover, we are also offering green refrigerants in all our products which is the second USP. And thirdly, the noise reduction in our products is one of the best. Our range of products also has easy-to-maintain filters which restrict a significant amount of dust particles from entering the air. So taking care of all these aspects together, our Greenovation philosophy is inline with our hospitality clients’ efforts for sustainability,” told Khatwani.

The brands that we are currently servicing in the hospitality industry are Lemon Tree Hotels, Holiday Inn, Wyndham, Clarks, among others.

Homegrown hospitality brand Rosetta by Ferns enters luxury timeshare segment Akshay Nayak Mumbai FERNS Estates & Developers, a 30-year-old company based out of Bengaluru popularly known for developing gated communities in the city, about two and half years ago started planning to foray into the luxury timeshare/vacation ownership segment for which it launched Rosetta by Ferns. “In phase-I of our expansion plans, we want to focus on the western and southern markets of India. Key metros and destinations that are 3-5hour-drive away from these cities are on our radar. We have Coorg, Bandipur, Ooty, Wayanad, and Bengaluru already on our list. We are looking at Goa and

Karwar very keenly. And, we are also looking at Nashik, Lonavla, and Matheran as prospective markets for expansion in Maharashtra. The first property in Sakleshpur, a 125-key property, will be operational from this September and thereon we will be unveiling a property in every 15 months,” informed Jai Sreedhar, jt. MD & CEO, Rosetta by Ferns about the brand’s entry into the hospitality industry and its further expansion plans.

When queried about the brand’s vision behind its foray into luxury timeshare segment, Sreedhar replied, “Timeshare in itself is a very old concept which hit India in the mid-late 1970s, and started gaining popularity gradually. Globally timeshare is

10 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

a very popular long-term perspective by creating value for both the developer as well as the guest in the longer run. Since we are focussing on the luxury segment, we are going to keep the supply very controlled. As we have seen that building luxury products take about 2-3 years, we are sensitively looking to not overcrowd the market, for which, we are only opening about 1000 memberships per year.”

“We are offering a product that people can visit with their loved ones to unwind from their daily busy life. To cater to these groups of families and friends, we have clusters of rooms to keep the patrons staying close to each other. We also offer opento-sky outdoor shower experi-

ence and sundecks in small gardens outside the rooms where the patrons can sit and chat together,” he further added giving details about some of the services to be offered at Rosetta by Ferns-branded resorts.

Underscoring the brand’s corporate policy to encourage local talent and experiences, Sreedhar informed, “We encourage many local painters and artisans for painting and installation of sculptures in the resorts, for which, we are investing more than a crore and a half. This initiative’s outcome has been fabulous. Furthermore, the food that we offer is also inspired by a lot of local ingredients and cuisine,” he added.

About the sustainability practices taken up by Rosetta by Ferns,

Sreedhar said, “We are tapping IGBC Platinum rating for our properties, considering which we are having a lot of things moving in terms of sustainability like – being a zero-plastic hotel; implementation of rainwater harvesting; aiming to have zero-carbon footprint rating, etc.”

In terms of technological development, the brand is soon going to unveil an app called ‘Club Rosetta’, which is in the final level of testing, will provide the members with real-time information about the availability of rooms at Rosetta by Ferns’ resorts. “Using the app, the members will also be able to use their points to book rooms throughout the brand’s portfolio,” concluded Sreedhar.

FSSAI to increase testing, enforcement activities to ensure food safety EF&H Staff Mumbai THE FOOD Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will test more samples and increase enforcement activities to ensure availability of safe food to people, its CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said recently.

FSSAI has done a survey on milk recently and it would like to conduct surveillance across all the food categories, he added.

Agarwal also assured food businesses not to be scared with the increased enforcement as it is meant for ensuring safe food supply in the markets.

“We in FSSAI have recognised the importance of food testing and analysis. Our laboratories are essentially the heart of our food safety ecosystem,” he said while addressing a conference on food safety organised by AOAC India, an analytical body.

It is important to put up quality food testing system for developing a robust food safety ecosystem, he said.

Stating that strengthening of lab system is “very critical”, Agarwal said FSSAI is attempting to create the foundation for a national network of well-functioning credible food laboratories.

“I must confess that only some initial work has been done,” he said.

In the last few years, FSSAI has given thrust to improve government labs through financial support and also notified private labs, he added.

However, a lot more needs to be done in the area of building capacity of analytical staff for these labs.

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'THE TREND OFSHIFTING FROM ASTANDALONE HOTELTO BE PARTOFABRANDED HOTELCHAIN WILLHELP US BUILD AROBUSTINDIAN HOSPITALITYECOSYSTEM' Since its inception in 2009, Noesis Capital Advisors has provided consultancy and advisory services to more than 1900 hotel owners, hotel operating companies, hotel investors and financial institutions. Its reach is in more than 60 cities of South Asia where it is servicing 68 international, national and regional hotel brands across various hotel formats ranging from ultra luxury to economy segment. In an exclusive interview, Nandivardhan Jain, CEO, Noesis Capital Advisors speaks about the investment scenario in the country’s hospitality sector and the regions which showed the most active room inventory buildup. By Steena Joy Noesis has been in the industry for almost a decade now. How has the hospitality sector evolved over the years in terms of investment?

From mid-2008 to mid2017, the hospitality industry has witnessed a downturn with low occupancies, marginal growth in room ARRs, financial stress among operational hotels and underdevelopment as hotels struggled to complete projects due to limited access to the capital market. Fortunately in the last 24 months with the signs of improvement in occupancies and ARRs, fresh capital is flowing into the industry.

One of the other critical reasons, hotel real estate pricing, has also settled at realistic levels. In 2017, we acted as the exclusive transaction advisor to one of India’s largest foreign direct investments of US$ 50 million for an under construction 300 rooms upscale hotel next to Mumbai International Airport. One of the reasons for the success of this transaction was a justified asset value.

Management or Franchise?

How can a hotel owner de-

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cide which is the best operating model?

Under management route, the operator controls hotel operations fully on daily basis. Therefore operator accountability to perform on pre-determined budgets also increases. This helps hotel owner as well to free his bandwidth. In the Indian context majority of operators prefer and insist on management contract only because in organised space most of the hotel owners are first generation owners.

Under the Franchise format, we have limited brand options in India. This make great sense to owners who are passionate to operate the hotel themselves. Franchise fees for the brand are limited between two to three per cent of room revenues only.

Brand support is limited to sales and marketing, sharing technical know how and quarterly property audits.

Both models have their own pros and cons – it largely depends on owner priorities.

How many projects is Noesis providing consultancy for at present? Projects in the pipeline?

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In the first three quarters of this financial year, we have successfully completed 46 assignments. Nature of assignments are Debt Syndication, Hotel Investment Advisory, Feasibility Report, Operator Search and Recruitment.

Some of the transactions in one of the important cities of the Western region, Pune are Hotel Fidalgo (Asset Acquisition), Erstwhile Hotel Fortune Inn Jukaso (Asset Acquisition), Lemon Tree (Operator search) and Hotel Mint Koregaon Park (Lease Acquisition). On a pan India basis, we have a current pipeline of 32 projects under various nature of assignments.

Which region in India has shown the most active room inventory buildup?

Which are the regions to look out for till 2020?

Southern and Western regions have shown the most room inventory buildup in recent past in both organised and unorganised space. Quality connectivity and infrastructure is one the vital reason for this buildup.

There is immense potential in the Eastern region as

Consolidation after a few intervals is always good for the industry. This helps in building up the scale and brings efficiency in the business, which in turn adds value to all the stakeholders.

Nandivardhan Jain

well, as it is still largely an untapped market. With infrastructure catching up we foresee quality room supply coming to Eastern India within the next couple of years. State capital cities like Patna, Bhubaneswar and Ranchi, which have good air connectivity, also have a very limited supply in the organised space.

There is a lot of consolidation happening in the industry. Comments.

Out of the 58 hotel advisory assignments Noesis handled last year, 37 were conversions from standalone to the branded hotel chain.

Is that indicative of an emerging trend?

Total rooms inventory in our country is of 4.3 lakh out of which branded operator operates 30 per cent and 70 per cent are standalone hotel operations. The conversion of the hotel from standalone to organised space makes a clear case of financial value add in monthly GOP and asset appreciation.

In the last 36 months, 7133 rooms have been added in the organised space from standalone hotel operations.

This trend of shifting from a standalone hotel to be part of a branded hotel chain will further gain momentum, and will help us build a robust Indian hospitality ecosystem.

India is one of the top-10 source markets for Kempinski Hotels: Imad Sawaya Akshay Nayak Mumbai INDIA has been in the top-10 markets for Kempinski and with the increasing potential here, “I see India to be positioned in the top five source markets for the hotel company in near future,” told Imad Sawaya, regional director, business development, MEA, Kempinski Hotels.

Speaking at the roadshow held here in Mumbai, Sawaya remarked that India has been an important source market for the European luxury hotel brand, for which through the multi-city

Imad Sawaya

roadshows in India they are showcasing their new landmark destinations to the potential India market. “We have been here in India just about three months ago in November 2018 for the promotions of our new properties which underscores that India market is really crucial for Kempinski,” he added.

“I know the company is working hard to find the right opportunities to establish at least one if not more flagship properties here in India,” Sawaya replied when queried about the hotel company’s plans to open a property in India.

The fact that the Indian market has grown exponentially is evident from their interest to experience and discover the world, feels Sawaya. “To cater to this potential India market, we are fortunate to have our properties in many parts of the world including Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and we also have one hotel in Havana, Cuba. We know that the UAE is a very important destination for the Indian markets, especially for weddings. Also, our landmark destinations like Bali, Singapore, and destinations in Germany like Hotel Aldon Kempinski Berlin

and the ones in Munich and Vienna are most likely preferred by our Indian clientele,” told Sawaya about the preferred destinations by the India market for Kempinski Hotels in the world over. “What I very much like about the Indian market is its richness in segmentation. Hence to cater to the varied segments of leisure travellers, corporate groups, MICE, weddings and honeymooners form the India market we truly have unique landmarks all across the world that really appeal to each guest regardless of which segment they belong to,” said Sawaya.

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France’s Cyrene Randrianasolo bags title award at fifth edition of IIHM’s Young Chef Olympiad EF&H Staff Mumbai Following six days, four cities and three rounds of the event, France was the crowned winner of the IIHM International Young Chef Olympiad 2019 on February 2, 2019. Cyrene Randrianasolo, a student of Albert de Mun Hotel and Catering School, beat 49 other nations and was declared the winner of the fifth edition of YCO 2019. She was also awarded the Golden Chef Cap given for the first time this year to the winner of YCO 2019. The silver trophy went

to Romania’s Bogdan-PetruAlin Vandici of ICEP Hotel School and the bronze went to England’s Luke Hayward from the University College of Birmingham. Along with the trophy, Randrianasolo also bagged a gold medal and was handed over a cheque for US $10,000.

Speaking on the achievement Randrianasolo said, “I am honoured to win this recognition from IIHM at YCO 19. I want to thank them all for this wonderful opportunity and I am overwhelmed to have won this trophy and prize,” said Cyrene.

This year, the International

Young Chef Olympiad, had an additional attraction with a Plate Trophy for countries that

ranked between 11 to 20. It was bagged by Matthew Potgieter, a student of South African

Academy of Culinary Arts.

The International Young Chef Olympiad 2019 commenced on January 28, 2019, where the countries completed two rounds of competition in Delhi, Pune, and Bangalore before coming to Kolkata for the final round.

Randrianasolo bagged the winner’s trophy after the final round held at the IIHM Global Campus in Kolkata. The final round included preparing a salmon-based dish, a potatobased side, and a dessert.

Apart from the winner’s trophy she also bagged an award for Best Hygienic Practice.

IHCLenters homestay segment,to open one hotel every month in the next fiscal year Akshay Nayak Mumbai THE INDIAN HOTELS Company (IHCL) recently announced that it has entered the homestay market in India with the launch of ‘Ama Trails & Stays’ brand. These are a group of guesthouses and heritage bungalows in unique locations across India. The company has already inked management agreement for nine heritage bungalows with Tata Coffee in Coorg and Chikmagalur, the bookings for which will begin from March 1 this year. It will also add two more properties in Candolim, Goa, and aspires to have a total of 100 such properties, which will also comprise of the non-

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Puneet Chhatwal group bungalows, under the Ama umbrella pan India by the end of 2020, informed Puneet

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Chhatwal, MD & CEO, IHCL. The development is a part of the company’s five-year business strategy Aspiration 2022.

“We will be opening one hotel every month in the next financial year,” affirmed Chhatwal about IHCL’s foreseeable target under Aspiration 2022.

Furthermore, the company will be launching the “Seleqtions” brand in April 2019 which will be a collection of hotels with a story underneath either of the historic lineage or design principle. “Fortunately, we have won the bid for The Connaught in Delhi, which will be a Seleqtions branded hotel,” said Chhatwal. “We have the ambition to start with 10 properties under the Seleqtions brand,” added Chhatwal.

Underscoring the importance of F&B business for IHCL, “F&B contributes to 40 per cent of IHCL’s total revenue consolidated, but if we go to India only, the contribution is as high as 47 per cent,” said Chhatwal. “We are now also having our own online portal for challenging the likes of Swiggy, Eazydiner,” added Chhatwal.

The company, as part of its business strategy, is also considering monetising some of its assets. “We recently sold one property each in Visakhapatnam and Trivandrum. We will hopefully also sell three or four apartments in the next month in Mumbai,” said Chhatwal.

Speaking about IHCL’s recently revamped Ginger brand

introduced into the lean luxe category with the opening of its first prototype hotel in Panjim, Goa in December last year, Chhatwal said that the brand is flexible to be placed in any part of the country, be it primary, or secondary markets in India. “It is a model that has evolved not today, but over the years since it started in 2004,” Deepika Rao, MD & CEO, Roots Corporation Ltd., said. “As part of the repositioning of Ginger, we have included subtle touches like improving the in-room amenities, introducing high energy glocal music while keeping the prices affordable, to make the brand more stylised and aspirational,” Rao told Express Food & Hospitality.

PRODUCT TRACKER

Organic turmeric granules from Gaia COLLECTED from various certified organic farms, Gaia Organic Turmeric Granules is all-natural, contains no pesticides and additives and has a high Curcumin content. A traditional spice and a medicinal herb, turmeric is known for its richness in anti-oxidants and is also an anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic agent. These granules by Gaia retain more yellow colour, delicate aroma and nutrients than the powdered form available in the market.

Ray NoSugar by L. B Industries RAY NOSUGAR is a liquid natural sweetener made from pure Stevia extract. Stevia plant leaf is 400 times sweeter than regular sugar yet adds not even one calorie to the body. LB Group has presented this new product in innovative first-of-its-kind easy snap sachets. These single-use sachets are convenient, mess-free, and pack-in the sweetness of two tsp of sugar.

As per the company, there are no added flavours, chemicals, or additives and it has absolutely no side-effects. It scores zero on the Glycemic Index and does not increase blood sugar (glucose) or insulin levels in the body, which goes a long way in maintaining a healthy body and reducing risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

On the Go range

by Cornitos INDIA’S leading nacho crisps brand Cornitos has introduced consumerfriendly “On the Go” nacho crisps and dip packs. It comes in an easy to peel off tray having separate compartments for the round nacho crisps and salsa dip to make consumer experience better.

These On the Go packs are available in two flavours - Peri Peri and Jalapeno.

Saffola Fittify Gourmet by Marico MARICO has launched a range of healthy gourmet products under ‘Saffola Fittify Gourmet’, a combination of health benefits while maintaining taste for a fitter life. The range has been created by nutritionists and curated by celebrity Chef Kunal Kapur.

These products are made with plant-based superfoods. The healthy gourmet product portfolio currently comprises of Hi Protein Meal Soups and Hi Protein Slim Meal Shakes containing a blend of five superfoods - Moringa, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Amaranth and Turmeric along with an array of exotic flavors. The products are gluten free and have no added preservatives, artificial colours or flavours. The products further offer a 24/7 tracking with health and fitness app ‘Revofit’ and a free 30-day nutritionist consultation.

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March 2019

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Taj Connemara Chennai

T

aj Connemara has reopened after undergoing a yearlong extensive renovation and redesign. Dating back to 1854, the hotel’s iconic history has been updated with fresh and modern sensibilities. Over a century old, the Taj Connemara is a proud relic of the colonial era and is named after Lord Connemara, the then Governor of Madras.

Taj Connemara’s refreshed design has eclectic architectural influences of Classic Colonial, Art Deco and distinctive elements from the celebrated architect, Geoffrey Bawa’s ‘Tropical Modernism’ style coupled with a refreshing interior design. The 147 rooms and suites spread across the Tower and Heritage wings, each boasts of an elegant four poster beds, vintage prints and objets d’art. Sensitive preservation of the Art Deco façade and interiors will showcase the hotel’s original features including wooden carvings sourced from the 16th and 17th century temples of Mahabalipuram. Unique for a city hotel, guests will enjoy 4.5 acres of landscaped greens and enclosed atrium gardens.

Viola Beacon Resort, Lonavla

Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa

H

yatt Place Goa/Candolim has been rebranded as Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa, marking the brand’s second hotel in India.

Located in prime destinations across the world including New York, Miami, Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago, the Hyatt Centric brand serves as a launchpad to destination exploration and discovery for millennial-minded travellers.

Situated in the heart of North Goa, Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa provides chic and contemporary accommodation just steps away from the city’s best beaches, shopping centers, culture, entertainment,

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nightlife and other local hotspots, making it easy for guests to get out and explore.

The hotel has 167 spacious guestrooms including one suite, all offering scenic views of the garden, pool or hillside through large bay windows or balconies.

Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa also offers 6,065 sq ft (563 sq m) of meeting and event spaces, including Jade Vine, a modern ballroom with stateof-the-art facilities, Isle de Sol, a contemporary flexible meeting space, and Jardim, an outdoor banquet space that can be used for either business or social events.

EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

March 2019

I

ndia's leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain, The Fern Hotels & Resorts has launched Viola Beacon Resort in Lonavla, Maharashtra, marking to be the 56th hotel being managed by the company.

The 40-key hotel is located just 6.5 km from the Lonavala Market and is amidst sylvan green surroundings off the old Mumbai-Pune Highway in the Waksai-Maval area of Lonavala.

Along with the in-room amenities and design, the hotel also boasts of a coffee shop and pillarless banquet hall. Conversation Café is a 40-cover all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant located on the first floor of the hotel. It offers a wide range of local and global F&B selections.

COVER STORY

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EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY

March 2019

the main focus

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March 2019

COVER STORY

VIKAS SHARMA VICE PRESIDENTOPERATIONS HARD ROCK HOTELGOA

20 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Goa as a hospitality market The over-dependence on the Russian market which was there around six years ago has completely vanished but the good thing is that there is an increase in the domestic traveller market which is almost 80 per cent. The industry has not seen a pinch during the season time as earlier it used to be dependent only on the Russian market, which has now been replaced adequately by the UK market.

Also, the market has spread across various inbound destinations of which the UK is a very big market for us. Also the middle-class segment especially the youngsters are willing to spend, so that's an added advantage for Goa. The number of hotels which are available in Goa gives a

wide array of choices, so it's not only restricted to five-star properties. The presence of three-star and two-star hotels here has further increased footfall to Goa across the spectrum of different guests. For us at Hard Rock Hotel which opened in December 2016, it has been an upswing since the launch.

We have not seen a dip in business but only grown.

We are quite stable, in fact ADRs have grown over the previous year by around seven per cent. Our RevPAR has also grown similarly. Occupancies have been more or less stable, so that is not the cause of concern for us. The good thing is that the discerning traveller doesn't have to only stay in a particular hotel or brand. Also there is an upsurge in the brands that are coming in the

Goa market, hence giving a different kinds of experiences to clients. Like the 'W' Hotel has opened here which is a lifestyle hotel. Hard Rock Hotel also falls in the same category. So repeat customers have got many accommodation options.

Now hotels have become destinations in themselves.

Ours is the first Hard Rock branded hotel in India. Being the first one is always unique although it can be disastrous as well on the flip side. Though it is a music-oriented lifestyle hotel, the awareness level in India for Hard Rock Cafes has been quite phenomenal because they have been operating for around 10 years here. So creating awareness for us was quite easy as the guests easily related us to the cafe brand. People here didn't earlier know that

the main focus

we also have a hotel brand under the same name, for which even today we have to educate people that we are not a cafe but a hotel. The hotel is a totally different division and is positioned as a lifestyle hotel.

We are coming to Bengaluru next which is going to be a 212keys hotel in Whitefield, tentatively scheduled to open in Q4 2020.

USP of Hard Rock Hotel Goa We have room categorisation like Rock Suite, Rock Platinum Suite, among others. We at Hard Rock Hotel Goa have very unique music programmes for guests in our hotel. So if a guest wants to jam up with music they can choose from a collection of 10 Fender guitars in the hotel for which the menu is placed in the rooms. Further, we can send the guitar to the guest's room with amplifiers and earphones for their in-room jamming. CD music is also going out of fashion now so the vinyls are making a comeback. We have tied up globally with Crosley Inc for

“We have tied up globally with Crosley Inc for small portable turntables, so when a guest wants it, we can send it to them on request. Apart from that, when a guest checks in, the keycard has a code to a playlist from Hard Rock from which they can download or stream music from Hard Rock's specific channel”

small portable turntables, so when a guest wants it, we can send it to them on request.

Apart from that, when a guest checks in, the keycard has a code to a playlist from Hard Rock from which they can download or stream music from Hard Rock's specific channel.

We also do a lot of live shows. Entertainment is again something unqiue to Hard Rock. We offer a platform to a lot of young bands to come and perform at our hotel. There have been some bands who have received big contracts now, like the one from Kerala named Thalavattam which performs on music instruments only made from recycled stuff including recycled stainless steel, plastic, etc. They performed for the first two years with us and in fact they used to do small shows, but they didn't come into the limelight earlier, and with us having providing them a platform here, they managed to sign up for two movies. So that is how the hotel gives a platform to emerging musical talent.

My Management Mantra My management mantra is to be very cool. It is a stressful industry that we work in. We can correlate the hospitality industry directly to that of the defence forces which has to be very disciplined and time-deliverable. We can’t say that the chef has not made the food so the guest will have to wait. Having worked in different organisations, my leadership style has not changed, it is very much with what my style was during my assignments with Taj, IHG or Hilton. I keep my team engaged. Also I give a lot of freedom to them to make their own decisions - only a few big decisions need my approval. If a lady wants a day off, I don’t frown, I just give it to her. It has more to do with the happy-golucky team, and aligning team members for which we do a monthly meeting which is quite different from that of other brands. Our meetings are very engaging, we even have music programmes for our associates, which we do because we are a music-oriented lifestyle hotel, hence we want

even our team members to have some interest in music as well. Moreover, we align our team members’ thought processes based on our customer satisfaction scores, so every month it's shared with them.

We are only in the third year of our operations, but among the 25 properties under the Hard Rock Hotels brand we are among the top two hotels in terms of customer satisfaction and number one in terms of brand compliance. The team understands what the vision of the leadership is. They are aligned with what we are supposed to be delivering to the guests. So in the span of three years we started off at 90+ position on TripAdvisor and currently we are at number 11. So that is my leadership mantra I would say stay focussed and empower your team to deliver. Give them the guidance and guidelines so that they achieve the common goal of the organisation, be it revenue focussed, or sales or marketing-driven. When everyone just aligns together, it becomes much easier.

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COVER STORY

VICTOR CHEN GENERALMANAGER LE MERIDIEN GOACALANGUTE 22 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Goa as a hospitality market The Goa market has been growing rapidly in the last couple of years, that is why you can see the influx of all major brands coming to Goa. As a company, Marriott has four hotels in Goa including the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa, the W Hotel, the latest Fairfield Anjuna and us, the Le Meridien Goa Calangute. There are six more hotels opening in Goa across different brands by Marriott International which are currently under construction and are spread all over Goa. So we are very excited for the market actually because we see this market growing even more.

Over the years we have seen that the Goa hospitality market is changing from being depend-

ent on the international market to more of the domestic market coming now to our hotel throughout the year, which is a good thing. It's good because we can understand them better and we know our culture so we can serve them better. And the market is sustainable as we don't have to only depend on the international market. Of course, the international market coming in is good for us as well. But we are happy that domestic travellers are more in numbers than previously. All the chains are opening hotels which are about two-three in the Goa market. So in the fivestar segment there would be at least an inventory of 800-1000 rooms coming over the next two-three years.

As for the ARRs, our hotel has definitely grown monthby-month. Also in terms of occupancy, we have grown significantly though we are only in the second year of our operations. Our market position currently in the market is very good - we are close to the number one position in the average rate and also in the RevPAR index. Around 90-95 per cent are leisure guests.

We do have some conference groups which is in a good percentage as well.

USP of Le Meridien Goa Calangute USP of our hotel definitely is the staff service. All the fivestar hotels are more or less similar. Firstly, staff service is

the main focus

the biggest differentiator for us and we can see it in all our reviews. We can see it in OTA reviews that we are leading the market. Also we have our internal feedback online survey forms where we can see that we are doing well.

Then of course comes the product which is the hotel rooms and the facilities. Our hotel rooms are very fresh, elegant and contemporary. Our layout is very functional and our decor too is contemporary, which is the brand culture basically. Another big USP is our family club and kids club which is definitely a good facility for our family guests. In fact we have recently won the best family hotel award in India. Moving forward to food, the people should feel that it is just not five-star food but it is comfort food, homely food, which we do very well. Our team members are making sure that the guest feels at home while dining here. What is important is that you have to create a product first, and you will find the market. Once you create a

“What is important is that you have to create a product first, and you will find the market. 'If we take care of our associates, they will take care of the guests'. This is a quote by Bill Marriott and we can see the success behind it�

product, people will reach you.

We have seen so many examples that even though located in a secluded area, the hotel or a restaurant there sees a significant number of patrons, because of the service, food, etc.

My Management Mantra It is very simple and aligned with our corporate mantra which is taking care of our associates. I strongly believe in our corporate culture and values, that 'if we take care of our associates, they will take care of the guests'. This is a quote by Bill Marriott and we can see the success behind it.

For the aspiring candidates looking to join the industry, this is the right time as we can see the exceptional growth rate of the industry. There are so many opportunities. One has to be just focussed on what they are doing and do the basics right. In our hotel we believe in delivering our basics. So if a new entry level executive is joining our hotel, they should just focus on delivering basics brilliantly.

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COVER STORY

ANMOL AHLUWALIA GENERALMANAGER - NORTH GOA TAJ HOLIDAYVILLAGE RESORT& SPA,GOA TAJ FORTAGUADARESORT& SPA,GOA 24 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Goa as a hospitality market In 1947 when the Taj stepped into Goa, it was the brand which put Goa on to the map of international destinations for leisure.

This was the only available hotel across Goa. Today in 2019 if you rewind back over the years and decades, many hotel chains have entered and forayed into the hospitality sector as far as domestic leisure and international traveller market is concerned in Goa. There are a lot of options available today for every customer that is coming to Goa at various price points, segments and sectional levels of Goa. A person can choose from Candolim to Calangute, to Baga, and can also stay in the city which is in Panjim or they can even choose to stay in south Goa. There are also op-

tions available for MICE which was not there initially, but today there are many MICE destinations in Goa. So it's not just a leisure destination but has become an overall product which is offering the customers various price points and options, for them to come and experience Goa. Over the last couple of years, ARRs in the Goa market have more or less remained static.

There has been some amount of differential growth but not as much as we expected it to happen, which has also to do with the increasing competition. If you see the two important aspects of hoteliering i.e. rooms vis-a-vis F&B, today for every customer who comes to Goa, there are so many alternatives

the main focus

available for dining. The hotels now have to rely a lot more on room budgets vis-a-vis the F&B budgets because guests are actually exploring Goa by travelling outside the hotel. Within the hotel premises, rooms are the most captive price point for them as far as capturing guests is concerned and that has not seen huge exponential growth over the last couple of years.

The state is doing a lot as far as boosting tourism is concerned; the infrastructure is slowly improving; the connectivity is better these days but of course, there is a huge amount of scope to do much more than what we are currently doing. In the ecosystem in which all of us operate, I think the most important thing is to be able to adopt the ecosystem and ensure that it is kept clean, whether it is the beach or road cleanliness which is also extremely important. Today any international traveller who comes to India or specifically to Goa compares the beaches here to those in Thailand, Sri Lanka, or any of the other resort destinations and then they say why should they travel to Goa if they are not able to get that kind of cleanliness, facilities, hygiene and the services concerned. I think the prohibitions that are coming here that don't allow people to drink on the beaches is going to eventually lead them to go to shacks or

“The state is doing a lot as far as boosting tourism is concerned; the infrastructure is slowly improving; the connectivity is better these days but of course, there is a huge amount of scope to do much more than what we are currently doing� smaller restaurants or hotels or even taverns, and experience hospitality at that particular price point and also at the same time not go and dirty the whole place where they are supposed to be enjoying.

USP of Taj Fort Aguada & Taj Holiday Village First of all, imagine being in Goa and then imagine being in an actual fort and experiencing a beach with the fort, I think that by itself is a USP. If you see the Taj Holiday Village, it is a hotel which provides you with the

warmth, the super-luxury element in the luxurious environment of a Goan Portuguese village. I think both the properties from their respective positioning have got so much more to offer.

From an extensive flora and fauna to 80 acres of land between the two hotels, to their customised immaculate services and the entire waterfront that both the hotels enjoy, I think there is a lot on the platter to offer.

My Management Mantra I think the first and the most important thing that I firmly believe is all of us have to put in perspective why we are here.

The moment we all know that

we are here for service of the guests, everything becomes easier. So the guests come first and we come next. The second and most important thing is, if the staff is happy, the guest is going to be happy. Hence I always ensure that I have a two-pronged approach towards this, which is to keep the guests happy and keep the staff happy, and once equilibrium is achieved I think everything is going to be perfect as far as your offerings for the guests are concerned. Attrition is there and some of it is good because we want people to grow, experience and to come in and inter-mingle into various crosscultural chains and that is how we and other chains improve.

Yes, attrition is something that is currently bugging all the other chains also because a lot of people are moving across chains, but, then the fun in life is to meet new people, to train them and bring them up to your brand standards. One thing that I tell everybody is that working in a hotel is not going to be a one-day, one-month or a one-year job, but if you are extremely passionate about it and your passion is service with smile, then only come powered to enjoy this industry because it is impossible to give your 100 per cent if your heart is not in your job. So I always believe, work where your passion lies.

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March 2019

COVER STORY

RAJESH MALLIYA GENERALMANAGER HYATTCENTRIC CANDOLIM GOA 26 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Goa as a hospitality market Over the last couple of years the Goa hospitality market has changed drastically with both domestic and internationals brands coming in because there are many guests who want to try a lot of brands for the varied experiences that Goa offers. Also, since it is well connected from all regions, I think Goa is a must-go-to destination. Indian travellers are also keen on visiting newer destinations here, and with Hyatt having its presence spread across India, we can create a lot of loyalty.

People who use Hyatt across India, know about Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa. In terms of

market, there are a lot of hospitality brands coming to Goa due to which newer destinations here are opening up. Of late, the domestic markets are considering spending a lot on hospitality because the demographics including the millennials, Gen X and Gen Z, look for experiences. So price is never a barrier, it is about the experience in totality, and considering Hyatt Centric, it is all about experiences. We are in the heart of north Goa, the most happening venue, which helps us explore Goa as a whole.

USP of Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa Hyatt Centric as a brand

looks at exploring the outside. Hyatt Centric hotels are located in the heart of a city.

We at Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa assure that the guests explore the city. We believe only in experiences, so right from the arrival to the departure of the guests, we take care of their experiences in totality. We let the guests take it at their own pace, and don't bombard them with activities on offerthey can do, hence making them feel like they are at home. We inform our guests of the locations and the experiences which people don't usually get to see. For example, we have tied up with Aquasail India, and also we

the main focus

have got scubadiving in the hotel for which we have the vendor here with certified scubadivers on board - this is very popular among our guests.

The property has a very chic design, is user-friendly and has got a vibrancy for those people who are explorers. Also, the staff here is pretty young, and when they meet young visitors it is very easy to bond. The staff is one the biggest USPs that we have at the hotel.

Goa is a tough market, getting the right manpower here is a challenge. We keep the staff as engaged as possible with a lot of activities. When the rebranding was happening, we arranged experiential stays for them in the hotel during which they were treated as guests throughout their stay. We strongly believe in growth of the people working with us.

“The domestic markets are considering spending a lot on hospitality because the demographics including the millennials, Gen X and Gen Z, look for experiences. So price is never a barrier, it is about the experience in totality”

for a meal, it is about the experience - I ask myself, “what does this place have that I would visit this place again?”

When a customer comes here, there must be a reason/s why they choose Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa.

For me work is worship so I try and bring it up along with my associates and it is like an open-door policy in terms of approaching the hierarchy. I also believe that one should belong, feel special, must be understood. So once an asso-

ciate feels he/she is understood, valued and that they can walk up to give suggestions/feedback, it translates into a sense of accountability and responsibility thus bringing in loyalty from the staff as well as the patrons.

My Management Mantra Professionally and personally for me it is all about experience. So even if I go out

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COVER STORY

RAJENDRAN MENON GENERALMANAGER THE ZURI WHITESANDS GOA 28 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Goa as a hospitality market Till around four to five years ago, in the luxury hotels segment in most parts of Goa we had a season and an off season. The season used to start with the charter flights from Russia and even Germany. The charters used to fly in from October to end of March or April depending on when Easter fell.

Mid September was when the traditional domestic market used to travel. But in the last four to five years the market has turned and changed drastically, especially for the higher category hotels. Firstly, the charter clientele are now more of backpackers, who prefer the low category, cheaper hotels so obviously they are not ventur-

ing into five-star hotels now. In our hotel, five years ago we used to have an event called the Russian Christmas (of the Russian Orthodox Church) in our hotel, celebrated every year on Jan 7. We used to have a gala dinner on that day. Four years ago we had around 200 guests for the dinner - since last two years it has dropped to just 25 or 30! So that says it all.

In thelast few years the Russian market is actually growing big time in the charter segment, but that market is highly dependent on the international economic scenario, price of oil and gas, currency fluctuation rouble vis a vis the dollar, plus the quality and profile of guests using the charters has changed over the years. In

the last two three years most of the five-star hotels in south Goa don’t do more than 15 to maximum 20 per cent business in the charter segment. Now everything has shifted and skewed in favour of the domestic market. That is the market which is driving the business round the year. Previously in the peak season we used to do an average occupancy of 85 to 90 per cent and during the summer, hotels used to run 50 to 55 per cent (May to September) but now most of the hotels are doing an average of 83 to 84 per cent round the year. And that is totally driven by the domestic market.

The figures for last year 2018 show that Goa received nearly 78 to 79 lakh tourists

the main focus

throughout the year out of which only 11 per cent are international tourists. Nearly 90 per cent is domestic and it is this segment that is driving the business, the occupancies and ensuring that the five star hotels are dong exceptionally well.

As for attrition, it is more in F&B service, housekeeping and in the kitchen (chefs) whose main aim is to work on cruise lines. Goans constitute a large percentage of the F&B workforce on international cruise companies. In some of the cruise liners it goes upto 25 per cent. Their main aspiration is to join cruises. But in the last two years the attrition has definitely come down.

USP of The Zuri Whitesands Our location is our USP. We are right on Varca beach, spread over 37 acres of land considering the land mass the number of rooms we have is quite limited - we have only 154 rooms which means that two thirds of our property is covered by lawns, waterbodies and swimming pools - we have two pools in the hotel. We have a long meandering pool which is 180 metres long from one end to the other end. This gives privacy to the guests, so those whose rooms are on the ground floor at the pool level can just slide into the pool from anywhere. That is a big advantage.

In the last four to five years most of the hotels are catering to the MICE and wedding segment. Today destination weddings is the main business driving five-star hotels in south Goa - it has literally become the bread and butter of most fivestar hotels here. The biggest USP is that we offer various indoor and outdoor venues for the various wedding functions.

We don’t repeat the venues. We have a separate swimming pool where pool parties can be held.

So it doesn’t disturb the other guests. We don’t have a standard menu for weddings. We offer highly customised menus to wedding clients tailor made to their requirements. We even

“The figures for last year 2018 show that Goa received nearly 78 to 79 lakh tourists throughout the year out of which only 11 per cent are international tourists. Nearly 90 per cent is domestic and it is this segment that is driving the business”

fly in chefs from other cities or hotels like Kerala and Bengaluru so that we can offer authentic cuisine to our wedding guests without any compromise whatsoever.

My Management Mantra Lead by example. People look up to as the department head so we carry ourselves very professionally. I always like to be on the forefront of any issues or problems and I always encourage and empower the team to take decisions so that I don’t have to get involved every time. Decisions are quick and immediate and the problem is resolved at the starting itself. Only in the bigger picture for budget meetings, quarterly review, etc, I give them a track, a path to achieve their targets.

Operationally we give everyone a free hand. My doors are always open and so is contact by mobile. Even in personal assistance we go that extra mile like we conduct classes for personal finance management to help the staff to achieve their personal financial goals.

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COVER STORY

RKS KUNDE VICE PRESIDENT HOLIDAYINN RESORTGOA 30 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

the main focus

Goa as a hospitality market Hospitality industry here is going through a sea change.

There is a lot of demand for destination weddings and we are getting a good response from this segment and our revenues are increasing day by day. ARRs have definitely gone up by at least 10 per cent and we expect it to grow further in the coming years. As far as attrition is concerned, it is high in our production and service areas. And maybe to some extent the front office. The rates are around seven to eight per cent.

USP of Holiday Inn Resort Goa Our property gets more leisure guests and we do a lot of weddings. Guests like to do weddings here. They feel at home here. The property has a lot of green cover and the staff is very friendly and smiling.

Ready to serve and this is a strong USP. There is definitely something about our property which turns an enquiry into business. We have 205 rooms.

Holiday Inn Resort is located at

“There is a lot of demand for destination weddings and we are getting a good response from this segment and our revenues are increasing day by day. ARRs have definitely gone up by at least 10 per cent and we expect it to grow further in the coming years”

Mobor beach, Cavelossim, Goa. Cavelossim beach is situated between Sal river and Arabian Sea. The beach resort has a captivating style that combines traditional Goan architecture with contemporary design and luxurious finishing. You can choose spacious accommodation in a stunning beachfront

setting with the option of a garden view, pool view or sea view with attached balconies.

My Management Mantra We value everybody’s work.

Everyone has a unique skill and we give them some liberty, flexibility decision making power is given to them in every matter. Ultimate aim is

to see that the guest is happy.

To make the guest happy whatever decision needs to be taken he has to take and that liberty is given to them. So they also feel that they are involved in decision making and making the guest happy. As a result what happens - the guest is also happy and the manager is also happy.

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COVER STORY

SHRIDHAR NAIR GENERALMANAGER THE LEELAGOA 32 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Goa as a hospitality market Today Goa is a 365 day destination. Not split into seasons anymore. April to Sept largely continues to be the domestic as well as visitors from the Middle East. October to March we are increasingly seeing larger Indian domestic market share as well in the high season. So for us October to March the largest markets would be UK, followed by Russia and then India and the rest of the world. We are seeing a change where the Indian market is continuing to grow even in the high season. We are attracting the discerning Indian guests who are willing to travel, willing to spend; they are wanting to spend

on luxury, on quality which is a great departure from the previous trends.

As for attrition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain talent. You have the millennials who are much more impatient than Gen Z or Y. As far as we are concerned because we are part of a large chain, the attrition levels are easier to control. But having said that we still have attrition levels of 20 to 28 per cent.

We are continuously working to make sure that we provide a work environment that is robust and dynamic for our associates.

USP of The Leela Goa We are a legacy hotel. We are lucky that 30 years ago we

could build a hotel like this.

Now with the CRZ norms you cannot have a hotel like The Leela in Goa. We straddle the sea and the river - on the west we have the Arabian Sea and on the east we have the river Sal and we have fresh water lagoons touching the sea to the river. And the complex is spread over 75 acres. We are very popular with repeat guests, guest from Europe as well as Russia. Almost 35 per cent of our business is repeat guests – guest who have come here on multiple occasions and stayed with us. We have a 2 and half km private coastline with not a soul. We are the only hotel in India to have a

the main focus

private beach. Every one of our 207 rooms overlooks a waterbody - either the sea or a lagoon or the river.

We are known the world over. When I travel to international fairs in Europe and Russia, people may not know Goa but they would know The Leela Goa. That’s how established the property is in terms of having marketed itself for the last 30 years in major source destinations like Europe and Russia.

Over the past five years we have seen a growth of about four to five per cent compounded in terms of average room rates (ARRs). We have also seen occupancies grow by one to two percentile points.

In terms of ARRs, between April to September the property has an ARR of Rs 15000 while from October to March the ARR jumps up to about Rs 26,000 to 27,000.

“We are seeing a change where the Indian market is continuing to grow even in the high season. We are attracting the discerning Indian guests who are willing to travel, willing to spend; they are wanting to spend on luxury, on quality which is a great departure from the previous trends”

revolves around human management. Our biggest assets are not the product or the building or the cutlery. For our property we get a lot of repeat guests, the people are coming back for the service they have received and the service is de-

livered by our associates.

There is a very strong human element. So my management mantra is very very simple. You keep your associates happy and they will ensure that your guests keep coming back. Our is probably the most expensive

hotel in Goa so every guest who comes here knows he is paying at least 30 per cent more than he would for any other hotel so his expectations are very high and we have to match those expectations. We have no room for error.

My Management Mantra I keep reminding myself that we are in the business of people. We are people serving people. For us everything

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COVER STORY

GAURAV APTE GENERALMANAGER GOAMARRIOTTRESORT& SPA

34 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Goa as a hospitality market What we have seen in the past couple of years is that the number of foreign tourists has decreased a little bit. However, the domestic tourist traffic from different states and cities has increased exponentially. It can also be due to facilities that are now available in Goa - so many accommodation options, not just five-star hotels but also homestays, villas, shacks, etc.

Not every traveller visiting Goa can afford to stay in a five-star hotel so what has happened is that they would instead visit a five-star property to experience the F&B. They would want to host an event in a fivestar hotel. So we see a lot of people influenced by word of mouth and who want to do events in Goa. Every hotel in Goa that has a sea view has a

USP so whether it is a wedding, or a gala dinner or annual day functions, they want to have this backdrop. Connectivity by road, rail or air has also improved over the last two years.

Overall it's definitely been a growth in domestic tourists as compared to foreign tourists.

Also it has become more easier for the domestic tourist to stay in hotels that have become a little more affordable because of the increase in the room inventory. Places of interest have also increased - from 500 restaurants it has now gone up to 700 restaurants, party places have increased exponentially. Earlier in Panjim there were probably just two or three places where tourists could go for a night life but now there are more. Entertainment value has increased. People find more

value for money coming here than going to say Phuket or Andaman & Nicobar because it is quicker and can be reached over a weekend .

As far as ARRs are concerned our hotel has seen an increase in the average rates because we have changed the target guests that we are looking at. Earlier we used to look at company guests or business transient guests but considering that most companies are not located in Panjim, we have shifted our focus a little bit towards another segment, that is casinos, where the husbands want to visit the casino while the family stays in the hotel.

USP of Goa Marriott Resort & Spa Our biggest USP is that this is the first Marriott hotel in

the main focus

India in 1999 so there's a sense of achievement because after this more than a 100 Marriott hotels have come up in the country. So people refer to this as the first Marriott hotel in India. It has established itself in the Goa market, people who come to Goa aspire to stay here. The location is very central and it has a phenomenal view. But the biggest asset is our staff. Many of them have been with us for 15 years or more. They recognise regular patrons who have been coming here for the last 10 or 15 years and there is a unique bonding between them, not seen in many hotels. People who come here want to come again and again. It is not because of the facilities but because of the staff. A huge shout out to the staff who have been here over the years. Our voluntary turnover does not even touch 10 per cent so that is the the sense of pride that I have that the staff has been so good.

Apart from this, our location is really very central, anybody who has work in Panjim or wants to do anything in and around Panjim, this is very close to the main road, to the bus stop and closer from the

“Our biggest USP is that this is the first Marriott hotel in India in 1999 so there's a sense of achievement because after this more than a 100 Marriott hotels have come up in the country�

airport as well. So I think our main USP is the location, the view, the product, the facilities and the staff.

When you talk of attrition, most important is to ensure whether you are taking care of your associates for their three key needs. One, are they being

paid well? Not just salaries, but other benefits like uniforms, cafeteria, lockers, do we provide accommodation for staff from outside the state, etc. Secondly, are they getting to learn something different every single day?

Is there a plan for their development moving forward? Lastly, what the individual is going to get after two years being with you, a future forward

aspect. All this works really well in keeping the staff motivated and ensuring that they continue with us for a long time.

My Management Mantra What has worked really well for me are two things - hard work and dedication. I started my journey as a base level associate/assistant quite some years ago but I realised that there is no

substitute for hard work and dedication - you can cut corners, you can try and be a smart worker but you need to put in your hard work and your soul into what you do and put a timeline to it and then work towards how you can achieve it. That's what has worked for me and that's what I keep telling my team as well, that it will work for them too.

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COVER STORY

VICTOR SOARES SR GENERALMANAGER, RADISSON BLU RESORTGOA CAVELOSSIM BEACH 36 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

the main focus

Goa as a hospitality market So far, it has been a very encouraging 2018-19, which brings in greater expectations. Our hotel has established its identity well over the years. Domestic trends are sending strong signals of an ever growing market and that is here to stay at least till 2020. Goa is definitely seeing a digital boom since the past couple of years and it is evolving.

This will be of great help in the hospitality sector. The main aim is to make the hotel industry a more tech-friendly space through new-age technology for our guests. With better roadways connecting north and south Goa, commuting will become easy which is currently a hindrance for guests.

USP of Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach With its unique positioning and F&B offerings, Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach is a great hotel for all segments of visitors to Goa. It has 132 wellappointed rooms and villas, multiple restaurants serving global cuisine, authentic Goan,

“Domestic trends are sending strong signals of an ever growing market and that is here to stay at least till 2020.

Goa is definitely seeing a digital boom since the past couple of years and it is evolving. This will be of great help in the hospitality sector”

enjoy live music provided by an international band or dine on the terrace for an alfresco experience. Sagres captures the true spirit of Portuguese culture with its signature cocktails and finely crafted food. This tavern and restaurant features evenings of live music and an outdoor seating area to create a fun and relaxing atmosphere.

Our numbers and current occupancies are well in line with our expectations and market potentials and we expect the market to improve further in the coming months.

Portuguese and Greek delicacies; it has a vibrant bar too. We have a strong food and beverage team which is our backbone and they provide the best of food and services. Our thematic Sunday brunch is the talk of the town and popular with the local patrons. The hotel also has adequate conferencing spaces and sprawling lawns for banquets and get togethers. With its serene location, it is an ideal hotel for anyone visiting for business or leisure. Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach is the ulti-

mate leisure getaway specially designed for natural living and to create a perfect balance between people and their environment.

Modern and open with natural light that pours in from floorto-ceiling windows, the dining room at Upper Deck is a bright and inviting place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. Indulge in an extensive buffet full of delicious Western and Indian cuisine, or order dishes from the à la carte menu and drinks from the attached bar. In the evenings,

My Management Mantra The mantra is the legendary 'Yes I can' attitude. We are constantly working towards creating memorable moments for our guests with personalised offerings and establishing a benchmark through impeccable service standards thereby living upto the tagline of “Feel the difference”. We remain a favourite destination for first timers as well as repeat guests.

(As told to Akshay Nayak)

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COVER STORY

JAIKANT SHROFF GENERALMANAGER VIVANTAPANAJI

38 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

the main focus

Goa as a hospitality market For our property we have had consistent business for the last three years. This is a very unique business hotel and our chief clientele are corporates unlike most other hotels in Goa. We get a fair share of leisure guests as well and we do conferences and events business also. The ARR has not grown to the level we would like it to grow but there has been a five per cent increase year on year which is fairly decent. But we wanted it to grow more which has not happened. There is a demand for Goa especially in the domestic market – it is growing consistently. Goa is on everyone’s bucket list. It is also not a very expensive destination in that sense. If you want to fly to

“There is a demand for Goa especially in the domestic market - it is growing consistently. Goa is on everyone’s bucket list. It is also not a very expensive destination in that sense”

Goa from anywhere in India, the ticket will be Rs 5,000 if you plan your holiday in advance. Once you land in Goa, even hotels are not very expensive like if you compare it to Rajasthan. Goa is far more economical than those destinations. As for the demand supply ratio in room invetories, in the near future there should be no imbalance.

Retaining employees is a difficult task but as we are part of the Taj group, we are a preferred employer and unlike other companies we work as a chain so any employee who wants to shift finds an easy placement. Attrition is in controllable limits so we are not unduly worried about it and sometimes attrition is also good for the organisation.

USP of Vivanta Panaji We have around 5500 sq ft of banqueting and a good prop of our business is from conferences and events and we are booked throughout the year. Of course, in the Oct to March period we are busier than from April to September. State-of-the-art technology, elegant interiors, innovative culinary presentation, impeccable service and exceptional value make Vivanta Panaji the preferred venue for business presentations, conventions, functions and special banquets. We have a range of F&B options.

Apart from the in-house deli, Caramel, we have an all-day dining called Latitude featuring a fusion of cuisines inspired by varied regions from across the world. Then there

is a Goan restaurant called Goan Stories whose menu has been curated by Chef Rego, known as the Godfather of Goan cuisine.

There is also a pan Asian restaurant called Tamari which is an award winning restaurant. We also have Tease, the bar where one can sample a mix of signature Vivanta cocktails, Fuse and our signature cocktails – Teasetinis. We get very good reviews for all our F&B outlets. This hotel being in a central location we get a lot of non resident-outside guests as well.

My Management Mantra Work hard and work honestly and sincerely and you will be successful.

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CHEF'S PLATTER

'I think the world perceives Indian cuisine with a lot of respect and curiosity: Chef Ranveer Brar Hailing from Lucknow, Ranveer Brar was always fascinated with the city's distinctive gastronomy, majorly the street food, which in turn paved his path into the culinary arts as a career. Revisiting his initial inspiration, Chef Brar often recollects of one such kebab ustad – Munir Ahmed who tutored him on the finer points of kebab-making. After graduating from IHM, Chef Brar kickstarted his career in the culinary industry at the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel.

The rest is history, with him bagging the Executive Chef title at a tender age of just 25, to being a celebrated chef across the length and breadth of India as well as in many international destinations. On the sidelines of an event held by Kellogg's to introduce its new range of Indian flavoured corn flakes curated by Chef Brar, Steena Joy met with him to know more about the new range and his advice to aspiring chefs

40 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

With Kelloggs introducing four new variants this time in Indian flavours, how are you looking to connect it to the Indianness?

The only way to connect to Indians is through flavours right? The only way to be Indian is to cook Indian, taste Indian. And that is what we tried to do... we tried to establish the Indianness through what you taste.

Do you think this will help the younger generation to connect with these flavours?

I think it will because sometimes one is just looking to relate to the past and nostalgia. I think this will help people to relate to nostalgia.

What has been your experience with Chef Marco Pierre White, a Michelin-star chef who was in India recently?

It was great, Chef Marco is a gentleman.

And, I am going to spend some more time with him on his farm, in the UK. We are trying to do something new in India, which hopefully shall be interesting.

How does the world perceive Indian cuisine?

I think the world perceives Indian cuisine with a lot of respect and curiosity, because they want to know more.

You have curated menus for Royal Carribean Cruises. What is the challenge in creating menus for a cruiseline as compared to restaurants or hotels?

The biggest challenge is, on a cruise, the chefs are cooking for 5000-7000 people and it is a very process-driven thing. Indian food is only one of the 30 cuisines on board.

Hence one has to do as much as they can in that span.

What do you think about the trend of organic foods among chefs as well as consumers?

I feel that is how it is supposed to be. Food is supposed to be chemical-free, organic, seasonal and I think sustainability is a natural equilibrium, that is how nature intended food to be.

Future plans?

There is a new restaurant coming up in Dubai and also there is a new book coming up which is very research-driven in its content, so it will at least take a year more to be launched.

A lot of young aspirants want to be chefs because they think it is very glamorous. What advice would you like to give them?

Stick to the basics, is what I would like to tell them. It is always like one starts learning letters before forming words, and then start forming words before they can form sentences. I always see cooking is like a murder mystery novel.

One doesn't read the first page and the last page just to find out who committed the murder, but they have to go through the whole novel to reach the end of it. The biggest mistake that we make sometimes is that we just read the last page and say, “Hey, I know how it ends�, which is not important. Knowing how it ends is not important, but knowing how every page unfolds is important.

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CHEF'S PLATTER

From Sicily with love Agostino D'Angelo, executive chef, Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea, was recently in Mumbai for a week-long culinary showcase of traditional Sicilian cuisine being held at Vetro and Enoteca, the fine dining Italian restaurant in The Oberoi, Mumbai. EFH caught up with him for a tete a tete

By Akshay Nayak

A

GOSTINO D'Angelo, executive chef, Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea, born in Trapani, Sicily as a child enjoyed the traditional flavours and tastes of the island and also learnt the secrets of home-cooking.

He reminisces about his childhood when he used to spend hours with his grandmother at their rustic restaurant preparing couscous, an Arabic dish. Revisiting the inspiration that led him into the culinary world, Chef D'Angelo says, “In Sicily, food holds great value as the families there, often on weekends, gather together and spend time talking to each other over lunch or dinner. Also during these get-togethers, we talk about what we will be having in the following day's lunch or dinner. That is the cultural importance that food holds for Sicily.” Chef D’Angelo also remembers the yesteryears when as a child he used to wake up on Sunday mornings to the aromas of the food cooked by his father.

“I started in the kitchen when I was just 13. I explored and worked with a lot of places in and around Sicily. Later, I joined as a chef with Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea in 2007 till 2012, after which, in order to learn new skills and techniques I moved out of Sicily to work with various boutique hotels in countries like the UK, California, Mexico, Sweden. After spending five years outside of the island, I decided to go back to Sicily and join Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea, where I had left my heart,” tells Chef D’Angelo

about his journey in the culinary space. The ingredients found in Sicily also have had a major role in inspiring him to become a chef. “I travel a lot in the world but I never find the ingredients like those found in Sicilia,” muses Chef D’Angelo.

Cuisine influences Sicilian cuisine predominantly is common to that of Italy but also has traces of other cultures like Arab, Greek and Spanish which have existed on the island. Commenting on this, Chef D’Angelo says, “Trapani being

42 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

very close to Tunisia, years ago, the fishermen from both the places used to meet in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and often exchanged their recipes, due to which there is a lot of Arabic influence in our cuisine.” Couscous can be prepared using goat meat or vegetables Chef D’Angelo likes to make it with fish which is also one of the

Using simple and genuine produce of Sicily is at the core of Chef D'Angelo’s art of cooking. signature dishes that he prepares at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea. Moreover, Sicily has a lot of vegetarian delicacies in which aubergine (eggplant) and peppers are used. “My mother even now makes a lot of caponata - a popular Sicilian eggplant dish which we eat throughout the year,” says Chef D'Angelo about the popularity of vegetables in the island. As per Chef D’Angelo, using simple and genuine produce of Sicily is at the core of his art of cooking.

Talking about his favourite ingredient, Chef D’Angelo likes to use fresh basil in almost all of his dishes. “I also like to use aubergine for it is available round-the-year. Its abundance is the reason we have the aubergine parmigiana, aubergine caponata, etc,” he adds.

When asked about the popularity of Sicilian wines and their pairings with the cuisine, he says that they frequently use Marsala wine in the kitchen for many of their dishes. “Even in the Cannoli’s crust, we put the Marsala wine in its dough to give it the acidity. Marsala wine is usually paired with sweet dishes but there are also some dry Marsala wines that can be paired with seafood dishes.

Advising the budding chefs from across the globe, he says, “Being passionate while pursuing culinary arts as a profession is really important because it is not just a job but dictates a chef’s style of life.

Sacrifice also forms a part of the same in terms of long working hours, less time to be spent with the family at home, among others.”

“Every dish that I make is created with some twist using

different techniques so every dish has something new,” concludes Chef D’Angelo. During his leisure time, Chef D’Angelo likes to go fishing and also play football with his colleagues from the hotel.

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STARTUP ZONE

Food start-ups in India: Opportunities and challenges 44 EXPRESS FOOD & HOSPITALITY March 2019

Finding market or need for the idea, (3) Getting finance, (4) Finding the supply chain for the product and (5) Getting regulatory compliance. All these are different areas but work in unison to make the project successful.

Food start-ups: Indian scenario

Dr Prabodh Halde

Dr Prabodh Halde

S

TART-UP India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India. It intends to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and providing opportunities for the start-up businesses in the country. It was launched in 2016 with the aim of empowering start-ups by young minds with vibrant ideas.

Globally, start-ups have been seen as nation builders. They make a positive contribution to a na-

tion’s economy and create jobs. Because of their success they create a sense of indigenisation of innovations and technologies thereby developing a viable business model around innovative products, services, processes and a platform that drives successful industry and an economically strong nation.

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DIPP), a start-up is a registered firm or business (private limited or registered partnership firm) which is within less than seven years of establishment and has less than Rs 25 crore in the preceding financial year. In the case of the Bio Technology sector, the eligibility period is extended to 10 years.

A start-up firm should be working towards innovation or improvement of existing products and should also be undertaking commercialisation of new products, processes, or services driven by technology. A start-up must have the potential to generate employment and create wealth.

There have been over 36,000 registered start-ups in India of which over 15,000 got start-up recognition.

Out of these 129 got funding support. Most of these start-ups are in IT services with almost 15 per cent followed by Healthcare & Life sciences with over 8 per cent. Agriculture and F&B sector together account for less than 8 per cent. Thus there is good scope for more start-ups in these sectors.

In the state-wise analysis, it is observed that most start-ups were in Maharashtra with over 2500 followed by Karnataka, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Startups have been growing in number over the years.

In the year 2016, there were only 503 start-ups whereas these numbers grew substantially to 5373 in 2017 and to 8724 in 2018.

Components of a start-up A start-up has five different basic components namely the entrepreneur getting (1) Unique idea, (2)

India has the second largest land cover in the world with diverse agro-climatic zones across its regions. It has sunshine throughout the year with potential to cultivate a vast range of agricultural products. Large marketable surpluses are produced which can become abundant raw material for processing and a middle class population of over 45 crores is a big market for the food industry. With changing lifestyles and eating habits, food processing start-ups will only flourish in the coming days. India adds 1.5 crore to its population every year which is equivalent to thrice that of New Zealand's or twice of Israel's, every year. There is a need for four billion meals in India every day so having a food start-up is more desirable here.

India produces various agricultural commodities which places it in the first rank in many sectors in world production. It produces highest amounts of milk, pulses and tea whereas it is ranked second in case of wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, etc. In coarse grains and edible oilseeds it ranks third.

Looking at the Indian food processing industry, only 25 per cent of it is in the organised sector whereas 75 per cent is small-scale of which 42 per cent is unorganised and 33 per cent is classified as small-scale industries. There is a constant change occurring of unorganised industry becoming organised.

Food processing structure Food processing in India is still at a nascent stage.

While in other countries such as the USA, France and Malaysia, processed fruit and vegetable account for 70-80 per cent of total production, India processes only 8.3 per cent. There is a great scope for increasing the level of processing in other foods as well including milk and milk products, meat and poultry as well as in marine products. India has a huge food market with a population of 120 crore and an annual food expense of Rs 15 lakh crore. Thus the extent of scope is tremendous and sustained.

Global trends such as increased use of natural products; increasing shift to wholesome nutrition rather than functional benefits addressing a particular health concern; Increased consumer attention to nutritional labels rather than relying on advertising claims; increased focus on healthy food that is also tasty, and increasing certification and regulations for building credibility in market - are expected to be seen in Indian markets in the near future.

Several consumer behaviour studies have shown considerable trends in Indian food and these could be good for the food start-up area.

1. Safe: Organic, natural or traditional.

2. Convenient: Ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook or on-thego foods.

3. Healthy: Functional foods, nutraceuticals, etc.

These consumer behaviours pave the way for food start-ups.

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STARTUP ZONE

mapping of the consumers which may be conducted by carrying out a market survey.

Technology always enables newer products or processes to be used in order to satisfy consumer demands. Extrusion and baking are some of the means of supplying some nutrients and healthy ingredients to consumers who are demanding them.

As consumers are finding less time and skills for preparing some of the products themselves, technology offers solutions such as cut vegetables, dosa batter that saves their time and efforts. Innovative packaging using various technologies have been serving the consumers by providing them convenient and shelfstable products. Consumers are also looking for some traditional recipes which are formulated by the industry with some modern twist through innovative formats.

Finance for start-ups

Some of the major trends shown in the food start-ups are as follows: 1) Private labels; change from products to services; innovative packaging that influences purchase, and sustainable products.

2) Trends in consumption are health consciousness (low sugar/carb, high protein, and multi grains); natural, organic and fresh produce; cold-pressed beverages, global cuisines; ready-to-cook or ready-to eat products; review-based ordering and regional tastes.

3) Major trends in food delivery sector such as E-grocery, restaurant food delivery, food kits, E-FMCG food and semi-prepared food.

Start-up ecosystem For a start-up to materialise there are many components necessary. There are support organisations, big companies and universities along with funding agencies, service providers and research organisations that make it possible for start-ups to begin.

Many ideas, inventions and research can give a boost to start-ups which may be at different stages with entrepreneurs and start-up team members trying to make the start-up successful.

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Start-up life cycle Just like a living organism, a start-up has different stages of life. It starts with the Discovery of a product or service that is scalable for a sufficiently large target market. The second stage is Validation wherein the discovered product or service hits the market for initial consumers. This will give birth to the start-up which enters into the next stage namely the Maintenance where the benefits and problems faced due to global presence need to be addressed. The final stage is either the Sale of the start-up to a bigger giant or to acquire huge resources for renewal or further growth of the start-up to become a large company.

Modern R&D It is very essential for any start-up to do a lot of research before getting into execution of the idea. The entire basis is to have the mind set of R&D keeping in mind the consumer perception throughout the process of bringing the start-up into existence. While conducting R&D in food industry there are a couple of things to be remembered. One needs to take into consideration the consumer for whom the product or service is targeted and the technology used for food processing. To find out the consumer needs, one needs to carry out

Any start-up needs financing, which can have three stages in its lifecycle. First being funding by angel investors or seed funds required in the early stage. They invest solely into the entrepreneur with the innovative idea. Normally it does not bind the entrepreneur with any governance formalities.

Venture capital (VC) is the second stage of finance which is used to scale up the company’s proven business model. This comes from larger institutional funds. Here the focus is on building sales as well as establishing global presence. The final stage of financing is public markets which can be tapped by late stage start-ups which need to expand more aggressively or actively innovate the product.

Public equity funds together with public markets provide large amounts of liquidity.

Finance can be raised through several sources including family and friends, banks and government schemes. There are crowd funding and angel investment options open as well as for the start-up. One can also try venture capital from finance agencies. As mentioned above, different finance schemes are needed for different stages of a start-up. In India, there are over 45 VC (Venture Capitalist) companies and most support IT start-ups. There are very few that support agri and food space. Some VCs that support such start-ups are Omnivore, Villgro, Unitus Seed Fund, Ankur Capital, Infuse Ventures and Acumen.

Start–up stage wise drivers and risk factors Every start-up has its own objective. At each stage the drivers and risks are different. Those who overcome the risks go on to the next stage. Finance plays a very important role, almost like oxygen.

For the concept or idea stage, the risk is the idea being copied by someone. So one has to protect the idea and act fast. 30 per cent start-ups die at this stage. At Validation stage, self-belief is the most important aspect and generally over 40 per cent startups give up at this stage. Once the concept is accepted and a prototype has been launched, then sustenance is the key; one has to prove the start-up is a commercial venture and profitable business. One should always keep in mind that a start-up is being done for scale and without scale they will not be able

to attract any investor. My experience shows that only 10 per cent start-ups pass the valley of death phase and reach the scaling stage.

Government schemes for food start-ups Start-up India is a flagship programme for the government and thus there are many schemes for supporting startups. Some key schemes and support are Start Up India, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NewGen Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (NewGen IEDC), Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme promoted by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Venture Capital Finance Assistance (VCA) Scheme promoted

by Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), and India Aspiration Fund. Over and above, every state has launched many schemes to increase start-ups in the respective state in the area of food and agriculture.

FSSAI’s contribution towards start-ups In conjunction with the government’s initiative on ‘StartUp India’ and ‘Digital India’, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) is bringing together innovators and start-up entrepreneurs to provide innovative solutions and transform the country’s food safety and nutrition landscape. FSSAI has started project FINE: Food Innovator Network (https://fssai.gov.in/fine/) and also initiated the FOSTAC Plus (Food Safety Training and Certification) course especially for start-ups. Through programme FINE, FSSAI is extending support to start-ups, giving one point help to startups for accelerators, content partners, lab professionals, mentors, government schemes, etc. Nutraceutical regulations

by FSSAI have brought in newer opportunities especially in health foods and nutraceuticals. Several types of foods are regulated under the likes of health supplements, nutraceuti-

cals, foods for special dietary use, foods for special medical purpose, probiotic foods, prebiotics, specialty foods and novel foods. I am a national level resource person for FOSTAC Plus for start-ups and through FSSAI we have conducted two programmes and trained over 100 start-ups and master trainers.

AFST support for start-ups Association of Food Scientists and Technologists of India (AFST) is also supporting start-ups especially in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi where our Chapters are creating good initiatives. Through our AFST network we are supporting over 250 start-ups and many AFST members are extending support without any cost.

Start-up Statistics in India: January 2019

Conclusion To feed the 1.3 billion population of India, the food industry will play an important role and for bringing innovative and practical products and services, food start-ups are crucial for the country’s growth.

Though there are various schemes and support available for start-ups, strong ideas and persistent efforts are key drivers for a start-up’s success.

Unfortunately in food processing, less than 10 per cent start-ups cross stage three of the start-up cycle (scalability).

Though the overall economy is favourable for food start-ups we should all support the system and help these tiny startups to excel and grow. Food start-ups are beneficial for a farmer’s economy since it values the farm products and also from an employability point of view, for a populous country like India food start-ups are very important for the country’s growth.

(The author is immediate past president AFST India.

He is involved in start-up support from last four years and has supported over 250 start-ups directly and indirectly)

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TECH BYTES

The top technology trends in hospitality for 2019

The rise of new technologies will enable hospitality businesses to provide guests with greater customisation, convenience, and control

By Riccardo Campione and Dr Alain Imboden

T

echnology is transforming the way that travellers interact with brands before, during and after their journey. Far from pulling hospitality away from its soul as a people-centric industry, the adoption of new technologies allows hospitality businesses to deliver greater personalisation and better service. With the help of AI, IoT connectivity and other new technologies,

businesses can offer a more engaging brand experience while meeting and even anticipating guest needs.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) From chatbots and robots to machine learning, AI is already present across the hospitality industry. But technology has the potential to evolve much further, bringing customers convenient on-demand service, greater personalisation, and closer engagement with brands.

Over the last few years,

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travellers have been meeting robot butlers and concierges in hotels like Hilton’s Connie, powered by IBM Watson AI technology. Able to answer guest questions, handle check-ins and deliver discreet room service, these helpful robots can lessen the burden on human staff, enabling them to spend more time with guests who seek personal interaction.

More recently, customer service robots have also been appearing in retail stores and airports; SoftBank Robotics’ Pepper - a humanoid robot de-

Dr Alain Imboden

Riccardo Campione

veloped with IBM Watson, has been introduced at Munich Airport and Václav Havel Airport Prague, where the robot not only informs but entertains passengers by dancing and offering to take selfies.

Gartner predicts that 85 per cent of customer interactions will be managed without a human by 2020. In Airbnb, travellers receive customised search results based on their browsing and booking history thanks to powerful machine learning algorithms. And chatbots, already in use by leading travel brands such as KLM, Kayak and Booking.com, provide customers with useful information, personalised recommendations and rapid response times. But, AI also offers businesses an opportunity to further reflect their personality and develop brand loyalty: At The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, guests are invited to text Rose, the hotel’s “resident mischief-maker” and chatbot, for VIP access to clubs and other insider tips as well as room service requests. In addition to serving as a virtual concierge, Rose answers guests with humour; tell the bot “I love you,” and Rose replies with a diamond ring emoji and the message, “Back that up with some hardware and we’ll talk.” According to Mamie Peers, vice president, digital marketing, guests who interact with Rose spend 30 per cent more in the hotel than those who do not, and they are 33 per cent happier when they leave.

Facial recognition and voice technology While technology is not a replacement for human interaction, life-like features can make technology more appealing to users. Intuitive attributes such as facial recognition and voice activation can offer users faster service and a better customer experience.

At Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, face scanners enable guests to verify their identity at check-in, pick up a digital room key and gain access to the dining room at breakfast. The hotel has partnered with Chinese messaging

and mobile payment app WeChat to offer travellers a seamlessly connected experience.

Ebookers, a travel site owned by Expedia, has introduced SenseSational, an online tool which uses real-time facial recognition software to track users' faces as they look at certain images and sounds on screen. The tool then reveals the user’s identity as one of four "tribes" - The adventurer, culture collector, sun seeker and bon vivant - and suggests destinations and activities that match the tribe's travel preferences. Beyond the screen, facial recognition could have other practical uses soon, such as enabling swift check-in at meetings and events, and quick access to public transportation systems.

IoT within hospitality could prove especially attractive among mobile-savvy Millennial and Gen Z travellers. Notably, such technology may also help hotel groups set themselves apart from tough competitors like Airbnb and HomeAway. A seamlessly customised experience is challenging for private residences or boutique hotels to offer, even if they have some smart technology on the premises.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency Many hotels worldwide have added in-room smart speakers and voice assistants that let guests simply say what they need, but this technology is also still in its early stages.

Besides enhancing the guest experience, voice technology can improve back-of-house efficiency as well. Two Roads Hospitality has partnered with Amazon and Volara to develop a customised Alexa for hospitality platform that facilitates daily tasks for staff, such as identifying maintenance problems or signalling that a room is ready for check-in.

Internet of Things (IoT) A guest unlocks the door with her smartphone, walks into her room, and based on past preferences, finds that the

air temperature, lighting and music are set to just the right levels. Such are the possibilities of IoT technology, which offers guests a growing range of options to personalise their environment using an in-room tablet, smart speaker or their own smartphone. Luxury hotels like The Plaza New York, Aria in Las Vegas, The Torch Doha in Qatar and GHM Hotels have all introduced hightech smart rooms. Meanwhile, Hilton has developed its own proprietary IoT platform, and Marriott has partnered with Legrand’s IoT program and Samsung’s ARTIK cloud-based IoT platform, with both hotel chains aiming to roll out IoT connectivity across their properties.

Further integration of the

Offering transparency, security and control, blockchain technology has the potential to change business models across industries. It can revitalise loyalty programmes by ensuring that points are kept secure and can be exchanged across multiple platforms; Japanese e-commerce platform Rakuten has announced plans to transition its loyalty points into Rakuten Coins, its own digital currency.

Blockchain transactions also eliminate the need for third-party mediators, which could be a game changer in the world of OTAs. LockTrip, a blockchain-based hotels and vacation rentals marketplace, enables hotels to manage bookings and guests to make reservations without a commission being taken from either side.

Travellers can browse hotel listings with prices given in LOC, a cryptocurrency whose exchange rate is shown in real time. To book, users pay the equivalent amount in euros, pounds or dollars, which is converted to LOC. The amount in LOC is released to the hotel once the guest checks out, and the hotel can then convert the cryptocurrency into their preferred currency. By eliminating the need for a middleman, this technology enables hotels to offer prices that are 20 per cent lower without affecting profits.

Whether designed to save guests’ time or money, offer discretion or convenience, new technologies will continue to transform the hospitality industry and the guest experience. At the same time, by facilitating day-to-day duties, technology creates new opportunities for staff to build customer relationships that are at the heart of hospitality.

About the authors: Riccardo Campione is an associate professor at Les Roches Global Hospitality Education, Switzerland. Dr Alain Imboden is an associate professor and accreditation officer at Les Roches Global Hospitality Education, Switzerland.

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WEEKEND

American gala

Scene and Heard With Marcellus Baptista

Harmony in balance F

amed fashion designer Nikhil Thampi collaborated with renowned vodka brand Absolut to kick off their Absolut Art Bar property at Famous Studio. The collaboration stems from a simple idea of co-existing that portrays sex being powerful and the fact that future is equal and there is harmony in balance. With a focus on gender equality, the designer showcased his views towards gender stereotypes through his unique installation. On many occasions, Nikhil Thampi has put forward a distinctive take on women’s dressing. Aligning this with the global progress on addressing the issue of gender bias, his installation extricated the negative sentiment the issue holds and embodied the spirit of equality. Music for the evening was curated by both male and female DJs, namely DJ SA and DJ Nina & Malika, thereby reiterating gender equality. To further celebrate the wave of equality there was a mix of male and female bartenders.

Natural and nice

Atul Nishar & Edgard Kagan Alice Farquhar, Babbu & Stephane De Meurville

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ood cheer was in the air as the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai marked 180 years of diplomatic presence in the city with a celebration on the American Consulate lawns at BKC. The event was hosted by U.S. Consul General Edgard Kagan and Namaste America president Atul Nishar and presented by fashion house Aza. Doing the rounds were the choicest spirits, wines and beers, complemented by tasty hors d’oeuvres and dinner from Joss. A live band with super singer Sharmilla Dias, who also ably anchored the event, along with other super singers Brendon D’Souza and Cyrus Dubash and keyboardist Ryan Mendonca made sure you went down memory lane with their retro music. A highlight of the evening was a pulsating performance by world renowned choreographer Shiamak Davar and his troupe. A presentation by members of Davar’s Victory Arts Foundation, which gives a platform to the differently-abled and underprivileged, won everyone’s heart.

S

Neeta Lulla & Nikhil Thampi

Spirited stories G

Limantour bar team

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uests warmly welcomed the very first edition of The Vault Biennale, India’s premier luxury beverage festival presented by founder Keshav Prakash with the theme of ‘Spirited Stories’ at Tote on the Turf. The event hosted over 60 handcrafted spirits, over 30 international masters, distillers, storytellers and mixologists from three of the ‘World’s 50 Best Bars.’ Divided into Taste, Discover, Listen and Indulge, the festival gave guests an access to uncover categories that they may not be familiar with, such as Calvados, Armagnac and Cachaca. The response was overwhelming with over 1,000 people attending the event. Sipping and savouring was the way to go and interesting and enlightening were the several master classes.

The Vault Biennale was supported by food pairing expert Foodhall.

The event curators wanted to avoid plastic wherever possible and therefore partnered with Veen, natural mineral water, to bring in glass bottles that could be recycled.

mooth Belvedere cocktails did the rounds as the vodka brand collaborated with acclaimed creative entrepreneur Babbu the Painter to unveil an installation inspired by the brand’s ‘Relearn Natural’ platform. The collaboration was brought to life at a sundowner at Asilo at St. Regis. Based in Toronto, Babbu’s style of modern design diaspora pop-art is said to manifest the voice of South Asian millennials. The installation titled ‘Babbu’s Belvedere Boudoir’ was a tactile representation of the influence of Belvedere’s manifesto to an enriching lifestyle incorporating ‘naturalness.’ Guests got a glimpse of a whimsical world recreated in the form of a boudoir seen through a Belvedere filter. Every element in the installation, from furniture to wallpaper and a life-sized Belvedere bottle, were handpainted in a light hue of blue to become a part of the filter. Present were Stephane De Meurville, MD, Moet Hennessey and Alice Farquhar, global education & training manager, Belvedere.

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MOVEMENTS Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS)

Vivanta by Taj Holiday Village, Taj Exotica, Goa and more.

Sofitel Mumbai BKC has recently appointed Rajat Sachdev as its new pastry chef. Holding over eight years of culinary experience, Chef Sachdev in his new role will

Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS), India’s premier airport services company, announced the appointment of Ramanathan Rajamani (Ramana) as its new chief executive officer, ef-

Pankaj Sampat

eral manager of Vivanta President. He joined IHCL in 1993 at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. Whilst managing his new role, Sampat will also additionally continue to carry out his responsibility as Center of Excellence (COE) lead for Food & Beverage Concepts.

Ramanathan Rajamani

fective November 10, 2018. He succeeds Mike Chew who was AISATS’ chief executive officer since October 2015. Rajamani brings with him over 15 years of experience in both military and civil aviation sectors. He started his career with the Defence Science and Technology Agency ensuring reliability of fighter jets for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). He joined SATS in 2011 as head of the engineering team. Under his able leadership, the team later won the first patent for the organisation. He also won Singapore’s prestigious National Productivity Award in 2016 for his enormous contribution to SATS.

Taj Asia (TAL) & Taj Safaris (TSL) Pankaj Sampat is now the area director, Sri Lanka, Maldives & Malaysia and head, Taj Asia (TAL) & Taj Safaris (TSL). He launched and positioned the new Taj Santacruz, Mumbai when he was the general manager of the hotel, prior to which he was the gen-

Accor Hotels Novotel Imagica Khopoli has appointed Avinash Kumar as its new executive chef. Chef Kumar who comes

the director of sales. With an experience of nearly 10 years in the hospitality sector, Malik is known for his active competence as a team player and has worked with leading hospitality brands like The Oberoi group, Hilton Mumbai, Trident, etc., among others. During his assignment with Novotel Pune, Malik will be responsible for the development and implementation of business strategies for the property. Malik will be responsible for bringing new ideas, strategies and implementing them successfully at the hotel.

Award for Bravery 2009 for her commitment to guest relations during the 26/11 terror attack at the hotel.

Dabur India The Dabur India board has approved the appointment of Mohit Malhotra as the company’s new chief executive officer with effect from April 1, 2019. Malhotra, who is currently the CEO of the company’s India business, will succeed current chief executive officer Sunil Duggal. Malhotra,

JW Marriott Kolkata

ensure that the pastry team provides consistent quality of food and beverage, in accordance with international standards, enhancing their own ability to create with a purpose of achieving complete guest satisfaction and organisational profitability, and ensuring an atmosphere of high team morale. In his previous assignments, Chef Sachdev has worked with The Leela Ambience Hotel Gurgaon, Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli, Shangri-La Eros Hotel New Delhi, JW Marriott Chandigarh, and The Oberoi New Delhi.

Sameer Malik has recently joined Novotel Pune as

In a career spanning over 12 years, Sabrina Dey has been appointed as the director of operation at JW Marriott Kolkata.

In her new role, Dey will be seen effectuating strategies to support business growth, revenue generation through up-selling of products and services, and creation of value through designing new products. Ensuring strict compliance with quality, safety, environment and health standards, her focus will demonstrate creativity conceptualising and executing unique guest experiences. Following her Diploma in Hotel Management from The Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development (OCLD) in 2008, Dey kickstarted her career with The Oberoi Mumbai as assistant manager, F&B, where she was also a recipient of the FLO GR8

Tusch Daroga appointed as the hotel manager at The

Sameer Malik

Sabrina Dey

Tusch Daroga

Rajat Sachdev

Mohit Malhotra

who was also appointed as a whole-time director of the company with effect from January 31, 2019, will work as CEO-Designate till March 31, 2019, under the guidance of Duggal.

The Ritz Carlton Bangalore

Avinash Kumar

with over 15 years of culinary experience, in his new role, will be looking after the functioning of the hotel in terms of setting the menu and mentoring the culinary team to source the right candidates for F&B. Chef Kumar, in his previous assignments, worked with The Lalit, New Delhi, The Lalit Golf & Spa Resort, Goa, The Holiday Inn Resort, Goa,

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Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore brings with him a wealth of experience spanning over 16 years in hospitality, across leading luxury hotel brands such as The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts and Trident Hotels. In his latest capacity, Daroga is responsible for leading the team in achieving operational efficacy and creating exceptional guest experiences by instilling initiatives to empower employees and inspiring a thriving work culture.

Being a passionate hotelier, accomplishing enhanced guest satisfaction is his forte.

With over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, Singh brings with him a deep understanding of the industry after having worked at different hotels pan India.

Prior to joining Azaya Beach Resort, Goa, Singh in the capacity of commercial director,

Anand Kumar

plementing recipes, staff supervision, learning and development in the kitchen.

OYO Hotels, China

The Fern Hotels & Resorts

OYO Hotels, one of the China’s top three hotel chains, homes and living spaces has appointed Sam Shih as its chief operating officer (COO) for the China market. He will be reJaspreet Singh

launched the first Andaz hotel in India, adding to Hyatt's luxury lifestyle collection of 15 other Andaz hotels worldwide.

Singh also served as the director of sales & marketing (South West Asia), for InterContinental Hotels Group, for two years. He also developed his expertise with several regional marketing and sales positions, with the Oberoi group, where he spent 14 years of his career.

Sam Shih

sponsible for the overall regional operations, driving consumer experience and building operating efficiencies at scale across OYO China. Before this, Shih served as president of Global Consumables and chief executive officer at Asia Pulp & Paper Co. He also led the operations at Red Bull and Accor Group, France.

Azaya Beach Resort, Goa Azaya Beach Resort, Goa has appointed Jaspreet Singh as its general manager.

Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks has recently appointed their new executive chef, Anand Kumar. With 16 years of experience across a multitude of establishments, Chef Kumar brings in expertise refined from a multitude of cuisines, Mediterranean, Italian, Asian and Indian. He joins Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks from his prior role as executive chef at Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli. In his new capacity, apart from donning the chef ’s hat, he will showcase his knowledge of im-

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Shandilya worked with Xanadu Collection All Suite Hotel Kampala, Uganda as general manager. His previous assignments were with Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai UAE, Ritz Carlton Hotel Doha Qatar and Cayman Island, Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi, Hotels English Point Mombasa Kenya and Pinewood Beach Resort.

Debasish Muduli is the new general manager of The Fern Sattva Resort, Dwarka.

With 16 years of work experience Muduli worked with Dukes Retreat, Khandala; Ras

Rupam Ghosh

15 years of work experience having worked with Mahindra Holidays & Resort; Park Plaza Ahmedabad; Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives; The Manohar, Hyderabad; Hotel Clarks Shiraz, Agra; Heritage Village, Gurgaon, etc.

Ghosh has completed his diploma in hotel management from IIAS School of Hotel Management.

Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel Bhanu Gupta, with over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, has just joined as the director of F&B at Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel & lakeside Chalet – Mumbai, Mar-

Singhania Sarovar Portico, Raipur Sarovar Hotels and Resorts has appointed Sumeet Shandilya as the general manager of Singhania Sarovar Portico, Raipur. Shandilya brings with him a professional experience of more than 14 years with core expertise in F&B operations and marketing. Before joining Singhania Sarovar Portico, Raipur, Debasish Muduli

Resorts, Silvassa; Silver Palace Hotel, Rajkot; Hotel Imperial Palace, Rajkot; Cambay Sapphire Hotel, Ahmedabad; Country Inn and Suites

by Carlson, Ahmedabad; and Park Plaza, Ahmedabad. His last employment was with The Fern Gir Forest Resort, Sasan Gir. He has completed his post graduate diploma in accommodation operation and management from OIHM, Rourkela, Odisha.

Rupam Ghosh has joined as the general manager of The Fern Residency, Bhuj. He has

Sumeet Shandilya

Bhanu Gupta

riott Executive Apartments.

In his previous assignments, Gupta worked with various brands and properties including Radisson Blu MBD, The Taj Mahal Hotel, Park Hyatt – Chennai, Hyatt Regency – Delhi and The Imperial. In his new capacity he is responsible for heading a team of culinary professionals and experts, crafting an exciting and innovative direction to create unique experiences in all the F&B outlets at the complex property. Gupta has also actively been involved in the preopening phases of multiple hotels.