HOTEL P 24

Himachal Has Been Slightly Blessed during the Pandemic, GM Welcomhotel Shimla

Neha Kirpal

About 10 kilometres away from the hustle bustle of Himachal’s capital city, lies the grand Welcomhotel Shimla. Owned by Zed Infrastructure Private Limited and operated by ITC Limited, the hotel is spread over an expansive area of over five acres and surrounded by Mashobra’s rich evergreen forests.

On 15th November, 2020, it was rebranded as a Welcomhotel property. Currently, it has 47 operational rooms (of which 12 are deluxe, 34 are superior and 1 is an executive suite), two food & beverage outlets (the indoor and outdoor all-day dining multi-cuisine WelcomCafe Cedar as well as Swizzle, the bar) as well as three banqueting and meeting venues. We caught up with Welcomhotel Shimla’s General Manager, Raj Panda, who spoke among other things about some of the hotel’s unique features, the effect of the pandemic and its plans for the future.

What are some of the hotel’s unique features that set it apart from your competition?

The road approaching the crescentshaped hotel is through a signature trail that exposes itself into a valley. All of its furniture has been made using anticarcinogenic material. Unlike other hotels in the area, each room is V-shaped with a valley-facing balcony and enjoys a view of either the sunrise or the sunset.

Welcomhotels are all about enriching experiences. This hotel offers many of those. The property has an in-house putting green with two tees and two holes. There is a 24-hour fitness centre, an indoor recreational area for children having table tennis, billiards, American foosball, card room, library, chess, carom, ludo and a playstation. There are also daily yoga sessions, cycling, camping and river rafting services available on request. The Sunset Garden also offers various activities, such as air-gun shooting, archery and bonfires.

What has been the effect of the pandemic? What are some measures you have taken to counter its effect?

By and large, Himachal has been slightly blessed during the pandemic due to the influx of tourists after both the first and second waves. However, we continue to be careful on several counts. We conduct a random RTPCR test of our staff members from each department on a weekly basis. Further, the WeAssure programme has enabled various stringent measures, such as screening of body temperature, disinfecting luggage, minimum contact during buffets, digital ordering of food, quarantining of vegetables and linen, sanitised cutlery, crockery and tableware as well as e-payment.

What special promotions and packages are you offering during this time?

There have been many long-staying packages during this time, such as staycations and workations. Then there is the Relax and Rejuvenate package for a minimum length of 15 days. Another package we have introduced is Dine at Your Own Convenience, which enables a guest to order food that can be left outside their room using zero-contact delivery. Our cancellation policy has also changed from a minimum of seven days’ notice to three days from the date of arrival.

Since mid-2020, we have also been offering Doctor’s packages and Army packages to express a kind of gratitude towards both the medical and defense fraternities. By this, all commissioned officers or doctors possessing an ICMR certificate can avail of a flat 50% discount on given rates.

Tell our readers a little about your signature food items and complementary classes that the hotel offers to resident guests?

Our thin-crust pizzas, which use a local cheese brand, Amiksa, are very popular. We have a live noodle counter every evening. There is also the Welcomsthalika, by which one can relish regional dishes of Himachal Pradesh on a single platter. We offer mixology sessions that help people prepare signature beverages using local ingredients that are easily available in one’s kitchen. We also offer interactive cooking classes that introduce guests to Himachal's

Raj Panda

General Manager Welcomhotel Shimla

traditional cuisine, again using ingredients that are easily available in one’s home.

What are the hotel’s plans for the future?

There are a number of plans to extend the hotel’s inventory and add new experiences for guests. Presently, we are creating more walking trails within the property. We are also working on bringing one of ITC’s specialty restaurants within the hotel. Another 16 two-bay suites as well as three new treehouses (two super luxurious cottages and one gazebo) will come up by the end of the year. Further, a super luxurious spa, K by Kaya Kalp, will also start operating by the yearend, offering various therapies, including the signature forest bathing experience (hugging trees and absorbing maximum oxygen from it).

SpiceJet reported a net loss of INR 235.3 Crore in the fourth quarter of FY21

News Desk

SpiceJet reported a net loss of INR 235.3 Crore in the fourth quarter of FY21 against a loss of INR 807.1 Crore in the same quarter of the previous year as business continues to be severely impacted by the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic which has adversely hit operations and travel demand. The airline reported a net loss of INR 998.3 Crore in FY 2021.

While there has been significant losses suffered on the passenger side of business the dedicated cargo operations continued to provide much required lifeline to our over all operations. On a segment basis the revenue from cargo operations increased by 518% aggregating to INR 1,117.5 Crore for FY2021 with profit of INR 130.9 Crore for the full year against a loss of INR 134.2 Crore for the previous year. FY2021 posed multiple unprecedented challenges as we saw most parts of the world going into lockdown. With the second wave of the pandemic and the emergence of various mutant variants, the Company continues to see significant negative impact to demand for air travel. However, even as the company continues to monitor the impact of the pandemic on its operations and financial condition, it has also been implementing various mitigation strategies to protect its long-term sustainability. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “The intensity with which the second wave of Covid-19 struck and the unimaginable devastation it has caused, both for the already battered travel industry and generally, will take time to heal. To ensure our long term growth and sustainable operation we have decided to raise funds of up to INR 2,500 Crore. These funds will be used to significantly strengthen our balance sheet.” “Much like the first wave, this time too, our cargo arm was exceptionally active and has performed extremely well transporting record quantities of supplies all across the globe. In order to provide greater focus to cargo business and raise additional capital, we will hive-off the cargo business to operate as a separate entity. The same will provide greater opportunity and flexibility in pursuing long term growth plan and strategies for the cargo business.”

Etihad and EL AL announcess codeshare, loyalty agreement

News Desk

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates/Tel Aviv, Israel - Etihad Airways and EL AL launched their joint codeshare network and reciprocal loyalty agreement for frequent flyers. Available for sale for flights from 18 July 2021, EL AL will add its ‘LY’ code to Etihad’s existing twice weekly service between Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv. Beyond Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub, this new partnership will extend further and is planned to include destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines and Seychelles from 1 August. In the next phase of extending the codeshare agreement, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, Etihad will offer guests an additional 14 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and US by adding its ‘EY’ code to EL AL flights. These codeshare routes will provide guests greater choice, convenience and flexibility, and further strengthen the ties between the two nations.

In other areas of collaboration, the partners will also establish a reciprocal loyalty agreement. Members of the Etihad Guest and Matmid programmes will be able to earn and redeem miles on flights across both carriers’ networks.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “This partnership will provide additional choice and connectivity for both carriers’ guests, and a range of benefits for frequent travelers between and beyond our respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.” The 2020 MOU also provided for exploration of MRO, pilot and crew training, and cargo opportunities, which the parties are progressing.

Bangkok Airways announces temporary suspension of Bangkok – Samui from 21 July

News Desk

According to the notification from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) regarding guidelines for airport operators and air operators on domestic routes during the epidemic situation of the COVID-19, in order to abide by the prevention of surveillance operations in accordance with the requirements and orders of the state, Bangkok Airways announced the temporary suspension of Bangkok – Samui from 21st July 2021 onwards.

In addition to that, the airline announced the postponement of some of its domestic routes which were scheduled to resume on the 1st of August 2021 to until further notice. The postponed routes include: Bangkok – Chiang Mai, Bangkok – Phuket, Bangkok – Sukhothai, Bangkok – Lampang and Bangkok – Trat. However, the current Samui sealed routes, flights accommodating transit/transfer international passengers, connecting from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Koh Samui (3 flights per day) will still be operated as normal. Additionally, the Samui – Phuket route will still be available 4 flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) to support the country’s Phuket Sandbox project.

Avigal Soreq, Chief Executive Officer, EL AL Israel Airlines said: “This is the first commercial partnership that EL AL has established following the Abrahamic Accords. This is an important milestone as this codeshare will bring growing benefits to our passengers and to our respective airlines and countries. The EL AL and Etihad teams have a common goal in this partnership, and we look forward to seeing it grow in the future."