Global hospitality chains making a beeline for Kerala
Published March 31, 2010 | 
The hospitality industry in Kerala has become an attractive investment destination for global hospitality companies. Considering the scope for premium quality accommodation options, more global companies are planning to make Kerala their port of call in the coming months. US-based MGM Mirage Hospitality, Amari from Thailand, Fairmont Raffles Hotels, Golden Tulip Hotels, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts , Corinthia Hotels group from Europe are some of the big names in Hotel chains that are set to come to India soon.
MGM Mirage Hospitality is scouting for offers and joint venture deals with real estate developers to set up hotel properties in Kerala among other destinations like Goa and Bangalore. MGM plans to launch Bellagio, MGM Grand and Skylofts brands in India. It is estimated that over 40 international hotels are expected to be operational in the country in the next 3 years. These offer exceptional upper scale, mid-scale , economy and budget accommodation options to tourists. There is a huge demand and supply gap in the hospitality sector in Kerala that there is enough room for everyone in the market, which makes it a major market for hotel groups. With the entry of international hotels, we can expect a healthy competition among the other players in the field and better prices and packages on the offer.
A village hotel
Published October 17, 2008 | Just step into a typical tea shop in any Kerala village to sample its rustic charm and the warm hospitality it offers. Functioning from a ramshackle thatched shed, these shops will mostly have names of Gods and Goddesses like Muruka Vilasam or Sreekrishna Café. The interiors would be clean though Spartan with a lighted oil lamp and the fragrance of incense welcoming you indoors.
These hotels will turn into a beehive of activity with the crack of dawn when villagers assemble here to share about the day’s Malayalam newspaper headlines and the hottest gossips doing the rounds in the village. Politics is typically the favorite topic of discussion, where the villagers will foretell the outcome of the next elections and appraise the performance of the elected members representing the village.
It is interesting to note that a ‘meals ready’ board will be hung at the entrance of the hotel at all times of the day, though lunch is served only in the afternoon. The typical breakfast items would include puttu, (the famous steamed rice cake) and gram curry or other favorite combos like dosa and sambar along with side dishes of omlette, boiled banana and the like. The 1 meter tea is probably the most popular item in the menu. The tea will be thoroughly beaten by pouring it in and out of two vessels and the tasty brew will be ready in no time. The supplier would shout out the customer specifications like low sugar, more milk or strong tea with less milk and so on and so forth as he places orders in high vocal pitch.
Lunch will be served in banana leaves and the delicacies would include spicy fish curry and vegetable dishes. Tasty food is served at nominal rates and tips are something unheard of in these hotels. Many regular customers maintain credit and pay off the amount at the end of the month. The milieu is warm and the hospitality affable in these small time restaurants where guests are treated like God, unlike the many plush city hotels, where serving food to the starving forms only part of a lucrative business.
Smart city project showcased at Outsource World London
Published April 21, 2008 | 
Kochi: The 15-billion Smart City project proposed at Edachira in Kochi has had its maiden marketing promotion at Outsource World London, a prestigious global business trade platform. The exhibitors came face to face with entrepreneurs and business men who are interested to outsource their business activities to India. The expo held in London on Wednesday and Thursday is expected to give an impetus to the IT dreams of Kochi. During the occasion, Fareed Abdulrahman, CEO of Smart City made a presentation.
The participation succeeded in enhancing the awareness about the coveted Smart City project among not just the local and regional niche but also in the international arena as well. It has stirred up interests among the stake holders, which will notch up the credibility and the good will factor of this project.
To be modeled on the lines of prestigious Dubai Internet city, Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Village, the Smart city project to be started in October would promote the development of IT as well as knowledge based companies. It envisages to set up a global network to assist its companies to exploit the various international markets and opportunities.
Smart City Kochi will have an array of business support services apart from residential, hospitality and recreational facilities, making it a mini township. The project would generate over 90,000 jobs. When completed the project would have 8.8 million square feet of space, of which the major chunk would be occupied by IT and ITeS companies.
Road show of hospitality industry takes Kochi by storm
Published January 30, 2008 | 
The three day event ‘Hoteltechshow & Baketechshow 08, held at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium from 30th January to 1 February 2008 will showcase one of the biggest collections of hospitality and bakery equipments technology and services. The exhibition well complemented by seminars is attracting huge gatherings.
It is organized by Samanuaya Communications, a famous media company located at Hyderabad in close association with the local bodies such as Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association and Bakers Association of Kerala. The show is aimed at bringing world class efficiency and quality into the hospitality segment in Kerala. Over 50 leading players in this field are exhibiting some of the avant garde gadgets and equipments, which would bring further impetus to this booming industry.
Open forums on hospitality management, innovative technologies and energy saving gadgets form part of the tradeshow. It focuses on various latest practices and innovations in maintaining quality, hygiene, waste management and water conservation among others. The main aim of this show is to bridge the gap between the hoteliers and equipment suppliers in a bid to popularize these gadgets.
Hospitality industry in Kerala is a booming industry, driven by the ever growing tourism sector and sustained by a thriving consumer market and it has been on a steady track for the last so many years. Hospitality industry is in fact one of the few segments that has sustained tempo and pace.
Major hospitality and tourism players as well as the state government have high reaching goals in the anvil to promote the tourism industry. Kerala is hoping to attract one lakh medical tourists by 2010. Kerala is expected to clock 11.6 % annual growth in tourism industry in the coming decade as per the figures put forwarded by the World Travel and Tourism Council. It is the highest growth rate for any tourist destination in the whole world. A spectacular feat indeed by any yardstick!
Kerala played host to 4.29 lakhs foreign tourists in 2006 making a revenue of Rs. 10,000 Crores from tourism in the same year. The number of domestic tourists for the corresponding period stood at 63 lakhs.
The spectacular increase in the number of hotels has enhanced the options for the tourists as never before. In addition it has also resulted in a healthy competition to provide the best possible services at the lowest prices ever. It is raining offers and cool bargains in God’s own country as each player vie to get the biggest pie of the customer base by flaunting their brand image and impeccable services.
Another fad among hoteliers has been to bag international standards and certifications to attract well heeled informed tourists from abroad. Government is also leaving nothing to chance and has stipulated various norms and certification procedures to keep a tag on the quality and efficacy of services offered by Kerala hotels.
Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association is going all out to promote the latest techniques which bring the various cutting edge technologies right into their doorstep, opined K.Kuriakose, president of KHRA. Kerala is bang on target in transforming the bakery industry in Kerala on par with world-class standards.
The hotel owners are grabbing the latest energy efficiency gadgets and waste management technologies not just to cut the operational costs but also to attract the quality conscious tourists who never compromise on cleanliness and services. Ensuring more value for the money of their customers, Kerala has carved a niche in the global hospitality segment.