September-October Bi-Monthly Magazing Mystic East 2016
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MYSTIC EAST ...an unexplored horizon A bi-monthly magazine by HRAEI | Vol 2 | Issue 5 | September - October 2016 COVER STORY THE GREAT MRP DEBATE 3 COURT VERDICTS: HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS CAN SELL WATER AND BEVERAGES ABOVE MAXIMUM RETAIL PRICE AT TABLES DIRECTOR'S NOTE September - October 2016 Dear Fellow Members, When some of our members signed up with hotel MYSTIC EAST aggregators — such as Oyo rooms—little did they A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE BY HRAEI know the move would impact their business or Vol 2 | Issue 5 | September - October 2016 goodwill. Deep discounting and unrealistic promise made by these entities to customers often put ho- tels in trouble. The aggregators, however, quickly EDITORIAL BOARD 'downgrades' a hotel through a questionable 'star SUDESH PODDAR system rating’ whenever a guest posts a nasty feed- PRESIDENT, HRAEI back on the hotel. The customer is impressed by RAVINDRA KUMAR KASHUKA the aggregators' 'efficient' action but the hotel loses MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER, HRAEI trust in the market. SUBORNO BOSE This is a reason why over 200 hotels backed out MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER, HRAEI of deals with OYO Rooms and Zo Rooms shifting to GOPAL DAS AGARWAL rival camps (say, Wudstay and Vista Rooms). The VICE PRESIDENT, HRAEI trend proves the hotel owners, on principle, are okay with the concept of aggregation but irked by EDITORIAL CONSULTANT SUSMIT BARMAN the high-handedness of specific operators. Rather than deep Apart from imposing the odd rating system, CHIEF DESIGNER members do not receive timely payments from SOMU DUTTA discounting, some aggregators. Also customers booked by them hotel aggregators often fail to show up. As a result rooms pledged by ‘Mystic East’ magazine is printed the hotels stay unsold, depriving loyal customers. and published by Atikram Gupta on behalf of Hotel must have solid Rather than deep discounting, these new age and Restaurant Association of Eastern India. processes in entities must have credible processes in place. It’s Printed at CDC Printers Private Limited, No.45, time they grow up fast. Only the fittest is going to Radha Nath Chowdhury Road, Tangra Industrial place survive the tough competition in the new domain. Estate-II, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 015 Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India, 18A/1, Everest , 18th Floor, 46C, Chowringhee Road, Kolkata- 700 071; Telephone- +91 33 2288-1742/43, 40035993. Sudesh Poddar E-mail: [email protected] President, HRAEI Website: www.hraei.co.in THIS ISSUE OF MYSTIC EAST CONTAINS 56 PAGES INCLUDING COVER AND BACK COVER All information in Mystic East magazine is derived from sources we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. The publisher regrets that he cannot accept liability for error and omissions contained in this publication that might have crept in inadvertently. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by third parties are not necessarily shared by the magazine. However, we wish to advise our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances.. No part of the magazine may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copyright or the article is taken from another publication. An exemption is hereby granted for the extract used for the purpose of fair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sent to us for our records. Publications reproducing material either in part or in whole, without permission could face legal action. The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material, solicited or unsolicited, nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged. MYSTIC EAST | 3 SECRETARY’S MESSAGE Dear fellow members, The recent incidents of credit and debit card fraud across the country make hotels and restaurants extremely vulnerable to financial heist. The threat comes from identity thieves who use legitimate an individual’s personal infor- mation to fraudulently apply for credit cards. According to hospitality fraud prevention consultants, the only truly reliable way for the front desk personnel to prevent these crimes is to request all guests checking in to keep more than one identity card ready (say, a driver’s license) in case of card transaction. Unfortunately, few hotels require this proce- dure, or if they do, enforcement is lax. For added security, the front desk staff should carefully tally the name on the arriv- To prevent card frauds ing guest’s alternative ID card with that on the the front desk must credit card and the reservation information stored in the hotel’s system. request all check Credit card criminals will sometimes claim in guests to keep that they don’t have an additional form of identification. If this occurs, the best policy multiple identity cards for hotels is to decline the credit card and ac- ready cept cash only. In addition, it is essential that all employ- ees carefully follow the credit card companies’ transaction processing procedures—to avoid being stuck with fraudulent charges for failing to take adequate precautions against guests bearing stolen or counterfeit cards. Better safe, than be sorry later. Pranav Singh Secretary, HRAEI 4 | MYSTIC EAST INSIDE September - October 2016 Cover Story 34 September - October 2016 GREAT MRP DEBATE Court orders allow hotels and restaurants to sell beverages and packaged water above MRP because they add elements of service and ambience to their patrons along with the drinks NEWS IINTERVIEW 8 Ms. RANJU ALEX, 9 the General Manager of JW Marriott Kolkata speaks to Mystic East in an exclusive interview FSSAI checks up on hotels, restaurants; 12 inspector raj thrives JW Marriott Kolkata aims Kerala liquor ban hits to make the city a top MICE business and MICE and wedding 14 tourism in the state; destination Sri Lanka is the gainer MYSTIC EAST | 5 Inside 19 ECO HOTELS 39 With huge growth in the CHEF-GUEST hospitality sector in big cities and smalltown India, CHATS the need of the hour is the The trend of chefs interacting with creation of sustainable the restaurant’s guests has some property key advantages 26 FESTIVE CUISINE 44 CLASH OF CLANS Restaurants conduct food Not all hotel owners are happy with fests during religious how hotel aggregators offer deep occasions to attract a discounts and unreasonably large number of footfalls downgrade certain properties INTERVIEW 32 Pranay Kumar Singh, Exceutive Chef 50 at Swissotel STATE SURVEY Kolkata, Political stability, bountiful flora and reveals his fauna, rich tribal culture and formula to pilgrimages make Jharkhand an crack food fests attractive tourism destination 6 | MYSTIC EAST NEWS JW MARRIOTT KOLKATA AIMS TO MAKE THE CITY A TOP MICE AND WEDDING DESTINATION OPING to come up with five more H properties across India by the year end, US-based hospitality chain JW Marri- ott threw open its first property in east In- dia in Kolkata on November 3. The property with a 13,000 sq ft banquet -largest in their existing eight properties across India -is be- ing positioned as their best wedding desti- nation in the country. Marriott is also coming up with anoth- er property -Fairfield in Kolkata's eastern fringes New Town alongside Courtyard in Siliguri. Coming up with one of their mod- erate tier brands in Guwahati is also on their expansion radar. Bullish about the eastern India market, the Kolkata launch is just a stepping stone for Marriott to spread the brand in the east. “Kolkata has been having a good market growth and did not have too many new options. But with the government's stabil- ity and eastern India being the gateway to northeast India and Asian countries, we are upbeat about the market here,“ said Neeraj Govil, area vice president, South Asia, Mar- riott International. Every Marriott property in the country will be incorporated with a bridal studio. The Kolkata property is already booked with 35 weddings scheduled to take place at the premises between November and March. Targeting high-end corporates, the average room tariff at the hotel ranges between Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,500. The 281-room property would be launched in three phases, with the first phase having 191 rooms which will be launched next month. The other phases will be launched by the end of the fiscal year. Source: The Economic Times 8 | MYSTIC EAST September - October 2016 Breaking the glass ceiling US-based hospitality chain JW Marriott recently threw open the doors of its luxury property in the metropolis -- the first in the eastern region. Ranju Alex, the General Manager of JW Marriott Kolkata, and Multi Property Vice President East India, successfully executed the colossal project well before its deadline. Before getting into the shoes of GM in the Kolkata hotel, she had been the GM of the the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa.. An alumnus of IHM Kolkatta, she joined Marriott International in the year 2010 after being the officiating GM at the Oberoi Grand Hotel, Kolkata. She is also a keen advocate of women in leadership in all spheres of life and commerce. She spoke to Mystic East in an exclusive interview. Excerpts: Q. JW Marriott finally begins its Q: Where does it stand in com- journey in eastern India. How does parison to the other competitors it feel after successful planning in the category in Kolkata? Will and execution? the opening of the new hotel start It is a very heady feeling with excite- a price war among the five star ment , euphoria , optimism and a rush hotels? of adrenalin.