Author Archives: blogger

Benefits Of Green And Wellness Hotels In Italy

Posted on by

The benefits of green hotel Italy and wellness hotel Italy far overcome the benefits of other types of hotels. These hotels both benefit the environment as well as you. Hotels such as these tend to also have good reputations, and for a good reason!

Environmentally friendly hotels use only non-toxic cleaning products to clean. This keeps the environment clean and you safe from harmful chemicals. Nobody wants to inhale bleach or other potentially deadly solutions. Sheets, towels, and mattresses are 100% cotton and the electricity used at the hotel is generated by solar or wind energy. All food served is organic and local-grown as well.

Wellness hotels are known for having great spas that make guests very comfortable to the point where they never want to leave. These hotels may provide other services such as day spas and hot tubs. Hotels such as these are a favorite amongst many travelers.

Green hotels can prove difficult to find so it is recommended that you enter “Green hotel Italy” in search engines to find such hotels. If you would like to find wellness hotels in Italy, you can enter “Wellness hotel Italy.” Otherwise, it may take you a very long time to find good green and wellness hotels, so using the keywords “Green hotel Italy” and “Wellness hotel Italy” is your best bet.

Starwood Hotels To Open New Westin Resort For Punta Cana Holidays In 2013

Posted on by

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide is planning to build a new resort in the Dominican Republic after it signed an agreement with development partner Grupo Punta Cana. The Westin Puntacana Resort is expected to open to tourists taking Dominican Republic holidays in late 2013 in the Playa Blanca area of the Puntacana Resort and Club complex.

The new resort will have 204 luxurious rooms including 16 suites, and guests going on holidays to the Dominican Republic can enjoy facilities such as a large swimming pool, full service spa, fitness centre, 24-hour business centre, meeting and wedding rooms, children’s club, walking trails, lobby bar and a poolside grill.

Brian Povinelli, the Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels and Resorts, commented: “The Westin Puntacana Resort is a highly anticipated addition to our growing resorts portfolio, offering travellers a refreshing, island retreat on one of the most popular islands in the Caribbean.

“The new resort will offer all of the Westin brand’s signature programs and amenities, designed to inspire wellbeing and send guests home feeling better than when they arrived.”

During holidays in the Dominican Republic, travellers staying at the new resort will also have access to first-class amenities at the Puntacana Resort and Club, such as championship golf course, nine gourmet restaurants, a Six Senses Spa, a 1,500-acre ecological reserve and three miles of pristine white sand beaches.

The resort is the first of two Dominican Republic hotels that Starwood Hotels and Resorts is planning to open over the year or so. The first property, Four Points by Sheraton Punta Cana Village, is due to open in October, 2012 and is also being developed by Grupo Punta Cana.

Punta Cana is situated on the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and travellers from all over the world head to the region every year to experience tropical Punta Cana holidays amid stunning natural scenery that is made up of white sand beaches, turquoise ocean waters, lush green landscapes.

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with Starwood Hotels and Resorts to be able to share the Puntacana experience with even more travellers as they visit the Dominican Republic,” stated Alberto Abreu, the Executive Director of Hospitality at Puntacana Resort and Club.

He added: “The Westin Puntacana Resort will allow even more visitors from around the globe to experience the one-of-a-kind beaches, weather, and activities available in our country, and at our resort. We look forward to welcoming more guests into the Puntacana family as we move forward with this project.”

Information Of Hotel Industry Laws In India – Part2

Posted on by

Tax benefits/ incentives.
.Current projections in budget.

Hotel Industry in India currently has supply of 110,000 rooms and there is a shortage of 150,000 rooms fueling hotel room rates across India. According to estimates demand is going to exceed supply by at least 100% over the next 2 years. To overcome, this shortage Indian hotel industry is adding about 60,000 quality rooms, currently in different stages of planning and development, which should be ready by 2012.

Indias hotel industry comprises of four main categories star hotels, heritage hotels, budget hotels and unclassified hotels. It is expected that the budget and mid-market hotel segment will witness huge growth and expansion while the luxury segment will continue to perform extremely well over the next few years.

It is forecasted to be the number 3 market in the world by 2015 for hospitality and tourism.

The industry is growing at a very rapid pace and there is a demand for more rooms both in metros and smaller towns.

In short, the Indian hospitality industry is poised for tremendous growth as the demand-supply imbalance has prompted several national and international hotel companies to focus their energies towards expansion in India. The next few years will thus witness the opening of several hotels in India.

Regulatory policy

The Ministry of Tourism is the nodal authority & along Dept. of Tourism it is responsible policies promotion & regulation of hospitality industry particular hotels.

The following are the some of important guidelines issued by the Dept. of Tourism.

.Approval of Hotels at Project Stage and Classification & Reclassification of Hotels.
.Guidelines for Classification of Heritage Hotels.
.Time Share Resorts (TSR).
.Stand Alone Restaurants
.Guidelines for apartment hotels.
.Guidelines for approval of Guest Houses.

FDI in this sector is permitted up to 100 per cent on the automatic route. For foreign technology agreements, automatic approval is granted if:-

.Up to 3 per cent of the capital cost of the project is proposed to be paid for technical and consultancy services.

.Up to 3 per cent of the net turnover is payable for franchising and marketing/publicity fee, and

.Up to 10 per cent of gross operating profit is payable for management fee, including incentive fee.

Incentives

Tax incentives under the current Budget

.Five year holiday from income tax being granted to two, three or four star hotels established in specified districts having UNESCO-declared ‘World Heritage Sites’; the hotel should be constructed and start functioning during the period April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2013.

.FBT exempted on crche, employee sports, guest houses facilities.

.No specific projections for this sector under the Current Budget.

Conclusion

The thriving economy and increased business opportunities especially growth in the tourism in India have acted as a boon for Indian hotel industry.

The future scenario of Indian hotel industry looks extremely rosy. It is expected that the budget and mid-market hotel segment will witness huge growth and expansion while the luxury segment will continue to perform extremely well over the next few years.

Onyx Signs Agreement With Sino Lanka To Manage Two Sri Lanka Hotels

Posted on by

Sri Lanka will see the development of two new hotels over the next year after ONYX Hospitality Group recently signed management agreements with Sino Lanka Hotels.

ONYX, a Thailand-based management company, will be looking after two stylish hotels that will provide Sri Lanka holidays in Colombo and Galle from late 2013.

Sri Lanka is one of the most vibrant destinations in the Asia Pacific and one that is experiencing dynamic growth in tourism, commented Peter Henley, the president of ONYX Hospitality Group.

We plan to make it a key hub for ONYX going forward.

The two new Sri Lanka hotels will both operate under the OZO brand, which provides stylish and practical accommodation and facilities for travellers.

The Colombo OZO hotel will be located on Marine Drive on the coast and just five kilometres from the centre of the capital city. Guests will be able to enjoy beautiful views from a choice of 160 rooms during cultural Sri Lanka holidays in the country’s capital city, as well a sophisticated rooftop caf and refreshing swimming pool.

Tourists heading to the oceanfront Galle OZO property for beach holidays in Sri Lanka, will be able to enjoy the pristine sandy stretch of beach with its landscaped swimming pool and a selection of dining outlets. The hotel is located two kilometres from the famous Galle Fort and each of the propertys 148 rooms offer stunning views of the coastline.

The chairman of Sino-Lanka hotels, Bob Kundanmal, said: We aim to be at the forefront of hotel development in Sri Lanka in the next decade and we see the OZO brand as an ideal platform for bringing style and innovation to the mid-market sector.

We look forward to working with ONYX over the coming years to bring these first projects to life.

Since the end of the countrys decades-long civil war in 2009, Sri Lankas tourism industry has boomed. Travellers have regained confidence in returning to the island nation for holidays and the Sri Lanka Tourism Authority has been working hard to promote the country as a safe tourist destination in many countries across the world.

The Indian Ocean country is renowned for its beautiful natural landscapes and diverse ecosystem. Tourists can make the most out of their holidays in Sri Lanka by visiting hundreds of sandy beaches and heritage sites including ancient cities and colonial forts, or hiking through wildlife sanctuaries, thriving nature parks, and up majestic mountains.

Key Facts About Hotel Benchmarking

Posted on by

What is needed for the hotel management to optimize hotel performance? Perhaps, the first thing they need to know is what problems and weaknesses they have a moment. The next thing is to design strategy for future development. Yes, in a modern business world it is impossible to survive without having a comprehensive strategy. This is explained by a tough competition in the markets. Hotel industry is not an exception here. It is possible to say that the competition is even tougher in a hotel industry than in other business areas. Indeed, if business owners do not know where they are driving at it is very difficult to achieve positive results, especially if competitors and rival hotels are looking for a chance to wipe them out. Strategy is a protection method. A strategy is about dealing with problems even before they occur. Strategy helps and organization to focus on most important thing and problems both in internal and external environment. Use of a reliable and effective strategic management tool is a must for every company that wants to achieve success. Perhaps, you will not find a single hotel that is not happy to welcome guests. However, the hotel management wants that these guests will come back next time. In such a way hotel creates customer database which consists mostly of regular customers. It should be noted that Balanced Scorecard is so far the most effective strategic management tool used to drive strategy into action.

There is a very simple principle behind Balanced Scorecard. It consists of four categories: financial, customer, internal business processes, learning and growth. Each category contains key performance indicators, which are measures to be evaluated. KPIs represent critical success factors for various business aspects. Having found the right combination of key performance indicators, the hotel management will possess up to date information on current hotel performance. Choice of key performance indicators is the most important stage of Balanced Scorecard implementation. Every individual business has own indicators, and hotel is not an exception here. Lets review a couple of key performance indicators that are widely used in hotel benchmarking.

Occupancy % of rooms. This indicator will demonstrate efficiency of marketing and advertising campaign. If hotel has 100 rooms and only half of them are regularly occupied, such a hotel will most certainly suffer losses because of expenses for maintenance of all rooms. Evaluation of this indicator will help optimize hotel performance and its booking policy.

Average cleaning costs per room. This KPI is related to the first one since all rooms have to be cleaned and maintained while not all of them are regularly occupied by guests. This indicator will help top management of a hotel optimize cleaning costs and introduce some measures that will save costs.

Average length of stay per guest. This indicator will help top management figure out what services guests would need during their stay and for how long (on average) rooms have to be clean. If guests stay mostly for several nights they would need additional services.