Northstar

FEATURE Pan Pacifi c Singapore www.travelweeklyweb.com The Convention Hall at Novotel Hyderabad According to Suresh Kumar, chief executive officer, Fortune Hotels, "We have always emphasized on the virtue of leveraging on our proud lineage of ITC Hotels, and on the power of a "spread" as "the length of the chain is the strength of the chain". We plan to work towards taking further our vision of unfurling a Fortune at every 180 kilometers by concentrating on Metro, Mini-Metro, Tier I & Tier II cities across India. The chain has extensive expansion plans and we are looking at being a 90 hotels strong chain by the year 2015." With 67 signed properties, 5,164 rooms spread across 50 cities in India, Fortune Hotels is operating 40 hotels at present. The chain offers full service without compromising on quality and that too, at a very people-friendly price. Convenient locations, excellence of cuisine, efficient service and competitive pricing, have made the Fortune Hotels chain fairly popular with both business and leisure travellers. Accor has also provided business travellers with another option – in Hyderabad. The Novotel Hyderabad is the fi rst of its kind in South Asia to be built adjacent to the convention centre. Offering 287 rooms and located close to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Novotel Hyderabad was awarded 'Best Convention Centre' for a National Tourism Award by Incredible India for three years in a row and is poised to host some of the prestigious events coming up this year, such as the 11th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in October. And in line with the mobile and technological boom in India, The Paul Resorts & Hotels, together with RateTiger, a premium rate shopping and channel management solutions provider, have joined hands to improve rate parity across multiple online sales bookings channels. Shelley Thayil, director of revenue management, associated with the Paul Hotels since 2000 commented; "Given our small inventory and high occupancy rates throughout the year, it's essential we engage in more future planning across our sales channels. Managing fl exible rates especially for extended weekends and other holiday-periods is becoming increasingly important as it positively impacts our bottom line. With RateTiger, we can keep rates dynamic and make quick changes across all sales channels in one go without errors and ensuring rate parity." The Paul Resorts & Hotels, with a heritage resort in Kerala and a business hotel in the heart of Bangalore, offer world-class facilities www.travelweeklyweb.com Novotel Hyderabad's exterior at night 19 JUNE 2012 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 5 The Paul Resorts & Hotels' Club Suite set in an opulent ambience. Both the properties exemplify personal service and exclusivity and have won various accolades, including 'India's Leading Resort' presented by the prestigious World Travel Awards a few years back. This is also an additional factor that draws tourists to India; with intimate service and attention to detail on personal requirements, that value add makes a difference in hotel experience. BOLLYWOOD BANG Advertising, while key to grabbing attention to a destination, can also be in the form of a fi lm's cinematography. The Bollywood movies, famous for its scenic locations, play a pivotal role in creating a demand for travel. Spain, once uncommon to the Indian traveller, became popular after a 2011 Bollywood hit, showcasing a road trip across the country. Another Bollywood movie that caught the attention of many was one that showcased Ladakh as a prime location throughout the movie, which TravelWeekly Asia will also explore in our coming issue. Undoubtedly, the Indian Invasion will continue to greet the world back in home ground and through the representations of travellers in booming cities, in spite of the general potential to hold back in the current economic uncertainty.

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