Author: Asmita Mukherjee | Hyderabad
AUM Premium is targeting India’s hospitality sector to drive growth in the premium bottled water segment, with plans to build partnerships across hotels, restaurants and wellness establishments. The brand, which offers niche Himalayan spring water, Glow Water and an affirmation-led bottle collection, is banking on rising consumer interest in wellness and premium hydration to build its market presence. In an interaction with Asmita Mukherjee, Jagriti Motwani, Founder & CEO, AUM Premium discusses the growth potential of premium bottled water in India. Please brief us about AUM Premium, its product offerings and the vision behind the brand. What is driving the…
With more than 125 operating hotels and over 50 projects in the pipeline, Royal Orchid Hotels is accelerating its asset-light expansion across emerging markets. The group is strengthening its Regenta portfolio, entering six states with Hampton by Hilton and targeting growing demand from domestic and pilgrimage travel. In an exclusive interaction with Asmita Mukherjee, Keshav Baljee, Executive Director, Royal Orchid Hotels, discusses the group’s expansion strategy and investment outlook. How are changing travel patterns influencing the group’s growth strategy, particularly as domestic tourism gains momentum? Travel patterns are changing due to several factors, including geopolitical developments, currency movements and higher airfares.…
From hyper-local sourcing and smart menu engineering to zero-waste kitchens and mentoring young culinary talent, Chef Avinash Handoo, Director – Culinary at Espire Hospitality, shares his blueprint for crafting memorable F&B experiences across ZANA Luxury Resorts and Country Inn Hotels & Resorts. For Handoo, decoding guest profiles and celebrating regionall authenticity are paramount to driving culinary excellence across diverse leisure destinations. How do you adapt F&B offerings across ZANA Luxury Resorts and Country Inn? When crafting f&b solutions, I always start with the guest, not the menu. At ZANA, we cater to a more discerning luxury traveller who appreciates good…
Foodsta Kitchens plans to expand its Nasi and Mee brand from 15 to 50 outlets over the next three years, strengthening its presence across key markets with a capital expenditure outlay of around INR 50 crore. The company expects the expansion to drive a threefold increase in revenue, with growth initially concentrated in South India before it moves into western and northern markets. In an exclusive conversation with Asmita Mukherjee at Nasi and Mee’s newly opened Hyderabad outlet, Dilip Krishnan, Co-founder and CEO, India, Foodsta Kitchens, spoke about the brand’s expansion plans and growth strategy. Founded in 2015 by Ravi…
Espire Hospitality is targeting a significant increase in wedding-led business, aiming to take the segment’s contribution to 40% and beyond of its overall revenue over the next three years. Weddings currently account for approximately 25% of the company’s revenue, with the hospitality group looking to strengthen its presence across established and emerging wedding destinations, increase average revenue per event and generate business across rooms, food and beverage (F&B) and event spaces. In an exclusive interaction with Hospitality Biz, Nitin Srivastava, Director of Sales-Weddings, Espire Hospitality, discussed about the company’s wedding business strategy, expansion plans and the growing demand for destination…
A café menu usually begins in the kitchen. At Kala Café in Hyderabad’s Kokapet, it began with a mother’s question; what was her daughter eating? That concern set co-founder, Hema Sushmitha on a farming journey that has grown into a 350-acre operation, over 300 native breed cows and the retail brand Pernati Naturals. “I wanted to feed my daughter good and natural food,” said Sushmitha, who began with a single cow to secure milk she could trust. A kitchen garden followed, then vegetables, pulses, groundnuts and paddy. What started as a family’s food supply gradually evolved into a larger farming…
Du Jour, a bakery brand founded by Mohammed Ali, began as a cloud kitchen in December 2024, has recently opened its first physical outlet in Hyderabad. The thoughtfully designed 15-seater space is located in Jubilee Hills. Du Jour’s menu features French-style pastries, savoury bakes, grilled cheese sandwiches and a selection of beverages. The brand’s signature Crobun, which combines the laminated layers of a croissant with the shape of a bun, is among its key offerings. The concept emerged from Ali’s memories of London mornings spent over croissants and coffee. Interested in the evolving formats of filled croissants, Ali collaborated with…
For Bengalis, Durga Puja is a celebration of food and festivity, with traditional delicacies holding a place of pride alongside the rituals and pandal-hopping. From Luchi and Chholar Dal to Kosha Mangsho, Basanti Polao and Daab Chingri, food is central to the celebrations. Bringing this festive tradition to Hyderabad, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre is hosting Bhuri Bhoj & Bengal: A Pujo Celebration of Heritage & Flavour, a culinary festival led by Home Chef Ushri. Running until October 22, the festival presents Bengali cuisine through two dining formats: a dinner buffet at Food Exchange and curated thalis at Permit to Grill,…
From a corporate career at D. E. Shaw to founding SAINTS Chocolate, a craft chocolate atelier in Hyderabad, Ramanjane Dronamraju has turned her passion for chocolate into an entrepreneurial pursuit centred on single-origin cacao, in-house production and immersive tasting experiences. Asmita Mukherjee meets Ramanjane to explore the passion, philosophy and vision shaping her journey with SAINTS Chocolate. After more than eight years in operations management and human resources at D. E. Shaw, Ramanjane Dronamraju chose to pursue her longstanding passion for chocolate by launching SAINTS Chocolate in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, in April 2026. Co-founded with her husband, Prabhu, the six-month-old venture focuses on craft chocolate,…
As hotel demand becomes increasingly dynamic, technology is helping revenue teams move beyond seasonal pricing and historical data to make faster, more informed decisions on rates, inventory and profitability Hotel room pricing in India is changing. The traditional practice of setting rates around peak, shoulder and off peak seasons is increasingly giving way to a more dynamic approach, as domestic travel becomes more spontaneous, booking windows become shorter and demand can shift quickly around long weekends, events and holidays. For hotels, the challenge is no longer simply to decide what rate to sell a room at, but to understand how…
