Author: HBI Staff | Hyderabad
Club Mahindra, the flagship brand of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited, was felicitated by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) at its flagship event Green Building Congress 2024 for achieving a significant milestone in its sustainability journey. Fourteen Club Mahindra resorts were awarded the prestigious Platinum Certification in 2024 alone by India’s Premier Certification Body for Greening of Projects, IGBC. This recognition has set a new benchmark for sustainable hospitality in India. It also underscores the brand’s unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility and its ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. The IGBC Platinum Certification is one of…
SGF India, a leading name in vegetarian dining, is excited to announce the opening of its 24/7 outlet in Amritsar. Famous for its vibrant street food culture and diverse culinary offerings, Amritsar now welcomes SGF’s distinctive flavors, including its celebrated soy chaaps, which have quickly become a favorite among food lovers. SGF India is redefining vegetarian dining with a focus on healthy, protein-rich meals. The Amritsar outlet features the brand’s signature live tandoor counters, offering a range of mouthwatering soy chaaps, flavorful North Indian specialties, and refreshing coolers, all in a modern, inviting setting. To celebrate this launch, SGF India…
Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director & CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), has emphasized the need for infrastructure sector status for the hospitality industry to secure better financing options. Chhatwal highlights that many regulatory caps placed more than a decade ago must be removed to align with the government’s infrastructure development strategy. He stated, “Supporting this sector isn’t about luxury; it’s about enabling a diverse workforce operating 24/7 and creating jobs.” While discussing the sector’s current growth phase, Chhatwal stated that the industry’s “honeymoon period” isn’t over yet. “The change in business models, balancing capital-heavy and capital-light initiatives, has helped…
Minimalist Hotel, a boutique hotel and dormitory management brand operated by Swashbuckler Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, is set to expand its presence significantly in India. The company plans to add properties in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, and the National Capital Region (NCR) by 2026, founder Gautam Munjal confirmed in a statement to Mint. Launched in 2017, Minimalist Hotel operates a unique hybrid model, blending private hotel rooms with dorm-style accommodations. “It’s a hybrid hotel-cum-hostel model offering a mix of private rooms and dormitories,” said Munjal, emphasizing its appeal to both budget-conscious travelers and those seeking personalized experiences. The company manages its…
The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), recently hosted a thought-provoking and impassioned virtual townhall, NRAI Townhall 10.0 which was attended live by more than 8000 people. The key focus of this Townhall was to discuss and debate the primary issue plaguing the food and restaurant sector, “Are Food Aggregators Helping or Hurting the Restaurant Business in India?” NRAI Townhall 10.0 saw participation and attendees from a wide-ranging list of industry stakeholders including restaurateurs and industry experts. The townhall provided an engaging platform to debate the complex and fast-declining relationship between food aggregators and the restaurant ecosystem due to the…
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) decision to impose a 26-day ban on the sale of meat within a 13-kilometer radius of Yelahanka Air Force Station has sparked significant criticism from Bengaluru’s hospitality industry. Scheduled to coincide with preparations for Aero India 2025, the restriction, which runs from January 23 to February 17, has left hoteliers questioning its practicality and economic implications. The Bangalore Hotels Association has strongly opposed the move, labeling it as “illogical and unscientific.” The group contends that the ban will disrupt operations for more than 5,000 food and beverage businesses in the area, ranging from local…
The Uttar Pradesh government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, raised a significant issue in the Supreme Court regarding halal certification extending beyond meat products. Mehta expressed surprise at the certification being applied to non-meat items, including construction materials and daily-use goods like wheat flour and gram flour. The discussion arose during a hearing challenging a state government notification banning the manufacturing, storage, and sale of halal-certified food items in Uttar Pradesh, except for those intended for export. Mehta argued that non-believers of halal practices are being burdened with additional costs for halal-certified goods, questioning why they should bear this…
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) announced the signing of a new hotel in Surat, Gujarat. This Greenfield project will be branded a Vivanta. Speaking on the occasion, Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President, Real Estate and Development, IHCL, said, “Surat, often referred to as the economic capital of Gujarat, is one of India’s fastest-growing cities. In line with its strategy, this signing strengthens IHCL’s presence across key commercial centers in India. We are delighted to collaborate with Mr. Dashrath Desai for this project.” Located opposite Surat International Airport, the 125-key Vivanta Surat will feature an all-day dining, and a poolside café along with…
The rise of 10-minute food delivery is reshaping India’s food delivery landscape, with Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal asserting that shorter delivery times directly boost demand for restaurant food. Speaking on Monday, Goyal pointed to historical data that underscores how reducing delivery times can expand market reach and enhance customer engagement. “When we took over last-mile delivery from restaurants and reduced delivery times from over 45 minutes to around 30 minutes, the result was a significant increase in demand on our platform,” Goyal stated. He added that cutting delivery times further to 10-15 minutes could yield similar, if not greater, benefits…
The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), the country’s foremost body representing restaurateurs, is ramping up efforts to challenge the dominance of food delivery giants Zomato and Swiggy by embracing the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). In a strategic push, the NRAI aims to replicate its Bengaluru success story, where 20% of restaurant orders were channeled through ONDC, thereby breaking away from the stranglehold of high commission rates and alleged anti-competitive practices by the aggregators. NRAI and the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), which represents over 60,000 hotels and 500,000 restaurants, have taken a…
