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The Iconic Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Celebrates 114 Years Of Its Legacy

16th December 2017, Mumbai: The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai – the flagship hotel of Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris – celebrates its 114th anniversary today. One of the defining landmarks of Mumbai’s cityscape, ‘The Taj’, as it is fondly called, is the great and lasting legacy of its founder Jamshetji Tata, who envisioned a hotel that would set the benchmark for Indian hospitality. Ever since it opened its doors on the 16th of December 1903, The Taj has blazed a trail of innovation and excellence that continues, even today, to make it India’s most widely-known name in luxury hospitality world over.

In June 2017, The Taj secured image trademark rights for its elegant hotel building and its characteristic dome from the Government of India, making it a part of an elite club of structures around the world to have done so. This development is the latest in many firsts that the hotel is credited with. The Taj was Mumbai’s first clear landmark that could be seen from the sea and unknown to most, the hotel preceded the famous Gateway of India by over 20 years. It was the first hotel in India to have electricity, India’s first 24-hour coffee shop, India’s first Sichuan restaurant and Mumbai’s first licensed bar. It was The Taj that pioneered fine dining cuisine, in-room dining and introduced the butler service in India. And it was from the steps of The Taj Mahal Palace that Lord Mountbatten announced India’s independence.

Over the years, The Taj has hosted the likes of Sarojini Naidu, Ravi Shankar, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Barbara Cartland, Bill Clinton, David Rockefeller, George Bernard Shaw, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Margaret Thatcher, Mick Jagger, Prince Charles, Sir Richard Attenborough, and Barack Obama, to name a few. Be it the lavish Bell Tower or the magnificent Maratha, The Taj’s signature luxury suites, each adorned with rich textures and opulent décor, continue to host stars and statesmen to this day. The history of Shamiana and the legacy of Harbour Bar, India’s oldest bar, charmingly blend with the modern flair of Wasabi by Morimoto, making Taj a destination of choice for bon vivants, captains of industry, and iconoclastic artists. It is the place where the works of Hussain, Sabavala, Ara, and Gaitonde adorn the walls; and the place where the Beatles could have composed a love story.

Commenting on the occasion of the 114th anniversary, Mr. Taljinder Singh, Area Director – Mumbai and General Manager, The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai, said, “The Taj Mahal Palace was Jamsetji Tata’s vision for the future of Indian hospitality, and his legacy to the city of Mumbai. The hotel has set the bar for service excellence and innovation. The Taj is woven into the lives of generations of Indians and we feel privileged in setting new benchmarks of fine living and serving our treasured guests for years to come.”

AccorHotels Launches Singapore’s Newest Integrated Lifestyle Hub

Novotel Singapore Stevens

AccorHotels announces the launch of Singapore’s newest integrated lifestyle hub with the opening of Novotel Singapore on Stevens and Mercure Singapore on Stevens. Developed by Oxley Holdings Limited, the complex features 772 guest rooms, 14 dining outlets, two outdoor pools, a tennis court and a function space that can accommodate more than 500 guests.


The combination of two award-winning hotel brands within one integrated lifestyle complex is a big step forward for AccorHotels


Novotel Stevens Milkyway

Strategically located at the edge of Orchard Road, the two hotels offer guests an integrated range of gastronomy, health, fitness and lifestyle options in the precinct close to the city’s best shopping and entertainment, conveniently accessible via the hotel’s shuttle service.

Novotel Stevens Guest Room

Enjoy a superior room night stay from SGD 208++ with breakfast for two at Novotel Singapore on Stevens or go on a retreat from SGD 155++ per night with breakfast for two at Mercure Singapore on Stevens from now until 31 March 2018.

“The combination of two award-winning hotel brands within one integrated lifestyle complex is a big step forward for AccorHotels” says Mr. Kevin Bossino, Vice President Operations, Singapore – Midscale & Economy Brands. “We are no longer just providing a place to rest but a lifestyle and gastronomic destination where fitness enthusiasts, corporate travellers, families, local residents and foodies can enjoy our range of facilities and great restaurants.”

Novotel Stevens Suite Room

Featuring 254 guest rooms, Novotel Singapore on Stevens offers three dining outlets: L’Apéritif Tapas Bar serving signature cocktails and European and Asian tapas; Food Exchange featuring Thai, Indian, European and Singaporean cuisine; and for a refreshing cocktail by the pool, head to the Novotel Infinity Pool.

Infused with local design and inspiration, the 518-room Mercure Singapore on Stevens features a gourmet café, Fudebar, which serves superfood including a healthy choice of salads, sandwiches and artisanal coffees, while Winestone restaurant offers Mediterranean food and a wide range of signature wines from around the world.

The complex also features a series of pods housing an additional 9 dining outlets offering local and international cuisines from around the world.

With the opening of the Novotel Singapore on Stevens and Mercure Singapore on Stevens, AccorHotels further cements its position as the leading lifestyle and travel operator in Singapore with 15 hotels and over 6400 rooms. AccorHotels currently operates more than 800 hotels and resorts across Asia Pacific in 18 countries.

Radisson Blu Goa Kids Christmas Carnival

Radisson Blu Goa, Grand Kids Christmas

Radisson Blu Goa again brings for kids a Grand package of fun unlimited Christmas party, with beautifully decorated venue, face painting, lots fun-filled gaming stalls for kids and adults.

DJ to keep the kids dancing on their favorite music, lots of activities by games coordinator, magician to keep the kids thrilled, lots of spot prizes.

Kids Zumba show by famous Zumba performer Dr. Liza to keep the mom’s also engaged. Photo opportunity with Princess Elsa,  Surprise Santa Claus entry at the venue on a beautiful vintage car.

Have fun while decorating giant cookies and ginger breads with our talented team of bakery chefs. Food court with scrumptious live counters for kids as well as adults and exciting Mocktail Bar,   attractive return gift for every kid and lots more is included in the entry ticket.

For Reservations call. 8888884665/8888848031/9158850962

Hilton Bangalore Appoints Manish Garg as a New General Manager

Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks

Hilton Bangalore Embassy GolfLinks recently announced the appointment of Mr. Manish Garg as General Manager.

Manish Garg, GM, Hilton Bangalore Embassy Golflinks

With over 20 years of experience across various hospitality companies, in both local and international markets, Manish will be well prepared to lead the entire operations of the 247 key hotel in his new role

With a strong pedigree in food and beverage, as well as conferences and events, Manish has demonstrated quality leadership skills and strong business acumen. Previously, he served as the general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square and did a remarkable job as the pre-opening general manager for Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum in 2013.

A native of Goa, India, Mr. Garg started his career with Hilton in 2011, and since has gained several prodigious experiences in Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn properties

Introducing New Flavours of Italy to La Piazza – Hyatt Regency Delhi

Chef Maurzio at La Piazza at Hyatt Regency Delhi

A glance into La Piazza’s pristine menu, sumptuously subtle……..

New seasons came in at La Piazza escorting new flavours from Italy and gathered praises from visitors. Chef Alessandro Sandrolini, from Bologna has been associated with La Piazza for more than a decade now, the comfort of which still continues to be reaped in the form of indulgence of traditional Bolognese dishes. On the other hand, Executive Chef Ivan Chieregatti hails all the way from Milan and brings his more than 20 years of rich culinary experience as legacy.

The idea behind the new menu is to accommodate traditional and cultural Italian cuisines from hometowns of both the chef’s. Inspired by their grandmother’s kitchen, the chef’s seeks to introduce innovative dishes, as new arrivals on the menus of La Piazza at Hyatt Regency Delhi.

Along with the one of the finest and ancient of Wines from across the world, La piazza brings in new flavours for both vegetarians and non- vegetarians namely, potato casseroles, roasted root vegetables, chicken escalope & prawns stuffed calamari. From salads & starters like warm mushroom salad, spinach & ricotta croquette to pasta & pizza such as spinach lasagne with goat cheese, Positano; there has been an inclusion of fresh and exotic combination of ingredients. Desserts unveil Bolognese cakes served with raisins, custard cream or warm chocolate plus mouth watering comfort food from Milan including nougatine parfait.

Ever since it’s opening in the year 1994, La Piazza’s reputation has been built on great food, equally complimenting wine list, friendly and gracious service and a quest to provide a warm, inviting atmosphere where guests always come first.

Introducing authentic flavours of Italy to New Delhi has always been the driving force behind the restaurants enduring success. Synonymous to one of the first Italian trattoria style dining with a live kitchen concept in the city, La Piazza is also one of the first restaurants to be known to have imported Italian products, as well as introduced customers to little known Italian wines back then. With the introduction of this new menu, La Piazza also vouches to give Delhi one of the most extensive Italian menus since its launch 22 years ago.

Cathay Pacific Group to Introduce Inflight Wi-Fi

Cathay Pacific Regional Business Class

The Cathay Pacific Group will introduce high-speed Wi-Fi to its Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 fleets from mid-2018, in response to its customers’ growing demand for inflight connectivity. This follows the successful introduction of broadband services to its Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Cathay Pacific A350-900

Cathay Pacific Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Paul Loo said: “We have been listening to our customers who have told us that staying connected inflight is important to them. Our passengers will soon be able to not only roam around the cabin when the fasten seat belt sign comes off – the whole internet awaits at 35,000 feet.

“We envisage that by 2020, all of our wide-body aircraft will have inflight connectivity capabilities. This will open up a wealth of opportunities for us to provide more innovative experiences for our customers.”

Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon will be the first major carriers in Asia to adopt Gogo’s 2Ku satellite-based broadband inflight connectivity technology. It will be installed on the airlines’ Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft.

“Our goal is to allow our customers to be connected anytime and anywhere – and this agreement with Gogo is a huge step in enabling us to deliver this,” added Mr Loo.

The high-speed service will allow customers to check emails, browse the web, access their social networks and shop online using their Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Lufthansa Flew Record 111 million Passengers till October

Lufthansa Aircraft

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have so far welcomed around 111 million passengers on board their aircraft in 2017, which is more than in the whole year of 2016. The seat load factor on the almost one million flights this year remains on a record course of 81.4 percent.

In October 2017, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group welcomed around 12.2 million passengers. This shows an increase of 16.7% compared to the previous year’s month. The available seat kilometers were up 11.6% over the previous year, at the same time, sales increased by 12.1%. The seat load factor improved accordingly, rising 0.4 percentage points compared to October 2016 to 81.4%.

The currency adjusted pricing environment developed positively in October the sixth consecutive month.

Cargo capacity increased 1% year-on-year, while cargo sales were up 2.4% in revenue tonne-kilometer terms. As a result, the Cargo load factor showed a corresponding improvement, rising 0.9 percentage points in the month.

The Network Airlines Lufthansa German Airlines, SWISS and Austrian Airlines carried nine million passengers in October, 4.1% more than in the prior-year period. Compared to the previous year, the available seat kilometers increased by 1.6% in October. The sales volume was up 2.7% over the same period, raising seat load factor by 0.8 percentage points to 81.6%.

IndiGo Enhances Tier II Connectivity

IndiGo Airllines

Adds 8 additional flights on its network
• Effective January 01, 2018, 6E to introduce new city pairs including: Hyderabad-Jammu and Jammu-Jaipur
• With addition of new flights, IndiGo endeavours to bring metro cities closer to Tier II and III markets

Reiterating its commitment to provide enhanced connectivity across its network – IndiGo, India’s largest and fastest growing carrier has introduced 8 additional flights across its network. Effective January 01, 2018, IndiGo will operate new flights between Hyderabad-Jammu and Jaipur-Jammu amongst other routes. The airline will also add new frequencies from Hyderabad to Varanasi and Jaipur.
The new flights are designed to cater to business and leisure travellers who are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable flying options. With over 900 daily flights connecting 46 destinations, these new flights will enable corporate and leisure travellers to experience IndiGo’s unmatchable ontime performance and hassle-free service.
Speaking on this, Mr. Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo said, “With increasing demand from regional sectors, we are pleased to announce the introduction of these new connections. We are hopeful that these new flights will provide affordable and unmatchable travel experience to our passengers across the country.”

Taj Wedding Studio Launched

Weddings at Taj Falaknuma, Hyderabad

The Taj Wedding Studio is the ultimate destination to create memorable wedding experiences; showcasing the latest trends in cuisine, innovation in banqueting, destination planning and wedding curation.

Taj Falaknuma

Resplendent venues at picturesque locations, sumptuous culinary experiences, bespoke wardrobes, and expert planners, the perfect wedding is a blend of grand gestures and intricate detail.


“The launch of the Taj Wedding Studio as the ultimate destination to create unforgettable wedding experiences will offer our guests exclusive access to experts in the industry and a variety of services that are designed to address all their wishes for their big day”


Since its establishment, Taj has always been synonymous with signature wedding celebrations at exotic destinations. To infuse creativity into weddings, Taj Hotels launched the Taj Wedding Studio recently that brings to life the art of planning a dream wedding, inspired from the very best in the industry. The Taj Wedding Studio is the insider’s guide to designing the best weddings and unparalleled events; it provides loyal guests across cities exclusive access to the very best elements that makes a wedding or celebration a lifelong memory.

While expert series and panel discussions with industry experts were prominent attractions at the launch of the Taj Wedding Studio, the pièce de résistance was the Grand Finale Fashion Show, “Tarkanna – The Bridal and Occasion Wear 2017/18 Collection” by Tarun Tahiliani, with his show-stopper ensemble finding resonance with Tajness, the overarching philosophy of hospitality at the Taj. In keeping with the philosophy that transcends time and space, Mr Tahiliani’s creation draws inspiration from the signature Florentine dome of The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. The hand-painted, printed lehenga uses lotuses and classic ojee jaals while its printed Tajness-inspired cape drape, sketched with illustrations of the dome and lightly dusted with Swarovski crystals, gota flowers and mirrors, paid tribute to the ‘new voice of tradition’.

Taj Exotica Goa

Participating along with Tarun Tahiliani for the Taj Wedding Studio are WeddingSutra, India’s leading bridal media brand; Ermenegildo Zegna, providing sartorial elegance, excellent service and innovation in fabrics with the ceremonial Made to Measure experience; and Zoya, the luxury jewellery brand from the house of Tata will be offering their bespoke bridal experience for the first time at the Taj Wedding Studio.

Commenting on the launch of the Taj Wedding Studio, Mr. Chinmai Sharma, Chief Revenue Officer, Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris, said, “Taj Hotels has always been a pioneer in hosting memorable weddings. The launch of the Taj Wedding Studio as the ultimate destination to create unforgettable wedding experiences will offer our guests exclusive access to experts in the industry and a variety of services that are designed to address all their wishes for their big day. In doing so, the Taj Wedding Studio will address the growing need for customization of weddings and live up to the Taj promise of inspiring creativity in every aspect of celebration.

Weddings at Taj Exotica Goa

Engaging a select audience at the Taj Wedding Studio launch, the Taj hosted panel discussions on The Art and Curation of a Wedding – Essentials of Planning, Managing Aspirations and Exceeding Expectations and The Quintessential Indian Wedding: Celebrations that Reflect Heritage and Culture with doyens of industry, celebrities, stylists, fashion icons, philanthropists and patrons who deliberated on the essentials of what makes a wedding perfect.

Guests also had an opportunity to attend the expert series and master classes that threw the spotlight on Food Pairing and Cuisine Trends as well as innovation in banqueting. Celebrity chefs including Chef Amit Chowdhury, Executive Chef – The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai; Chef Sajesh Nair, Executive Chef – Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad; and Mr. Abhas Saxena, Chief Sommelier – The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, focused on current cuisine trends and food and wine pairings. Adding international flavour was Mr. William Spinner, Director of Catering – The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, New York. An icon of the hospitality industry in New York City, Mr. Spinner has worked with celebrities, socialites, heads of state and CEOs, and is the last word on hosting weddings and banquets at The Pierre.

Hotel room of the future?

Future Hotel Rooms

Accorhotels has made an interactive hotel room timeline inspired by the last century’s evolution.

Travel through time with a hotel room and immerse yourself in the Roaring Twenties or in the modern style the future may bring. To every era its own style, to every style its own room.

Record player or wireless speaker?

Little in common between the twenties shiny rooms and the flashy and geometric style of the sixties! It is not only the design, but also the rooms’ equipment that evolved. While the beginning of the century’s petroleum lamps were not easy to maintain, today we can turn on the light with a clap of hands. A beep can open the curtains and a snap of the fingers can change the TV channel. This timeline of the past 100 year offers us a glimpse at the numerous transformations one single hotel room went by through the ages.

A global perspective 
In cooperation with Lobke Elbers (Community Manager at TravelNext) and Patrick Kooiman (Writer at interiorator.com), AccorHotels BeNeLux teams are convinced that such original initiative is a great way to display content in a different and interactive way. The goal? Offer a reflection of every era’s society through the hotel rooms’ evolution… A travel through time that will seduce more than one!

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