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| Our 12 Trailblazers (from L-R front row): Tharun Giri, Windflower Group of Hotels; Tejus Jose, HICC; Vinita Bartlett, ITC Windsor, Bengaluru; J P Menon, St Mark’s Hotel Bangalore; Jose Sebastian; Lulu International Convention Centre; C B Ramkumar, Our Native Village(from L-R back row): Dr Sateesha Ranganagi, Soukya; H R Jayaram, The Green Path; V Rajagopal (Chief Guest); Riaz Ahmed, Abad Hotels and Resorts; Michael Dominic, CGH Earth; Cherian T Ramapuram, Orange County Luxury Resorts |
At FHW 2014 Bengaluru it was debut time for an event that in itself was epoch making. For the first time in its 23 years, India’s leading B2B hospitality trade show took the lead in honouring on one platform, 12 iconic hotel brands, each for carving a unique space for itself in the southern hospitality space. The event called Hospitality Trailblazers was held on the inaugural day of the three day trade show.
The honours were listed under five categories – sustainability, wellness, heritage, MICE and homegrown brands. The honours were given away by V Rajagopal, CEO, Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-bip).
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| Sustainability: CGH Earth | Heritage: ITC Windsor, Bengaluru |
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| Sustainability: The Green Path | Heritage: St Mark’s Hotel Bangalore |
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| Sustainability: Windflower Group of Hotels | Heritage: The Taj West End Bangalore |
CGH Earth, Windflower Group of Hotels and The Green Path were felicitated with the honour under sustainability. Each of these brands were recognised for their contributions toward sustainable and responsible tourism, being respectful of nature and local ethos. Some of them have introduced organic farming, created viable plantations and set up market mechanisms, such as purchasing produce from the local community. Our Native Village and Soukya were felicitated under wellness. Both brands have grown into benchmark models for holistic living and not just as healing centres.
Under the category of heritage, three brands – St Mark’s Hotel Bangalore, The Taj West End Bangalore and ITC Windsor, Bengaluru were honoured. All three properties have retained their colonial charms and their ambience amidst the hustle and bustle of Bengaluru city.
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| Wellness: Our Native Village | Wellness: Soukya |
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| MICE: Lulu International Convention Centre | MICE: Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) |
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| Homegrown Brands: Abad Hotels & Resorts | Homegrown Brands: Orange County Luxury Resorts |
Lulu International Convention Centre and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) were honoured in the MICE segment. Both the brands have been successful in placing new regions on the MICE map – Hyderabad and Thrissur – despite skepticism and today they have scripted their own success story in the MICE space.
FHW also decided to honour two trailblazers – Orange County Luxury Resorts and Abad Hotels and Resorts – under Homegrown Brands, for their product innovation and efforts in building new destinations like Coorg untouched by international brands.
