HRAWI ANNOUNCES NEW COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP

Mumbai: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) held its 64th Annual General Meeting (AGM) to elect the office bearers for the term 2014-15 on Wednesday, Sept 24. At the AGM, held at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai, Mr. Bharat Malkani, Managing Director, Hotel Transit was elected as the President for 2014-2015. The office bearers are Mr. Dilip Datwani as Senior Vice President, Mr. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli as Vice President, Mr. Pradeep Shetty as Honorary Secretary, Mr. Sherry Bhatia as Joint Honorary Secretary and Mr. Prrem Tiwari as Honorary Treasurer for the same term.

“I, like my predecessors, will strive to work in the best interests of the association and the hotel industry as a whole. With the support of this team we will continue with the good work and resolve any pending matters at the earliest. Our vision is to work inclusively with the Government. Government and industry are equal stake-holders in building the Tourism potential in this great nation of ours. We believe by working together we can achieve the potential of doubling the tourism arrivals into the Western Region in a span of two years. We shall prioritize working on resolving the various tax and regulatory issues like Luxury Tax rates in Madhya Pradesh, Entertainment Tax in Maharashtra, visa-on-arrival issue in Goa among others. I congratulate the preceding office bearers for all they have achieved so far, including the recent successful launch of the non-commercial laboratory for food testing in Vadodara and wish all the new members all the very best for the future,” says Mr.  Malkani.

The six members nominated for Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) for 2014-2015 to represent from Western Region are Mr. Bharat Malkani, Mr. Vivek Nair, Mr. D. S. Advani, Mr. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Mr. Pradeep Shetty and Mr. Nirav Gandhi.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 64 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants in Western India. Its members include Hotels up to 5-Star Deluxe categories like The Taj, Trident, Hyatt, J.W. Marriott and The Leela who are some of the prominent members of our Association. With around 1300 members across Western India, HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa is considered to be the voice of the Hotel Industry. The association is part of the national body of Federation of the Hotels & Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI), located in New Delhi, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950 by the late Mr. J.R.D. Tata.

Hat-Trick By Dalip Tahil In His Second Inning

Signs Up With Sudhir Mishra, Kunal Kohli & Madhur Bhandarkar

Mumbai: After a brief hiatus from the film industry following his relocation to London and a scarce presence in Indian cinema in the last few years, the stylish actor Dalip Tahil is back in the thick of Bollywood. Calendar year 2014 saw Dalip playing the pivotal role of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in Shyam Benegal’s magnum opus tele series ‘Samvidhan’ and an experimental role in Sajid-Farrad’s ‘Entertainment’, besides debuting in a Tamil film.

These are to be followed by three big releases soon with the bad man of yore being signed up for the much awaited ‘Devdas’ by Sudhir Mishra in a principal role, besides Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Calendar Girls’ and Kunal Kohli’s ‘Phir Se’.

“The last few years I was shuttling between Mumbai and London. My focus on Bollywood was limited because of that. But now I am back and fully committed to the Indian film industry,” says the talented actor who made his mark in the international scene playing Dan Ferriera in the iconic BBC Television Drama 'Eastenders’. He also appeared in BBC’s, ‘Nuclear Secrets’, besides starring in the 'Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber' / 'A.R Rahman' musical 'Bombay Dreams' in which he performed in over 500 shows at The 'Appolo Theatre' Victoria in London, UK. Known for portraying powerful characters, Dalip Tahil had stood out for his performances in ‘Quyamat Se QayamatTak’, ‘Baazigar’ and ‘Kaho Na PyarHai’, among others.

“While I was not entirely absent from Bollywood, due to my limited appearances, I guess, one can say this

is my second innings,” laughs off Tahil. Last seen in the recently released Akshay Kumar starrer, ‘Entertainment’, Dalip Tahil had played the former’s father in a very experimental role. “Literally, I am present in one solitary scene. After that I am visible only through my photograph and references made to me by live characters. It certainly was not an average everyday role,” he quips.

“I cannot reveal anything about the new sign ups. But it will spring a surprise or two once the movies are released,” concludes DalipTahil.

About Dalip Tahil: An Indian film, television and theatre actor Dalip Tahil did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India. During his senior years at school, he won the prestigious 'Kendall Cup' for the best actor two years in succession. He was declared the best actor for a record third Time in 1969, his final year at Sherwood College. After moving along with his Family to Mumbai in 1968, DalipTahil joined the Theatre Group Bombay, and trained under Alyque & Pearl Padamsee. During one of the plays, film Director Shyam Benegal noticed him and offered him his first ever role in the film Ankur. Since then, he has played principal character roles, demonstrating his versatility and unique talent in over 100 Bollywood films.

FHRAI - HRAWI Launches First Of Its Kind, Non Commercial Food Testing Lab For Hospitality Industry

FHRAI - HRAWI Launches First Of Its Kind, Non Commercial Food Testing Lab For Hospitality Industry

·      To supplement the FSSAI Act

·      To undertake Special Food Safety and Hygiene educational programmes for FBOs

·      To work on a non-commercial basis providing services at 40% to 50% lower prices

·      To set up more such labs across the nation

Vadodara, Sep 06, 2014: The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) along with its western region counterpart, Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI) inaugurated their first Food Testing Laboratory at Vadodara, Gujarat, today. Launched on a non-commercial basis, the lab will not only follow global standards of food safety and hygiene, but will also conduct the tests at forty to fifty percent lower costs than its commercial counterparts. With this, HRAWI has become the first hospitality industry association in the country to establish its own food testing laboratory.

Speaking at the launch of the laboratory Mr. D S Advani, President, HRAWI said, “With the introduction of Food Safety and Standards Act it has become mandatory for food business operators (FBOs) to test their food products. The number of labs that currently exist are grossly insufficient and will not be able to cope with the sheer volume of service seekers. Our lab will benefit thousands of FBOs from bakery federations, catering associations, food retail traders and mithaiwala associations, among others.”

The HRAWI owned lab is fully equipped with national and international standard equipments. Managed by a team of qualified and experienced technologists, it would have proficiency to test almost all the Indian culinary samples.  In addition, unlike other labs, the HRAWI lab will send technologists personally to collect food samples from the hoteliers and other FBOs. Such samplings would reflect the truth without ambiguity.

“Another important feature of the lab is that the services will be offered at 40-50% discounted rates compared to existing market rates. It is our objective to encourage FBOs and our members to follow international standards of hygiene,” says Mr. Nirav Gandhi, Chairman, Gujarat Region, HRAWI. “The FSSAI Act mandates self declaration from FBOs for food items.  To do that, scientific testing on microbiological and chemical parameters would become a must.”

Along with the setting up of the lab, HRAWI would also make provision for training and education of hoteliers. The training programme will help hoteliers put up systems and procedures in place to make them independent in maintaining food safety norms.

“The training will include setting up of a documented system on cutting, handling and preservation of food and other raw materials. Proper information and training will be provided on temperatures in which different types of food need to be preserved along with other defined parameters. The system will take into consideration factors like hygiene station, receiving raw material station, pre production, post production, serving station and set up standard operating procedures for each of them. Food handlers habit changes from one hotel to other.  This new arrangement will provide one of a kind service that will help hoteliers maintain standardized practices,” says Mr. Kamlesh Barot, immediate past-President, HRAWI.

Only upon maintaining a system for six to twelve months will the hotels be accorded certifications. Other aspects of the training programme will include providing guidance to hoteliers on adherence to FSSAI laws. It will explain complex procedures in simple implementable formats. The training will be provided at the hotel property and will be tailor made for each property with ISO 22000 and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) Certification norm.

FHRAI’s knowledge partner Parikshan will undertake tests and risk analysis at the newly instituted lab. Parikshan runs an NABL audited lab in Chennai and will bring its vast experience to the Vadodara lab.  Nobody would be allowed inside the lab except for the technologist/food analyst.

“Since inception HRAWI has been working towards achieving international standards of Food Safety among its members. It has been one of our key objectives to establish internally a compliance framework that is transparent, yet flexible and one that maintains the highest standards of hygiene. The setting up of the new lab will bring us a step closer to achieving this objective,” concludes Mr. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, HRAWI.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 64 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants in Western India. Its members include Hotels up to 5-Star Deluxe categories like The Taj, Trident, Hyatt, J.W. Marriott and The Leela who are some of the prominent members of our Association. With around 1300 members across Western India, HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu &Silvassa is considered to be the voice of the Hotel Industry. The association is part of the national body of Federation of the Hotels & Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI), located in New Delhi, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950 by the late Mr. J.R.D. Tata.

MoT Simplifies Procedure For Classification & Re-Classification, De-Links Classification From Liquor Service For Hotels

Hotel Industry Jubilant Over Government’s Move To Cut Red Tapism

Mumbai: In what can be called an epic move, the Ministry for Tourism (MoT) announced certain revisions for the hotel industry that the industry sees as a first of many more to come as envisioned by the Prime Minister for the revival of tourism in India. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has welcomed the provisions while congratulating its members for the efforts put in over the years, in voicing out the industry’s concerns.

The Minister of Tourism and Culture Shri Shripad Yesso Naik announced two major revisions in the guidelines for the classification of hotels.

• Simplified the hotel classification and re-classification procedure by not seeking re-presentation / submission of the licenses and clearances which are already issued to them by various Local, State and Central Government authorities for operation of hotels and;
• Classifying 4-Star, 5-Star hotels in non-heritage sector and classic category hotels in heritage sector without insisting on the presence of a bar that serves alcohol on the premises

“Henceforth, at the time of classification/reclassification, hotels will only be required to furnish a current and valid Trade license and Bar license, if applicable.  Prior to this announcement, it was mandatory for the applicants to submit all the licenses and clearances including the land utilization certificate, building completion certificate, coastal zone regulation clearance, forest and environment clearance, pollution control clearance, police clearance, fire safety clearance, airport authority clearance, health and sanitation clearance. The procedure has been simplified by eliminating the need to submit multiple documents,” explains Mr. D.S. Advani, President, HRAWI.

The classification or reclassification will remain valid only if the hotel has all licenses and clearances that are required under various Acts, Rules, Regulations or Guidelines issued by the Local, State or Central Government Authorities for operation of the hotel, current and valid. The Ministry would be securing an affidavit from the hotel owner that the establishment is operating after obtaining all necessary licenses and clearances. Failing in which its classification or reclassification would cease to be operational with immediate effect.

“At present the MoT classifies various hotels on voluntary request in the categories of 1 Star, 2 Star, 3 Star, 4 Star, 5 Star and 5 Star Deluxe in non-Heritage sector and in the categories of Basic, Classic and Grand in the Heritage sector. Under the guidelines of the Ministry of Tourism till now, alcohol service was essential for Hotels seeking classification under the categories of 4 Star, 5 Star, 5 Star Deluxe, Classic Heritage and Grand Heritage. However, henceforth, hotels in the categories of 5 Star and 4 Star in non-Heritage sector and classic category hotels in heritage sector can now be classified as ‘5 Star with alcohol service’, ‘5 Star without alcohol service’, ‘4 Star with alcohol service’, ‘4 Star without alcohol service’, ‘Classic Heritage with alcohol service and ‘Classic Heritage without alcohol service’. This is a very sensible and practical revision that the ministry has made and we feel very optimistic for the sector in the years to come,” says Mr. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice-President, HRAWI.

The provision will render flexibility to hotel owners and management to take considered decision on whether to provide alcohol service or not in their units. However, to protect the customer’s interest, the MoT has made it compulsory for all the classified hotels to make their precise classification status shown on the opening page of their (Hotel’s) website and also declare such status clearly on their (Hotel’s) promotional and marketing material without any abbreviations.

“The announcement has come at a time when the hotel industry had begun to feel that bureaucracy was eating into a lot of its time and efforts that could be better invested in improving services. These announcements coming from the ministry have provided hoteliers with the much needed affirmation that the industry will see a change in the government working model. We are jubilant with the developments and are excited to know that there may be more in the pipeline. We wish to thank the government for providing us with the hope that starting with this simplification exercise. The new government shall tread towards a facilitator role from a regulatory role, bringing in the much needed dis-banning of archaic rules, regulations and licensing to usher in the new era of tourism growth in India,” says Mr. Kamlesh Barot, immediate past President, HRAWI.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 64 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants in Western India. Its members include Hotels up to 5-Star Deluxe categories like The Taj, Trident, Hyatt, J.W. Marriott and The Leela who are some of the prominent members of our Association. With around 1300 members across Western India, HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa is considered to be the voice of the Hotel Industry. The association is part of the national body of Federation of the Hotels & Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI), located in New Delhi, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950 by the late Mr. J.R.D. Tata.