FHRAI SUBMITS PRE-BUDGET MEMORANDUM TO MOT AND MOF

Hotel Industry Hopes For Tangible Resolutions In FY 2016 – 17

Mumbai: Ahead of the Budget, the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has appealed to the government to rationalize taxes and amend certain policies for aligning the tourism sector with the rest of the world and give boost to the hospitality industry. In the pre-budget memorandum submitted to the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and Ministry of Finance (MoF), the association has outlined in details the critical taxations and policy initiatives and recommendations that would provide the hotel industry the much needed stimulus.

Some of the key recommendations on taxation include the impact of GST on Tourism Arrivals, availing of Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme (EPCG) and Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) without a Classification mandate, Issuance of Tax-free ‘Hospitality Infrastructure Bonds’.

"The hospitality industry has been at the receiving end for last few years but with the Government’s focus on tourism development things may be turning around for hospitality too. High decibel events and initiatives organised by respective States for promoting tourism and hospitality are indicators of commitment towards these sectors and we feel positive about the future. However, besides campaigns and promotions, the ministries will also have to revisit and remodel some of the prevailing tax structures, laws and policies to bring it at par with competing tourism economies of the world,” says Mr. Bharat Malkani, President, FHRAI & Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI).

“For instance, our neighbouring south-east Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia have a GST of 7 and 6 per cent respectively. In contrast, GST applicable for hotels in India amounts to a whopping 25 to 30 per cent. Our industry is competing with a difference of roughly 20 per cent while matching with all global the service amenities and requirements. Also, we hope that the government considers granting infrastructure status to hotels with a project cost of INR 25 crore as against the present INR 250 crore,” he adds.

On policy initiatives, FHRAI has suggested increasing the threshold limit of INR 25,000 to INR 1,00,000 for payments to hotels and restaurants against bills raised and to allow bank loans up to INR 10 crores per unit or borrower extended to hotels and restaurants and be reckoned as 'priority sector lending' within the RBI guidelines.

"Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are a vital catalyst for employment generation, skill development and innovation in the hospitality sector. It is imperative to facilitate timely and adequate flow of credit for their sustainable growth and expansion. For the purpose of inclusion under the priority lending norms, the categorization of SMEs in the hospitality industry should be delinked from the restrictive criteria stipulated by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006 and instead be based on liberal, industry specific and globally accepted parameters such as number of employees, annual turnover and such quantifiable parameters. A broad spectrum of institutional mechanisms should be made accessible by which the hospitality industry, including our small and medium enterprises, can access lower cost long-term finance,” concludes Mr. Kamlesh Barot, past-President, FHRAI & HRAWI.

CMC APPEALS TO THE FM FOR INCENTIVISING EXPORTS UNDER MEIS

Marble Industry Optimistic Ahead of Union Budget

Mumbai: India’s leading Marble and Granite companies of India – Classic Marble Company (CMC) has expressed optimism for the marble industry in the upcoming Union Budget 2016. The company has said that the Government has made significant strides to promote manufacturing in India under the Make In India campaign and has appealed to the Finance Ministry to strongly consider inclusion of artificial or agglomerated marble slabs or tiles under the ‘Merchandise Exports From India Scheme (MEIS)’.

“Our industry today faces a big threat from countries like China, Taiwan and Korea who also are exporters of artificial or engineered stones that include Marble, Quartz slabs and tiles. These countries are adopting aggressive pricing policies. A number of Indian players in the sector who have made substantial investments in setting up of state of the art plants and machineries are losing out to their Chinese counterparts on account of price competitiveness. We are hopeful that the Finance Ministry extends our industry an MEIS incentive of 5 per cent on export of engineered stones to all the three A, B and C category countries. This will not only spur growth but also increase the nation’s net exports,” says Mr. Amit Shah, Director, CMC.

Silvassa Marble Association of which Classic Marble Company is an active member, has in the recent past made recommendations to the Commerce Secretary for assistance on incentivising exports of agglomerated stones under MEIS scheme.

“In the last two years, India has exported nearly five hundred containers equivalent to INR 70 Crores of manufactured or engineered stones. These are quality products conforming to International Standards made from imported material and processed using the latest technology. Despite making quality products, India’s share is just 0.01 per cent of the global market. If only the Government provisions a 5 per cent incentive to our industry then we are hopeful that India’s share could easily increase by another 0.25 per cent in the global market,” concludes Mr. Vikas Kesarkar, Vice-President – Marketing, CMC.

About Classic Marble Company: A pioneer in the imported marble industry, Classic Marble Company (CMC) since its inception in 1994 has grown to become the number 1 stone company in India. Over 700 of the company’s product offerings are manufactured at its state-of-the-art plant spread over 5,00,000 sq. m. of land and distributed through exclusive showrooms and several distributor and dealer network in India and overseas. CMC’s factory at Silvassa is an ocean of opulence exhibiting 30,000 metric tons of raw blocks, with a production capacity 75,000 sq. ft. of marble and granite and the expertise to execute turnkey projects.

CMC OPENS UP A NEW UBER CLASS MARBLE SHOWROOM IN THE HEART OF MUMBAI

CMC Opens Up A New Uber Class Marble Showroom In The Heart Of Mumbai

Mumbai: India’s number 1 stone company, Classic Marble Company (CMC) has announced the launch of its exclusive showroom at Worli in Mumbai. The Classic Galleria has been strategically launched in the heart of the city and will be home to some of the finest varieties of marble available in the world. Besides marble, the showroom will also maintain an exhaustive collection of many other designer stones including exotic granite and quartzite, onyx, travertine and limestone. The company’s flagship brand KalingaStone with its marble and quartz will also be part of the array of products available here. With over 300 varieties of stones and a section dedicated to internationally acclaimed porcelain tiles – Techlam from Spain and Iris from Italy, this will be one of the grandest and the most ostentatious showrooms in all of Mumbai.

“The Classic Galleria is a sheer visual treat, offering all types of imported natural stone and showcasing the best exotic collection in India specifically meant for elite residences and hospitality projects. Born from the idea of creating a showroom which would resemble an art gallery and be both accessible and interactive, Classic Galleria is cladded with 3 mm thin Techlam slab from Spain with designer look,” says Mr. Amit Shah, Director, Classic Marble Company.

The marble giant already has over ten showrooms across the country many of which accommodate its stocks as well. With the showroom in Worli, this will be the company’s second exclusive showroom in Mumbai, the other being in Bhandup which also serves as its head-office along with stockyards.

About Classic Marble Company: A pioneer in the imported marble industry, Classic Marble Company (CMC) since its inception in 1994 has grown to become the number 1 stone company in India. Over 700 of the company’s product offerings are manufactured at its state-of-the-art plant spread over 5,00,000 sq. m. of land and distributed through exclusive showrooms and several distributor and dealer network in India and overseas. CMC’s factory at Silvassa is an ocean of opulence exhibiting 30,000 metric tons of raw blocks, with a production capacity 75,000 sq. ft. of marble and granite and the expertise to execute turnkey projects.

RUMOURSS SKY VILLA HOSTS SPECIAL OFFERS FOR CELEBRATIONS

Live It Up In Lonavala!

Mumbai: India’s first resort on the lines of Japanese Tree House Chalets – Rumourss Sky Villa & Resort in Lonavala has announced a host of special offers for its patrons. The offers targeted at guests celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries will include discounts up to 65 per cent, special decoration of the villa, serving of a complimentary cake and special surprises.

Located in the heart of Lonavala, the popular hill station getaway from Mumbai and Pune, Rumourss Sky Villa is set on a picturesque location with easy accessibility. An architectural feat, the villas are erected on a single iron mast at a height of about 30 to 40 feet which tremble gently and pleasantly at periodical intervals.

Against the regular tariff of Rs. 9584/- for the ground villa and Rs. 11980/- for the sky villa, guests can avail rooms at Rs.4999/- under the birthday and anniversary scheme. Senior citizens meanwhile can avail the rooms at Rs. 3999/- which will be further inversely discounted in proportion to their age.

“Instead of going for regular structure with more rooms, we decided to make the villas unique and

enhance user experience. We house only eight villas in the entire resort. Four of them are sky villas and four ground villas. This enables us to provide quality service to each of our guests. With a usable area of 400 sq. feet, each villa comes with a spacious balcony, a cozy attic with double mattress, 50 inch LED television and free Wi-Fi, beside many other standard and exclusive amenities. Besides these amenities, our resort is pet-friendly and patrons are welcome to stay with their pets here,” says Mr. Devang Badiani, Managing Director, Rumourss Sky Villa & Resort Pvt Ltd.

“With natural hills and forests complementing the background of the resort, the villas themselves are constructed with eco-friendly material to retain the mood of the destination. During the monsoons, guests can enjoy the view of Tata lake right from their Sky villas or visit a private waterfall. Being located on the lap of a mountain on one side and a lake across the road on the other, Rumourss is set on a picturesque location with easy accessibility. It houses a fully lit swimming pool and a multi cuisine restaurant as well,” concludes Mr. Badiani.

MAHA GOVT ABOLISHES POLICE LICENCES FOR HOTELS - HRAWI WELCOMES MOVE; ANTICIPATES MORE REFORMS

Maha Govt Abolishes Police Licences For Hotels

HRAWI Welcomes Move; Anticipates More Reforms

Mumbai: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has welcomed the State Government’s recent directive to scrap all police licences required to run hospitality businesses. A Police circular to the effect states that now hotels, permit rooms and swimming pools within city limits will no longer require a police licence to operate a hotel establishment. The association had been strongly advocating this move since a long time along with the need to implement a single window licence clearance for the hospitality industry. With this decision, the industry is showing renewed enthusiasm and is hoping for the State to take progressive steps towards ease of doing business in the coming Financial Year.

“In a single stroke, the Chief Minister brought down this colonial rule. It goes to show that the government not only has acknowledged our woes but also has committed to eliminating them. The move also goes to reaffirm that the state is clearly looking at promoting tourism. Most importantly, it is an indicator of optimism and we feel positive that the following Financial Year would bring in a better time for hoteliers,” says Mr. Bharat Malkani, President, HRAWI.

While the government has taken a step towards plugging a hole in the system, hospitality is an industry that is tangled in a web of bureaucratic red tape. There are over 121 licenses that a hotel establishment needs to obtain and keep renewing each year to either start a new business or keep the operations running.

“This move clearly is progress and an important step. We are thankful to the CM for making this possible. We had been making several representations to the State at various levels indicating how many of the prevalent laws were in fact either obsolete or in some cases plain regressive. With the case of police licences and permissions being taken out of the way, some of our concerns have been addressed. We are hopeful that in the near future single window licence clearance will become operational. In most progressive countries hospitality sector besides being one of the key revenue generators also acts as a driver for business and tourism growth,” concludes Mr. Kamlesh Barot, past-President, HRAWI.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 65 years old Association of Hotels and Restaurants in Western India. Its members include smaller Hotels up to 5-Star Deluxe categories. The bulk of its members like any growth economy are made up of budget hotels. With around 1300 members across Western India, HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa, and 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.

MUMBAI’S ONLY ‘WOOD FIRED & SMOKED’ PIZZA DELIVERY JOINT TO BAKE HEART SHAPED PIZZAAHS FOR YOUR SPECIAL SOMEONE

This Valentine’s, Express Your Love With PizzAah!

Mumbai: Mumbai’s latest entrant in the pizza circuit – PizzAah! which differentiates itself from the rest with its wood fired and smoked pizzas, has announced its plans to bake special

heart shaped pizzas for Valentine’s this year. People seeking to celebrate the occasion differently can treat themselves to an authentic Italian pizza by walking into Bandra’s Café Lager or even have it at home. Not just that, one could pre-book a table and surprize their Valentine with a PizzAah! heart or schedule a delivery within Bandra or Andheri East and include a special handwritten note inside the pizza box.

“There has been an overwhelming response for our wood fired and smoked pizzas since we launched it in December last year. We want to make every effort to keep patrons happy and engaged. For this we’ve created a special Valentine’s menu and we will serve pizzas that are heart shaped for customers who would like them served this way. This day will be doubly romantic, especially for foodies! ;),” says Mr. Dipesh Dutt Sharma, CEO & Founder, PizzAah!

Offered in a spread of four distinguished Italian preparation styles including traditional, classic, contemporary and international, PizzAah! is available in standard sizes of 9 inch and 12 inch with thin or regular crusts. The toppings can be customised as per one’s taste. Also, keeping in mind the growing health consciousness of the city PizzAah! plans to soon offer whole wheat and gluten free options.