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HVS to honour outstanding new hotels with the 'Hotels of the Year Awards' at HICSA 2010 Awards will be conferred upon for four main categories

Hospitality Valuation Services (HVS), a fully integrated consulting firm focusing exclusively on the hotel industry and providing a wide range of services to hotel owners, lenders and operators throughout the world is pleased to announce for a second year in a row the 'Hotels of the Year Awards' at the Hotel Investment Conference-South Asia (HICSA 2010) to be held on April 7-8, 2010.

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Gurgaon, Haryana, February 16, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- After the overwhelming response and participation received by the awards last year at HICSA 2009, HVS has decided to continue its practice of acknowledging new hotel openings across South Asia. Instituted last year when the award was conferred upon The Crowne Plaza Today, Gurgaon and the Ibis Gurgaon, the 'Hotels of the Year Awards' aim to honour hotels that have left a commendable impression on the industry in the very first year of operations.

In line with the trend of increased segmentation within the hospitality industry, this year the 'Hotels of the Year Awards' will move a step forward by increasing the number of segments for which this award can be conferred. At HICSA 2010, instead of only two award categories, the 'Hotels of the Years Awards' will be conferred upon for four main categories: Best Luxury/ Upscale Hotel, Best Mid Market Hotel, Best Economy/ Budget Hotel and the Best Serviced Apartments.

Based on HVS knowledge and our understanding of the forthcoming properties in the South Asian region, various hotels and serviced apartments that opened between December 2008 - December 2009 were invited to nominate themselves based on certain criteria. The result: 38 hotels have submitted their nominations for 'Hotels of the Year Awards' including 13 nominations for Best Luxury/Upscale hotel, 13 nomination for Best Mid-Market hotel, 7 nominations for Best Budget/Economy hotel and 5 nominations for Best Serviced Apartment:

Best hotel in Luxury / Upscale segment -

1. Vivanta, Bengaluru
2. Zuri, Whitefield, Bengaluru
3. ITC Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru
4. Oterra, Bengaluru
5. Claridges, Surajkund, New Delhi
6. Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon
7. Trident, BKC, Mumbai
8. Taj Mount Road, Chennai
9. Westin, Hyderabad
10. Vivanta, Goa
11. Leela, Udaipur
12. Westin, Pune
13. Ista, Amritsar

Best hotel in Mid-Market segment-

1. Quality Inn Bliss, Gurgaon
2. Country Inn & Suites, Gurgaon
3. Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon
4. Courtyard by Marriott, Pune
5. Citrus Hotel, Pune
6. Hilton Garden Inn, New Delhi
7. Four Points by Sheraton, Navi Mumbai
8. Lemontree, Bengaluru
9. Lemontree, Chennai
10. Country Inn & Suites, Ahmedabad
11. Four Points by Sheraton, Jaipur
12. Fortune Select, Lavasa
13. Best Western, Moradabad

Best hotel in Budget / Economy segment-

1. Keys, Trivanthapuram
2. Red Fox, Jaipur
3. Premiere Inn, Bengaluru
4. Country Inn & Suites, Amritsar
5. Ginger, Jamshedpur
6. Grand Hometel, Mumbai
7. Ibis Pune

Best Serviced Apartments-

1. Radisson Suites, Gurgaon
2. Mercure Homestead, Bengaluru
3. Oakwood, Bengaluru
4. Oakwood Linear, Pune
5. Oakwood, Mumbai

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Detailed points-based hotel rating spreadsheet that measures the nominees across various criterions will be used for arriving at three finalists across all four categories. Below is a sample list of the selection criteria:

1. Construction tenure
2. Development cost
3. Average rates & occupancies achieved
4. Guestroom layout & interior décor
5. Aesthetic appeal of the hotel
6. Functional aspects of the hotel's design
7. General location of the property
8. Trend setting location in a virgin market
9. Public area facilities & in-room amenities
10. Variety of dining options
11. Quality of dining options
12. Unique culinary trends
13. Social responsibility
14. Eco sensitive approach
15. Recognitions received

PANEL OF JUDGES:

An independent panel of judges comprising key industry leaders would participate in this short listing process:

1. Homi Aibara - Partner, Mahajan and Aibara
2. Akshay Kulkarni - Executive Director - South Asia, Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality
3. Manav Thadani - Managing Director, HVS India
4. Ritu Kler - Managing Director, Total Integrated Design
5. Nikhil Nath - Chief Executive Officer, Knowcross Solutions
6. Navneet Bali - Chief Investment Officer, Duet India Hotels Ltd.

FINAL DECISION WOULD BE BASED ON:

Post the short listing process undertaken by our eminent judges listed above, the list of finalists will be presented to the delegates at HICSA 2010 for a final electronic vote. The winners will be announced on the second day of HICSA 2010 i.e. April 8, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai as part of the conference programme.

Notes to Editor

ABOUT HICSA

To address the growing need for a uniform platform for industry participants to exchange ideas and discuss the future of the hospitality industry, HVS launched the annual Hotel Investment Conference South-Asia (HICSA) in 2005.

Today the conference is widely viewed by global industry leaders as the premier hospitality event for the South Asian region, valued for its networking opportunities and high-level contacts as much as for its content-rich sessions. HICSA over the last five years has witnessed unprecedented support and appreciation from the hospitality industry and attracted overwhelming participation from hotel owners, investors, operators, bankers and industry specialists who came together to share their best practices, new ideas and latest market trends.

ABOUT HVS

HVS Hospitality Services is the leading consulting firm dedicated to the hotel, tourism and leisure industries. Founded by Stephen Rushmore in 1980, HVS currently has 30 strategically located offices around the world and a staff of over 300 highly trained consultants to fulfill a wide range of requirements related to the industry.

Established in 1997, the New Delhi office of HVS actively works within India and the Indian subcontinent, offering a wide range of services within the hospitality industry. Driven by client needs, HVS India is a one-stop shop for expert advice ranging from Consultancy and Valuation, Executive Search, Marketing and Communications, Asset Management and Advisory Services and Web Strategies.