IHG Hotels & Resorts to debut Crowne Plaza property in Labuan Bajo

Landmark partnership with MMS Land brings world-renowned brand to island paradise and gateway to Komodo National Park UNESCO Heritage Site.

 IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, today announced a landmark partnership with MMS Land – the property and hospitality arm of MMS Group Indonesia.

The new-build Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo will be the IHG’s premium brand third property in Indonesia, and mark IHG’s entry into an exciting new destination as it continues its strategic growth in the country.

Located next to Komodo International Airport and just 15 minutes from the waterfront on the most western tip of Flores Island, the hotel will provide the ideal base for guests to explore the area’s many world-class wonders. These include the spectacular Komodo National Park – anointed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 – comprising volcanic islands that are home to more than 5,000 rare, giant ‘Komodo Dragons’ lizards.

On top of attracting leisure travellers, Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo is also being developed as a leading MICE destination, with its facilities – including more than approximately 600 square metres of meeting space – set to cater for the needs of domestic and international business guests.

Chris Anklin, Senior Director, Development, South East Asia and Korea, IHG Hotels & Resorts said: “It’s truly exciting to introduce a fantastic Crowne Plaza hotel at Labuan Bajo in partnership with MMS Land. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s largest premium hotel brands and ideally-suited for guests who visit this island paradise for leisure, business or blended travel.

“We know there is a big hunger for experiential travel now, and we’re working closely with our owners to develop forward-looking hotel experiences that bring our destinations to life and support their overall development. Labuan Bajo is an enchanting harbour town that has been earmarked as one of Indonesia’s five super-priority destinations. The signing today underscores IHG’s commitment to further expand its footprint in Indonesia and grow our portfolio in strategic destinations across the country.”

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics of West Manggarai Regency, the number of hotels in Labuan Bajo increased by 50% between 2016-2018, rising from 64 hotels with 1,030 rooms to 98 hotels with 1,462 rooms, making it one of Indonesia’s highest-growth territories in terms of hotel development.

More recently, the Central Bureau of Statistics of East Nusa Tenggara, the province where Labuan Bajo is located, reported that star hotels in the region have shown a strong growth in demand, with a 36% increase in first quarter of 2023 as compared to 2022.

Mr. Andre Chandra Biantoro, CEO, MMS Land said: “We are excited to be working with IHG – a truly internationally-renowned operator – on this landmark project. We have seen IHG have great success with the world’s best airport hotel, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport in Singapore, and are confident that together we’ll emulate that outstanding level of achievement with Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo.

“The Crowne Plaza brand appeals to modern business travellers for many reasons, including how it offers thoughtful, multi-functional zones and spaces for guests to switch between work and leisure. It’s also the market leader when it comes to hosting meetings, and a globally trusted choice for businesses everywhere.

“Labuan Bajo is an up-and-coming MICE destination and recently hosted the ASEAN Summit in May 2023. With its strategic location, Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo will quickly become the hotel of choice for visitors to this idyllic town, boosting visits to Labuan Bajo to at least the pre-pandemic level of 250,000 tourists per year, while greatly strengthening its tourist eco-system, promoting economic growth and supporting local communities.”

Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo will offer guests a choice of 199 WorkLife rooms and suites across seven stories. In addition to its expansive meeting space, facilities will include the Plaza Workspace, three restaurants & bars, a fitness centre, spa and swimming pool.

Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo will contribute to the development of the national tourism sector in West Manggarai Regency and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province. As a gateway to the area’s scenic islands, the hotel will appeal to adventure travellers, with water activities, including snorkeling and diving, island hopping and cave exploration nearby.

As the world’s fourth largest market by population – and biggest in South East Asia – Indonesia is a key market for IHG. It’s home to one of its largest portfolios in the region with 24 hotels across six brands – Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Express – and 15 hotels in a pipeline that includes the upcoming brand debuts of Regent Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection and voco hotels. 

Crowne Plaza Labuan Bajo will be the third Crowne Plaza hotel to open in Indonesia, following Crowne Plaza Bandung and Crowne Plaza Jakarta Residences – a testament to its unfaltering potential as an attractive business and travel destination.

The Crowne Plaza brand continues to expand rapidly across Asia Pacific where it has quickly become the ideal accommodation choice through a purposeful design that offers flexible spaces to work, meet and relax, while satisfying and inspiring the needs of its guests both personally and professionally. Its Plaza Workspace, a new take on the traditional hotel lobby, offers agile work and relaxation areas that promote connections and encourage informal gatherings, while the brand’s patented WorkLife Room offers guests a combination of comfort, connectivity and flexibility with distinct zones for work, relaxation and sleep.

Asia Pacific is the future home of more than 90 Crowne Plaza hotels including Thailand’s Crowne Plaza Bangkok Grand Sukhumvit, Malaysia’s Crowne Plaza Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Crowne Plaza Penang Straits City and Crowne Plaza Kota Kinabalu Waterfront and across Australasia, Crowne Plaza Melbourne Carlton, Crowne Plaza Shell Cove Marina and Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa.

These outstanding properties will follow recently-opened Crowne Plaza Vinh Yen City Centre and Crowne Plaza Phu Quoc Starbay in Vietnam, and four Crowne Plaza openings in Australia, comprising two in Sydney in Darling Harbour and Burwood, and others in Adelaide and Tasmania. IHG’s renowned portfolio already includes Crowne Plaza Changi Airport – a eight-consecutive year winner of the Skytrax World’s Best Airport Hotel award – the elegant Crowne Plaza Paris – Republique, and Crowne Plaza Hamburg.

Appointment | Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla appoints Shuvendu Banerjee as the new General Manager

Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla appoints Shuvendu Banerjee as the new General Manager

• Shuvendu Banerjee brings with him 21 years of operational excellence and business development experience.

• In his new role, Shuvendu will be responsible for the continued success of the hotel by combining cutting-edge hospitality with innovative experiences for the guests.

16th June 2021, New Delhi: Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla is pleased to announce the appointment of Shuvendu Banerjee as the new General Manager. With an illustrious experience of more than two decades, Shuvendu Banerjee has held leadership positions and worked with renowned domestic and international hospitality brands across the country.

 In his new role, Shuvendu will be responsible for the continued success of the hotel by combining cutting-edge hospitality with innovative experiences for the guests. He will focus on implementation of cleanliness protocols recommended by global IHG Ways of Clean programme to ensure safety of the guests as well as the team members. His expertise lies in devising sales and marketing strategies for maximum profitability for the stakeholders along with overall operational efficiency. He opines that a General Manager’s role is extremely versatile and diverse due to which every day is a new day. He is strong believer in harnessing the team’s strength and believes in working with a strong focus on strategy and quality.

Shuvendu is a company veteran having spent over 14 years at IHG Group. He moved to this role from Crowne Plaza Cochin where he headed the team as their General Manager and worked very closely with industry partners and the tourism fraternity. Prior to that, he has worked with Crowne Plaza Gurugram and Crowne Plaza Rohini, spearheading Sales & Marketing and Operations. Shuvendu played an integral role during the launch of Crowne Plaza brand in India and also worked in the pre-opening team of two of the hotels. He follows an open and approachable leadership style and works extensively towards building leaders for tomorrow.

Speaking on his new role, Shuvendu said, “Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla, South Delhi’s business and dining landmark is a perfect embodiment of world-class service and True Hospitality. I am looking forward to strengthening my relationship with industry partners & MNCs and scouting for new opportunities and partnerships for the hotel. I will strive towards enhancing brand reputation and overall guest experience. Apart from devising strategies for strong Rooms and Social business, I will also focus towards leveraging on Food and Beverage capabilities in order to curate novel offerings for our corporate guests and residents of South Delhi.”

Shuvendu holds PGDBM in Marketing from Symbiosis Institute of Distance learning, certification from Cornell University and Harvard University Management programmes and is an alumnus from International Institute of Hotel Management. He has also perused the Strategic Leadership course from IIM Ahmedabad.  In his leisure time, Shuvendu is passionate about sports, music and driving.

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Appointments | Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla has announced the appointment of Pradipt Sinha as the Director of Food & Beverage.

Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla has announced the appointment of Pradipt Sinha as the Director of Food & Beverage.

Sinha will head Food and Beverage Service as well as Food Production (Kitchen) department at the property. He will oversee the functioning of all four Food and Beverage outlets at the hotel namely ChaoBella, Edesia, Copper Bar and French Heart along with room service and banquets.

As the Director of Food & Beverage, he will be responsible for heading and managing the Food and Beverage operations and maintaining high standards of guest satisfaction.  Sinha possesses strong business acumen with a capability to execute a wide range of strategies to establish market presence. He is a master in identifying new streams and curating culinary events for long-term revenue growth. He will be directly taking care of menu engineering, problem resolution, revenue management, staff management, operations management and event curation.

Besides, he will work closely with the Sales and Marketing team to drive revenues and enhance brand visibility for the hotel’s food and beverage.

As an industry expert, Sinha holds an experience of more than 18 years in the hospitality industry converting strategic vision into measurable results. With exemplary culinary skills, he holds special expertise in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.

He has won several accolades for his stellar performance as Executive Chef in the kitchen. In the year 2018, he was awarded as The Chef of the Year by FHRAI. 

He is a hand on manager and a true leader who believes in creating empowered teams. On a personal front, Pradipt is an avid traveler who loves to explore local cuisines and culture. He is a sports enthusiast and loves playing badminton.

Ranjan Banerjee, General Manager, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla said, “We are thrilled to have Pradipt on board with us and we are confident that he will take food and beverage offerings at our hotel a notch higher. He is one of the rare resources in the industry who has exposure across both the wings- service & production which makes him an all-rounder. I wish him all the very best for his new role.”

Kimpton Charlotte Square (UK) has announced the appointment of Kieran Quinn as General Manager

Kimpton Charlotte Square, has announced the appointment of Kieran Quinn as General Manager. Kieran will oversee the 199 room property located in the heart of Edinburgh and brings over 20 years of experience

He began his career in hospitality in his teenage years in his native Donegal in Ireland. He then qualified with distinction from Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland

His most recent position was General Manager for Crowne Plaza Edinburgh Royal Terrace where he was instrumental in completing the hotel’s renovation, increasing average rate and achieving record revenues for the hotel

Commenting on his new position as Hotel General Manager, He said: “The Kimpton ethos is one I'm incredibly passionate about. We believe that heartfelt human connections can really make a difference to people's lives. This goes for the team as well as our guests. It's the authentic personal touches that we deliver day in day out here at the hotel that make a real difference to our guests' experience.

Vaishali Shahi appointed as Human Resources Manager at Hyatt Regency, Chennai

Hyatt Regency Chennai recently announced the appointment of Vaishali Shahi as the Human Resources Manager. She brings with herself 12 years of experience in human resources and will be seen overlooking strategic planning, recruitment policy, design & implementation, talent management, and associate engagement.

 Having a strong background in the hospitality industry, Shahi gained immense knowledge working with eminent brands such as, IBIS Bengaluru, Crowne Plaza Pune City Centre, and JW Marriott Pune. In her tenure, she coordinated with senior managers to ensure that smooth activities are completed and issues are addressed to reinforce an assertive outlook of the organisation, championed communication with necessary use of compensation systems, tools, programs and policies, facilitated learning and development sessions and other key strategies.

Crowne Plaza - New General Manager to take on hotel duo

M&L, a Singapore-based hotel real estate investor, has appointed Gordon Fraser as Cluster General Manager at the Crowne Plaza Aberdeen Airport and Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen Airport. Managed by Tower Hotel Management, part of the Peel Group, the newly built hotels are located within a short walk of Aberdeen Airport terminal and were recently acquired by the new owners.

Bringing over 20 years of management experience, including eight years with Hilton Worldwide at the Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel, Gordon has immersed himself in multi-site management, mid-market and up-market properties, new builds, distressed properties, change programmes and capital project management throughout his career.

Tower Hotel Management currently operates award-winning hotels under various international brands including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton by Hilton and Ramada Encore by Wyndham. The latest venture, Courtyard by Marriott at Keele University will open in late Autumn 2020.

Peter de la Perrelle, Managing Director at Tower Hotel Management, said: “We’re extremely pleased to welcome Gordon on board. He brings a wealth of hotel operating experience and we look forward to seeing his presence make a difference at the two hotels