Brigade Group Launches New Grand Mercure Hotel in GIFT City Gandhinagar, Gujarat

GIFT City developed with India’s first ‘Intelligent and Green Infrastructure’ welcomes its first international hotel with Grand Mercure Gandhinagar GIFT City. Based on the concept of leading financial service nations, GIFT City is planned with state of art connectivity, infrastructure and transportation access integrated into the design of the city. Located on the bank of the Sabarmati River, GIFT City connects the Business capital (Ahmedabad) and Political capital (Gandhinagar) of Gujarat State- The Growth Engine of India.

Brigade Group is proud to launch the first hotel in GIFT City which is the first operational Smart City in the Country.

Grand Mercure Gandhinagar GIFT City features 151 well-equipped guestrooms. The nine-floor hotel, amidst GIFT City, is built to cater to the demands of seasoned frequent travellers looking for quality accommodation and admirers of inventive homegrown interior. Keeping the state’s rich cultural, historical, culinary and geographical dimensions a topmost priority, the hotel incorporates local touch points to all its premium services, food, accommodation and healthy lifestyle options.

Through storytelling, the property brings the distinctive culture and traditions of Gujarat to life, with local interpretation of the four brand signatures: Sense of Welcome, Sense of Food and Beverage, Sense of Wellness and Sense of Culture and Discovery. Inspired by the rich culinary legacy of Gujarat, the hotel has a specialty restaurant Samaroh, which offers local quintessential Gujarati delicacies. Guests are welcomed with a Gujarati Thali which truly captures the flavours of the state and is a treat to reckon with.

“We are extremely delighted to present Grand Mercure Gandhinagar GIFT City, our very first hotel outside South India and the 7th hotel by Brigade Group. It is our privilege to have been offered an opportunity to create this landmark project in Gujarat and we are grateful for all the support and encouragement we have received from the Government and from the GIFT City authorities. Being the first hotel development in GIFT City, we have spared no efforts in ensuring top quality in terms of the product and services. We are confident our guests will love the experience of staying and dining at the hotel.” said Mr. M.R. Jaishankar, Chairman & Managing Director, Brigade Enterprises Limited.

“We are extremely happy to launch Grand Mercure Gandhinagar GIFT City, the first international branded hotel, in the foremost operational smart city of the country. With the support of Brigade Group, we have successfully established three Grand Mercure properties in the country and look forward to Collaborating for more hotels going forward .” said Jean-Michel Cassé, Chief Operating Officer (COO) – India & South Asia, Accor.

“Along with our partners, Brigade Group, we are excited to open the Grand Mercure GIFT City and support the city’s vision to be a global financial and Information Technology hub. Grand Mercure from Accor, with its sense of universal hospitality and uniquely local touchpoints, will provide travellers with globally benchmarked and quality accommodation. Gujarat is a pivotal state with growing infrastructure and overall development. We look forward to continued hotel development opportunities in the state.” said Lokesh Sabharwal, Vice President - Development & Special Projects, South Asia, Accor.

Located in the proximity of corporate houses, Grand Mercure Gandhinagar has six meeting rooms, which are perfect place for conferences, training programs and social events. The hotel has a pillarless ballroom that can comfortably accommodate up to 200 delegates. Leisure facilities include a state-of- the-art fitness centre, an infinity pool with a separate party area and a yoga pavilion to rejuvenate the mind and body.

Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat is known for its rich cultural heritage, beautiful temples and serene environment. Popular city attractions include the Akshardham Temple known for its spectacular architecture and pilgrimage influx from around the country. Other nearby places worth visiting are Sabarmati Ashram - Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad and Modhera Sun Temple. Guests can also plan visit to the World’s Tallest Statue, Statue of Unity and Rann of Kutch with the help from the hotel’s concierge.

“We are pleased to open our hotel in GIFT City,” said Bijoy Sengupta, General Manager, Grand Mercure Gandhinagar GIFT City. “We will ensure that the hotel’s new standard of hospitality will justify the purpose of all our guests from leisure to business; personal to professional. We look forward to cater to the city’s growing tourism and business activities.”

To celebrate its opening, the hotel is offering a stay inclusive of buffet breakfast, hotel credit worth INR 2000, complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability) and Wi-Fi when you book your stay till 31st May 2020. Members of Accor’s loyalty programme ALL-Accor Live Limitless now have another property at which they can earn, redeem and spend points at, while making use of the multiple offerings that ALL provides.

For reservations, please call +91 7961801300 or email to ha741-fo@accor.com Note to the Editor: Hi-res images can be downloaded via: https://bit.ly/2LRcpFa

About Grand Mercure

Grand Mercure Hotels & Resorts tempts travelers with a charming and inviting hotel experience that appeals to their imagination and insatiable sense of discovery. With its debut in Asia Pacific nearly 20 years ago, the Grand Mercure network consists of more than 55 hotels that embrace cultural tradition, locally influenced cuisine and inspired artistic expression. Flagship hotels include Grand Mercure Mysuru in India, Grand Mercure Belem Do Para in Brazil and Grand Mercure Rio de Janeiro Riocentro in Brazil. Grand Mercure is part of Accor, a world-leading augmented hospitality group offering unique experiences in 4,900 hotels and residences across 110 countries. 

Covestro AG Appoints Mr. Anand Srinivasan as its New Managing Director of India Operations

Covestro India, one of India's leading producers of advanced and high-performance polymers announced the appointment of Mr. Anand Srinivasan, currently the Head of Polycarbonates, as its new Managing Director. Srinivasan shoulders this role, effective 18th December 2019, from Mr. Ajay Durrani who served as the Managing Director of Covestro India for six years. Mr. Durrani has been a part of Covestro for over two decades successfully handling his responsibilities at various positions.

Mr. Anand Srinivasan has been working closely with Mr. Durrani to allow a smooth transition of business ensuring continuity of leadership. After moving to India from USA, Anand took over as the Plant Manager of Ankleshwar facility and went on to head the Supply Chain Center in Mumbai. Currently, he heads the Polycarbonates business in India.

Commenting on the appointment, Stephan Rosenthal, Head of Country Pplatform Management, Covestro AG said, "India is one of the growing markets in the world and we are happy to have Anand as the Managing Director of Covestro India. He understands the vision of the company intrinsically and we are confident that he will effectively lead in his new role".

"I am extremely pleased to take over this role at an exciting phase of the company. Together with our team and partners our focus will be to strengthen our partnerships and build new relationships for future growth. We are committed to build our product portfolio and take initiatives that touch many lives and make the world a brighter place", said Anand Srinivasan, MD, Covestro (India).

Bentley Systems Wins Global Downstream Award for Digitalization

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twin cloud services for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, and Digital Construction Works (DCW), a Bentley Systems and Topcon Positioning Group joint venture providing digital automation, integration, and “twinning” services, around fit-for-purpose software and cloud services, announced that Bentley Systems was named a winner at the Downstream Awards. Bentley won in the Innovation in Downstream Digitalization category for Dow Chemical Company’s (Dow) use of its ConstructSim application.

The awards celebrate the best of the downstream industry and are organized by Petrochemical Update, a division of Reuters Events. Awards were announced in 11 categories, with winners chosen by a panel of 10 judges representing the industry.

Anne-Marie Walters, industry marketing director, oil and gas and manufacturing at Bentley Systems, said, “We are honored to have received this award, which recognizes Bentley as a provider of digital construction workflows, for the advancement of infrastructure projects, and specifically for Dow’s outstanding work of integrating advanced work packaging (AWP) into its global project methodology.”

“Dow is applying AWP as a program on capital projects of all sizes,” said Susan Brandt, vice president, business development at DCW. “After evaluating several other software packages, Dow selected Bentley’s ConstructSim to automate AWP on a programmatic basis. The team architected its methodology to make AWP via ConstructSim scalable, targeting its implementation on any project valued at more than USD 10 million.”

The implementation of AWP methods with ConstructSim helped Dow achieve amazing tool time results for piping and structural steel. Structural steel wrench time performance improved to 70% and piping wrench time performance rose to 63%, while the industry average wrench time is 37%. Other non-quantifiable benefits were the transparency of construction progress, as Dow was able to use the ConstructSim model in weekly construction status meetings.

“This award demonstrates how Bentley Systems is leading the way in the downstream industry. The entire team at Bentley Systems should be so proud to be acknowledged for their great success in 2019, and we are already looking forward to seeing how Bentley Systems, and all the other winners and finalists, continue to build on their success in 2020,” said Jonathan Witherspoon, sector head of Petrochemical Update.

Star World Bids Adieu to Judges George, Matt and Gary through a MasterChef Extravaganza!

Food does not discriminate – it is a universal experience! And, in taking this experience to unprecedented heights, Star World, home to the world’s biggest cooking franchise in the country – MasterChef, hosted a grand soirée in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

In Bangalore, the event took place at the premium rustic and outdoorsy property of Tiamo, Conrad replete with a sumptuous 5-course meal and a delectable wine pairing affair that was brought to attendees by pouring partner, Jacob’s Creek. The occasion also signified an important milestone in the course of MasterChef history – the exit of judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, the trio that made MasterChef a global phenomenon.

The evening commenced with the presentation of an exquisite menu for the evening, one that was wholly dedicated to the judges. It comprised some of George, Gary and Matt’s favourite dishes from the show that was expressly curated by Sandeep Pandit, who was not only one of the top 5 contests on the 11th season of MasterChef Australia but was also one of the judges’ favourites. In knowing their tastes and having interacted with them throughout the season, the talented chef pieced the entire menu together and attendees were seen indulging in the delicacies that were laid out for them.

The menu consisted of a wholesome five course meal serving delicious dishes like Butter Corn Fritters with appetizers such as Tomata & Plum salad, Classic Prawn Cocktail, along with Spanish Chicken & Lamb Chorizo, Kale Risotto, Fish Puttanesca, and Chick Pea Puttanesca! Making the venue an exquisite food heaven, the feast culminated with scrumptious Salted Sour Cream Cheese Cakes!

Commenting on this joyous occasion, Chef Praveen Shetty, Tiamo, Conrad Bengaluru said “Our food philosophy at Conrad Bengaluru is to stay true to retain the essence of the dish while using the freshest ingredients and most robust meats. We are excited to present an innovative menu to the residents of Bengaluru, inspired by the great masterchef Australia series, at our award winning alfresco dining restaurant.”

An all-immersive gourmet dining experience in an elegantly designed setting together with the attendees, the most mouthwatering dishes from the show and a divine ambience created a gastronomic extravaganza like no other. Marking a momentous occasion, the magnificent affair was the perfect sendoff by Star World to the loved judges – Matt, Gary and George!

MasterChef Australia Season 11 airs in India on Star World. It is presented by Michelin Tyres, powered by Jacob’s Creek Music CDs and Cadbury Dairy Milk, with Titan as the lifestyle partner.

Season 2 of Smule Mirchi Cover Star will Unearth India’s Hidden Singing Talent

After a phenomenal first season, ‘Smule Mirchi Cover Star’, one of India’s largest digital singing talent hunts hosted by Radio Mirchi, is back with season two. Presented by Smule, the world’s favourite social music making app, the contest is now Live.

The talent hunt is a coveted platform for youngsters to showcase their singing talent and offers winners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform at the 12th Mirchi Music Awards in Mumbai in the presence of leading icons of the Indian music industry.

Smule is returning as the title sponsor for the talent hunt after a hugely successful first edition that saw over 50,000 unique entries.

Interested participants simply need to download the Smule app and sing their cover entry.

Smule is backed in India by Times Bridge, an investment arm of the Times Group.

Bill Bradford, President, Smule said:  “India is a strategic market for us and a key part of our truly global community. Smule Mirchi Cover Star is a terrific way of not just unearthing and investing in local talent, but also of establishing our credentials as the most innovative and impactful musical performance platform. We want to use the mobile phone to connect people through music and bring it back to its social roots.”

Viral Jani, Senior Vice-President, Investment Operations, Times Bridge, added: “Our mission at Smule India is to give our users an unparalleled sing-along experience. Offering a national canvas makes Smule Mirchi Cover Star a unique platform to showcase musical talent in a truly democratic and accessible way. It’s an unmatched experience for winners to perform in front of prominent names of the music fraternity.”

Yatish Mehrishi (COO), Radio Mirchi: “Looking at the growing trends in the singing category and the excitement that people have for such activities, we were keen to give our listens one such innovative platform. Smule Mirchi Cover Star is a platform that not only will help people explore their hidden singing talent but also, something that people will enjoy while participating. After an amazing response in the first season we look forward to discover many such hidden gems and give the winner the stage of Mirchi Music Awards.”

In Phase 1 of the contest, all entries will be screened and the top 100 will be shortlisted. These will be uploaded on the Smule Mirchi Cover Star website (www.mirchicoverstar.com) for voting and social engagement. These form the basis for evaluation, along with the decisions of judges Jonita Gandhi and the Meet Brothers.

Thereafter, five entries will be shortlisted from the 100 for the final round. The top five will battle it out at a specially curated event with press, fans and judges. The winner will be chosen and then groomed for various performances, including at the Mirchi Music Awards 2020.

Earlier this year, Ashmik Patil was crowned the first Smule Mirchi Cover Star and performed with the Meet Brothers at the 11th Mirchi Music Awards in front of the Bollywood music fraternity. Patil said:

“It’s been a life-changing experience - to be mentored by and share the stage with the Meet Brothers; I’m grateful to Smule and Radio Mirchi for the opportunity”.  Since being named the winner, Patil has gone on to perform at several live venues as well as for multiple Radio Mirchi events.

India Fashion Forum Turns 20, Set to Unveil Fashion Retail Intelligence Event in Bengaluru from Dec 17-18, 2019

India’s largest fashion intelligence event, India Fashion Forum (IFF) will be back with its 20th edition on December 17 and 18, 2019 at the Conrad Hotel, Bengaluru – marking two decades of its role as a key influencer and catalyst of fashion retail evolution in India. And for the first time in its long history, IFF is also changing its address — to Bengaluru, home to possibly India’s most innovative, tech-entrepreneurial demographic.

IFF’s move to Bengaluru endorses the story of fashion retail metamorphosis over the past few years. If the customer is at the heart of successful retailing, tech is now the soul. This also underpins the launch of Fashion Techway at the 20th edition of IFF. A futuristic showcase of tech-propelled fashion retail innovation, Fashion Techway will be not just the Showstopper, but will also be a ‘crystal ball’ of the future of this industry.

The event will offer an extraordinary environment dedicated to outstanding, mind warping innovation in the business of fashion, from agile design tools to exceptional in-store tech influencers, from the dynamic science of fashion retail analytics to hyper-targeted social marketing.

Referring to the significance of IFF’s role in catalysing Indian fashion retail, Amitabh Taneja, Chief Convenor, India Fashion Forum says, “It’s a milestone year for us, marking two decades of its recognition as a key influencer and catalyst of fashion retail evolution in India. This year, preview the next generation of fashion retail in granulated detail, from smart, sustainable sourcing to intuitive, real-time customer engagement, and everything in between. Besides these, through the launch of Fashion Techway we will help stakeholders discover how Innovation and Tech will be the biggest drivers of profitable fashion retail in 2020 and beyond.”

The 20th edition of IFF will be chaired by Akhilesh Prasad, President & Chief Executive, Fashion & Lifestyle Businesses, Reliance Retail.

“We must optimise India’s native intelligence through thousands of years of trading and retailing. Our legacy will never be obsolete; we just need to have powerful faith in ourselves. We must be be distracted or intimidated by new-fangled technology jargons; Indian brands and retailers need to use the intimate knowledge of our own country to effectively compete in a globalised market,” he notes, offering a preview of the conference agenda at the event.

Key Highlights : 20th IFF in Bengaluru

* 600+ unique fashion brands and companies representing best-in-class of fashion retail innovation
* 50+ Conference sessions, debates and discussions across two days
* Launch of Fashion Techway, exclusive showcase of fashion retail powered by tech
* 200+ C-Suite Speakers from all fashion retail functions — sourcing, business development, operations, product innovation, retail innovation and tech
* 20th IMAGES Fashion Awards presenting a first-ever format for fashion & lifestyle brands and retailers to present success stories to a global Grand Jury and industry peers at such a mega forum. Success stories will include: expansion, new launches, concepts, new outlets, flagship stores, innovation in product & retail design/VM, excellence across value & distribution chain, marketing & promotions, tech implementation in retail ops and customer service and more…

Over 200 speakers representing leading companies operating across the fashion retail value chain will be anchoring the two-day conference. Over 600 unique brands and companies will be attending and exhibiting next generation product innovation, retail support solutions and futuristic retail technology innovations at the mega congregation.

Among the speakers at the 20th IFF are: Suresh J, MD & CEO, Arvind Brands & Retail, Lavanya Nalli, President, Nalli, Abhishek Ganguly, MD, Puma India, Nina Lekhi, MD & Chief Design Curator, Baggit, Dilip Kapur, President & Founder, Hidesign, Vasanth Kumar, MD, Lifestyle, Rishi Vasudev, SVP & Group Head, Fashion, Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, Ramneek Khurana, Co-founder, Lenskart, Gautam Vazirani, Creative Strategist – Sustainable Fashion, IMG Reliance, Sanjeev Mohanty, Managing Director, South Asia, Middle East And North Africa, Levi Strauss and Company, among others.

About India Fashion Forum

Launched in 2000, India Fashion Forum (IFF) is India’s largest fashion retail intelligence event. Every year, a powerful blend of conference sessions, workshops and master classes, zoned exhibitions and industry awards mark IFF’s confluence of the biggest consumer trends, market intelligence and retail innovation in the business of fashion in India.

The 20th edition of IFF Conference will offer unparalleled insights from international and Indian industry experts, academics, global fashion research majors and analysts through a world-class mix of keynote addresses, panel discussions, CEOs Roundtables, presentations, knowledge series sessions and workshops. Four themed exhibition platforms — Fashion Sourcing, L Cube, Asia Shop, India Brand Show — will showcase the most market-ahead fashion ingredients, design innovation, technology, retail strategies and solutions to a mega congregation of leaders from the business of fashion in India and elsewhere.

Christmas Just Got Merrier with 3 Special Edition Fans from Fanzart

This Christmas, the aroma of pudding can disseminate throughout your living space as Fanzart, a fan manufacturer which focuses on innovative designs and features have launched a new range of fans adding glitter to this Christmas festival. It appends to the decorative spirit, the twinkling of lights, the beautiful colors, nativity scene, sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies and multitude of decorations.

Mr. Tarun Lala, Executive Director, Fanzart said, “The new Christmas range of fans appends our existing novel collections. Apart from celebrations, décor is a main element of Christmas. We wanted to offer our customers tote up their décor with a stylish and feature rich fans.”

‘Shimmer’ to the Twinkle

‘Shimmer’ is a stylish, glittery and musical ceiling fan that comes with retractable blades and a three-colour LED light dome. The addition of glitter makes it look like the night sky, making it perfect to sleep under. Equipped with blue-tooth speakers, here’s a fan that can turn your Christmas Eve into a night full of fun and laughter with Christmas carols playing from up above. 

Features:

Colour: White
Blade: Retractable Transparent Fine Acrylic 4 nos
Sweep: 1118 mm / 44 in
Light Kit: Multi Colour LED (36W)
Sound Kit: 10W Bluetooth Speaker

Speicial Functionalities:

BLDC motor fan
Glittery effect on the fan
Multi-colour LED option

Bluetooth speakers

‘Pluto’ Swaps Red and Wooden Finish

A remarkable feat of engineering, the Pluto boasts a laudably compact design. The high quality special wooden blades come in a reversible dual colour scheme, which makes this fan an interior designer’s dream. The fan complements very well with the Christmas décor as you can swap the blades to the red colour. The fan itself will become the centre piece in your Christmas themed living room.

Features:

Colour: Nickel Black
Blade: Reversible High Quality Special Wood Red / Black 5 nos
Sweep: 1070 mm / 42 in

Special Functionalities:

Reversible blades
Summer Winter feature

‘Tiffany’ Filled with Affluence

This range is named after one of the most gifted jewellery makers in history and the name goes by the core material used which is Tiffany stained glass. Tiffany redefines aesthetic brilliance. The dome and lamp shades feature exquisite glass-painting while the hand-crafted wooden blades form a sight to feast on. The penta-pack LED lights also make the fan capable of illuminating larger rooms than its competitors. The Tiffany brings in the festive season with panache.

Features:

Colour: Hand Painted Multi Coloured Stained Glass
Blade: Hand Crafted Natural Wood, Chestnut 5 nos
Sweep: 1320 mm / 52 in
Light Kit: E27 x 5 (15W) | E12 x 4
Pull Chain Included

Special Functionalities:
Summer winter feature
Hand painted stained glass
Hand crafted wooden blades