Latest news from A&K India
'Hampton by Hilton Vododara-Alkapuri' hotel opens in Gujarat on December 19
Hampton Hotels, part of the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands, announced the opening of its first Hampton by Hilton hotel in Asia Pacific on December 19. Hampton by Hilton Vadodara-Alkapuri is the newest addition to the brand’s more than 1,800 hotels globally. With this new venture The Hampton Hotels brand plans to increase its foothold in the mid-priced hotel segment in India. The 100% non-smoking property features 72 guestrooms, which include rooms with a queen bed or twin beds designed for convenience and comfort, two meeting rooms, a rooftop facility with 100 pax capacity and additional amenities like fitness centre, swimming pool and business centre.
Gulf Air to increase capacity on Indian routes from March 2012 by deploying A321
Currently offering over 12,000 seats a week between New Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Chennai to Bahrain, Gulf Air will soon add more capacity by deploying the A321. Through the new narrow body, single aisle aircraft, the carrier will add over 30 per cent of the capacity by offering 161 economy and eight Falcon Gold Class seats with more legroom in both classes. Gulf Air is aiming to become ‘Carrier of Choice’ among Indian travellers by launching a few more initiatives such as the introduction of Falcon Corporate Plus (exclusively designed for corporate travellers). They have also launched the Falcon Flyer programme, a Family First programme and few travel agents initiatives to encourage indirect sales channels.
Ventura Air connect strengthens intrastate connectivity in central India
India’s first air taxi service provider – Ventura Air connect started interstate connectivity in Madhya Pradesh from September this year and has now started intrastate connectivity by adding Maharashtra in the network. With two Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft (nine-seaters), the company operates to cities like Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Khajurao and Gwalior. It has recently started operating on Nagpur – Jabalpur route and is in talks with the Maharashtra government to operate from more cities yet. The company aims to acquire 19 aircrafts in next three years, with eight to ten flights a day, thereby flying up to 30,000 seats per year, per aircraft. It will connect potential tourist destinations, state capitals and business hubs throughout central India, and later across the whole country.
India Art Fair 2012
The country’s biggest art event is back with the 4th edition of the India Art Fair 2012, formerly known as the India Art Summit. The art fair is being held at the NSIC Exhibition Complex in Okhla, one of Delhi’s biggest grounds. This year the fair will host works from 98 of the world’s most exciting and influential artists and galleries from 20 countries over four days. The Speakers’ forum will feature 54 eminent names that including art experts such as Priyanka Matthew of Sotheby’s and artists such as Mark Quinn and Bharti Kher. In addition, the fair will also include interactive visits to artists’ studios in Shahpur Jat to enable visitors to witness contemporary artists creating their best works. Guided tours and curated walks by artists and students of art history have also been introduced for general visitors. Eminent artists and galleries displaying their work include Hauser & Wirth who will be showcasing sculptures by Subodh Gupta and works by Bharti Kher, Louise Bourgeois, Roni Horn and Paul McCarthy; Gallery Maskara will be showcasing new works by T Venkanna, Shine Shivan and Prashant Pandey; and Gallery Espace will display painted autobiographical sketchbooks of artists such as Gulam Sheikh and Anju Dodiya along with works of Manjunath Kamath and Ravinder Reddy. Indian galleries at the Fair include Delhi Art Gallery, The Guild Art Gallery Mumbai and Artchill from Jaipur while International galleries comprise of Sundaram Tagore Gallery Hong Kong, White Cube and Hauser & Wirth both from London. Artists to watch out for at the Fair include Robert Indiana from Paul Kasmin; Gigi Scaria from Palette; Mona Hatoum, Marc Quinn, Damien Hirst from White Cube, Marina Abramović from Lisson Gallery and Annie Leibovitz from Sundaram Tagore Gallery Hong Kong. The India Art Fair will be held from 25 to 29 January, 2012.
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