Dusit International welcomes its first Regional Vice President for India
New Delhi, August 13, 2009 – As part of its fast track expansion in India, Dusit International appoints
Mr. Harsh Varma as the Regional Vice President for Dusit Bird Hotels Private Limited, a joint venture between Dusit International and Bird Group of India. Together, these two leading corporations will stimulate India’s hotel industry with Thai hospitality excellence and Indian innovation. Mr. Varma, the Indian-born hotelier will be the bridge to helping Dusit expand and develop its brand in India.
“India has always been a key market for Dusit International. Since this is the first time Dusit will be entering the Indian market, we will need someone with the capability and expertise, and who understands the market from its heartbeat. We believe that Mr. Varma fulfills these requirements and will be a strong player to lead this team. With his broad vision for hotel operations, we are confident that our new hotels opening in India, such as the anticipated Dusit Devarana, New Delhi opening 2010, will quickly establish itself as one of the leading hotels in the city,” said Mr. Octavio Gamarra, Senior Vice President, Dusit International.
“With this strategic tie-up we look at bringing into India the best in Asian hospitality before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Every aspect of the Bird-Dusit properties will set a new benchmark for the hotel industry in the country. The appointment of Mr. Varma is the first step in building an exceptional team for our hospitality venture and we expect the team to grow to more than 200 people by the time we launch our first property next year,” said Mr. Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, Bird Group.
“We are not only excited for this opportunity to expand Dusit International with the Bird Group in the booming Indian market, but also to be the first hotel management company that will successfully combine the unique qualities of Thai and Indian hospitality. I look forward to the challenges ahead with much enthusiasm,”
said Mr. Varma.
Mr. Varma, a hotelier who speaks four languages fluently (English, Thai, Hindi, and Punjabi), and has devoted and achieved over 20 years of experience in the hospitality field began his life pursuing his interests in Economics and Law. Post his education, he realized his passion for the hospitality industry and followed his dream.. Mr. Varma obtained a diploma in hotel management from the Oberoi School of Hotel Management, New Delhi and decided to embark on his career path with The Oberoi Group.
His dedication to The Oberoi Group endured for nearly 10 years which gave him the experience to become General Manager for two properties of the Ascott Group, the largest global serviced residence operator. He continued his career as General Manager with Oakwood City Residence (Bangkok), the largest serviced apartment development in Southeast Asia, and now to Dusit International as the Regional Vice President India.
Dusit Bird Hotels Private Limited forecasts the management of at least six hotels in India by 2013, including two properties in New Delhi and one in Jaipur which will be in operation by 2011. With Mr. Varma’s extensive background, he will unquestionably extend Dusit International’s vision to India with certain success.
Dusit International has gained more than 60 years' experience in the hotel and hospitality field. Founded in 1948 by Honorary Chairperson, Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, whose first hotel was the Princess on Bangkok's New Road; Dusit has since acquired a unique portfolio of deluxe hotels, building upon Thai culture and tradition to create a personalised welcome for all guests, made distinctive under the Dusit brand promise: the delivery of an ‘experience that enlivens the individual spirit no matter what the journey.’
Dusit International comprises five hotel brands: Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts, Dusit’s second generation dusitD2 hotels & resorts, Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts, Dusit Devarana Hotels & Resorts, and Dusit Residence Serviced Apartments. It also operates its own signature Devarana Spa.
| Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts: | |
| Dusit Thani Bangkok | |
| Dusit Thani Hua Hin | |
| Dusit Thani Pattaya | |
| Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket | |
| Dusit Island Resort Chiang Rai | |
| Chatrium Suites Bangkok | |
| DusitD2 hotels & resorts: | |
| DusitD2 chiang mai | |
| DusitD2 baraquda pattaya | |
| Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts: | |
Dusit Princess Srinakarin, Bangkok |
|
| Dusit Princess Koh Chang | |
Dusit Princess Korat |
|
| Royal Princess Larn Luang, Bangkok | |
| Royal Princess Chiang Mai | |
Charoen Thani Princess, Khon Kaen |
|
Pathumwan Princess, MBK Centre, Bangkok |
|
Bel-Aire Princess, Sukhumvit, Bangkok |
|
Grand China Princess, Chinatown, Bangkok |
|
| Dusit Devarana Hotels & Resorts: | Eighth Heaven Resort Phang Nga (Opening 2011) |
| Outside Thailand: | |
| Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts | Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts |
| Dusit Thani Manila, Philippines | Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai (Opening October 2009) |
| Dusit Thani Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |
| Dusit Thani LakeView, Cairo (Opening 1 January 2010) | Dusit Residence Serviced Apartments |
| Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Opening October 2010) | Pearl Coast Premier Hotel Apartments, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Dusit Residence Dubai Marina, United Arab Emirates | |
| Dusit Devarana Hotels & Resorts | |
| Dusit Devarana New Delhi (Opening 2010) | Dusit Residence LakeView, Cairo, Egypt (Opening 2010) |
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world´s largest alliance of independent hotel brands. GHA currently comprises eleven Member Brands, Anantara, Cham, Dusit International, JurysDoyle, Kempinski, Landis, Leela, Marco Polo, Omni, Pan Pacific, Parkroyal and the Doyle Collection, encompassing 190 upscale and luxury hotels with over 50,000 rooms in 44 different countries. To book or for further information visit www.globalhotelalliance.com
About Bird Group
The Bird Group was founded in 1971 with the incorporation of Bird Travels. Today, with over 40 years of experience and more than 40 offices supported by over 3500 well trained staff and an impressive clientele of over 500 top corporates, Bird Group can claim to be one of the largest and most diversified entities within the industry in the Indian subcontinent. With businesses as diverse as pioneering back-office processing to being the representative for many of the world’s leading airlines; from managing the backbone of the technological framework for airline IT and distribution to managing crucial relationships of international service providers, Bird Group has ensured that a comprehensive portfolio of service offering has been created to add value to an extensive client base and add new potential customers. And in recent months, Bird Group has taken bold steps to increasing the value offering while broadening business horizons with new ventures. Today Bird Group’s core business includes Travel Technology, Comprehensive Airline Representation & Management, Hospitality, Passenger Aviation Services & Ground Handling, Cargo Management, Education & Training, Business Consultancy & Luxury Retail. Together, the various companies within these verticals generate direct revenue in excess of USD 100 Million.
For more information, visit the Bird Group website www.bird.in
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