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New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Star Hotels Association submits reforms wishlist to CM Chandrababu Naidu
VIJAYAWADA: As part of the Tourism Tech AI 2.0 Conclave, representatives of the Andhra Pradesh Star Hotels Association met Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and submitted key proposals to strengthen the tourism sector. The delegation included prominent hospitality leaders such as Prabhu Kishore (Novotel Varun Group), Gokaraju Ganga Raju (Lemon Tree Premier), Rajaiah (Taj Vivanta), Muttavarapu Murali Krishna (Fortune Murali Park), and Sharan Vallur (GRT Grand), along with Association President RV Swamy, General Secretary S Murthy Chitturi, and Vice President Venkat. In the presence of Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh, Special Chief Secretary (Tourism) Ajay Jain, APTDC Chairman Nukasani Balaj, and APTDC MD Amrapali Kata, the delegation urged the government to extend industrial status benefits—such as concessions on electricity, water, and property tax—to all existing star hotels, not just new ones. While acknowledging that investment subsidies rightly apply to new projects, they sought recurring incentives for all operational hotels to ensure equitable treatment. The hoteliers also appealed for reclassification of star hotels under the green category in environmental clearances, instead of the current orange or red tags, to ease compliance burdens. Naidu and Durgesh assured the stakeholders that their suggestions would be reviewed carefully.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Star hotel owners meet Naidu, propose use of AI-driven tools in hotel operations
Andhra Pradesh Star Hotels Association (APHA) members on Friday met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at the Tourism Conclave and underscored the need to deploy AI-driven tools and digital innovations to modernise guest experiences, marketing, and hotel operations, aligning with the State's vision for tourism excellence. The Chief Minister welcomed the hotel industry's readiness to co-create a tech-enabled roadmap for tourism growth. The hoteliers also strongly urged the government to ensure that full industry status benefits, especially recurring benefits such as power tariff concessions, water tax and property tax waivers, are extended to all existing star hotels, not just new ones. The members emphasised that while capital subsidies naturally apply to greenfield projects, ongoing operational benefits must treat all classified hotels equitably to maintain Andhra Pradesh's competitiveness as a quality tourism destination. Additionally, they recommended that hotels be reclassified as 'green category' units under the Pollution Control norms rather than under restrictive orange or red categories, acknowledging the industry's sustainable practices and eco-friendly upgrades. According to sources, the Chief Minister responded positively and assured the association members that the proposals would be carefully reviewed and appropriate directions would be issued to address these long-standing requests under the State's tourism policy. The APHA delegation comprised Prabhu Kishore (Chairman, Novotel Varun Group), Gokaraju Gangaraju (Chairman, Lemon Tree Premiere), M. Rajaiah (Managing Director, Taj Vivanta Vijayawada), Muttavarapu Murali Krishna (Managing Director, Fortune Murali Park), AP Star Hotels Association president R.V. Swamy, general secretary S. Murthy Chittoory, vice-president Venkat, and Sharan Valluru (MD, GRT Grand Vijayawada).
