Castle in the wind

THE CASTLE hotel has changed names. It would now be listed on all international travel catalogues, thereby bringing Hyderabad on the world map of tourism as a Best Western destination.

The castle in front of the Secretariat, built on the lines of the original Bavarian castle - Schloss Neushwanstein - located on the borders of Austria and Germany, will now be known as Best Western Amrutha Castle (BWAC), following an affiliation reached between Hotel Amrutha Castle and the Best Western International Inc.

Then what exactly is Best Western? Founded in 1946 by M.K. Guertin, a California-based hotelier, Best Western International began as an informal referral system among member hotels. And now after 54 years, Best Western International provides reservation and brand identity services for more than 1,500 members in 82 countries.

Amrutha Castle incidentally is the only hotel in Hyderabad to have affiliation with the Best Western, which operates a centralised reservation and operation centres. So how does it help boost the tourism industry in the State? If one were to understand the priorities of foreign tourists, they travel on a tight budget and here comes the vital point. It's not the five- star and five-star deluxe hotels that have the future, but the three and four-star hotels, explains Anand S. Gupta, President and CEO of Best Western Hotels in India. This is where BWAC can play a crucial role in attracting the foreign tourist.

"It certainly makes sense. People are travelling on strict budgets. It's the mid-market segment that has future," says the CMD of BWAC, Y. Rajeev Reddy. Now with Amrutha Castle entering into an affiliation with Best Western, it will have the advantage of having a state-of-the-art reservation system which could generate incremental business. With the Best Western affiliates having a strict quality control and a worldwide travel marketing programme, BWAC is all set up to look for additional inflow of guests.

By K. Srinivas Reddy

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Section  : Southern States
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