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‘It’s the world’s first veggie 5-star’
Sakshi Denis
New Delhi
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Praveen Jain |
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IT IS RARE to find a businessman minting money by incorporating his values. But Praveen Jain, owner of Country Inn and Suites, Sahibabad, dared to think differently and decided to implement what he believes in — his five-star hotel only serves vegetarian food.
Tell us about Country Inn and Suites’ branch in Sahibabad and its discerning feature?
Country Inn and Suites is a Carlson brand. Worldwide, it is running thousands of hotels. Country Inn and Suites Sahibabad is the first vegetarian five-star hotel having 216 rooms, nine banquet halls, the largest in NCR-Delhi, and three restaurants. It is just next to Vaishali metro station, in Ghaziabad.
How has the response been so far, especially to the vegetarian attribute of the hotel?
It is a two-year old property. People are giving good attention to the vegetarian quality. It is eco-friendly in the way that we are saving at least five animals from being killed every day, by promoting vegetarianism. It is the need of today’s world to save animals, to save greenery and to save jungles. We are fully vegetarian. This is the USP of the hotel and that too run by a foreign brand. We wish to be joined by other hotels also.
How has the union budget 2012-13 impacted the hospitality industry?
As a whole, the increase of two per cent (service tax) is not too painful. I would say, as the economy is moving ahead, this two per cent is absorbable easily. Linking with the growth, if growth is there then definitely, expenditure is not a big deal.
There was a demand for granting infrastructure status to the hospitality sector. But it was not granted in the budget. What do you have to say on this?
Had infrastructure status been given to the hospitality sector, more hotels would have been constructed as bankers would have more money for infrastructure. But a hotel is not just made by money. It requires many things. My personal view is, had (the budget) given the hospitality sector infrastructure status, it would have been beneficial. But now that it has not been granted, it’s not much of a loss.
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