About Us

SEEKING FORTUNE

In today's extremely competitive market scenario, all hotels are struggling to continuously stay ahead of the competition. It needs no substantiation that chain hotels by virtue of the immense synergies, distribution network, central reservation systems, pan-India sales and marketing infrastructure, support and a deeper knowledge pool have a tremendous edge over stand-alone hotels. This is what Fortune Hotels provides, besides the pride of being part of India's premier hospitality chain.

Our phenomenal growth rate in the past few years is a testimony to our claims of being leaders in the category of branded first-class, full service business hotels. Contrary to the Western countries, where 85% of all mid-priced hotels are affiliated to a chain, only 15% are affiliated in India. This scenario is changing rapidly in keeping with the international trends and is fueling the growth of the Industry at a pace never seen before.

THE FORTUNE LINEAGE

Fortune Park Hotels Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd. and was set up in 1995 to cater to the mid-market to upscale market segment in business and leisure destinations.

The 'Fortune Hotels' brand draws its strength from a proud lineage of being a member of ITC's hotel group, India's premier chain of luxury hotels, bringing the global traveler the best of East and West: traditional Indian hospitality with contemporary international standards. Its presence with more than 100 hotels in over 70 destinations across the country addresses the needs of both, the business and leisure traveler.

The philosophy driving the growth of Fortune Hotels is to provide quality accommodation at affordable rates. Under the brand tag line, "Let Fortune Take You Places", Fortune Hotels promises business and leisure travelers a wide choice of destinations and accommodation. And it is fast moving towards fulfilling that promise.

Fortune Hotels has been a proud recipient of numerous accolades and awards, some of which are -

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Fortune Park Hotels Ltd. has a fully developed technical cell which provides technical support to all hotels, both of pre-opening and post-opening nature.

Fortune Park Hotels Ltd. provides guidelines and detailed specifications for all plant and machinery, facilities planning (kitchen, laundry, back-of-the-house) and on-going repairs and maintenance work. Regular energy audits are conducted to ensure that the energy costs are always in control. Advancements in technology and best practices in the industry are communicated to all hotels. Also, information on new products and systems is made available at periodic intervals.

We have the country's finest knowledge set for the designing and commissioning of a mid-priced hotel-clearly differentiating it from the top-end and bottom-end of the industry. Our inputs during the project stage are guaranteed to save promoters' substantial investments in the product while ensuring a contemporary and highly efficient hotel.

CORPORATE STRUCTURE

The corporate office is situated in the modern satellite city of Gurgaon with the following structure:

Managing Director
Vice President - Finance
Vice President - Operations
General Manager - Technical
Head - Sales & Marketing
Head - Human Resources
General Manager - Product Development
Corporate Chef
Corporate Housekeeper
Corporate Revenue Manager
Marketing Services Manager
Human Resources Manager
Corporate IT Manager
Manager - Special Assignments
Corporate Training Manager
Operations Manager

In addition to this management structure, Fortune Park Hotels Ltd. often draws assistance from the vast corporate infrastructure of ITC Ltd - Hotels Division, which is located in Gurgaon.

HR & TRAINING SUPPORT

It is now a well known fact that qualified professionals prefer a chain, where they see growth possibilities rather than a standalone unit. Fortune Hotels has created a Talent Pool of executives which caters to varied profile of resources for a Unit.

Fortune Hotels also provides valuable training support to all hotels. Professional training for staff is organized for introduction to the Fortune Operating Standards and Procedures, that help the Unit executives not just perform better at their current positions, but also gears them up to take bigger roles and responsibilities in the future. The Corporate Training Manager regularly visits all properties to conduct training sessions based on the needs of each hotel.

In addition, ITC Hotels operates one of the industry's most respected in-house training schools in Gurgaon. The ITC Hotels Management Institute runs regular management courses for all ITC Hotels and provides for continuous learning support. Also, Fortune Hotels regularly provides on-the-job training for managers and chefs at our existing hotels in various cities. Fortune Managers are also regularly sent for industry exposure to our leading hotels in the metro cities, to keep them abreast with latest trends and standards in hospitality.

A comprehensive HR manual, detailing the HR guidelines for each hotel along with an employee orientation manual, is made available to all General Managers.

OPERATIONS SUPPORT

Each Fortune hotel has a General Manager deputed by Fortune Hotels, who is either transferred from within the existing resources of ITC Hotels or hired from the constantly updated data bank available with ITC Hotels HR cell.

Operating manuals for each operating department and a standards manual defining the standards for a Fortune hotel are provided to all Fortune hotels to assist the General Manager in his day-to-day operations.

An annual operations audit is conducted in each property by General Manager- Operations, which outlines the standards maintained by the property and the shortcomings, if any. A detailed audit report is submitted to the hotel promoters for their perusal, along with valuable inputs on constant improvement of the product and services.

Key support for food festivals, standardization of menus and constant information on industry best practices is provided on a regular basis by the Operations team. At the time of Hotel opening a pre-opening team is deputed to the hotel to assist the General Manager and the hotel team for a smooth commissioning of the hotel.

DISTRIBUTION

Fortune Hotels is recognized for its ability to support the selling mechanism of a Unit and boasts of a formidable distribution network which is a potent combination of -Global Distribution System (GDS)/Website (IDS)/Call Centre (CCC)/Regional Marketing Offices (RMO's).

On the global platform, Fortune Hotels is connected to over 55,000 travel agencies, major travel suppliers, Fortune 500 companies and travel websites around the globe through key GDS networks like Sabre, Apollo/Galileo, Worldspan and Amadeus. Trusted for its product & services, the brand is represented by leading distribution solution companies, globally. The user friendly website of Fortune Hotels with contemporary design and functionalities is powered with an online booking engine. The booking engine is also integrated with Third Party websites in order to provide easy reach to our hotels. ITC Hotels operates a pan-India Guest Contact Centre which is functional 24x7. Based on state-of-the-art technology, the Guest Contact Centre offers instant reservation facility via Toll Free Numbers. It is a one-stop shop, without a parallel, in effectively addressing guest contact, be it for reservations, information or feedback. Internally, it is a powerful revenue management and value-led marketing tool. Fortune Hotels form a part of this system, thus giving them a cutting edge over competition.

Fortune Hotels has a strong Sales & Marketing network, with its extensive presence across the country, through its Regional Marketing Offices/Marketing Office besides marketing set-up in all the Units. Also each hotel is sold by other operating hotels under the corporate initiative called 'Next Stop Fortune'.

Fortune Hotels has a Central Revenue Management Cell, which monitors the performance of every Unit on a daily basis, defining and re-defining strategies for individual Units. Besides this, the resources of this cell also visit a Unit, in case it needs realignment of its efforts.

SALES & MARKETING INFRASTRUCTURE

Fortune Hotels are sold and marketed through Sales & Marketing offices in 12 major cities across the country. These cities are New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Pune, Chandigarh and Visakhapatnam. Our team of experienced and dedicated sales & marketing professionals are in constant touch with the market to drive maximum business for all our hotels.

ITC Hotels is an acknowledged marketing leader in the hospitality sector, known for its visionary and creative marketing initiatives. These marketing initiatives, such as Executive Travel & Value Plan, Club ITC, WelcomLink- to name a few- are available to all Fortune Hotels and instantly gives them access to the country's best established hospitality marketing programmes and the largest database of existing hotel users. Besides, Fortune hotels get the benefit of existing relationships with the leading MNCs and Corporates which are current users of ITC Hotels all over the country.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Mr Samir M C, Managing Director
With full responsibility for the leadership and development of Fortune Hotels, Samir plays a key role in meeting the company’s aggressive growth goals as well as building on the brand’s outstanding reputation for providing efficient service to the customers as well as to the promoters. He brings with him incredibly strong knowledge and experience, which will be vital as the brand continues to increase its presence in India.

As Managing Director of FPHL, Samir would also oversee the functioning of the WelcomHeritage brand.

A Masters of Business Administration degree from University of Southern Queensland, Australia and Diploma in Hotel Management from IHMCTAN, Ahmedabad, he has rich and valuable Operational & Sales experience of over two decades across Asia.

Prior to joining Fortune Hotels, he worked with InterContinental Hotels Group for 22 years in operational and leadership roles at various locations in India, Southeast Asia and Korea.

 

Mr. Arindam Kunar, Vice President - Operations
Mandated with overall operations and performance of all hotels in the portfolio to enhance stakeholder value, Arindam is responsible for optimum operational performance, compelling guest experiences, people and process development and ownership engagement.

An alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, PUSA, New Delhi, Arindam’s career spans over 27 years with organizations like Choice Hotels, Hyatt, Taj Hotels and IHG. Awarded as the General Manager of the Year Award 2014 for Crowne Plaza brand across Asia Middle East and Africa, Arindam specialized in rooms division after which, he honed his skills in Revenue Management and Marketing. He has held multiple leadership roles in the capacity of General Manager & Area General Manager and also sharpened his asset management skills with brief roles at DLF and Emaar Entertainment, Dubai. Arindam has deep insights in driving operational efficiencies, improving guest delight, people engagement practices and enhancing returns for shareholders.

Arindam continued to advance his expertise and knowledge with a various general management programmes at IIM–Bangalore, IIM-Ahmedabad, TATA Management Development Centre, Centre for Creative Leadership & a CHBA certification from HSMAI.

  

Mr. Dhananjay Saliankar, Head – Sales & Marketing
Dhananjay is a key member of the Fortune Executive Leadership team and drives the chain’s Sales and Distribution, Marketing and Revenue strategy. With over twenty five years in the hospitality industry, Dhananjay provides strategic insights to drive the top line business of the chain. Dhanajay would also oversee the Sales & Marketing function of the WelcomHeritage brand. Throughout his career as a Sales and Marketing professional, Dhananjay has worked for some of the most sought-after brands in the industry in a diverse range of regional and corporate roles where he successfully led the sales and marketing strategy and managed global teams. Prior to this role, he was Regional Director of Sales & Marketing, South Asia at the erstwhile Starwood Hotels & Resorts. 

  

Mr. Jugal K Batra, Vice President - Finance
Mr. Jugal Batra, a Chartered Accountant by profession, has been with the ITC group for over 20 years. He has held positions in the Company’s various Divisions, including Paperboards & Specialty Paper, Lifestyle Retailing and Hotels.

  

Mr Kovid Sharma, Head – Human Resources
Kovid manages the Human Resources function and is responsible for People Strategy, Services, Policies and Programs for the company.

He has an extensive background in Human Resources and brings with him 16 years of experience out of which 10 years have been in Leadership roles across geographies and cultures. He holds a Masters degree in Industrial Relations and HR from The University of Sydney. He carries a solid track record of HR transformations and digitization and has worked in various industries - Travel, Financial Services, Business Process Outsourcing and Information Technology.