By I.H.Sharif :Daniel Muhor, the General Manager of The Westin Dhaka, has told me of an indication that the Westin Dhaka is destined to continue winning awards always. Already the hotel has received various types of accolades by now. The hotel remains RPI (revenue penetration index) ranking of number one in the market. It is one of the top three institutions in the region in terms of ADR (average daily rate) and RevPAR (revenue per available room). It is within top 30 for Starwood in Asia Pacific in terms of EBITA (earning before interest, taxes and amortization). It is number one in the region for Starwood in terms of F & B (food and beverage) revenue. It meets all other KPI’s (key performance indicator) in terms of guest satisfaction, brand identity, security, food safety and staff well being. Above all, it has won the image of “Best Business Hotel in Bangladesh” for the past five years at the World Hotel Luxury Awards. About seven and a half years have elapsed since The Westin Dhaka, a superb hotel belonging to Unique Group and run by American operator Starwood Hotels and Resorts, was soft-opened early 2007. Located in the main Gulshan Avenue close to Gulshan circle-2 at a distance of some fifteen minutes’ drive from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and only two to three minutes drive from Baridhara Diplomatic Zone, the 241-guestroomed hotel has got the record of achieving 70 to 90 per cent room occupancy and paying more than one crore BDT asVAT (value added tax) to the public exchequer monthly. This is why Westin Dhaka is in the LTU (large taxpayer unit) list of the government. Although buffet breakfast between 6 and 10-30 in the morning is complimentary for the room guests, outsiders too can have breakfast at a cost of BDT 2,500 per person and Westin Dhaka’s 100-plus items buffet lunch costs BDT 3,500 per person and buffet dinner costs BDT 4,500 per person.Although the use of swimming pool is complimentary for the room guests, outsiders can swim at the Level-5 swimming pool of The Westin Dhaka at a cost of BDT 2000 per person per day. “Our weekend package for couples checking in on Thursdays and checking out on Saturdays costs BDT 14,999 including complimentary two buffet breakfasts that cost BDT 10,000 at the rate of BDT 2,500 per person,” said an official of The Westin Dhaka while talking to me in the afternoon on December 8 last.”The Westin Dhaka has remained number one five star hotel since opening in July 2007 last. It is situated at a fantastic location in the heart of Gulshan and Baridhara Diplomatic Zone. We get great support from the owning company led by Mr. Noor Ali who is always looking to improve products and services in line with international five star standard,” said Daniel Muhor, the General Manager of The Westin Dhaka, while talking to me in the afternoon on December 12 (Saturday) last. Daniel Muhor, a great hospitality industry personality from Australia, has a long career history of working for hospitality industry in Australia, China, Thailand and India to his credit.
