Mystras: Wonder of the Morea

Mystras, the 'wonder of the Morea', was built as an amphitheatre around the fortress erected in 1249 by the prince of Achaia, William of Villehardouin. Reconquered by the Byzantines, then occupied by the Turks and the Venetians, the city was abandoned in 1832, leaving only the breathtaking medieval ruins, standing in a beautiful landscape.

Mystras in Greece is an archaeological site close to Sparti, in the region of Laconia. The Castle Town of Mystras was very strong in the Byzantine times and actually in the last decades of the Byzantine period, this was the second most important town after Constantinople. On top of the castle hill, there was the Palace of the Despots, while Mystras Greece is mostly famous for its several Byzantine churches with the interesting architecture and the valuable frescoes. Below the Medieval Castle, a new village has been constructed, where many traditional accommodation is found. The region around is crossed by many trekking paths, leading to beautiful spots. 

The archaeological site of Mystras in Greece is located 5 km from the town of Sparta, in Laconia Peloponnese, mainland Greece. This is one of the most important sites in Greece and includes well-preserved Byzantine churches, the remains of a Palace and strong walls. The most famous churches are Agios Demetrios, where Konstantinos Paleologos, the last Byzantine Emperor was crowned, and Agioi Theodoroi with beautiful frescoes.

Today the Palace of Mystras and some churches are under restoration process. In the courtyard of Agios Demetrios, you can visit the Archaeological Museum with many Byzantine and ecclesiastical exhibits. In 1989, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Monument.Things to do in the region include hiking and cycling.

Sarovar Kalyan Hometel opens in Chennai

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has opened a brand new property ‘Kalyan Hometel’ in Vandalur-Chennai. A contemporary business hotel, with 108 rooms and suites, was formally launched by Anil Madhok, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts. The room rates start at Rs 3,450++. Speaking on the occasion, Madhok said, “The existing demand-supply gap in this industrial town offers huge opportunity for hospitality brands.

This allows us great prospect for our brand Hometel which is designed to provide unmatched facilities at value for money price. We are happy to associate with the Kalyan Grand Stay Pvt. Ltd. who is taking initiative to invest and promote this destination which has great potential. Hotels in Tier II and III cities are seeing major hospitality developments and will continue to be some of the most attractive locations for our future investments.

Some of our new openings this year include Sarovar Portico hotels in Dehradun, Bhavnagar, Bengaluru and Raipur and we will be soon reaching out to newer destinations like Amritsar and Greater Noida.”

K. Saravana Prakash, Managing Director, Kalyan Grand Stay Pvt. Ltd., said, “Facilities at the hotel include an all-day dining with bar and a fitness centre compliment the overall guests experience. Banquet & conference spaces along with business centre make it a perfect venue to host trainings, workshops, product launches, exhibitions, weddings and other social events. We are glad to partner with Sarovar Hotels & Resorts and we look forward to providing a memorable stay to business travellers to Vandalur”.

Godrej adds more products under its premium brand NXW

Godrej Appliances, under its brand NXW, is set to launch products such as ACs, washing machines, microwave ovens in the premium segment, whilst expanding their physical reach by way of adding up to 65 exclusive brand outlets. Godrej Appliances’ Business Head and EVP Kamal Nandi also added that apart from these, there will be more launches as well.

Talking about the focus on premium segment, Nandi said: “That’s a clear focus for us in 2016 to make our presence stronger in premium categories. We are looking forward to acquiring share in the premium segment where we were not present.” Other than that, the company will also focus to expand its network of exclusive brand outlets (EBOs).

“We have started building exclusive outlets across the country. By the end of 2015, we had 35 and by December 2016, we would be getting close to 100,” he said. Nandi also added that NXW products would also be available in those non-metro markets as it sees potential customers in those regions for premium products. Additionally, the company is also looking at export markets with some NXW products, which are designed keeping in mind requirements overseas.