Three years ago, an Austrian couple came up to Stephen Fernandez, a six-foot tall man, who is a familiar face in the lobby of The Oberoi, Gurgaon. They had a nerve-wracking task for him. "We would like a tour of the Himalayas in a helicopter. And of Mount Everest."Fernandez had been a concierge for ... (Publication: Business Today)
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The Hotel Genie
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Six Sublime Brews
Our work in tea takes us to the most unusual and some of the most beautiful places in the country. Imagine climbing 630 steps to reach a garden, or driving through nine kilometres of forest land in Assam to arrive at the estate, or riding on a ferry to reach the farthest corner of the country to ... (Publication: Business Today)
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The Lag Effect
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the first quarter of 2017/18 slowed sharply to 5.7 per cent, much less than the expected 6.1-6.5 per cent, making economists wonder if demonetisation continues to weigh on the economy.Though demonetisation was effected on November 8, 2016, and ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Luxury for Less
Lawyer-turned-actor Satyadeep Misra, who started his film career with No One Killed Jessica, was bitten by the motorcycle bug soon after he learnt to ride one for playing the role of Chimman Chopra in Bombay Velvet. The movie bombed, but Misra found a new passion. Two years later, he wanted to bike ... (Publication: Business Today)
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The Long Road
In 2016, Shanghai Fosun, a Chinese company, entered into an agreement to buy Gland Pharma, a Hyderabad-based generic injectibles pharmaceutical company, for $1.3 billion. A year later, the deal is yet to get approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs or CCEA. It has been cleared by the ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Richie-Rich Breaks
The nouveau riche may frequent New York, Monaco or St. Moritz, but for the truly wealthy these are way too crowded. Prizing their privacy, they want resorts without another tourist in sight. And for sure, there are locations which offer just such exclusivity - at a price.One such is Over Yonder ... (Publication: Business Today)
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A State of Mind
Nothing has ever made me happier than sitting alone at my bar with a Balvenie 16 while listening to Shofukhan by Snarky Puppy. Many times I have been asked what's the one drink that I couldn't do without. While it's a tough choice between some Montalcino or Barollo versus the best single malt ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Donald Trump's Business in India: The Roller Coaster Ride of Trump Towers
It was quite a public relations splash. Donald Trump came jetting into Pune way back in August 2014 to inaugurate the first of the Trump Towers in India. The super luxury residential towers were being developed by the Chordias of Panchshil Realty. Unfortunately, there was a small last-minute ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Vintage Point
Low-hanging chandeliers, warm yellow lighting, rare prints on shelves, books of all shapes, sizes and ages adorning the walls of the palatial room. This antiquarian bookshop resembles a maharaja's personal library. Located just off the bustling South Extension-II market in New Delhi, Southex Books ... (Publication: Business Today)
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The Best Gets Better
In the world of ever shortening product life cycles, the Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII is a serious outlier. At over 90 years, it is the world's oldest nameplate in cars and, as the numeric suggests, has been updated only eight times, only once every decade. There is no indication that the lifecycle is ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Passing on Wealth
With a sharp rise in the number of high net-worth individuals (HNIs) and the growing incidence of disputes among legal heirs, the need for estate planning is growing rapidly. Additionally, expansion of businesses and listings of companies result in the personal assets of promoters becoming more ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Upfront
Quote"I wish Nandan the best of everything in his effort to bring back Acche Din to Infosys."Infosys Co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy after Nandan Nilekani took charge as Non-executive Chairman$58 billionLosses in Texas from Hurricane Harvey. This makes Harvey the worlds 9th most expensive natural ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Hide and Seek
There are various ways of camouflaging one's income to avoid paying taxes. The easiest way out is to be a part of the informal/cash economy and stay under the radar of the Income Tax (IT) Department. On the other hand, many taxpayers do not make a full and true disclosure of their taxable income. ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Not So Rewarding
The Sensex conquered the 30,000 mark this April and has been continuously trading above it for the past three-and-a-half months since then, touching new highs. Indeed, the market has been rising since February last year and has grown over 25 per cent from that time. The bull phase is expected to ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Evolving Luxury
He is known to be combative. Certainly, doesn't mince words. That makes him the right man to pop this timely question.Roland Folger, Managing Director and CEO of India's largest luxury car manufacturer Mercedes Benz, was just done launching a "hyper" sports car in Delhi, one that purrs over 300 km ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Taking A Dive
The stratospheric rise in the number of people travelling on scheduled commercial airlines during the past two years has started to taper off. Domestic passenger traffic growth has slowed to below 20 per cent for the past five consecutive months over the corresponding months last year. For ... (Publication: Business Today)
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People Business
Back in FocusNandan Nilekani is back at Infosys as its non-executive chairman, an initiative welcomed by the company's beleaguered investors. "I am happy to return to Infosys, now in the role of non-executive chairman, and look forward to working with my colleagues on the board and in executive ... (Publication: Business Today)
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All Terrain Luxury
Sergio Marchionne, the 65-year-old Chairman and Chief Executive of Italian supercar maker Ferrari, created a flutter last month when he said the company was considering products beyond its traditional sports car to double profits by 2022. The takeaway was obvious. Ferrari was mulling a sports ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Its Got the Look
A secret sauce was the team he picked. Ajit Bangera, Senior Executive Chef at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai, was tasked with what many would consider audacious in a city known to be conservative. The mandate was a new south Indian restaurant brand for the hotel, but he had to figure out a new way of ... (Publication: Business Today)
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Making the Cut
A decade ago, Leonard Lauder, Chairman of cosmetics giant Estee Lauder, while attending the Elizabeth Hurley-Arun Nayyar wedding in Jodhpur, was so enamoured by the ayurvedic beauty products of Forest Essentials that he acquired a minority stake in the company. One of India's premier hotel chains, ... (Publication: Business Today)
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