New hospitality: Use a tablet napkin, pager to order food

NEW DELHI - How about using a pager to order your food the next time you dine out? Food lovers may soon be able to type their choice of menu and even pay the bill with the help of the gadget placed on their table.

Delhi-based Long Range Systems has introduced the ‘guest and dining pager’ as part of its wireless solutions for the hospitality industry. It was one of 69 companies that showcased the latest innovations in the sector at the International Hospitality Fair (IHF) here.

The small device, with a keypad and a screen, can be used to type messages to the hotel staff. The message - stating the request and the table number - beeps on the wrist pagers worn by waiters.

I have installed the device at Casino Royale and Alila Diwa in Goa. It acts as a kind of butler on dining table and pool sides. Almost every eatery in the US has guest pagers on tables, Akhil Bagga, CEO of Long Range Systems India, told IANS.

The three-day fair, a tourism promotion initiative, was sponsored by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the tourism ministry.

According to Vikram Bakshi, chairman of IHF, tourism contributes 2.5 percent of the country’s GDP and has “outperformed all other industries”.

The hospitality industry is expected to grow at 8.8 percent annually, studies indicate.

“The hospitality sector is extremely eco-conscious and wants to use easy-to-use products,” hospitality industry expert Runit Sawhney said.

Sidharth Goswami, vice-president, sales and marketing, of Delhi-based firm World Culinary Experience, said his company had introduced “Do you Napkins” - compressed cotton napkin the size of pills, barely one and a half inches in diameter.

“You take out a tablet, place it on a plate and pour water on it. The napkin unfurls into a 22 inch facial cleansing tissue. They are biodegradable,” Goswami said.

The compressed range comprises towels, T-shirts, toilet linen and bathrobes, he said.

Santonu Chowdhury, CEO of Kurlon Ltd, told IANS: Health, portability and innovation are the three guiding principles steering research in the mattress segment. People spend one-third their lives on bed. Health tops their list of priorities.

The company’s 10-inch Spinal Care mattresses, priced at Rs.1.69 lakh, are its bestsellers, he said.

We have created folding mattresses that can double as blankets and carried in a box. In the coming months, we will manufacture triple-fold mattresses to resemble small rugs, he added.

Gurgaon-based Aarfour Merchandising Pvt Ltd provides anti-ageing solutions to the hospitality industry and high-end households.

Our USP is a new American crystal chandelier and porcelain cleanser Brilliante. It cleans and dries by itself without wiping. It is ammonia free, green and economical, and reduces the need for extra manpower,” the company’s CEO Rakesh Sawhney said.

The internet too is helping the hospitality trade in India flourish.

After the downturn in 2008-09, most hospitality companies decided to conduct business online - and adhere to stringent quality to keep their products viable in a competitive market, says Prema Manuja of TradeIndia.com, an exporters’ database and training firm.