Author name: vibrant colours

IHG® Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has announced the signing of a franchise agreement for Garner Jagdalpur, marking the brand’s entry into the state of Chhattisgarh. The 117-key hotel will be developed by Freedom Hospitality and managed by United Hospitality Management (UHM), one of IHG’s trusted third-party management companies in India. IHG’s newest midscale conversion brand, Garner™, builds on the company’s strength in the essentials segment, offering quality stays at an accessible price point. Designed to deliver a relaxed and flexible guest experience, the brand caters to value-conscious travellers seeking dependable comfort supported by IHG’s global enterprise systems. Located in Jagdalpur in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and set to open in 2029, the hotel is well positioned to benefit from the city’s accelerating economic momentum. This growth is being driven by ongoing infrastructure development, mining activity and the expansion of small and medium enterprises, supported by favourable government initiatives. Commenting on the signing, Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts said: “Garner’s growth trajectory in India continues to be strong as we expand into emerging markets with high potential and our partnership with United Hospitality Management further strengthens our ability to scale the brand in these markets. Jagdalpur represents an important entry point into Chhattisgarh’s developing Bastar region, where infrastructure investment and economic diversification are creating new opportunities for quality accommodation. Garner’s efficient and flexible model combined with UHM’s strong local operational expertise, enables us to partner with owners to unlock this potential while delivering long-term value.” Deepika Arora, Managing Director, United Hospitality Management (UHM), India commented, “We are pleased to deepen our partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts with the signing of Garner Jagdalpur, a project that reflects the growing maturity of demand in India’s emerging destinations. At United Hospitality Management, our focus is on unlocking the full potential of such markets through a combination of operational discipline, local market insight, and brand-aligned execution. Garner’s conversion-friendly, scalable model is particularly well suited to these environments, enabling us to deliver consistent guest experiences while optimising asset performance. As we expand our Garner portfolio, we remain committed to building high-performing hotels that create long-term value for owners and resonate with the evolving needs of today’s value-conscious traveller.” Bakhtyaar Khan, Managing Partner, Freedom Hospitality, said: “We are delighted to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts to introduce Garner to Jagdalpur. The region’s evolving economic landscape and growing demand for quality accommodation present a compelling opportunity. With IHG’s global expertise and the strong proposition of the Garner brand, we are confident the hotel will become a preferred choice for travellers while delivering strong returns for us.” Garner’s continued expansion across India reflects IHG’s commitment to unlocking growth in the country’s dynamic emerging cities, where demand for branded, high-quality hospitality continues to outpace supply.

BOBCARD LIMITED, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of Baroda, has announced a limited-period Lifetime Free (LTF) offer on its premium BOBCARD ETERNA Credit Card for new customers. Customers can now get ETERNA with zero joining fee and zero annual fee, against a standard joining & annual fee of INR 2,499. Avail limited-period Lifetime Free offer on premium BOBCARD ETERNA Credit Card at zero joining and annual fees Fully geared up for the summer season to fuel your travel plan, the Lifetime Free offer is valid for a limited period until 30th June 2026. ETERNA will offer unlimited domestic lounge access, accelerated rewards on travel, dining and international spends, reduced forex markup, and other premium lifestyle features. These benefits will help customers achieve their travel goals without stressing about the costs. Beyond fulfilling travel goals, this offer enables customers to unlock meaningful annual savings through waived fees and ongoing partner-led offers, with regular BOBCARD users potentially saving INR 4,500–INR 5,000 annually, while ETERNA cardholders can unlock value exceeding INR 1,00,000 per year through a combination of premium benefits and lifestyle-led offers. Over a three-year period, Lifetime Free cardholders can realise savings of ₹15,000+ compared to similar fee-based offerings in the market. Under this offer, cardholders are eligible for a range of features including accelerated reward points (15 reward points per INR100) on select luxury spending categories like travel, dining, international, online shopping, a 1+1 complimentary movie ticket benefit every month, 3 rewards points on all other spends, and spend-based rewards. These benefits, combined with curated partner offers, further enhance the overall savings potential for customers across every day and premium spending categories. The card also includes a welcome benefit, 12 months FITPASS Pro membership, valued at INR 48,000, allowing customers access to FITPASS partner gyms across the country for a full year at no additional cost. The cards further provide unlimited complimentary domestic airport lounge access, delivering additional lifestyle value that contributes to the overall annual savings proposition for cardholders. In addition, the ETERNA Credit Card offers a low foreign currency markup and supports UPI-linked credit card payments on its RuPay variant and GPay linkage on Visa & Mastercard variants, enabling usage across both international transactions and everyday domestic spends. The card also provides personal accident insurance coverage, a 1% fuel surcharge waiver, lifetime free add-on cards, and flexible EMI with tenures 6 to 48 months. Cardholders can further access periodic merchant offers through BOBCARD’s partnerships with top shopping & travel platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Croma, Make My Trip, Yatra, Reliance Digital, Myntra, & more. These partnerships play a key role in consistently driving additional value and savings for cardholders throughout the year. With this Lifetime Free offer, BOBCARD aims to make premium credit card benefits more accessible, while reinforcing its commitment to delivering value-driven and customer-centric financial solutions. Commenting on the LTF offer, Mr Ravindra Rai MD & CEO BOBCARD LIMITED, said, “At BOBCARD, we continue to focus on adding value for customers from the very beginning of their relationship with us. This limited-period Lifetime Free offer on the BOBCARD ETERNA Credit Card is intended to provide new customers access to premium benefits without joining or annual fees, while enabling a rewarding and hassle-free credit card experience. The offer also supports cardholders across their everyday spending, travel, and lifestyle needs.”

From the banks of the Bosphorus to the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia — the landscapes that captivated India’s biggest filmmakers are waiting for you Long before the travel itinerary, there was the movie hall. For millions of Indian audiences, their first glimpse of Türkiye arrived not through a guidebook but through a cinema screen — a chase sequence across the rooftops of İstanbul, a song filmed against the surreal rock formations of Cappadocia, a romantic montage set against the glittering waters of the Bosphorus. Türkiye has, over two decades of Bollywood filmmaking, become one of the industry’s most beloved locations — and the country is now inviting Indian travellers to move from spectator to explorer, and discover for themselves the landscapes that have long held Bollywood’s imagination. Türkiye’s appeal to Indian filmmakers is neither coincidental nor fleeting. The country offers something that few destinations can match: the visual variety of an entire continent compressed into a single nation. Ancient Ottoman architecture, medieval bazaars, volcanic valleys, turquoise coastlines, and a metropolis that straddles two continents — each of these has provided Bollywood directors with ready-made cinema. The result is a destination that Indian travellers already know, in the most instinctive sense, before they have set foot on Turkish soil. İstanbul: The City That Has Played Every Part Of all Türkiye’s cities, İstanbul has drawn Bollywood’s lens most frequently and most dramatically. The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Bosphorus strait, and the Maiden’s Tower have all featured in major Indian productions. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s Ek Tha Tiger brought the Maiden’s Tower to mass Indian audiences; the thriller Baby used İstanbul’s streets as its high-stakes backdrop; the ensemble drama Dil Dhadakne Do shoot against the city’s waterways, with its skyline visible in the frame. Abhishek Bachchan’s Guru filmed the celebrated ‘Mayya Mayya’ sequence inside İstanbul’s Nuruosmaniye Mosque, turning a sacred Ottoman interior into one of the most visually striking song picturisation in modern Bollywood. For the Indian traveller, a walk through İstanbul’s Historic Peninsula is, in the most literal sense, a walk through Bollywood history — the same arcades, the same water, the same architecture that the camera found. Cappadocia: Where Bollywood Found Its Other World Cappadocia’s landscape of volcanic fairy chimneys, cave monasteries, underground cities and hot air balloon-filled skies has made it one of Türkiye’s most recognisable locations for Indian audiences. The region’s geology — millennia of eruption and erosion producing formations found nowhere else on earth — gives it a quality that filmmakers describe as naturally cinematic. Director Ribhu Dasgupta’s action production Durga was shot across Cappadocia’s dramatic terrain, adding the region to the growing roster of Bollywood-stamped locations across the country. For travellers who have watched those landscapes on screen and felt the pull of the unfamiliar, Cappadocia delivers exactly what the camera promised. Antalya and Bodrum: The Mediterranean Canvas Türkiye’s southern and western coastlines have long provided Bollywood with its sun-drenched sequences. The ancient city of Perge in Antalya was used as a filming location for Race, while the Mardan Palace Hotel in the same province appeared in Ek Tha Tiger. Antalya’s combination of Roman ruins, resort infrastructure, and coastal drama makes it a natural set — and a natural destination for travellers who want to pair cultural discovery with the kind of landscape that regularly makes international cinema’s shortlist. Beyond the Frame: Türkiye Supports Film Tourism at Every Level Türkiye’s emergence as a premier Bollywood filming destination has been supported, in part, by a deliberate government policy to attract international film productions through infrastructure, logistical support, and location facilitation. Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, an adaptation of Forrest Gump, was among those confirmed for Turkish locations, with shoots planned across İstanbul, Adana, and Mount Demirkazık in Niğde. The action film Race 2, the drama Game, and Mission Istanbul: Darr ke Aagey Jeet Hai have all filmed across Turkish cities, steadily deepening a filmography that now gives Indian travellers an extraordinary map — one plotted in scenes they have already seen, places they already feel they know. For travellers motivated by nostalgia as much as novelty, that familiarity is the invitation. Türkiye has been on Indian screens for two decades. The country is now extending a more direct one.

Trimex Foods Pvt. Ltd., one of India’s leading multi-brand restaurant operators, has been awarded exclusive franchise rights in India for Panda Express, the world’s largest American Chinese dining brand, by a Subsidiary of Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. Through this alliance, Trimex Foods will introduce and scale Panda Express’ operations to 100 stores, with an investment of Rs 400 crore, starting with Delhi NCR, and across major metros and emerging cities. This partnership marks a major milestone in Trimex Foods’ growth journey and signals a new chapter in the expansion of fast casual brands in India. Customers here will now be able to enjoy the brand’s iconic signature dishes such as Original Orange ChickenR and Honey Walnut ShrimpR “At Trimex Foods, we are committed to partnering with brands that combine strong global appeal with local adaptability,” said Vaibhav Kaushish, a spokesperson for Trimex Foods Pvt. Ltd.  “Panda Express embodies innovation and quality, and we are confident that its signature wok-cooked dishes and warm, dining experience will resonate strongly with India’s increasingly adventurous and discerning food lovers.” Trimex Foods’ extensive experience in operating international restaurant brands in India – including Chili’sR Grill & Bar, PAUL, CinnabonR- positions it uniquely to lead Panda Express’ market entry and build long-term brand love. Supported by a strong infrastructure spanning real estate, supply chain, and culinary innovation, Trimex plans rollout starting 2027. “We are delighted to partner with Trimex Foods, whose proven track record serving guests and caring for and developing their people, make them the ideal custodian of Panda Express. India is one of the most dynamic restaurant markets in the world, and this collaboration is an exciting step forward in our global expansion,” said Doug Stalgren, spokesperson for Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. Founded in 1983 by Andrew and Dr. Peggy Cherng, Panda Express currently has an annual turnover of over $ 6 billion. The brand operates over 2,600 restaurants across 12 countries globally, blending Chinese-inspired recipes with American hospitality. The brand’s commitment to fresh, high-quality ingredients and family values has garnered international acclaim – including recognition as a 2026 Brand Icon by Nation’s Restaurant News for its enduring global appeal.