Kochi: The 11th edition of HotelTech Kerala, the state’s premier expo for the hospitality sector, will be held here from November 9 to 11. The three-day exposition is being held after a hiatus of two years due to the Covid pandemic. The event will be held at Kochi’s Rajeev Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
“It will provide an interface for both the manufacturers and service providers of hospitality products and hundreds of the state’s hotels, resorts, caterers and restaurants,” the organisers told a media conference held at Ernakulam Press Club on Monday.
Joseph Kuriakose, director of Cruz Expos, the organisers of HotelTech Kerala, said the show will focus on the HORECA (acronym for HOtel, REstaurant, CAfé) sector, including hotels, resorts, restaurants, cafes and caterers with products and services on display covering food ingredients, hotel equipment, linen and furnishings, hotel ware and commercial kitchen equipment and cleaning equipment among others.
“This year, more than 65 exhibitors are expected to showcase their products and services,” he said.
This year’s expo is also endorsed and supported by the Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP), Coconut Development Board, Association of Approved & Classified Hotels of Kerala (AACHK), Kerala Professional Housekeepers Association (KPHA) and South India Chefs Association (SICA) Kerala Chapter.
Kerala Culinary Challenge
The key highlight of this edition will be the concurrent events, including Kerala Culinary Challenge (KCC) and Housekeepers Challenge Kerala (HKCK), taking place on the first two days of the expo. KCC is one of the highly-anticipated events at HotelTech Kerala in which chefs and service personnel from across hotels and resorts in the state vie for top honours. KCC is being presented this year with the support of the SICA-Kerala Chapter and the chief judge will be internationally renowned celebrity chef Alan Palmer. “We invite all chefs in the state to take part in this prestigious event,” Joseph Kuriakose said.
KCC 2022 is being organised for the ninth time in the state. This year, KCC will showcase some of the finest culinary creations by individuals and teams from leading hotels, resorts, and cafes in Kerala.
Competition categories include Dress the Cake, Bread & Pastry Display, Hot Cooking Chicken, Hot Cooking Fish, Mocktail Competition, Hot Cooking Meat, Creative Dessert, Kerala Cuisine, Creative Salads and Rice Dish.
The fourth edition of Housekeepers Challenge Kerala (HKC), on the other hand, is endorsed and supported by Kerala Professional Housekeeper’s Association (KPHA), the only trade body for the housekeeping sector in the state. There will be four categories to win gold, silver and bronze medals and the categories include mop race, bed-making skills, vacuum cleaner race and towel art.
Kuriakose said the HORECA sector plays a major role in the economic development of the state and various studies reveal that its contribution to the total output, value additions and employment generation have regularly increased in recent years.
“Hospitality sector in Kerala, especially in north Kerala and Kumarakom region, is experiencing a good inflow of domestic tourists and the majority of the hotels and resorts are fully booked for the forthcoming holiday season of December 2022. Considering these, HotelTech Kerala will be a good sourcing platform for these resorts and hotels for refurbishing their properties,” he said.
The Kochi-based Cruz Expos recently organised FoodTech Kerala and Boat Show in Kochi in January and March respectively.
