it is now the time for Christmas, and this festival is soon on its way! If you are a person who likes to postpone things then it is better to get your act together and plan for the festival in advance! This way, you can celebrate it better!

SET THE BUDGET : Before you start spending, on gifts, cakes, sweets, decorations, travel plans etc. it would be a good idea to set a budget for it – this way you will know exactly how much you can spend and can cut down on unnecessary expenditure. So set a budget for the decor, activities, gifts for  friends and family, cards, wrapping paper, ribbons and anything else that needs your decisions.

CHOOSE A THEME: Everything that you do during the festival – be it gift wrapping, decorating the house or cards can have a common, underlying theme. So you can choose an appropriate theme, your gifts and decorations will stand out!

ORDER CHRISTMAS CARDS EARLIER: If you plan to send out cards to all your friends, co-workers and family it will not help if you keep that task pending, right up till the time of Christmas. Instead plan ahead, get the cards sometime in the month of November itself; this way, you will have time to add your special touch to each card and have them delivered at just the right time!

Diwali, the festival of lights as it is popularly called, is ushered in every year with much ado and aplomb, across the country, and nowadays, even in most parts of the world. Usually a five day celebration in most parts of the country, Diwali is a cause for great festivities. Beginning on “No Moon Day” or Amaavasya, the festival goes on, for a period of 5-7 days, with the heralding of the New Year, as per the Hindu calendar too.

There is a whole lot of merry-making during the festival, lamps are lit, diyas as they are called; friends and families get together in an atmosphere of camaraderie and bonhomie. As it is a new year for many communities, old books are closed and new accounts are opened – Goddess Lakshmi too is propitiated, in order to receive her blessings!

In the north the festival is celebrated as Lord Rama’s return to his kingdom after the defeat of Ravana. In the western parts, like Maharashtra and Gujarat, the Goddess of Wealth is honoured and prayed to. In the south, the festival is celebrated for 3 days with an exuberance that is hard to equal, and in the east the festival is mostly associated with Goddess Kali and for remembering departed souls.

Even abroad, the festival is being celebrated every year – many Indians have settled all over the world and so the tradition is being carried on…. in the White House in America for instance, Diwali is given due importance and is celebrated as their “Indian Christmas!”

Diwali is not just about fireworks and lighting diyas or eating sweets. It is also about lighting up our souls from within and rediscovering our connection with all that is divine. A Happy Diwali to all of you!

Excellent customer service stands for the ultimate service and assistance that hotels provide to their customers. When guests arrive, either at your hotel or at your restaurants, they want to feel welcome. When they are treated with love and respect after you have given them a classy meal, they will want to come back to you again and again.

Here are some pointers:

WELCOME

• Do not interrupt your guests, ever.
• Listen. Listen. And listen. Pay attention to your guest.
• When they walk into the door guests should be greeted and made to feel welcome.
• They should be addressed with the proper titles – “Mr.”, “Ms” or “Ma’am” works well.
• Learn up your menu. Digest it. Ingest it. This way you will be able to answer every question that is thrown at you.

AT THE DINING TABLE:

• You should serve any guest of honour, then women, men and then children.
• Serve drinks or beverages from the right.
• Serve food from the right and clear food from the left.
• Do not make your guests ask for the bill. Clear the plates, bring in the bill and then get it processed fast.

The standards of service have to be maintained, day in and day out. That’s what makes an excellent hotel or restaurant stand out from the crowd.

 Don’t you agree?

With monsoon showers finally spreading waves in the city of Ahmedabad it is now time to sit back, lift up your legs a bit and simply relax into the atmosphere of trilling  peacocks and the smell of wet rain dust!

If you hate the thought of sweating it out in the kitchen to make food or getting out into the slushy weather here are some reasons to back your feeling up!

CLOTHES CAN GET RUINED: If you are forced to go out during the rain your brand new shirt or that favourite pant could get ruined in the water! So a good reason to avoid going out and simply ordering your food when you get hungry!

ACCIDENTS CAN OCCUR: Traffic accidents can take place during the rainy season – so why not just sit at home and order your lunch or dinner online?

SICKNESS: Spending too much time in the rainy weather could make you fall sick! So do not take that chance!

Our restaurants at the Hotel Westend in Ahmedabad offer special delights for food connoisseurs for every season. So why don’t you simply order those ravishing hot chilli pakoras or Cheese Chilli Toast! Simply get them home delivered to you – you will hardly have to wait – we deliver real fast!

Call us on 999 888 66 55 to order!

Crisp air, the smell of grass, lush green landscapes, and of course, piping hot bhajias or pakoras! That’s what rain means to all of us, doesn’t it?

Rains in Ahmedabad are on their way, a bit late in the day, but it will surely rain soon. And within days of the first few showers, the entire city comes alive with a new energy – as roadside vendors and hoteliers dig in their heels to offer an array of rainy season delights to the customers!

As for the Ahmedabad is they take off on their bikes or four-wheelers for a spin in the city. There is the riverfront to go to, or the Kankaria Lake in Maninagar. Stalls and food booths come alive in the evenings as people come out in large numbers to enjoy the season of frolic, after the long, hot season is gone.

Our restaurants at the Hotel Westend in Ahmedabad offer special delights for food connoisseurs for every season. So why don’t you drop in to enjoy some piping hot chilli pakoras or Cheese Chilli Toast, on a rainy day, after the earth has just been washed clean with some sparkling rain?

Or get them home delivered to you – you will hardly have to wait – we deliver real fast! Call us on 999 888 66 55!