The prestigious Indywood Hospitality Excellence Awards 2017 concluded successfully at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad on 3 rd December 2017. The award was organised to recognize and facilitate efforts made by hospitality industry professionals towards the development of their sector. The esteemed Award Presenters for the event were Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qahtani, Senior Advisor, Saudi Aramco and Laurie Gordon, Media Entrepreneur.

Recognizing the contributions of an individual over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions, Indywood excellence awards- Entrepreneurship (Hospitality) was bestowed upon Mr. Mohandas, MD, South Park  hotel & Southpark motors; Indywood excellence awards- Management was presented to Ms. Deepika Arora, Regional Vice President - Eurasia, Wyndham Hotel Group; Indywood excellence awards - Professional Services was presented to Mr. Param Kannampilly, Chairman, Concept hospitality Pvt ltd and Indywood excellence awards - Entrepreneurship (Travel) was presented to Mr. E M Najeeb, Chairman/MD, ATE travel group.

Hospitality Excellence Awards 2017 was also presented to renowned organisations in other 3 different sectors namely Hotels and Resorts, Travel & Tourism and Food/service management & leisure. The winners included Vivanta by Taj, Ambassador, New Delhi (Leading heritage hotel in India); Flora hospitality (Excellence in Indian Hospitality – Overseas); Sarovar hotels (Expanding Value Hotel Chain Brand); Creative Travel (Leading destination management organization) ; Yatra.Com (Popular online portal for travel & Leisure); Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited - THE PARK (Unique Ambience & design concept); Shikhar Travels India Pvt Ltd (Outstanding Achievements in Package Tourism) GRT Hotels & Resorts (Rising Luxury brand in South India); MAYFAIR Hotels & Resorts Limited (Leading Natural Hospitality network in India); Muthoot Hotel group (Initiative in sustainable development); Kutch Adventures India (Initiative in promoting ecology tourism); ITC HOTELS (Reputed Luxury hotel group); Leela Group (Worlds preferred hospitality destinations in India); Green wood resorts (Best socially responsible initiative); Niraamaya Retreats (Best wellness retreat Destination); Vagamon Heights (Best eco-friendly destination); Creative Travel (Leading destination management organization); Special holiday Travel Pvt Ltd (Most promising Holiday travel brand); Yatra.com (Popular online portal for travel & Leisure); KIMS Hospital (Leading promoters of medical tourism); Eastern Condiments Pvt Ltd (Excellence in Indian Food Seasoning commodities) and Thodupuzha film city (Innovative Concept &  Project Proposal of the year).

A panel discussion on ‘Potential of film tourism in promoting Indian hospitality sector’ was also conducted during the ceremony. The panelists Meenakshi Kumar Prabhakar, Director – Marketing, Shikhar Travels (India) Pvt. Ltd.; Dimple Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Creative Travel discussed how movies can act as a potential tool to attract visitors in a country. The session was moderated by Mr. Param Kannampilly, Chairman of Concept hospitalities.

Indywood Maritime Excellence Awards 2017 was organized as a part of Project Indywood, a US$10 Billion Project to be initiated by a consortium of 2000 Indian corporate and Multi-Millionaires.