KHRA To Open Hotel Management Institute

Vyas Sivanand - Mumbai

Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) will set up a new hotel management institute in Cochin by early 2007. Christened KHRA Institute of Hospitality Management, the institute will be the first of its kind to be started by an association in South India.

According to K Kuriakose, president, KHRA, "We are planning to tie up with either the Swiss or the Australian government. FHRAI, which has a catering college in Delhi, has a tie up with the Swiss government. We are also planning to tie up with the FHRAI’s institute."

KHRA will have a yearly intake of 100 students for its four-year degree programme. "We will also be offering a diploma and certificate programme. We want to improve the service standards of hotels in the state by providing well-groomed staff, which in turn will benefit the tourism industry. The FHRAI institute charges an annual fee of Rs 4 lakh. But, our fee structure will enable us to charge a very minimal fee which will be lower than the Rs 4 lakh," said Kuriakose.

The total cost of the project is predicted to be about Rs 7 to 8 crore, which the association plans to generate via bank loans and its members. "The total area of the institute would be spread over 10 acres and the construction will start six months from now. We have our own building through which we receive rent amounting to about Rs 2.25 lakh per month. This amount is exempted from tax and will be diverted towards constructing the institute," he concluded.