Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Dec 22: One of Bangalore's leading NRI entrepreneurs, Ronald Colaco, whose philanthropy has transcended beyond barriers of community, both in India and abroad, has received another prestigious 'European Award for Best Practices 2013', instituted by the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR).
ESQR is an organisation established some thirty years ago and is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. This award was presented during its convention held at the luxurious Park Hotel Schonbrunn (former Palace for the Austrian Emperor’s guests), in Vienna, Austria recently for his Clarks Exotica Resorts and Convention Hotel in Bangalore. This coveted award was received by Colaco together with his close friend, Vivek Kumar, who is fully managing Hotel Clarks Exotica and whose father and family own a number of five star and other category hotels in northern India.
It is worth mentioning that this is the only hotel in the hospitality industry of the entire country to receive two consecutive international awards from different well-known European agencies within a span of 6 months. Hotel Clarks Exotica had received International Quality Summit Gold Category Award from BID Spain in New York on May 27 this year.
The Clarks Exotica Resort and Convention Hotel is the only hotel in the hospitality industry from India to receive this prestigious European award during 2013. President of ESQR, Prof Peter Crouch handed over the award and the certificate. A total of 76 captains of various industries drawn from 63 countries covering Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australia received ESQR awards during this convention. India won two other awards - one by Prasad, MD, for his IT company in Tamil Nadu and the other by Agarwal for his Business Management School in Bihar.
During the morning session of the ESQR award ceremony, while addressing the august gathering of delegates from various countries, mainly the recipients of awards, Ronald Colaco thanked the organisers, ESQR, firstly for discovering his Hotel Clarks Exotica and choosing it for the European Award, and secondly for creating a platform to meet important personalities from various industries drawn from different countries, and thirdly for encouraging the enhancement of quality consciousness in the field of entrepreneurship in each of the recipient of European Award.
Colaco said that he was encouraged by his close friend Vivek Kumar to set up Clarks Exotica Hotel and thanked him for having agreed to manage and operate this award winning (earlier IQS award from BID in Spain given at New York), well spread out Hotel facilities which are different from that of match box hotels that one usually finds everywhere. The provision of sports and recreation facilities made available to the hotel guests are unparalleled, as compared to any of the hotels in the state or country for that matter, since these are not income earning areas or facilities, Colaco said.
He further said that while having a beautifully landscaped Airport Road to drive up to the national highway junction, he took care of the rest of the approach road, by constructing it at par with international standards, up to Swiss town in Bangalore where Clarks Exotica Resort and Convention Hotel is located. Incidentally, Colaco has two residential layouts - Hollywood Town and Swiss Town, both forming one block of about 300 acres, developed fully on par with international standards.
Colaco thanked Vivek Kumar and Balaji, the vice-president, for not only maintaining the property well and presenting it in a highly professional manner, but also for providing high quality service to the hotel guests, that alone qualified this hotel to receive this prestigious European Award in the entire country during 2013. Colaco also thanked his son Nigel Colaco for managing his part of association with the Hotel and its management, apart from other projects, fully on his own as director of projects.
Colaco’s close family friends Ronald and Dorothy Pinto of Hyssna Trading Company from Abu Dhabi had also attended this European Award ceremony in Vienna, along with Jean Colaco, wife of Ronald Colaco.
This year, especially the second half, has brought several laurels, honours and awards for Colaco for both business and charity, including the following:
May 27, 2013 – International Quality Summit Gold Category 2013 Award for his Clarks Exotica Hotel from BID Spain at Manhattan, New York. Even here, Clarks Exotica was the only hotel chosen in the hospitality sector from India.
July 20, 2013 - Honoured with Mysore Peta, garland and shawl from the chief minister of Karnataka, union minister for petroleum and natural gas, minister for agriculture, minister for parliamentary affairs and prominent high court judges for creating history in the country with his pioneering act of becoming the first person to donate a fully furnished Advocate Bhavan building to the judiciary in Bangalore.
October 2, 2013 - Archbishop of Bangalore along with the bishop of Karwar diocese honoured Colaco, in his absentia, for his contributions to schools, halls, churches and various other causes of the poor and at the same time for his efforts and support through IFKCA to build up representation for the community in the political field. A total of 108 gram panchayat members, 9 taluk panchayat members, one zilla panchayat member and 12 municipal members got elected from the community.
October 25, 2013 - Indian Ambassador to the UAE conferred on Colaco the 'Konkan Ratna' award from Mangalore Konkans Dubai during the association’s silver jubilee celebrations held at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dubai.
October 31, 2013 – Karnataka Sangha at Sharjah, UAE, honoured Colaco for his exemplary social and charitable services, by presenting a beautiful citation to him.
November 23, 2013 – Shree Sooryanarayana temple building committee headed by its chairman K Chittaranjan and K P Shetty honoured Colaco for his support in building various Hindu temples including the historical Sooryanarayana temple in Mangalore.
November 24, 2013 - Bishops of Chikmagalur and Belgaum honoured Colaco in the presence of central minister for roads and highways, state minister for youth and sports, member of Parliament from Udupi and Chikmagalur and the local MLA, for his major contributions to start St Joseph PU College in Chikmagalur, higher primary schools in Beirur, Balehonnur and Herebile, re-construction of churches, temples, public toilet with modern facilities, providing hearse to poor families free of cost, formation of IFKCA units in all taluks and under its umbrella, establishment of Christian Co-operative Bank in Chikmagalur and Hassan districts.
November 25, 2013 - The bishop of Mangalore conferred the Vishwa Ratna (Universal Jewel) Award on Colaco, in absentia, through Austin Peres. The award was instituted by MMCA commemorating its silver jubilee celebrations.
December 8, 2013 – European Award for Best Practices 2013 instituted by ESQR of Switzerland for his Clarks Exotica Hotel.