This festive season, Pokiddo Junior is set to create holiday magic with its spectacular Christmas Winter Ball, a week-long celebration designed especially for children. Running from December 20 to 25, 2025, the event transforms Pokiddo Junior into a vibrant winter wonderland filled with creativity, talent, and festive cheer.

The celebrations begin on December 20 with the Grand Winter Ball, featuring interactive workshops in grooming, fashion, and dance. These sessions are thoughtfully curated to help children build confidence, express themselves, and prepare for the grand festive finale. The excitement builds up to December 25, when the much-awaited Pokiddo Jr. Christmas Ball takes centre stage, along with the Ms & Mr Pokiddo 2025 pageant.

Throughout the week, children can enjoy festive décor, themed photo booths, grooming and etiquette sessions, dance rehearsals, and special meet-and-greet moments with Santa and Pokiddo’s beloved characters. A key highlight is the Pokiddo Junior Prince and Princess 2025 pageant, where children participate by submitting their heartfelt “Letters to Santa,” celebrating imagination, confidence, and individuality. Winners will be crowned in a glittering ceremony with crowns, sashes, and exclusive Pokiddo Passports.

Adding to the experience is the Royal Pass, offering premium access to the celebrations. The pass includes entry for one child and one adult, access to all curated activities, and a seat at the Royal Buffet, featuring over 15 kid-friendly festive favourites. Early Bird pricing makes it easier for families to be part of this much-talked-about celebration.

With a strong focus on creativity, confidence-building, and festive joy, Pokiddo Junior’s Christmas Winter Ball promises to be one of Mumbai’s most exciting holiday events for children this season.

Bookings are now open and can be made online.

Dates: 20th – 25th December 2025
Venue: Pokiddo Junior, Mumbai

2025 is shaping up to be the most significant year yet for Chennai’s hospitality sector, as the city continues to expand its hotel landscape with new signings, long-term developments and growing investor confidence. With rising demand from business travel, leisure tourism and the IT corridor, Chennai’s hospitality ecosystem is steadily evolving, creating new experiences and employment opportunities across the city.

Adding momentum to this growth, three global hospitality brands have identified Chennai as a key destination for future expansion: Courtyard by Marriott Chennai World Trade Center, JW Marriott Chennai OMR and The Ritz-Carlton Chennai. These announcements have generated strong anticipation among residents and industry stakeholders alike, reinforcing the city’s position as a growing hospitality hub in South India.

Courtyard by Marriott Chennai World Trade Center, anticipated to open in FY 2027, is expected to feature 45 thoughtfully designed guestrooms and two dining outlets. The hotel will include a modern fitness centre and reflect the brand’s classic design language, offering seamless service focused on comfort and connectivity. Located close to major commercial office complexes, the property will also benefit from being approximately 13 kilometres from Chennai International Airport. It will form part of a mixed-use development that includes the World Trade Center, residential spaces and retail outlets.

JW Marriott Chennai OMR is scheduled to open in FY 2030 and will bring 250 guestrooms and suites to the city. The property is planned to feature wellness-led offerings such as the Spa by JW, a swimming pool and a fitness centre. Additional highlights include a JW Garden, five dining venues and around 1,400 square metres of meeting and event space. Located along Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai’s prominent IT corridor, the hotel will cater to both leisure and business travellers. Both Marriott properties are being developed in collaboration with Brigade Hotel Ventures Limited.

Industry circles are also awaiting further updates on The Ritz-Carlton Chennai, with more details expected to be announced in the coming days, adding to the excitement surrounding luxury hospitality growth in the city.

Beyond these developments, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is strengthening its footprint in Chennai with multiple projects. IHCL, in collaboration with the Chennai-based Ampa Group and Bharathi Meraki, is developing Taj Skyview Residences and Hotel on Nelson Manickam Road. This project marks India’s first Taj-branded residences alongside a new Taj luxury hotel and is expected to open by December 2027.

In another major move, IHCL has announced the signing of a new Taj hotel on Chennai’s East Coast Road as a greenfield development, in partnership with MGM Healthcare. This further underlines the brand’s long-term confidence in Chennai’s hospitality potential.

With several premium and luxury hotels in the pipeline, Chennai is preparing to offer one of its strongest hospitality portfolios yet. The coming years are expected to redefine the city’s accommodation landscape, positioning Chennai to deliver world-class hospitality experiences while supporting economic growth and employment generation.

As the hospitality sector prepares to enter 2026, industry leaders remain optimistic about the road ahead. Sharing his year-end perspective, Neil James, General Manager of Sheraton Grand Palace Indore, believes the industry is moving forward with confidence and a clear sense of direction.

According to him, the hotel industry is witnessing a noticeable shift driven by changing guest expectations, the growing use of technology, and an increased focus on environmental responsibility. These factors are influencing how hotels design experiences, engage with guests, and manage operations.

Neil James highlights that experience-led stays, personalised services, and authenticity in hospitality are becoming key factors in building guest loyalty. Guests today are looking for meaningful interactions and memorable experiences, rather than just a comfortable stay. Delivering genuine warmth and consistency in service continues to play a vital role in meeting these expectations.

Alongside guest experience, operational efficiency and people-centric leadership have emerged as important priorities for hospitality businesses. Investing in teams, nurturing talent, and creating supportive work environments are essential for sustaining service quality and long-term growth.

Looking ahead to 2026, Neil James emphasises the importance of balancing innovation with the core values that define hospitality. While embracing new technologies and modern practices is crucial, maintaining trust, warmth, and reliability remains equally important. He adds that hotels which remain flexible, adaptable, and responsive to their guests are well positioned to achieve sustainable growth in the coming year.