Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association

What Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association does

Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association (KHRA) is a private, non-profit trade association founded in 1964 in Ernakulam, Kerala, representing over 50,000 hospitality business owners — including hoteliers, restaurateurs, cafe operators, and bakery owners — across all 14 districts of the state. KHRA's core function is industry advocacy, collective bargaining, training, and networking for Kerala's hospitality SMBs, delivered through a grassroots structure of 14 district committees and a small central staff (11-50 employees) headquartered at KHRA Bhavan on MG Road, Ernakulam. The association runs a portfolio of member-focused projects: Suraksha (member welfare/insurance), STRIVE (industry development and training), TOST (a multi-stakeholder food safety coordination committee involving medical, veterinary, academic, and government partners), Kerala Hotel News and e-Paper (industry media via WhatsApp distribution), and Rezoy, a food delivery app launched in 2020 under KHRA's Digital Empowerment Center. KHRA's commercial activity centers on the annual SALKKAR state conference — the 62nd edition (SALKKAR 2027) is scheduled for January 2027 at Marine Drive, Kochi — which functions as both a flagship networking event and a sponsorship revenue channel. The association is governed by elected state leaders (Patron G. Sudhiesh Kumar, President G. Jayapal, General Secretary N. Abdul Razak, Treasurer C. Bijulal) and generates revenue primarily through recurring membership fees across its distributed SMB base; no membership pricing tiers, audited financials, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association

Legal name

Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association

Website

https://www.khra.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KHRA is a Kerala-based hospitality trade association founded in 1964, serving over 50,000 hotel, restaurant, bakery, and cafe owners across all 14 districts through advocacy, training, member welfare programs, food safety coordination, and an annual state conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kochi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: KHRA generates revenue through membership fees from hotel, restaurant, cafe, bakery, and hospitality business owners across Kerala.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association (KHRA) is a non-profit hospitality industry association that represents and serves over 50,000 hotel, restaurant, café and bakery owners across Kerala. Its core offering is industry advocacy, training, networking, and member welfare programmes delivered through 14 district committees, alongside member-focused projects such as Suraksha, TOST, STRIVE, the Rezoy food delivery app, and the annual SALKKAR conference.

Product overview

KHRA operates as a unified hospitality association rather than a single software product. It offers a portfolio of member services including advocacy, training, and networking programs. The association runs several initiatives including KHRA TOST (food safety coordination), KHRA Suraksha (member welfare), KHRA STRIVE (industry development), Kerala Hotel News (media service), e-Paper subscription, and the Rezoy food delivery app launched in 2020. SALKKAR is the annual flagship conference event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rezoy: Kerala's own food delivery app launched by KHRA as its first digital project in 2020 through the Digital Empowerment Center.
• Suraksha
• STRIVE
• TOST (Trust of Safety and Taste)
• SALKKAR

Products and services

• KHRA Membership A membership programme for hotel, restaurant, café and bakery owners across Kerala providing industry advocacy, training, networking, welfare access and participation in association projects.
• KHRA Suraksha A KHRA member welfare and safety programme providing coverage and support services to hospitality businesses across Kerala.
• KHRA TOST (Trust of Safety and Taste) A food safety and quality coordination programme ensuring standards across the hospitality supply chain by engaging producers, distributors and traders.
• KHRA STRIVE An industry development programme focused on member empowerment and capacity building for hospitality businesses in Kerala.
• Kerala Hotel News (KH NEWS) A hospitality industry news service distributing updates on KHRA activities and Kerala hospitality sector developments to members.
• KHRA e-Paper A digital newspaper subscription service delivering KHRA news and hospitality industry updates to members via WhatsApp channel.
• Rezoy Food Delivery App A food delivery mobile application launched by KHRA to enable member restaurants, hotels and bakeries to offer delivery services to customers across Kerala.
• SALKKAR Annual State Conference and Expo An annual three-day flagship conference and trade exhibition bringing together hospitality entrepreneurs, hotel and restaurant owners, government officials, policymakers, suppliers and service providers from across Kerala.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50,000 hospitality business owners unified under a single association body
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Indian Medical AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMAs participation in TOST (Trust of Safety and Taste) coordination committee ensures medical-grade standards for food safety and quality across the hospitality supply chain.
• Indian Veterinary AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributing veterinary expertise to the TOST food safety coordination committee focused on ensuring quality of animal-sourced food products from farm to table.
• Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the TOST food safety initiative providing research and training support for food quality assurance across the hospitality supply chain.
• State Animal Husbandry DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner in TOST coordination committee contributing regulatory oversight and policy alignment for livestock and poultry products in the food chain.
• Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner in TOST providing specialized research and technology expertise for fisheries and seafood quality in the hotel and restaurant supply chain.
• Food Safety DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory partner in TOST ensuring compliance with food safety standards and facilitating enforcement of quality benchmarks across the hospitality sector.
• Venkateswara Group (VHL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry participant in TOST food safety coordination contributing commercial perspective to standards development for the poultry and livestock supply chain.
• Poultry Farmers Regulatory CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducer group partner in TOST ensuring quality standards from poultry farming operations through to hospitality end-users.
• Bakers Association (Samathi)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBakery sector representative in TOST coordination helping establish quality benchmarks for bakery and flour-based products in the hospitality supply chain.
• Caterers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatering sector partner in TOST contributing to food safety standards for bulk food preparation and event catering services.
• Egg Distributors AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupply chain partner in TOST ensuring quality and safety standards for egg distribution from producers to hospitality businesses.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI): FHRAI is the apex national body of hotel and restaurant associations in India, directly comparable to KHRA in structure, mission, and member profile. Both serve as industry advocacy and networking bodies for hospitality businesses across India.
• Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) — HRAWI: HRAWI is a state-level hospitality trade association covering Maharashtra and Goa, with the same member composition (hotel and restaurant owners), advocacy mandate, and event-driven engagement model as KHRA. Most analogous peer by structure and activities.
• National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI): NRAI is India's leading restaurant-focused trade body, comparable to KHRA's restaurant and bakery owner constituency. Both engage in policy advocacy, training, and member services, but NRAI operates at national scale with a sharper restaurant (not hotel) focus.

Regional players

• Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR) — Maharashtra: AHAR represents restaurant and bar owners in Maharashtra and is structurally analogous to KHRA as a regional hospitality association. Both run advocacy, training, and member welfare programs for SMB hospitality operators, though AHAR operates in a different geographic market.
• Tamil Nadu Hotels and Restaurants Association: State-level hospitality trade association serving Tamil Nadu with a similar profile of hotel and restaurant members. Comparable to KHRA in member base, advocacy focus, and event-driven engagement, but operates in a different South Indian state.
• Karnataka State Hotels and Restaurants Association: State-level hospitality association for Karnataka, mirroring KHRA's role in Kerala. Comparable member composition (hotel, restaurant, and bakery owners) and advocacy mandate, but serves a different regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Swiggy: Swiggy is India's largest food delivery aggregator and a direct competitor to KHRA's Rezoy app. It is comparable as a digital food delivery platform, but operates at massive national scale with venture funding — making it a much larger incumbent in the same space KHRA is trying to carve out for members.
• Zomato: Zomato is a publicly listed food delivery and restaurant discovery platform that competes directly with Rezoy for delivery share and restaurant partnerships in Kerala. Comparable as a restaurant-facing digital platform, but with vastly larger scale, capital, and consumer brand.

Others

• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII): CII is India's largest industry chamber representing multiple sectors including hospitality. It is thematically related to KHRA as a business advocacy body, but not a direct competitor — instead a broader industry voice that KHRA may partner with or look to engage on common policy issues.
• Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM): ASSOCHAM is a national apex trade chamber with a hospitality and tourism vertical. Comparable to KHRA as an industry advocacy organization, but operates at much broader (cross-sector) scale and is a potential partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KHRAMEDIA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association