The Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi is the only Indian hotel to be judged one of the `Best Business Hotels' in Asia in 1998. The judging was done by Business Asia readers and CNBC viewers who felt the hotel's location, service, communication and business facilities were eligible for this highest award. Other winners of the `Best Business Hotels in Asia 1998' award include The Ritz Carlton, Sydney and Osaka and Kuala Lumpur, The Palace Hotel, Beijing, Grand Hyatt, Jakarta, Seoul and Taipei and The Oriental, Bangkok among others.

JK Helene Curtis unveils herbal shampoos:

JK Helene Curtis Ltd has launched a range of premium herbal shampoos to bolster its personal care products range in India. The shampoos are available in a combination of natural herbs: aloe vera and shikakai, henna and amla, and brahmi and jaswand. The shampoos are available in Gujarat and Maharashtra and are priced at Rs 80 for the 500ml bottle for the henna/amla and brahmi/jaswand combinations and Rs 90for the aloe vera/shikakai combination.

Pierre Cardin launches Studio pens:

Pierre Cardin has launched its Studio range of pens in India under its tie-up with Flair Pens. The refillable pen carries the Pierre Cardin signature and has a non-drying refill. It is available in six colours and is priced at Rs 25.

Longman dictionaries to be launched:

Addison Wesley Longman and the British Council will launch the Longman range of dictionaries across the country later this month. Addison will bring to India reprints of six Longman dictionaries viz the Dictionary of Contemporary English (hardback and paperback), Dictionary of Common Errors, Essential Activator, Active Study Dictionary of English, New Junior English Dictionary and New Pocket English Dictionary. The dictionaries will be priced between Rs 475 and Rs 50.

Indian Society of Advertisers conference from October 29:

The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) will hold its 9th All India Advertising Conference in Bangalore fromOctober 29 to October 31, 1998. The conference's theme is `Advertising: The Competitive Advantage' and will have eight working sessions, besides the inaugural and valedictory sessions. Union minister for information and broadcasting Sushma Swaraj has been invited to inaugurate the conference. Union commerce minister Ramakrishna Hegde has been called to be the guest of honour at the inaugural welcome reception. The conference will cover all aspects of advertising communication and bring together representatives of advertisers, advertising agencies, print media, television, market research and information technology. The ISA is a non-profit professional organisation and a national body representing a wide spectrum of advertisers from the public and private sectors.