It promises to be a place where ‘Devdas’ can hold
a business meeting. Sonar Bangla, the Kolkata outlet of ITC Hotels Ltd, will set new
standards in Asia in terms of space and area assigned per room in the seven star deluxe
category in the country.
"Sonar Bangla will be a 240-room hotel set on 15.4
acres of land, making it one of the most spacious hotels anywhere and it will be the
country’s first ‘businessman’s resort’", ITC Hotels managing
director S S H Rehman said.
Designers Kerry Hill & Associates of Singapore were so
impressed with River Ganga in Kolkata and Bengal’s multitude of water bodies that
they have built in a 120-metre long water course into the plan, making it the
quintessential ‘bagaanbari’ or country house of the zamindars, Rehman pointed
out.
The Rs 240 crore project will be commissioned on December
31, 2002. "It would be Asia’s best business hotel set amidst resort
surroundings," he added.
While the number of rooms may be low compared to the huge
land area, the hotel would also set new standards in having seven to eight food and
beverage outlets besides a 20,000 sq. ft banquet area. They would be able to serve up to
1,500 diners in the outlets and lounges at one point of time with wide open public places
in between to convey the resort feel.
To further strengthen the feel of being a hotel that looks
beyond mere business needs, it would have facilities like a mini golf putting range,
jogging tracks and tennis courts over and above normal super deluxe facilities like spas
and pools.
"In recognition of the strong intellectual tradition
of the city, the designers have built in library lounges and incorporated state-of
–the-art communication links so that guests can always stay connected," the
managing director said.
Despite being ITC’s hometown, Kolkata has had to wait
for many years for ITC’s first hotel to come up. "Sonar Bangla reflects the
commitment made to the government of West Bengal that ITC would set up a hotel in the city
that would be without parallel," Rehman said.
He was in the city during Durga Puja to formally commission
the infrastructure of the hotel, including power, water, sewage, air-conditioning, laundry
and staff training and facilities.
