Taj group opens new hotel in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Hotels Company, which owns the Taj group of hotels, has announced the opening of the Taj Residency Trivandrum, a premium business hotel.

The Taj Residency Trivandrum, which is owned by Dodla International Ltd, will be operated by IHCL under a management contract. Approximately Rs 100 crore has been invested in the venture, said Mr G. Mohamed, Managing Director, Dodla International Ltd.

The 137-room hotel will cater to both business and leisure travellers, said Mr Manoj Mathew, General Manager, Taj Residency Trivandrum. Accommodation options include a mix of rooms and suites with a range of facilities, he pointed out. Tariffs start at Rs 6,500 a night, excluding taxes, for a single occupancy room, he added.

The hotel the eighth Taj property in Kerala currently has three food and beverage outlets including a bar, an all-day dining restaurant and a delicatessen that sells pastries, breads, cold meats, salads and so on. The hotel will soon have another restaurant that will serve Chinese cuisine, he added.

Also on offer in the hotel are various conference and banqueting facilities including a 4,500 sq ft banquet hall, Mr Mathew said.

The banquet area will have an ‘art corridor’ that will display work by contemporary Indian artists, he said.

By early December the hotel will also have a spa, which will be the Taj group’s signature spa brand Jiva, he added.

Mr Rohinton Commissariat, Director-Marketing, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), said that the company is positioning Taj as a global luxury brand.

Even while expanding globally, the company continues to focus on the domestic market.

In India, it plans to double the number of hotels it operates over the next 3-5 years, he pointed out. The company currently has around 60 properties under the Taj brand in India.