Indian Hotels Company, (IHCL) has announced the signing of three Taj hotels – two in Kolkata, West Bengal and one in Patna, Bihar. These new hotels are in partnership with Ambuja Neotia Group, who have already partnered with IHCL for two other hotels in the East – Taj Chia Kutir, Darjeeling, West Bengal and Taj Guras Kutir in Gangtok, Sikkim. These five projects will culminate to a total of 500 rooms.
Commenting on the signing, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, “We are very committed to the Eastern part of India as we believe that it has tremendous potential. With the announcement today, we are further strengthening our footprint in the region and building on IHCL’s legacy in some of the most commercially and culturally important cities of the East. These signings also cement our relationship with the Ambuja Neotia Group.”
The Taj hotel at Ambuja City Centre, Kolkata is strategically located in close proximity of the airport and the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, one of the largest convention centres in South Asia. The hotel, with 147 keys, has been in operation for over 10 years and is slated to undergo extensive refurbishments before it re-opens as a Taj hotel in 2021.
The Taj hotel at Eco Park, located in New Town, is a 57-room hotel overlooking Eco Park’s 112-acre water body. The resort hotel with state-of-the-art banqueting and convention facilities spread across 50,000 sq. ft. is slated to open in 2021.
The Taj hotel at Ambuja City Centre, Patna is located on Budh Marg in Lodipur, at a short driving distance from the airport. This will be the first branded luxury hotel to enter the city. The hotel will have 126 rooms and will be the ideal choice for conventions and meetings. It will open in December 2022.
Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group, said, “We are delighted to extend our partnership with three more hotels under the ‘Taj’ brand with IHCL. Taj is globally renowned, and we look forward to bringing their legendary hospitality to all our hotels. This partnership will give a strong impetus to the development of tourism in the Eastern region.”
IHCL had signed two hotels with the Ambuja Neotia Group in 2016. The first of these – Taj Chia Kutir, a charming resort set amidst the famous Makaibari Tea Estate in Darjeeling, will open on 14th December this year. The second hotel, Taj Guras Kutir, Gangtok, which aims to bring alive Sikkim’s local culture with a modern flair, is scheduled to open by the end of 2022.
With the addition of these hotels, IHCL will have 23 hotels across brands in nine states in Eastern India.
