Hospitality industry zooms in Coimbatore

A sweeping driveway and a lily pool mark the entrance to Le Meridien. Inside, Swarovski chandeliers glitter and there are football field - sized banquet halls and elegant cigar lounges. Not far from there is Aloft, a Starwood property, where spotty mirrors hang on the wall and restored scooters and Java bikes from the Sixties stand on stone floors. The Park Plaza flaunts a style somewhere in between.

For years, executives visiting the city stayed at The Residency or the Alankar Grande. But now, three luxury hotels, barely a year old, are already buzzing with action, and 10 more are waiting in the wings. Suddenly, wherever you turn, hotels are springing up, with speciality restaurants, spas, fitness centres, 24-hour coffee shops and swimming pools.

Business is growing so rapidly in the city that it now needs many more hotels. Multi-speciality hospitals and super-speciality hospitals attract big business from home and abroad. And the city has always been an engineering hub.

Visitors are coming in from Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, and even Sharjah and Singapore. There are nearly 40 landings and take-offs every day at Coimbatore Airport.

Says T. Gundan, chairman, Surya Hotels: “It should have happened long ago. Bangalore is saturated, while Coimbatore is still emerging. The city has great climate, is well connected by air and rail, and is strategically located within easy reach of important cities in Karnataka and Kerala. And the Nilgiris is just a short drive away,” he says. Surya has signed a 30-year lease with Taj, and Vivanta by Taj Surya is soon to throw open its doors.

Great possibilities
“The city is exploding with possibilities,” says M. Krishnan, president, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore. “Till a few years ago we couldn't think of holding big conferences here. But now, Coimbatore can take that load. In fact, more and more people are reluctant to go to Bangalore for meetings. Even Chennai is full up. Hotels don't need year-round room occupancy. Even if they hold 10-20 conventions a year, they can break even. People are also looking for hotels where they can hold weddings and other big functions.”

According to Sanjay Gupta, general manager of the luxurious Le Meridian, “Unlike other cities, Coimbatore is good for development for at least another 10 years. It is a healthy market, perhaps healthier than some metros or even other tier-two cities.”

Aloft and Park Plaza, though smaller and more modest than Le Meridien, are by no means short on style. Saurabh Mathur, general manager of Aloft, describes it as a jazzy, young and smart brand that caters to the second rung of executives. He sees no trouble filling up his hotel's rooms.

“There is so much movement in the city. There is always a need for rooms. Just look how difficult it is to get reservations in trains or flights in or out of Coimbatore. That speaks volumes for how busy the city is.”

General manager Akash Gupta of Park Plaza is optimistic too. He calls Coimbatore a ‘mini Chennai'. But he wishes the IT sector would perk up. “There would be no looking back then. If the Government could strengthen the infrastructure and make it attractive for the biggies to set up shop here, that would be a shot in the arm. Coimbatore needs to be prettied up. A few more malls, besides Brookfields, would help jazz things up.”

Business calling
Coimbatore is already a hub of industry, multi-speciality hospitals and education. It has to be marketed aggressively, says Ravi Sam, Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone. “It could be marketed as a convention centre. Big textile conventions such as ITMA (International Textile Manufacturers Association) ought to be held here, where there is such a vibrant textile industry. But lack of rooms and connectivity has kept such events away. That should change now.”

While walk-ins may not be numerous at the moment, the new hotels are confident that in time more people will use their services. If the city develops, the hotels will develop, is the refrain.

Already, Le Meridien has seen the prestigious launches of Volvo, Mercedes and Eicher. It recently hosted a huge convention of plastic surgeons. Aloft has a more no-nonsense approach to hospitality. Huge LCD TVs in every room, plug-and-play docking stations, and other hi-tech facilities make it a popular choice with young executives. At Park Plaza, says Akash Gupta, “We scrupulously follow the Carlton business philosophy of ‘Yes I Can' and ensure total guest satisfaction.” The hotel's many food festivals have been popular and it is a regular venue for conferences. Vivanta by Taj Surya is yet to start functioning, but all its rooms are booked for an upcoming event.

As M. Krishnan sums up: “The standard of living has gone up and people want better facilities. They can afford it. The city once lacked in the hospitality sector. Not any more.”

Carlson Hotels opens Park Plaza in Coimbatore

Carlson, a leading global hospitality and travel company, will open its 100th 'Park Plaza' brand hotel in India by 2015, with its capacity touching almost 10,000 rooms by then, a top company official said. The company launched its 40th Park Plaza, with 107 rooms, in Coimbatore on Saturday.

"With the launch of the 40th Park Plaza, the total number of rooms have gone up to 4,027, across the country. With franchisees, another 6,000 would be added in another four years," Carlson Hotels, Asia Pacific, Executive Vice-President (South Asia) K B Kachru told PTI.

Talking about its Tamil Nadu plans, Kachru said Carlson has three hotels in the state and with another City Centre being opened in Chennai soon, the number would go up to eight in Tamil Nadu and increase by another six across India by this year-end.

The company would launch a facility in Bangalore in the middle of 2012 and also has plans to tap the potential in the temple town of Madurai and Munnar in Kerala, he said.

When asked about the estimated investment on the upcoming hotels in the country, he said negotiations are still going on with franchisees, though he added the Coimbatore project that was set up in partnership with Sabari Group involved an expenditure of Rs 8 crore.

Stating that the hospitality sector has huge potential in India, particularly in two-tier cities, Kachru said that Carlson will focus on the mid-market segment in particular.

Fine Hotels to stay in Coimbatore

Black Thunder
Otty Main Road, Coimbatore 641305

Grand Plaza
58, Geetha Hall Road, Coimbatore 641018

Heritage Inn 38, Sivasamy Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore 641009

Hotel Alankar Grande No. 10, Sivasamy Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore 641009

Hotel CAG Pride 312, Barathiar Road, Coimbatore 641044

Hotel City Tower Sivasamy Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore 641009

Hotel Lords Park 1000, Raja Street, Coimbatore 641001

Hotel Mangala International 340 Nehru street, Ramnagar, Coimbatore 641009

Hotel Sriram International 18 & 19, State Bank Road, Coimbatore

Hotel Surya International 105, Race Cource Road, Coimbatore 641018

Hotel Vaidurya
73, Geetha Hall Road, Opp. To Railway station,P.B.No. 4006, Coimbatore 641018

Jenney Club
Avinashi Road,Coimbatore Aerodrome Post, Coimbatore 641014

Legends Inn
77, State Bank Road, Opp. Railway Station, Coimbatore 641018

Mesabel Hotel
24, Grey Town, (Near Nehru Stadium), Coimbatore 641018

Nahar Manchester Inn Gandhi Park, Coimbatore

Nilgiri's Nest 739 A, Avinashi Road, Coimbatore 641018

Park Inn Avanashi Road, Neelambur, Coimbatore 641014

Hotel Rathna ResidencyNo.355, Variety Hall Road,Coimbatore - 641 001,

The Residency, Coimbatore
1076, Avinashi Road, Coimbatore 641018

The Residency, Karur
179, Allwin Nagar, Coimbatore Main Road,Karur, Coimbatore 639002

Shree Murugan
56, Devi and Co.Lane, Opp. Railway Station, Coimbatore - 641 018

The Signature Crest, Coimbatore
Manchester Regent,Flat no. A/102, No.694, Coimbatore 641018

Sree Annapoorna Lodging
75, East Arokiasamy Road,R.S. Puram, Coimbatore 641002

Janatha Meal vanishes from Coimbatore Hotels

The Rs 20-meal, introduced by the Tamil Nadu Government in hotels for the benefit of the downtrodden, is no longer available in the eateries across the State.

The scheme, fondly called as Janatha Meal, was introduced in 2008 on the birthday of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on June 3 across the State.

It was made mandatory for all the hotels to serve Rs 20-meal, besides tiffin items like idly, dosa and hot drinks like tea and coffee at a reduced price, thus catering to the needs of the poor. However, now none of the hotels follow the price regulations stipulated by the government.

The hotels served the food items at a reduced rate for a few months, after which the Janatha Meals vanished from their menu. The Rs 20- meal should comprise 400 gram of rice, sambar, rasam, butter milk and a side dish.

The hotels were also asked not to compromise on the quality of the food items. Besides, the government insisted that tiffin items like idly, dosa, pongal and puri, also coffee and tea to be served by the hotels at a reduced price.

Due to the unchecked price rise in hotels at Coimbatore, which serves as a hub for migratory population working in textile units and construction industry, they are largely affected.

“Life is not the same as it were two years ago due to the rising cost of food items in the hotels. In fact, I spend a major share of my salary for food. The government should do something to check the rising prices of food items in the hotels,” said R Suresh, a batchelor, who works at a textile unit in Coimbatore.

Further there is also a general feeling among the public that the price of food items in Coimbatore are generally sold at higher rates than elsewhere. Even at any moderate level hotel in the city, the price of a meal is fixed at around Rs 40, besides, pongal, dosa and other items are sold at a price range of Rs 20 to 30.

Tamil Nadu Hotel Association Youth Wing President C R Senthil Kumar said the hotels could not serve the food items at the stipulated price due to the hike in input cost, besides increasing labour wages and rentals. “All the eateries managed to serve the food items at the government fixed rate for over a year, but now the hotels are helpless. So, it is not possible to serve at the fixed price,” he said. Kumar said the association has urged the government refix the rate of food items.