Fortune Park To Enter Kolkata

Joy Roy Choudhury - Kolkata

Buoyed by the growth in the IT industry and the services sector almost all the leading global and domestic hospitality chains are now flocking to Kolkata. The latest entrant is the Fortune Park Hotels, the fastest growing hotel chain in the first class full service category in India.

Christened Fortune Hotel -Kolkata, it is likely to open its doors in the first week of October on the eve of Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the region.

Developed by Kolkata based Panchwati Holiday Resorts Limited (PHRL), the 80-room Fortune Hotel -Kolkata will be Howrah district of the State, hardly 30 minutes drive from the Central Business District (CBD) of Kolkata. It will be the first four-star category hotel to be set up in the twin city of Howrah.

"The civil construction of the hotel is complete and the work on the interiors is currently in progress. We hope to finish it soon and hand over the hotel to the ITC Fortune Park authorities, who will be running the hotel. We are targeting the first week of October for its official launch," said Priyesh Prasad Singh, Director, PHRL.

PHRL has entered into a management contract with Fortune Park Hotels Limited under which it has handed over the operations and marketing rights of the hotel to Fortune Hotels. "The Fortune Hotel, set up at a cost of Rs. 30 crore, will be positioned as a business hotel and a convention venue. Our target will be the increasing numbers of business travellers visiting the city. We will strive to provide international class services at affordable rates," said Singh.

Conferencing will be a major focal area of the hotel. "The hotel will have 6,000 sq ft of pillar less banqueting area equipped with the latest audio-visual facilities. It will have adequate pre-conference area and small board rooms for closed-door sessions," added Singh.

Besides these, the hotel will have a 24-hour coffee shop, a theme restaurant-cum-bar, a patisserie, swimming pool, fitness centre and a fully equipped business centre to cater to the needs of the business travellers.

"The ITC Fortune brand name, fast and easy connectivity from the CBD of the city and the peaceful location will sway the balance in favour of the hotel. The hotel has provisions for adding more floors in the future and if there is a demand for more rooms, adding new floors will not be a problem, as PHRL owns the adjacent lands," said Singh.

PHRL is also setting up luxury apartments and bungalows near the site of the hotel. "These luxury apartments can be also used as 'service apartment suites' at a later stage," said Singh.

PHRL, set up in 1994, is a leading name in the hospitality industry of the region. The Company has also established an international standard country club -The Lake Land Country Club, adjacent to the upcoming hotel and has developed two hotel properties in Puri and Gangtok. Singh said that the guests could also avail of the facilities offered by the Club at cheaper rates. The Club has the most modern entertainment facilities, dining facilities, fitness centre, temperature controlled swimming pool, Go-karting facilities etc.