With only two hotels in India, Hilton Hotels is looking to increase its presence in one of the fastest progressing countries in the developing world.
Its third hotel, Hilton Chennai Guindy, will be opening in October this year and is about 20 minutes’ drive from the city centre and 15 minutes from both the domestic and international airports.
“The hotel is strategically located close to both the domestic and international airports," said Anup Taneja, senior sales manager, international sales, Hilton Worldwide. "The traffic is not very good and for travellers to Chennai, who need to catch a flight in the evening, it is more practical to stay out of town and closer to the airport.
“The hotel is located in a new development area.”
Chennai, India’s fifth largest city, and the surrounding economic zone provide about 40 percent of the country’s GDP.
According to Taneja, the property is located next to the Olympia Technology Park in Guindy and is only 40km from Sriperambudur, which is the centre of the area’s car industry with Hyundai, BMW, Nissan and Mitsubishi all represented there. These will provide one of the hotel’s main customer bases.
“Apart from the car industry, business travellers working in other industries, such as export-import, information technology and healthcare, will also strongly contribute [to the occupancy],” he said.
The hotel will have 204 rooms of between 32sqm and 64sqm, with international-standard facilities, including Wi-Fi. There is a 445sqm ballroom planned, with two smaller meeting rooms, a boardroom with full audio-visual support and a business centre.
Five restaurants will serve travellers with varying requirements – Ayala will provide Indian fare, while Vintage Bank and the Q Bar on the rooftop will please those who like wine and cheese. Vasco’s all-day dining restaurant and Est, a deli with a live bakery kitchen, will add to the variety. A 24-hour gym and outdoor pool will cater to business people with different schedules.
The next Hilton will open in Bangalore early next year and following that, Guragaon, a fast-emerging business district in the national capital region, will get the first Doubletree by Hilton in India. These will supplement the already-operating Hilton New Delhi, Janakpuri in west Delhi and Hilton Garden Inn, Saket DLF Place in south Delhi.
For more details, visit www.hilton.com
Andrea Zavadszky
