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MUMBAI, April 2

INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels & Resorts has opened the InterContinental Marine Drive, its first boutique hotel in the Asia-Pacific region.

The hotel comprises 59 "oversized" rooms and suites with advanced entertainment options, a restaurant with three interactive display kitchens, a roof-top wine and cigar lounge, and a vodka bar.

Each room is outfitted with a 42-inch plasma TV, DVD player, Bose audio equipment and high-speed Internet connectivity. Guest can also avail of a pillow and quilt menu, choosing from a range of pillows; there is also a "bath" menu for prepared baths. The restaurant, RG's — the name of the disco of the famous Natraj Hotel in whose place that InterContinental Marine Drive now stands — features Indian, Chinese and continental cuisines. The owner of the Natraj Hotel, Mr Ravi Ghai, is now Chairman of the hotel, and his son, Mr Gaurav, is also involved in the management.

`Today's international traveller wants a perfect balance of stylish elegance with a familiar touch," said Mr Christian Pirodon, General Manager of the InterContinental Marine Drive. "Whether it is making guests feel more at home by providing little things that matter — such as a Jetlag Recovery kit or a local currency pack — or offering services around the clock, our service initiatives are specially tailored to more closely meet the needs of today's traveller."

Positioned as "5 star deluxe," the hotel's target will be the business traveller, and up to 65 per cent of the "associates", as Mr Pirodon prefers to call the hotel staff, will be women, he said.

While the hotel is in close proximity to the Taj Mahal Hotel and The Oberoi, he believes the hotel will hold its own. "We are so small, we will not be competition," he said. "And Mumbai is so big, there is enough business for everyone."

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