The Hindu Business Line : Taj opens resort at Kovalam

Called the Taj Green Cove Resort, the new hotel will be a key element of the Taj group's strategy for the South East Asian region and will serve as the gateway to the group's properties in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, said Mr Jamshed S. Daboo, Chief Operating Officer, Taj Leisure Hotels.

The hotel will offer guests a microcosm of Kerala — beaches, backwaters and a hill retreat — accompanied by the spa experience, he added.

Asked whether the Taj group is planning to open more properties in Kerala, Mr Daboo replied that the company is interested in any opportunities that may arise in the State. Kerala has tremendous potential as a high-end tourist destination, he pointed out.

Located on 10 acres of land spread across a hillock facing the sea, with its own stretch of backwaters, the resort has 57 rooms including a presidential suite. The hotel will eventually have 75 rooms including 18 floating cottages anchored in the backwaters, said Mr Thomas John Muthoot, Managing Director, Muthoot Hotels and Tourism Ventures Pvt Ltd. The total investment in the hotel has been approximately Rs 30 crore, he added.

An important feature of the Green Cove Resort is the `Jiva Spa', which is a spa brand owned by the Taj group, Mr Daboo explained. The spa will offer the hotel's guests a range of contemporary treatments inspired by traditional Indian therapies, he added. A highlight of the spa is a special treatment room exclusively for couples.

By August next year, the hotel will also offer guests a range of ayurvedic treatments at a separate ayurveda spa, he said. The ayurveda spa will be located on a barge anchored in the hotel's lagoon.

Besides a 24-hour multi-cuisine restaurant and a bar, the resort also has a speciality restaurant that will offer guests a taste of curries from various parts of the country. By February next year, the hotel will also have a beachside restaurant that will offer guests an opportunity to sample the flavours of Kerala's costal cuisine.

The hotel also plans to introduce options such as dinner cruises on the backwaters, Mr Daboo said.

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