The Hindu Business Line : Floatels India, Westport to build resort in Kochi

FLOATELS India Pvt Ltd, a Thiruvananthapuram-based hotel company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Malaysian company Westport to develop a resort on an island near Kochi.

According to the MoU, the two companies will have an equal stake in the venture and will jointly set up the resort, said Mr M.R. Narayanan, Managing Director, Floatels India Pvt Ltd.

The total investment in the venture is expected to be approximately Rs 25 crore, he added.

An international hotel company will run the resort, he said. However, a decision on which the hotel company will manage the resort has not yet been taken.

Floatels India and Westport are currently in discussions with several international hotel chains on this issue and expect to announce a decision in a month, he explained.

The resort, which has not yet been named, will initially have 50 rooms and 20 houseboats.

The resort will use specially designed houseboats that are fuel-efficient and non-polluting, Mr Narayanan said.

Floatels India, which owns the Poovar Island resort near Thiruvananthapuram and manages the Comfort Inn Grand within the city, is also developing another island resort near Kochi. This resort, called Pristine Island, is owned by a group of non-resident Indians, he said. Floatels India is developing Pristine Island as a turnkey project, he explained. In addition, the company will train the resort's staff and will also market Pristine Island, he added. This resort is scheduled to open by October this year.

Meanwhile, the company is also expanding its own property — Poovar Island resort. Twenty new rooms are being added to the property, he said. The new rooms will be larger and more luxurious than the existing ones, he explained.

By October this year, Poovar Island resort will also have a 14,000 square feet ayurveda treatment centre and spa, said Mr Narayanan.

Sri Lanka's Sanctuary Spa will manage the spa, while the ayurveda centre will be managed by the resort itself, he added.

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