The Hindu Business Line : Taj group plans boutique hotel in Pune palace property

Hospitality industry major Indian Hotels Company, which owns the Taj hotels, is seeking to increase its presence in the Pune market where it is now all set to convert the erstwhile Padma Vilas Palace, a heritage property that once belonged to the royal family of Gwalior, into a boutique hotel.

Sources told Business Line that plans are being firmed up to convert the existing structure, set in a 12-acre property in the city's Wanowrie area, into a 45-room boutique hotel.

The city, a hub for multinationals and the IT and ITES sector, is currently witnessing a severe shortage of rooms with industry watchers maintaining that the shortfall is estimated at 150 rooms currently.

The Taj group had bought the property 7-8 years ago from the family of the late Madhavrao Scindia.

Over the years the hotel group had toyed with the idea of converting the property into a hotel but later switched plans to make it into a training college on the lines of the school it has in Aurangabad.

"This property has been in Indian Hotels Company Ltd portfolio for many years. We revisit our sites regularly depending upon the feasibility of the cities and constantly evaluate their viability for hotel use. The Padma Vilas is a choice location, but we have not reviewed any plan whatsoever to develop it, at this point in time," Mr Raymond Bickson, Managing Director & CEO, Indian Hotels Company Ltd, said in response to a query.

Sources within the company, however, insist that with the city's hotel industry now witnessing a boom, the company is keen to get a slice of the lucrative business and wants to enter the fray with a property that can be converted for use without too much delay.

Taj Hotels is meanwhile increasing its presence in Pune with its existing five-star, the 108-room Taj Blue Diamond going in for a major expansion.

It plans to more than double capacity by adding deluxe and premium rooms. Work is also under way on a budget hotel property, which will carry the Ginger tag.

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