The Hindu Business Line : ‘Super amenities’ for those who can afford

Investment World - Real Estate & Construction
Industry & Economy - Real Estate & Construction
States - Karnataka
‘Super amenities’ for those who can afford

Bearys Group’s His Grace Montessori school, Mangalore.

Anjana Chandramouly

Set against Nandi Hills near Bangalore, the 275-acre Prestige Golfshire, a project of the Prestige Group, offers ultra-luxurious mansions, a 300-bed five-star hotel, a private lake and an 18-hole championship-sized golf course designed by PGA Design.Prestige Golfshire is just an example of developers offering more than the standard amenities — swimming pool, club house, play area — to give that ‘touch of uniqueness.’ Some in Bangalore even offer a helipad, a Montessori school in the campus, and so on. There is no limit to their imagination, it appears.

‘More necessity than luxury’

Mr Zaffar Sait, General Manager, Business Development, Prestige Group, says the increasing purchasing power and frequent travel abroad have encouraged people to expect facilities available in developed countries here. “Today, these super amenities have become more of a necessity than luxury,” and they attract buyers, he adds.

Besides, a hectic work schedule has left people with little or no time for family entertainment; these amenities will thus be an added advantage, feels Mr Kishore Jain, Managing Director, Jain Heights and Structures Pvt Ltd. “Even couch potatoes are tempted to use these amenities because of the ambience and environment they create.” And children take to them.

These amenities make the project a premium one, and the customer pays for it, says Ms Snehal Mantri, Director-Marketing, Mantri Developers. For those looking for these, cost is usually not the criterion, she says.

Setting up an 18-hole golf course costs Rs 20-25 crore. A club with state-of-the-art amenities for an urban community with 200 homes over 50 acres could cost Rs 8-10 crore, says Mr Prakash Gurbaxani, Founder and CEO, QVC Realty.

The company has an upcoming project at Chikmagalur in Karnataka — QVC Greens — that offers a golf course. “What we have conceptualised at QVC Greens is a high-end resort with sports facilities, health spa and avenues for spending quality leisure time with family. Setting up such infrastructure will cost about Rs 20 crore,” he says.

“The ‘QVC Greens’ site possesses strikingly diverse physical and visual characteristics in its various zones — ranging from coffee plantations and medium-density vegetation in some zones, to green slopes and dense tropical vegetation in some other,” says Mr Gurbaxani.

The amenities also include sports facilities for tennis, snooker and billiards, and squash. The project will also have a resort run by an international operator with ecologically designed cottages, imaginatively planned water bodies, coffee shop, multi-cuisine restaurant and health spa.

At the Prestige Golfshire property, its clubhouse, Falcon Greens, even houses a golf pro-shop, in addition to a well-stocked bar, a cigar lounge and a restaurant. The property also has the five-star luxury resort hotel, The Marriot.

Helipads, Montessori schools

Jain Heights’ Altura, a 24-storey apartment complex on Sarjapur Road, Bangalore, comes with a roof-top helipad. “It was conceived mainly for emergency purposes,” Mr Jain says. He puts the cost of putting up the facility at Rs 30-40 lakh. But he is open to using the facility commercially “depending on future demand and requirement. If heli-taxis become popular, it will be a good facility.”

Bearys Group offers Montessori schools, under the ‘His Grace’ name, as part of amenities. The company has set up two schools, one each in its Harmony Homes and LakeSide Habitat projects. The company also plans to tie up with other developers to offer the school as part of amenities. “We will take the space on rent, set up the facility and also manage it,” says Mr Syed Mohamed Beary, Managing Director, Bearys Group. “Developers will be outsourcing this amenity from us,” he adds.

Mantri Developers highlights security features. At its ‘Altius’ property, the developers have provided biometric security, which, says Ms Mantri, “is an added value used with pride; but the rest of the amenities hold status value than utilitarian value.”