Finally, Hyatt in Chennai opened its doors – widening choices for business travellers to stay in Chennai. ‘The Facts & The Dreams' fills the air of the swank lobby on the fifth floor.
There was no trace of the shrill wail of the granite-cutting wheels, the din of the hammer, naked concrete walls and the billowing dust anymore. The hotel, which was in the making for the last 15 years under a different ownership, has now metamorphosed into Hyatt Regency.
Though the property has been available for banqueting for some time now, the entire facility was soft launched only last week.
With 327 rooms, this 15-storey property happens to be Chennai's biggest hotel – for now, of course. It takes the total number of 5-star room inventory in the city to close to 2,500.
Mr Sunjae Sharma, General Manager of the property, says besides other facilities, food and beverages section will be a major attraction. The hotel has food & beverage outlets with “interactive kitchens” specialising in different cuisines.
“The property would certainly make a big impact on the hotel scene in the city,” says a senior hotelier and a member of the South India Hotels and Restaurants Association. Observing that the hotel's Rs 7,000-a-day inaugural offer is very attractive considering the brand, “people would definitely want to try it out,” he said.
Hotels in Chennai currently enjoy 60-70 per cent occupancy. “And, Hyatt, for sure, will dilute it in the next few months.”
For Hyatt, this is the first property in the South, and eighth in the country. The property is owned by Robust Hotels, a special purpose vehicle floated by the Arun Saraf-managed Asian Hotels (East) Ltd.
The company acquired the property as a superstructure in 2007 for Rs 300 crore and has pumped in a similar amount to develop the hotel.
Including this, Chennai's 5-star room inventory has jumped up by close to 45 per cent. Last year, the Ceebros-promoted Raintree added 230 rooms and early this year, Empee Hilton added another 200 rooms.