5-star hotels marching into Nagpur

Major five-star groups have this fast developing city on their radar and many have started acquiring land for their foray into central India's hospitality sector.

However, the first five-star property is expected to come from a group that has a running hotel in the city, The Pride Group.

Confirming the development, General Manager, The Pride Hotel, Nagpur, Neeraj Verma said that the five-star status would keep The Pride Group ahead of the competition.

"We are expecting several big names to set up their properties here in the next few years. We wish to be the first five-star in the region," he said.

Verma said that all formalities for getting the coveted recognition have been completed and the five star status should be conferred upon the hotel by 2007-end.

"We will open the New Year with the five star banner," he said adding that the group was also planning more investments in the present property.

"We have 102 rooms and shall be adding 74 more. A shop, beauty parlour and spa have already been added. We intend doing up the lobby making it more plush and imposing. Some sections of the hotel will be combined to offer more space for celebrations and other events," he said.

Just outside the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar International Airport, as the Nagpur Airport is now known, the Pride Hotel was acquired by the Jain Group from the city-based Anand family. Growth in and around the city has got it good business and it is among the leading hotels in central India.

Verma said that the Pride Group was also planning an IPO by the year-end to fund its expansion plans. The group intends acquiring over 100 four-star properties in the next few years and launch its unique `Biznotel' chain of hotels for business travellers.

The hospitality sector is abuzz with talks of all big groups coming here. Verma admitted that some of these had bought land on the outskirts of the city. "We keep hearing of them coming and yes, at least two five-star hotel groups have bought some land here," he said.

Sources in the hospitality sector said that the Radisson Group and Sun-n-Sand besides the Taj Group were planning to enter the city and they had either bought land or tied up with developers for space in the proposed townships.

The Fariyas Group which has five-star properties in Mumbai and Lonavla and the Leela Group too are known to have scouted for land here.

The Taj Group intends having presence in the Empress City being built by the Tayals here.