Taj Group's Gateway gets aggressive

The Gateway Hotel, an upscale brand of hotels from Taj Hotels and Resorts & Palaces, is all set to hit the accelerator as it prepares for two more launches before the end of this fiscal year. Today the group announced the launch of The Gateway Hotel Hinjewadi in Pune.

Farhat Jamal, senior VP-operations (West India) & Africa, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces said that soon the group will open its Gateway property in Ajmer, followed by a launch in Corbett. "You will see more action over the next six months from the Gateway Brand," he said when asked on the expansion plans for The Gateway Hotel brands. So far Gateway Hotels has 28 properties.

The Taj Group has tied up with city-based developer Paranjape Schemes to launch the first Gateway Hotel brands in Pune. The 150 rooms hotel spread over three acres of property has been built with an investment of Rs 115 crore. This is the first foray of Paranjape Group in the hospitality sector.

Gateway Taj will be competing with three more brands in the similar segment this includes-Courtyard Marriott, Hyatt Place and Fortune. "Pune is an important city for us. The IT hub is growing exponentially and our property is in close proximity of other industries too," said Jamal.

To be able to differentiate with the others, Gateway Hotel Pune will offer the option of holding conferences in night. This will cater to the late working hours of the IT and ITeS sector as all the major IT players are in Hinjewadi.

The other sector that the Hotel is targeting is the auto sector. It is among the first hotels to provide banquet rooms that allows a car to be driven in. "Pune is famous for its auto and IT sector. The late night conference was first introduced by Gateway at its Bangalore property and we are now bringing the concept here. With a door wide enough for a car to be driven in we want the auto industry to look at us for their launches," said Albert Rebello, GM, The Gateway Hotel, Hinjewadi, Pune.

This is the second hotel brand from the Taj Group in Pune other than Taj Vivanta. The management contract has been signed for a term of eight years.