Vivanta by Taj-Connemara will be closed for guests for an year

Chennai's iconic Vivanta by Taj-Connemara to undergo a complete renovation

Vivanta by Taj-Connemara, Chennai's only heritage hotel, will be undergoing restoration and will remain closed for guests from May 10, 2016 for an year.

Built in 1854, the legendary hotel, when fully renovated, will have modern amenities and conveniences discreetly placed beneath the hotel's old world charm, colonial legacy and heritage for which it has been admired for over a century, said the hotel management.

Built in 1854 as the Imperial Hotel, it was renamed Albany in 1886, and finally re-established as The Connemara in 1890 in honour of Robert Bourke, the Baron of Connemara; the Governor of Madras from 1886 to 1890 who contributed in a major way in the development of Madras.

In 1930s an increasing number of travelers to this part of the country led Spencer's to modernise its flagship property and make it one of the premier hotels in the South. This renovation went on till 1937 and it reopened with an art deco look! The Connemara Hotel came under the Taj fold on a lease from Spencer's in 1984 and was initially called Taj-Connemara.

In September of 2010, the hotel was infused with the spirited style of Vivanta by Taj -- a fresh new vibe that complements tradition, and rechristened to Vivanta by Taj-Connemara.