It is a mix of technological modernity and tradition at the 103-room WelcomHotel Coimbatore on West Club Road.
Even as cleaning robots glide around the corridors, energy efficient LED lamps light the rooms, and a mobile app brings information of the hotel, city, and cuisine to the handset, vibrant coloured fabrics, bowls with chrysanthemum petals, jasmine fragrance towels, and images of cotton blooms aim to give the visitors an experience of what the city is all about.
“The local element is reflected in the design and cuisine. Our staff includes personnel from the city and nearby places and they can give any information about the region to the guests. We have tie-ups to show interested travellers hand weaving or making of palm leaf baskets,” says Rohit Mallick, general manager of WelcomHotel Coimbatore.
Inaugurated on Tuesday, the property brought another national brand to the city’s hospitality sphere.
Developed on an one acre site, the 1.43 lakh sq.ft. hotel looks at catering to business travellers to the region and tourists passing through Coimbatore to destinations such as the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal.
It has 99 basic rooms, three executive suites, a presidential suite (Sundaram Suite), ball room, board rooms, and an all day restaurant (WelcomCafe Kovai). The Cotton Bar is expected to be thrown open shortly.
The hotel will apply for five-star rating and on the environment side expects LEED Platinum certification.
The focus is on sustainability, he says.
The property recycles water completely, has energy and water efficient fixtures, solar concentrators and will be run on wind energy completely in the coming months.
Anil Chadha, vice president south of ITC Hotels, said that apart from Coimbatore, ITC has WelcomHotel in Mahabalipuram and Vishakapatnam and one coming up at Guntur. It has ITC Hotels in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru and one more coming up in Hyderabad.
