Vivanta by Taj-Surya has upped the style quotient of the city. When the original hotel Surya came down and there was talk of Taj taking its place, it was widely dismissed as rumour. But as the building went up, interest peaked and the arrival of Taj became the talk of the town.
Great expectations
The hotel is described as “upper-up scale”, by its General Manager V.K. Prasad who says the Vivanta Experience will wow the people of Coimbatore who are well travelled, know about good food and service and have high expectations.
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So, what does the Taj have in store for the people of the city? A contemporary and stylish experience. A sunny lobby greets guests with onyx walls, a chandelier that looks like a cluster of floating soap bubbles, and modern paintings. Leading off it are its two restaurants, Latitude, the all-day multi-cuisine diner, and the Chinese restaurant, Red Pearl. In between is the bar called Tease.
Latitude is headed by executive chef H.N. Vijayan. It is a happy co-incidence that chef Vijayan is from the neighbouring Nilgiris. He comes with impressive credentials, having trained and standardised South Indian cuisine in Taj hotels across the country. He is a trainer in the Intensive Kitchen Training Programme, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prince Charles are some of his celebrity guests.
Chef Wei Dong is flying in all the way from China to ensure authentic Chinese fare for diners at the Red Pearl. He too has worked as a chef in prestigious hotels back home.
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Among the 180 rooms are eight suites and the presidential suite, Nirvana. Nirvana comes with its own walk-in-closet, a monstrous television screen and a workout area. The bathroom is luxurious with a marble bath tub and a TV. The poolside is on the second floor and so is the fitness centre. On the same floor, guests can also enjoy the spa, Jiva, as well as the services of a beauty salon. On the other side is a sprawling lawn with a gorgeous view of Avanashi road. Guests occupying rooms on the seventh, eighth and ninth floors can enjoy an exclusive lounge on the seventh floor, called Rhythm. The rooms are elegant, with work stations, generous-sized bathrooms, LCD television screens, wi-fi, and a view from the plate glass windows. Coimbatore never looked so good.
Everything is larger than life, including conference halls with state-of-the-art gadgets and a comfortable ambience. The banquet hall provides a large, luxurious space for private concerts and receptions. The hotel has already hosted several medical conferences and soirees. And the Vivanta team is geared up to provide the same excellence and service it is renowned for elsewhere in India and in the world.
The hotel will be formally launched today by Veer Vijay Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Vivanta by Taj – Hotels and Resorts.