Visitors to the State will soon be spoilt for choice if the number of international hotel brands that are eager to make their presence felt in the new capital region is any indication. The capital buzz has generated a flurry of new openings, raising the bar in the hospitality industry, and the long-neglected Vijayawada region is finally showing signs of growth spurts.
In addition to the 220-room Novotel, which is coming up near Vinayak theatre, investors are excited about the bright prospects that the hospitality sector offers in the city.
Sources say the Lingamaneni Group is all set to make its foray into the hotel industry, with a five-star hotel being proposed near the Ramavarappadu Ring, near the old Coca-Cola company bottling unit. The group is said to be collaborating with an international brand.
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R.V. Swamy, general secretary of CREDAI, Vijayawada, is upbeat about his upcoming property on Eluru Road near ESI bus stop. “It is a three-star rating project with four-star facilities in an area of 2,200 sft. at an estimated cost of Rs. 32 crore (excluding the site cost). Many players like Quality Inn and Green Park have offered tie-ups, but we are yet to close the deal,” he says.
The Valluri Group (of ‘A’ Convention Centre) is also eager to take the plunge by investing on a three-star hotel project near Andhra Loyola College.
“Investors see their plans in this sector as a long-term opportunity over the next decade. Representatives of Marriott, Hyatt and Radisson have already visited the city to explore possibilities for collaboration,” says Valluri Rajendranadh of the group.
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“The mood is upbeat, and there is good demand for hotels. In the next two to three years, three-star and upward hotels will do good business because of the influx of people from bigger cities,” says Majety Surendranadh of Minerva Grand.
He is coming up with three star hotels in Guntur and Visakhapatnam, in addition to expanding the existing Minerva Blue Fox on Museum Road and setting up another branch at Gandhinagar. This is apart from his plan to open at least 10 Quick Services Restaurants (QSRs) across the State.
Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas has also embarked on a suite hotel project near Nalanda School. Besides, many mid-scale hotels are also in the offing.
“Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s tie-ups with Japan and Singapore have spurred many players to plan star hotels in this region,” says K. Pattabhiram, former president of Vijayawada Hotel Owners’ Association.