With more and more Indians having disposable income, it is no longer uncommon to see five star hotels sprouting in hitherto unexplored territories. Pray till a few years Delhiites could not have imagined dining at a five star in Shahdara, Pashchim Vihar, Janakpuri, Dwarka or Khoda in Noida. Now that is an everyday reality. Of course satellite townships of Noida and Gurgaon have had this luxury for a few years now but even there the competition is getting fiercer by the day. For instance, Noida initially had Radisson MBD until there came Park Plaza, not to forget Hilton and Crowne Plaza at the doorstep of the township. Gurgaon too has progressed on similar lines with Hyatt and even the Oberoi making an appearance in recent years.
Sound economicsTo an outsider it may not make much sense to have a five star hotel in far flung parts of NCR. But look a little closer and you will find the move stems from sound economics. On one side is the affordability factor for a much larger chunk of population. Then comes the strategic location. For instance, take the Hyatt Regency in Gurgaon. The hotel with 451 rooms records high occupancy with lots of business tourists checking in. Remember Gurgaon is a hub of multinational corporations with innumerable corporate offices. It is part of a larger growth in the tourism sector with the country expecting remarkable growth in MICE – meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.
Strategic locationThough the number of domestic tourists is impressive, the inflow of European, American and Australian tourists is noteworthy. While these guests check in because of easy accessibility – it is just half an hour from the Indira Gandhi International Airport on National Highway 8 – and quality of the spa and fitness centre besides a pillar-less ballroom and a huge convention centre, there is another stream of men and women who stop by here as they take in the Golden Triangle of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra on weekends.
Often, they stop by for luxurious breakfast, taking in the hotel’s famed Awadhi food besides cuisine from Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia and some continental stuff as well. For each segment, the hotel is located at just the right place: not too far from the upcoming corporate offices in Manesar and Bhiwadi and pretty much on the way if you are driving down to Jaipur or about to hit Delhi from Rajasthan.
The breakfast, sumptuous as it is, only heralds the day.
Hyatt Regency really comes into its own post sunset with Lavana restaurant offering from Lucknowi parantha and sheermal to dal Gomti and ulte tawe ka parantha and on to shahi tukra, etc. Such is the demand for the stuff that the hotel opts for buffet system on the weekends.
So, you still wonder why did Hyatt Regency, or for that matter, other five-stars, come up in regions not always claimed to be tourist-friendly? Time to rethink.
