Mamata Banerjee inaugurates JW Marriott hotel in city

The opening of JW Marriott hotel in the city proves that Bengal is the destination for investment as it is the gateway to Bangladesh, Bhutan and even Myanmar, Thailand and even Singapore, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday.

She lit the ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the 24-storey JS Marriott Crown in the city. Her Cabinet colleagues, Amit Mitra, Sovan Chatterjee, Firhad Hakim, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and Sadhan Pande were also present on the occasion. This is Marriott’s first venture in eastern India.

Calling this as the Diwali gift of Marriott to the city, Mamata Banerjee said that during construction of the hotel, the builders did not face any difficulty. She thanked the authorities of the biggest hotel chain in the world for opening the hotel before the Bengal Global Business Summit scheduled to be held on January 20-21, 2017 where delegates from many foreign countries to the city will attend this conference.

Sanjay Jhunjhunwala, CEO of Mani Group that said Bengal over the past few years had made a significant turnaround and investors were showing keen interest to invest in the state. He said the estimated cost of the project would be around Rs 1,200 crore. He said Marriott would open a hotel in Siliguri whose superstructure was ready and construction carried out by the Mani group was being taken up on a war footing. Situated on Hillcart Road, the hotel stands on 1.3 acre of land and will house 138 rooms. The Chief Minister thanked Marriott for taking up this venture. The estimated cost of this project would be around Rs 300 crore.

Rajeev Menon, Chief Operating Officer Marriott, Asia Pacific excluding greater China said because of Mamata Banerjee’s able leadership, people had shown interest to invest in Bengal. He said Marriott Groups is the world’s largest hotel chain having 5,700 hotels across the globe. The opening of the hotel in Kolkata will open a new chapter in hospitality industry, he said.

Neeraj Govil, area vice president, South Asia, Marriott International said the hotel group was a leader in hospitality industry. Careful studies were made before starting a hotel in the city and 50 per cent occupancy had been booked from next month which was an achievement for any hotel.

The hotel has 281 rooms of which 88 are executive rooms, 172 deluxe rooms, 8 deluxe suites, 12 executive suites and a presidential suite. Ranju Alex, general manager JW Marriott hotel Kolkata said “Wwe look forward to presenting our discerning guests with signature JW Marriott experiences where they leave feeling enriched. Our team is confident the hotel will be recognized as the most stylish and sought after property in Kolkata.”