For ultra-high-end tourists looking ahead for a luxurious staycation on the most hip and happening Park Street in the “City of Joy”, there is no better option than The Park Kolkata, the boutique, five-star hospitality player that promises unparalleled luxury. The iconic hospitality landmark has a vibrant lobby with glittering interiors and trendy bars, nightclubs, food outlets, spas, and café. Moreover, the magnificent property is a favourite hang-out for celebrities.
It was a stroke of luck when I had a one-day luxury stay at the Park Kolkata, the day after Holi. Steeped in a world of luxury and elegance, the iconic property has 149 well-designed rooms and has suites, deluxe and premium rooms. I had put up in a suite and the spacious rooms flaunt brilliant local artworks including terracotta and Madhubani paintings. All guests at the resident floor are offered luxury gifts including global branded premium skin care products that form one of the Unique Selling Propositions of the property. Every suite has an amazing in-room service and guests get to savour the Bengal flavours. I could indulge in marinated Bandel cheese or smoked cheese, which traces its origin to the bygone Portuguese colony of bandel. There were traditional Bengali desserts like Shankho Sandesh made of curd milk and cooked with jaggery.
According to Sayantan Sinha, Junior Sous Chef, at The Bridge, “We are making an effort to boost the rare traditional Bengali recipes that have been lost with the flow of time. Our major thrust is on fish and chicken dishes.” The Bengali vegetarian thali has an opulent spread of 11 dishes including four kinds of fried items, plain fried rice (made of Bengal’s Tulai Panji variety of rice), saffron rice ( Radha Tilak variety of rice), Poori, Daal Shukto, Aloo Kumro (pumpkin), Matar Paneer, Sarson Bhendi that was quite lip-smacking and tempered Jhinga (Ridge Gourd) Posta. I rounded off the meal with a slew of dessert delights like Raw Papaya Chutney, Anna Ras Lavang prepared from curd, smoked pineapple and Gondhoraj lemon or Citrus lemon. Indulging in Nabadwip Kheer Dahi was unique and Pran-O-Hara sweets were quite heavy on the stomach. The pilgrim point of Nabadwip is famed for its delightful array of Bengali sweets.
The Bridge has buffet Brunch on Sundays that comes for Rs 1,999 inclusive of taxes. The pocket pinch for Bengali vegetarian thali is Rs 1,075 while the non-vegetarian thali is pegged at Rs 1,200. One can look for North Indian, Continental and Italian dishes.
For those on the lookout to rejuvenate their senses at the spa, there is Aura Spa on the 1st floor that comprises a gym, sauna, Jacuzzi and swimming pool. Ranked as one of the largest luxury spas in the city, Aura Spa sprawls over a 9,156 sq. ft area and is open on all days. Resident guests receive around 20 per cent discount at the spa. They can walk into the gym, and enjoy the swimming pool and Jacuzzi that are complimentary for them. An individual can shell out Rs 50,000 for gym membership for six months and he gets to receive around 20 per cent discount on spa, food and beverage. At the spa, one can get a fascinating view of the swimming pool, Jacuzzi, Aqua Bar or the poolside bar and Hookah Bar. The property has a slew of elegant bars and discotheques on the ground floor including Someplace Else with live band performances, Roxy and Tantra. The hotel has a 34-seater cafeteria, well-known as The Street that serves fast food.
Aura spa is well-geared with spacious rooms and there are huge luxury couple rooms. The spa boasts skilled Thai therapists and there is a wide range of therapies on offer including Balinese massage, Swedish massage, Thai massage and aromatherapy. The guests mostly prefer treatment packages to get over the ailments in body and mind. There are specialized therapies for sportsmen. For a tired body, there is a 1½ hour session to manipulate the soft tissues of the body that relieves pain, enhances blood circulation and promotes relaxation. The different oils used for massage are happiness, spirituality and innocence. The signature treatment of the spa is deep tissue therapy. I preferred to go for a one-hour leg massage and it was quite soothing for the tired nerves.
The hospitality provider has Zen, the 72-seater fine-dining outlet that opened its doors way back in 1992. Spread over a 4,000 sq. ft, area on the 1st floor, the outlet offers the widest range of Oriental cuisine in the eastern belt of India. If you are looking for a taste of Vietnam, Bhutan, Korea, Japan, Thailand and China, then this is the place to head for. Spruced up with good luck charms, the interiors agleam with bright lights have woodwork recreating the aura of the Far East. There are two expat chefs from Thailand and the Philippines. For lovers of Japanese cuisine, the outlet has live stations churning out Sushi and Tepanyaki delights. Rajnish Rao, Senior Associate Director, Food and Beverage Service, The Park Kolkata informed, “Foodies swear by the name of our outlet and they get to experience a culinary adventure from different regions of China including Peking, Hakka, Zhejiang, Hunan, Cantonese and Sichuan. The outlet is into hosting food festival every alternate month.”
The menu is quite expansive with soups, starters, main courses and desserts. One can indulge in Thai starters like Corn Curd Pepper Salt and Steamed Wanton (Chinese starter). While the main course comes with Hot Basil Rice, a typical Thai delight, Chilly Garlic Hakka Noodles and Chinese Greens with black pepper sauce, all rustled up by Executive Sous Chef, Mohan Singh. The ultimate dessert was Tub Tim Krob, the Thai dessert and the outlet lives up to the reputation of introducing the dessert in the city.
Zen serves both lunch and dinner on weekends and remains closed on Mondays. It remains open from 7 PM to 11.30 PM and dinner for two individuals is priced at Rs 3,500 inclusive of taxes.
The next morning, I had a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the Bridge. There are separate counters for North Indian and South Indian delights and a live egg station. The not-to-miss South Indian delights are Kanchipuram Idli and Masala Vada. There is also a prominent Bakery counter while the Middle East counter has popular dishes like Humus, Baba Ganoush and Tzaziki. Apart from these, there are options from the kitchen that are served on orders like plain or Ajwain Parathas, Dosas, Uttapam and Chhole Bhature. Besides resident guests, those interested in buffet breakfast will have to shell out Rs 1,499 including taxes and can drop in any day between 7.30 AM to 10.30 AM.
The Park Kolkata
Pramode Bhandari, Area General Manager, The Park Kolkata explained, “Our hospitality player is exemplary of contemporary design, seamlessly blending luxury and local artworks. In the truest sense of the word, it is a celebration of the city’s vibrant culture and lying on downtown Park Street, our property stands out as an ‘Anything but Ordinary Destination.’ Our hotel forms a hub of excitement and entertainment and every moment is laced with heart-warming hospitality. There’s never a dull moment at The Park. Visitors are in high spirits and are enthusiastic. If one is lounging by the pool, taking a spa therapy sipping cocktails at one of our bars or nightclubs or exploring the city, guests get to enjoy a hectic day. The year gone by has been marvellous for our property and it has incurred growth, yielded high margins and created unforgettable experiences for our guests. We are hoping to raise the bar in the coming year.”
The pandemic phase was a learning experience for all luxury hospitality providers and The Park was no exception. Bhandari said, “The ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances has emerged significant for us. We have learnt to become flexible in our operations right from adjusting to service protocols and catering to the changing needs and expectations of our guests. We have been able to rationalize manpower without compromising on the quality and experience of guests. The expectations of guests have evolved and we are well-versed with these changes. In other words, we strive to exceed the expectations of guests.”
Digital landscape plays a vital role in the expectations of guests’ experience. Bhandari further said, “We are offering contactless service thereby enhancing the convenience of our guests that helps in making a safe and seamless stay. Sustainability is no longer a choice but has become a necessity. We have scaled up our efforts to introduce eco-friendly practices, reducing single-use plastics and replacing regular cars with electric vehicles. In the post-pandemic times, we have become more agile, learnt to prioritize safety, leverage technology, embrace sustainability and remain deeply attached to our guests and the community. As we navigate the ever-changing landscape, it is an ongoing journey of growth and improvement.”
These days, people are travelling and dining out like never before. Tourism in India is all set to grow at a tremendous pace in the next few years. There is a huge gap in demand and supply of rooms leading to a rise in Average Room Rate like never before. “We are looking ahead to ride on this wave and create success stories for all our stakeholders,” added Bhandari.
In today’s era, generation X, Y and Z are all travelling and most five-star hotels are customizing the individual preferences of the travellers. Bhandari further added, “Our property provides vibrant social space for guests to connect and interact. Since entertainment forms one of our major drivers, we have stylish bars and vibrant lobbies designed to foster networking and communication for travellers of all age groups. Our approach is based on understanding the individual preferences and interests of travellers of all generations and customizing their preferences. We make a sincere effort to create memorable stays that form a lifetime of experience for guests.”
With two boardrooms and seven banquets, the luxury property is a popular MICE destination that provides a sophisticated and conducive ambience for hosting business events. There are several state-of-the-art conference facilities replete with audio-visual technology and high-speed Internet. Bhandari informed, “Our hotel has on offer a wide range of flexible meeting space catering to events of varied size and format. There are boardrooms and spacious conference halls for accommodating large gatherings, we ensure that our facilities can be customized to cater to the diverse needs of MICE travellers. Culinary experiences constitute an essential aspect of any MICE event and our hotel remains ahead in providing exquisite catering services and a wide bouquet of menu options that would suit different preferences and dietary requirements for conferences, banquets and corporate dinners.”
Keeping with the growing global and domestic tourism market, the luxury property has plans for strategic expansion in new destinations. Bhandari commented, “We aspire to bring a rare blend of luxury, entertainment and personalized service for diverse segments of travellers. Providing spectacular gastronomic delights and entertainment will be our forte. Our bars and nightclubs will keep on offering enthralling experiences to our guests.”
Tourism in Bengal is all set to enter a new era after being granted industry status by the state government. “The decision to grant industry status to tourism is a significant and promising development for the entire tourism industry. With the recognition of tourism as an industry, we can anticipate more investments and focus on sprucing up the infrastructure. It will also foster collaborations between the government, private sector and local communities. This kind of partnership can create new tourism projects, and job avenues, lead to skill development and position Bengal as a top-tier global tourism destination. It’s a boom time for the tourism industry and we are delighted to be a part of this transformative journey,” quipped Bhandari.
by Swaati Chaudhury
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