Steena Joy – Mumbai
The Emke group which owns the Lulu International Convention Centre (LICC) in Thrissur, Kerala and the Marriott managed hotel near Kochi airport is setting up another five star hotel adjacent to the LICC in Thrissur. Speaking exclusively to Food & Hospitality World, Jose Sebastian, general manager, LICC informed, “The hotel will be a five star property with 100 rooms. We have however not applied for a bar licence. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 125 crore and is scheduled to open in 2017.”
The Group is already implementing the Bolgatty Convention Centre project which is expected to open for business in the first quarter of 2017. The 8.5 lakh sq feet convention centre will have a capacity of 5000 pax. The project also includes a hotel with 287 rooms which will be managed by Hyatt Hotels.
Set up in 2006, the LICC was the group’s first hospitality venture in India. The Group used the name Lulu as it has tremendous brand recall among Indians, especially those who have been to the Middle East where Emke has a strong presence in retail. The LICC also has the LuLu Garden Hotel which has 35 well furnished rooms and suites and an exclusive helipad.