Kahini Chakraborty – Pune
Paranjape Schemes Construction has forayed into the hospitality sector with its maiden venture, the launch of The Gateway Hotel Hinjawadi Pune. This is the first Gateway branded hotel in the city of Pune. PSC Pacific, a Paranjape Schemes Construction venture owns this property which is operated by Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces. The company has invested Rs 115 crore for developing the 150 room (including six suites) property under an eight year contract, which can be extended. The hotel has been developed on a three acre land out of the 10 acre land owned by Paranjape Schemes Construction. The property offers more than 5500 sq ft of meeting and event facilities.
In an exclusive with Food & Hospitality World, speaking about the expansion plans of the company, Shashank Paranjape, managing director, Paranjape Schemes Constructions informed, “We can certainly look at the Konkan region which to me is completely an unexplored market. Few branded hotels chains have been developed there. We have acquired few land banks and have significant holdings in few properties in the Shrivardhan area which are sea facing. Plans for expansion in the Shrivardhan area are still in the nascent stages. We will wait for six months to get our plans and permits in place. The launch of the Gateway Hotel Hinjawadi Pune is a significant milestone as we foray into the hospitality industry. We are happy to partner with The Taj Group. Going forward, seeing from a business perspective, we are open to working with other brands as well for further expansion.”
When asked about the growth plans for Taj, Farhat Jamal, senior VP-operations (West India) and Africa, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces said, “We are looking at expanding our brands into Tier II and III markets. We have two more Gateway brand properties opening up, one in Ajmer (end of this month) and one in Corbett, which is also expected to open soon.”