Novotel Hotel and Residences
BACKGROUND
Novotel is Accor group’s mid-scale hotel brand, between Pullman and Mercure. Open since September last year, Novotel Kolkata is eastern India’s largest hotel and marks Accor’s entry into West Bengal’s capital, with Ibis and Formule1 exploring opportunities here as well.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
This 15-storey building surrounded by a manicured lawn is visible from the Major Arterial Road. The lobby is vibrant but not gaudy, with colour blocked cushions on beige sofas and abstract green murals behind the reception. A twotoned marbled flooring cools the ambience balancing the warmth of the sunlight that enters through floor-to-ceiling windows. A comfortable lounge area, with two iMac computers (with free wifi for 15 minutes for anyone who walks in) and a kids’ play area at the entrance takes you to elevators, restaurants and the poolside. The hotel has two separate elevator areas for service apartments and rooms.
WHERE IS IT?
A striking landmark, the curved Novotel building is located on the Major Arterial Road that connects Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and Kolkata’s booming commercial centre at New Town, Rajarhat.
ROOM FACILITIES
The brand new property offers 347 rooms along with 48 service apartments. Novotel’s signature design of glass bathroom doors, cushioned headrests and matching patterned carpets is reflected across rooms and apartments. The decor’s colour combination of orange, brown and grey is easy on the eye. Basic amenities such as flat screen televisions, free wifi, tea and coffee making facilities, central air-conditioning and work-spaces are provided across categories. The hotel offers Premier rooms, Superior rooms and Deluxe suites. Additionally, apartments are categorised as studio apartments, one bedroom apartments and suites. Novotel also provides female travellers with the La Femme category, equipped with in-room CCTV telephone and decorative additions (pink bathrobe and cushions). My suite additionally had a Lavazza espresso machine, a powder room and an iPod doc that charges your iPhone/iPod and plays music as well. The lounge area is comfortable with a magazine/ newspaper stand facing the desk below the flatscreen television. The bed has an adjacent switchboard with one main switch that was a boon on a tired night. A sliding glass-door away is its large bathroom that has a separate walk-in wardrobe, a bath-tub and a walk-in shower equipped with Grohe and Duravit fittings.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS
The hotel has an interesting combination of international, Pan Asian and Indian cuisine restaurants. The Square restaurant is its signature all-day diner serving both buffet and à-la-carte. Its spacious ambience makes for an ideal casual meeting place. Adjacent to The Square is Santé, a lounge ideal for business travellers who enjoy a drink or two after a busy day. Guests looking for a relaxed evening can lounge at Cascades, the poolside bar over cocktails with an attractive garden setting. Delice, its bake shop has a wide range of French pastries, tarts and cakes. I quite enjoyed the macaroons from the patisserie. The in-room dining menu offers a variety of cuisines such as Bengali and Tibetan (you could try Thukpa — a Tibetan noodle soup) for an experimental palate. I also tried the Chicken Tikka Caesars’ Salad (not on the menu), a dish that was prepared keeping in mind my requirements of a healthy but interesting meal.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES
The Novotel has a wide and versatile range of meeting facilities. Named after French locations, the meeting rooms are The Eiffel Room — 650 sqm of ballroom and pre-function space, Lille, Lyon, Cannes and Marseilles — four meeting rooms of varied sizes and Le Jardin — a terrace space. The hotel even offers meeting options at its poolside and other guest areas.
LEISURE FACILITES
Apart from the lovely cascading poolside, the Novotel offers In Balance, its spa, a 24-hour fitness centre and a beauty salon — all on the lower ground level. The spa offers short-duration treatments and dry massages for business travellers looking for some express rejuvenation.
VERDICT
The Novotel Hotel and Residences offers a superior experience enhanced by warm staff and commendable service. A great option for business travellers, considering its ideal location close to the IT hub of the city. New Town is the New Face of Kolkata, and the Novotel definitely stands out.