The Floating Hotel on the Ganges
Polo Floatel from the house of the largest hotel chain in the Northeast has on offer an array of luxury facilities and is all set to boost the heritage potential of the river Ganges.
Nobody wants to miss the wonderful opportunity of relaxing by sipping a cup of cappuccino or going for a boat ride and catching breathtaking glimpses of sunrise and sunset on the river Ganges. And to make your dreams into reality and ensure a quality break, there is Hotel Polo Floatel owned by Hotel Polo Towers Group on Strand Road in the hub of Kolkata. Once reputed as Floatel that took off in 2007, the wellestablished hotel was taken over by Hotel Polo Towers Group and has been renovated and reopened sometime in December 2021. The upscale boutique hotel takes enormous pride in being the country’s premier floating hotel with unmatched levels of unforgettable glimpses of the river and the city’s iconic heritage- the Howrah Bridge on one side and the Second Hooghly Bridge on the other end.
Hotel Polo Towers Group is the first and foremost luxury hospitality major in North-East India that began its journey in the hospitality sector with its maiden venture- Hotel Polo
Tower in Shillong. In 2012, the group made an entry in Cherrapunjee and in current times; it stands tall with an array of properties in Shillong, Cherrapunjee, Kolkata, Agartala and Jabalpur. Deval Tibrewalla, Chief Executive Officer, Hotel Polo Towers Group said, “The age-old rivers in India that form an intrinsic part of our culture have enormous potential and are not promoted for travellers. We believe that the potential of these age-old rivers needs to be harnessed fully. We have completed 30 years in the hospitality sector last year.” The newly renovated hotel is a huge ship that is replete with 58 plush cabins and has made a sincere attempt to pay tribute to the one-of-a-kind maritime style.
The property boasts of elaborate banquet facilities with the finest hospitality, state-ofthe-art facilities and impeccable service. The banquet sprawls from 210 sq. ft to 7,000 sq. ft. There are conferencing facilities that form a perfect venue for hosting corporate and social events. One can catch incredible views of the river Ganges and the city from the open decks. There are six different kinds of cabins for the accommodation of visitors including strand view cabins, river view cabins, river view suites with balcony, and strand view suites with balcony, strand view heritage suites that provide deck and river views and heritage suites with deck. The cabins are tastefully done up and the staircases are adorned with a sound collection of marine memorabilia and artefacts.
One should not miss out on the open-air, multi-cuisine, all-day food outlet called the Bridge-Bistro Bar on the upper deck. The fare at the outlet has been conceptualised on three pillars-the heritage of North East, the menu of Kolkata in bygone times, and the specially crafted menu of chefs. There is a weekend buffet on offer at the outlet. For wine connoisseurs, there is the newly launched Skybar on the rooftop that creates an array of cocktails and mocktails. Do not miss out on the chance of trying out the Hookah.
Tibrewalla further said, “We have placed hammocks on the rooftop, quite a rare concept, as hammocks are found on beach resorts. Our cabins come with a deck and balcony that stands out from other luxury players. Our basic room category comes for `4,500 on a twin-sharing basis, while rooms that offer deck views cost `7,500 per day. Our property has the facility of boat ride and an hour boat ride comes for `3,999 for two persons inclusive of food. The boat ride is open for one and all and starts from 7 am to 4 pm every day. The boats come with personalised seating arrangements and are quite popular.” The property also has heritage walks on offer for its resident guests.
The hospitality player has drawn up some ambitious plans for the future. Tibrewalla added, “We are toying with the idea of building a roadmap for our visitors staying at Hotel Polo Towers Shillong or Agartala and Polo Orchid Resort in Cherrapunjee to visit Polo Floatel in Kolkata. We are looking to expand our Polo Orchid Resort in Cherrapunjee and roll out our property at Neer Mahal in Tripura. Plans are on to lay strong emphasis on our properties in the Northeast region.”