AFTER more than a 10-year wait, luxury hotel group The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts finally opened a hotel in Delhi on Sunday, realising its ambition of owning a property in India’s capital.
Earlier in 2004, legal complications had forced Leela to drop a plot of land it had acquired from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation in 1997. It later managed to grab a 1.2-hectare plot in Chanakyapuri at a record price of 6.11 billion rupees (US$137.64 million) in 2007.
Described by New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as the city’s new iconic building, The Leela Palace Kempinski New Delhi is a premium business hotel with 260 rooms, including 19 suites. Rooms boast of designer upholstery and the latest digital technology. The property also offers banquet and meeting space spread over 3,048m².
Aside from specialty restaurant Jamavar and all-day dining The Qube, Leela will be incorporating franchised restaurants in a hotel for the first time, with international restaurants Megu (Japanese cuisine) and Le Cirque (classic Italian and contemporary French food).
By Anand & Madhura Katti
