Please take us through the series of 10-year celebrations planned at the hotel.
It is a momentous occasion for Vivanta Kolkata as the hotel celebrates its 10th year in the City of Joy. We have a series of offerings for both rooms as well as F&B that started on August 1.
We have a specially designed staycation package for the residents of Calcutta who want to spend a night or two at our hotel. These packages, starting at Rs 5,999 plus taxes, will have many inclusions like in-room breakfast, early check-ins and late checkouts, complimentary meals (lunch or dinner) at the coffee shop and a whole lot of discounts on hotel services.
At Mynt, the coffee shop, there are two food festivals which will start from August 4 onwards. We start with the Amritsari Food Festival and end the month with delicacies from the Northeast. At the bar, there will be live music along with a lot of offers on food and beverages. To add to our celebrations, we have designed two special desserts at Swirl, the bakery, which will be available throughout the month of August.
Ten years is a major landmark. What are some of the challenges that the hotel overcame over the years?
The hotel, at the time of its launch, had only 80 rooms to offer along with only one banquet. The biggest challenge was the addition of another 117 rooms and four more banquet spaces while the hotel was fully operational.
If you were to point out, what would be the USP for this property? How do you plan to channel it in the future?
The people (associates) of Vivanta Kolkata are the hotel’s biggest USP. One of the key reasons the hotel has consistently done well over the years is because of the staff who work 24X7 to take care of their guests’ needs and ensure each guest is looked after with utmost care. The other USP of this hotel is the location. We are located on the EM Bypass which is now the lifeline of Calcutta in terms of connectivity. With Kasba-Anandapur becoming the new Central Business District, the organic traction with the catchment area picked up growth. At present the hotel is well poised and competing with several hotels.
What are some of the broader plans for the property in the future?
The hotel will very soon have a state-of-the-art spa and salon which is currently in the design stage.
Post-Covid, what have been some of the major shifts/alterations in policy?
There has been no major shift in policy, however, the rooms, restaurants, banquets and public areas continue to follow a strict periodic sanitization schedule to ensure proper hygiene is maintained on the overall property.
Is the focus still on the business traveller or are you looking out to tap into the leisure travel markets as well?
The pandemic ensured that the hotel became agile in non-traditional business avenues. While business travellers continue to be our major source of revenue, the hotel is equally focused on segments like weddings, healthcare, residential conferences, airline crew etc.
Any plans/alterations on the banqueting front?
Currently with five banquet spaces in the hotel which roughly add up to almost 20,000 sq ft of area, banquet continues to be our major source of F&B revenue for the hotel. We are planning to add one more banquet venue on the rooftop which is currently under the design stage and is expected to be ready by the end of next year.
F&B has been a focus area for you since it’s also been your area of expertise. What more can we expect in that genre?
The hotel currently has three F&B outlets, Mynt – the all-day dining, Wink – the bar and Swirl, our bakery.
For Mynt, we have multiple food festivals lined up for the entire year. The Bengali / Bangladeshi Thali remains one of our USPs, additionally, we have a private dining area within the restaurant which we give out for small gatherings with specially curated menus. The a-la-carte menu is also undergoing changes and we will soon have a new menu to offer.
Wink, the bar has special offers on beverages every day from 6pm to 8pm. Very soon we will have live music every Friday which will be combined with Ladies Night with special offers designed especially for our lady guests. Our bakery, Swirl, is focuses on curating cakes specially designed for birthdays, anniversaries and any special occasion that you wish to celebrate with your near and dear ones.
Offers at Wink, the bar (on till August 31): a. Live music at Wink on Fridays with 1:1 for ladies on select brands from 8pm to 11pm b. Happy Hours (1:1) on select brands from 6pm to 8pm, everyday c. Guests can enjoy a beer and starter combo at Rs 1,040 plus with four beers and one starter (vegetarian/non-vegetarian) throughout the month
One of our key focuses for this year is outdoor catering where we are curating menus and serving the same at offices or wherever the guest want us to cater. We will soon launch privatised catering for small gatherings / private parties at residences on request.