Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Selvi J Jayalalithaa unveils ITC Grand Chola

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Selvi J Jayalalithaa today inaugurated ITC’s majestic luxury hotel  in Chennai; the ITC Grand Chola. The 600-key super premium integrated luxury  hotel complex is the latest addition to ITC’s portfolio of luxury hotels,  accredited as the World’s largest LEED Platinum rated hotel, in the new  construction category. The ITC Grand Chola is slated to alter the tourism and  convention landscape in the region given its unique 100,000 sq. ft. of  banqueting and convention space, with 30,000 sq. ft. of pillarless  ballroom-amongst the largest in the country, 10 food and beverage outlets and a  23,000 sq. ft. Kaya Kalp spa.

Inspired by the architectural splendour and rich  traditions of the imperial Cholas, the ITC Grand Chola is an iconic asset for  Chennai and an archetype of the culture and ethos of the region. The hotel’s  banqueting and convention facilities will endeavour to transform Chennai into  India’s convention capital, contending with markets like Singapore and  Malaysia.

ITC Grand Chola’s landmark achievement as the  World’s largest LEED Platinum building is an embodiment of ITC Hotels’ credo of  Responsible Luxury. The ITC Grand Chola epitomises ITC’s commitment to triple  bottom line benchmarks and further adds to ITC Hotels’ exemplary achievement as  the ‘Greenest Luxury hotel chain in the world’.

The grandeur and unique attributes of the Hotel  will provide a fillip to the hospitality sector in Chennai.  Among the many firsts at the hotel is its  cutting edge technology that employs one-of-its-kind iPad controlled technology with features created exclusively by the  ITC Hotels team - A first in the global hospitality industry.

ITC’s signature brand of culinary excellence will  be reflected in the food and beverage destinations including Peshawri and Pan  Asian and introduction of two new brands from ITC: Royal Vega-showcasing the  grand vegetarian cuisine from the royal kitchens of India and Ottimo-Italian  kitchen, among others. The hotel also features one of the largest spas in the  state - A 23,000 square feet Kaya Kalp–The Royal Spa, ITC’s signature spa  brand. In addition, the hotel also boasts of 21,000 square feet of luxury  retail space.

In addition to augmenting business and additional  revenue for the state, the hotel is intended to be a large employment  multiplier creating sustainable livelihoods through direct and indirect  employment. It appointed a workforce of close to 4000 personnel, including a  majority of local craftsmen and workers towards building and completing the  hotel project over the last 5 years. It employs over 1000 people to engage in  its day-to-day operations.

The ITC Grand Chola is a manifestation of ITC’s commitment to the  economic development of Tamil Nadu. 4 of ITC’s businesses including Education  and Stationery Products, Agarbattis, Safety Matches and Packaging are  headquartered in the State. The Company has also invested in setting up state  of the Art manufacturing facilities in Packaging and Printing in Tiruvottiyur,  a Paperboards factory in Kovai as well as contract manufacturing units for  ITC’s branded packaged foods business. The new Hotel, ITC Grand Chola is an  addition to 7 existing hotels in Chennai, Ooty and Madurai. ITC has also  partnered with the small scale sector in the State for its Education and  Stationery Products, Agarbattis and Safety Matches Businesses. ITC’s  businesses, value chains and distribution network support livelihoods for over  8,00,000 people in the State of Tamil Nadu. ITC has also launched a unique  programme in Tamil Nadu christened ‘Wealth out of Waste’ which aims to create  awareness among general public about the ‘Reduce-Reuse-Recycle’ approach to  protect and restore the environment and inculcate the habit of source  segregation amongst the general public, school children, corporates and people  from every walk of life.