Oberoi sets its sights on the horizon,inaugurates luxury hotel in Gurgaon

Arjun Oberoi,Chief Planning Officer-Oberoi Group,said: “The group’s asset is heavy and that is why we plan to have a mix of equity and management contract and carry forward our expansion plans.”

According to Oberoi vision,two luxury hotels will come up in Hyderabad — 320 rooms and 200 rooms — by next year. There are also plans of opening hotels in Dubai (250 rooms),Oman (70 rooms) and Marakesh,Morrocco (84 rooms). While the Oberoi Group’s focus remains on India and the UAE,it is also looking at expansion in Europe where it claims to have many good assets.

“We are looking for tie-ups all around the world. Europe has some excellent assets. However,it all comes down to the price. That is where we are negotiating as of now,” a senior official said.

About the newly inaugurated hotel in Gurgaon,officials said apart from the largest green wall,the rooms,too,are larger than the standard size across the industry. “While 570 square feet is the standard size,we start off with 620 square feet,which is very unique,” an official said.

The area covered by the green wall measures up to 10,000 square feet and has little less than 3,000 different varieties of plants. Research and tests was were conducted for over a year to ensure that the plants stay alive through the year. A special wall-embedded watering system has also been developed to irrigate the plants.

This is the second premium hotel of the group in Gurgaon,the other being the Trident. Located 15 minutes from IGI airport,it offers the city’s first 24-hour spa,cigar lounge and private heated pools.