Date:09/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010902941300.htm

Back Accor's five-star hotel to be ready by April in Hyderabad

Our Bureau

Hyderabad, Jan. 8

ACCOR, a European major engaged in travel and tourism, has announced that a 300-room Novotel five-star hotel would be ready for commissioning by April ahead of the Asian Development Bank meet slated to be held in Hyderabad later this year.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the General Manager of Hyderabad International Convention centre (HICC) and now part of the Accor group , Mr Philip Logan, said Accor has been appointed to manage the HICC.

Developed by the Dubai-based Emaar properties and Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd, this convention centre is stated to be the biggest in the region next only to Dubai and Singapore. The Frankfurt centre is 25 times this centre and the Sydney centre is six times its size.

HICC is spread over 2,91,000 sq ft of primary meeting space equipped to handle events for about 50 to 5000 delegates. Well connected and with the International airport project under way, Accor plans to project it as an ideal convention destination.

Mr Logan said, "If a company wants to host about 2000 people, there is no convention centre in the region, forget India. In a place where we have large corporations like Microsoft, HSBC, who would like to host say about 2000 people at one go, this would come in handy. We believe Hyderabad is Shanghai in the making and resembles the former what it was 20 years ago."

Emaar Properties, a leading global construction company, is eyeing opportunities to develop properties and townships across various parts of the country and is in the process of finalising plans for township in Punjab and Haryana.

The Punjab township project could potentially entail investment of about $500 million and the company is in the process of negotiating for projects in Bangalore.