After the “shop till you drop” refrain, the new mantra for city malls is to cajole customers into staying at the mall as well. Take for instance the Select City Walk mall in Saket, which recently unveiled 83 plush suites spread across five levels, complete with living room, kitchenette and designer bedrooms, called Svelte Suites. These luxury suites — created by Tristar Hotels Private Limited, their first in Delhi — are not ‘service apartments’, clarify its owners, and are meant for seasoned business travellers or tourists. “We are catering to the growing demand for multi-utility development across the world, where one can combine retail experience with the option of staying at the same venue. With a world-class hospital in the vicinity, we hope to draw tourists who come for medical treatment as well,” George Abraham, CEO Tristar Hotels, says.The suites, operational since June this year, are running at 75 per cent occupancy at present. In spite of the slump in financial markets and the travel industry, Abraham is confident of meeting profit margins. “At the kind of rates and facilities we offer, we will draw serious business travellers, who will travel despite the state of the economy,” he says.The luxury suites are classified into Executive, Royal, Grand, Deluxe and Presidential suites. Their rates range from Rs 12,000 to Rs 30,000 per night, with room sizes ranging from 450 square feet to 1,100 square feet. These prices seem competitive when compared to rates of five star hotels in the city. Maurya charges Rs 90,000 upwards per night for its luxury suite and the luxury suite at the Taj Mahal Hotel is priced at Rs 1,65,000 per night. Svelte Suites offer an all-weather rooftop pool, a gymnasium, a 24-hour restaurant along with a chef on call and a pillow menu for its guests. “We are looking to attract customers here for extended stays. We have a Brazilian customer staying with us who has booked with us for two years,” Abraham says.The Ambience Group will soon have a swanky 319-room hotel and 90 service apartments by the Leela Group in their flagship property, the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon. The hotel, expected to open within a month, will cater to the tourist inflow expected during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. “It will be managed and operated by the Leela Group; we just own the property. It will have a separate entrance,” Raj Singh Gehlot, chairman and MD Ambience Group, says. “This is the first property of the Leela Group in North India. We have discussed this issue with them in great detail,” he says.Sun City Developers, buil-ders of the Cross River Mall, are also planning a mega project of 40 lakh square feet in Greater Noida, which will house retail space, offices, a five-star hotel and an entertainment island. “We have approached the Marriot Group for the hotel. Work will commence within three months and be complete by 2011,” Vijay Arora, vice-president, Sales, Sun City Developers, says. As real estate developers fall over each other to offer better amenities, the customer is spoilt for choice.
