 |
 |
A press conferences was organized by Sujata Hotels Group address the media personal Mr Akhil Kochhar,Vice President ,Development for sujata hotel group said When I visited the BNR Hotel property in march 2008 I immediately took a liking to it The experience in renovating and Restoring this Heritage project has been very Challenging he further added our company had set some aggressive deadlines and goals for BNR Puri’s renovation. Even while admitting that renovating a 100-YEAR-OLD structure can be a slow and enervating process with a focus on not altering the basic structure and character substantially, the challenge was accepted with vigor and in spite of the heavy costs involved it was completed within the rigid self inflicted set by the management without changing the original structure even slightly ,but actually strengthening it a slew of alteration are also being carried out .Phase I involved changing the existing damaged furniture, fixture and fittings.it also saw renovation of bathroom ,changing the flooring with modern hard wooden floors,waterproofing,providing modern air conditioning and television in the guest rooms’’said Mr Kochhar he further added I want the hotel guests to be able to immerse themselves in the experience and aura of the heritage hotel but not miss any modern amenities and luxuries’’phase II involved the construction of a lavish banquet and a swimming pool with health club facilities.Drawing support from the noted Railway Authorities and The National Railway Museum we researched a mind –boggling 18,000 Rare photographs of the railways .Of this 150 of the most outstanding ones are displayed at BNR Puri ,which have ultimately turned it into a RAILWAY THEME HOTEL.
The rooms also sport thematic names dating back to the glorios Railway days .The 37 sea facing rooms have well crafted themes .while some take you back to the princely state railways ,other take you through the twists and turns of the hill Railways.Another set of rooms pay homage to the great rail bridges,while others take you through the Metropolitan TERMINALS.And the private balconies that overlook the puri beach ,as are verily the platforms of yore.The rest hotel come complete with a banquet hall ‘’The Royal junction ‘’the bar ,The waiting room ‘’ adining hall ,Dining car and a state of art conference room The war Zone’’The world famous Traval &Leisure magazine in its February issue scanned the globe for a range of exotic travel experiences and came up with 40Romantic dream trips featuring 40 great ideas-and the Chanakya BNR Hotel at puri is very much a part of the elite group.
In time the Heritage restaurant at Canakya BNR will also whip up the signature menu that was onces savored by the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru ,Indira Gandhi,Satyajit Ray music composer Sachin dev Burman amoung other celebrities’ Naveen patnaik visited the property recently and was deeply impressed with the Renovation efforts He shared some memories of his childhood days he spent at BNR Puri for helping in bringing the lost glory back to puri and Orissa
India’s only Railway Themed Heritage Hotal in 1901 Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) Introduce a train service between callcutta &puri and decided to build an exclusive hotel for its passengers a year later .So came into existence the legendary BNR Puri hotel.since that time the elite who visited puri only stayed at the BNR Hotel amongst them were Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru,Mrs Indira Gandhi ,former chief minister of Orissa Mr Biju patnaik , Naveen patnaik, Satyajit Ray music composer Sachin dev Burman,famed economist and the U.S.Ambassador to india Dr.john Kenneth galbraith,prince and princes Schwarzenberg of Austria &prince Biesterfeli of the Netherlands since the last few decades this heritage hotel was in dire need of repair and up gradation.in 2008 the Delhi based sujata hotal group belonging to kochhar family picked up the BNR Puri hotel through the public-private partnership (ppp)Model .after renovation the hotel is now back to its resplendent glory of the days of yore.
