Badrul Ahsan :
Bengal Group of Industries, a domestic business house has planned to invest Tk 6.0 billion in setting up a luxurious five-star hotel in Dhaka.
According to the company sources, the country’s sustainable growth in various sectors has created a strong demand for high-quality hotel accommodation.
“A hotel is considered of international standard when room occupancy rate is 50 to 60 per cent. Happily all the five-star hotels situated in Dhaka and Chittagong have 90-95 per cent room occupancy on an average round the year reflecting the needs for more such establishments,” Md Jashim Uddin, Vice-Chairman of Bengal Group told the New Nation Saturday.
“Following the increasing business activities in the country, an increasing number of foreign buyers, delegates and others are visiting the country creating opportunities for such hospitality business,” he added.
However, according to him, the hotel will be developed by Bengal Group on its own land, to be managed by upmarket Swiss hotel chain Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts.
To be called Swissôtel Dhaka, the property will be located in Niketan, close to the bustling business centre of Gulshan.
The construction work is scheduled to start next month, with plans to open the doors for guests in 2018, said Md Jashim Uddin.
Although there are international hotel chains in the country, there is a gap in quality, and the Swissôtel Dhaka is looking to bridge that, he told.
Besides, there will be a need for lots of business hotels in the near future, when Bangladesh joins the middle-income group, he said.
The hotel will feature 375 guest rooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, ballroom, as well as a spa with a swimming pool and other recreational amenities.
With headquarters in Zurich, Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts is an award-winning group of deluxe hotels that combines Swiss hospitality with contemporary design, personalised service and efficiency.
The chain is owned by FRHI Holdings Ltd, a leading global hotel company with 102 hotels and resorts worldwide under the brand names of Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel.
Meanwhile, Bengal Group on 26 August 2015 signed a deal with Mutual Trust Bank giving it the mandate to raise $50 million (about Tk 400 crore) for the hotel.
The fund will be raised from different multilateral organisations and other lenders, said Anis A Khan, Managing Director of Mutual Trust Bank.
Set up in 1969, Bengal Group is the world’s largest manufacturer of coat hangers, producing more than two million hangers a day.
With the hotel, Swissôtel will make its foray into Bangladesh’s hospitality landscape that has seen entries of a number of international chains in recent years.
Marriott International, the US luxury hotel chain, is set to open three hotels: two in Dhaka and one in Chittagong.
Le Méridien, a brand of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, has already opened its door.
Other global brands such as Sofitel Hotel, Hilton Hotel and Thailand-based ONYX Hospitality Group signed separate agreements with their local partners in recent years to build luxury hotels in the country.
Bengal Group of Industries, a domestic business house has planned to invest Tk 6.0 billion in setting up a luxurious five-star hotel in Dhaka.
According to the company sources, the country’s sustainable growth in various sectors has created a strong demand for high-quality hotel accommodation.
“A hotel is considered of international standard when room occupancy rate is 50 to 60 per cent. Happily all the five-star hotels situated in Dhaka and Chittagong have 90-95 per cent room occupancy on an average round the year reflecting the needs for more such establishments,” Md Jashim Uddin, Vice-Chairman of Bengal Group told the New Nation Saturday.
“Following the increasing business activities in the country, an increasing number of foreign buyers, delegates and others are visiting the country creating opportunities for such hospitality business,” he added.
However, according to him, the hotel will be developed by Bengal Group on its own land, to be managed by upmarket Swiss hotel chain Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts.
To be called Swissôtel Dhaka, the property will be located in Niketan, close to the bustling business centre of Gulshan.
The construction work is scheduled to start next month, with plans to open the doors for guests in 2018, said Md Jashim Uddin.
Although there are international hotel chains in the country, there is a gap in quality, and the Swissôtel Dhaka is looking to bridge that, he told.
Besides, there will be a need for lots of business hotels in the near future, when Bangladesh joins the middle-income group, he said.
The hotel will feature 375 guest rooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, ballroom, as well as a spa with a swimming pool and other recreational amenities.
With headquarters in Zurich, Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts is an award-winning group of deluxe hotels that combines Swiss hospitality with contemporary design, personalised service and efficiency.
The chain is owned by FRHI Holdings Ltd, a leading global hotel company with 102 hotels and resorts worldwide under the brand names of Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel.
Meanwhile, Bengal Group on 26 August 2015 signed a deal with Mutual Trust Bank giving it the mandate to raise $50 million (about Tk 400 crore) for the hotel.
The fund will be raised from different multilateral organisations and other lenders, said Anis A Khan, Managing Director of Mutual Trust Bank.
Set up in 1969, Bengal Group is the world’s largest manufacturer of coat hangers, producing more than two million hangers a day.
With the hotel, Swissôtel will make its foray into Bangladesh’s hospitality landscape that has seen entries of a number of international chains in recent years.
Marriott International, the US luxury hotel chain, is set to open three hotels: two in Dhaka and one in Chittagong.
Le Méridien, a brand of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, has already opened its door.
Other global brands such as Sofitel Hotel, Hilton Hotel and Thailand-based ONYX Hospitality Group signed separate agreements with their local partners in recent years to build luxury hotels in the country.
