If you've travelled on the Old Mahabalipuram Road in the past few months you're sure to have noticed this huge intriguingly conceived hotel that overlooks the IT expressway. Built to resemble a cruise ship, Holiday Inn is one of the newest hotels in town. I'd assumed they had already started functioning so was surprised to receive an invite for their official launch party about a fortnight ago. I've never been to a hotel's launch party before so I was curious to see what they had in store for Chennai. Also attended the press meet the next day and got to know how the venture materialised; as a joint venture between SRP Tools and the Brigade group. Founders and senior heads from both groups were present on both the launch day and the press conference held the next day.
This part of the building resembles a ship's stern!
The hotel is situated in a very good location right where LB road meets the OMR. That's pretty much right where the IT expressway begins! The hotel itself overlooks the Taramani road and it's a nice sight to view when you're sitting in the dining area overlooking life pass by the busy junction.
The launch party was lots of fun; the hotel had pulled out all stops to make it a memorable night for the guests. After the introductory speeches made by the senior management, the stage was set for some memorable dance and music performances. There was an award winning dance troupe who dazzled us with their jaw dropping "Tron dance" where dancers wear LED lit suits and dance in pitch darkness. That takes some coordination and timing! Then there was an interesting musical duet performed by musicians flown in from abroad. One of the ladies played the harp while the other played the flute! Yes, first time I was seeing a harp in real life and not on the set of a medieval movie set! :D All this was set in the event hall which it seems can be segmented to suit smaller gatherings.
Although the name seemed familiar, I wasn't aware that the Holiday Inn brand is one that's famous worldwide. In fact, it is owned by the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) that manages thousands of properties across the globe. This is the first Holiday Inn in Chennai and they plan to expand in a big way in the coming years across India they said.
The GM, Shipra Sumbly Kaul who was involved with this venture said that Holiday Inn as a brand is known to be family friendly worldwide and they plan to follow that in Chennai too along with being a hotel that won't empty the wallet. I enquired later how they mean "kid-friendly" and they replied that the children's menu is designed by "Nutrition Australia" and is a well-balanced, nutritious meal. Also kids (upto 12 years) accompanying parents who stay at the hotel can eat free. Catering to the family I feel is a good idea since there are enough hotels around that focus on the business customer along the IT expressway.
After the press meet there was a buffet lunch served in the dining area adjoining Cafe G on the 3rd level. The space is designed tastefully to cater to couples as well as the families and large groups who might take up lots of seating. The setting changes dramatically from lounge chairs to the standard dinner tables with comfortable seating. There are tables adjoining the large french windows draped with tall curtains. I was in the company of reporters from an interesting publication Travel Secrets who were also here for the launch. We had a great time seated here with the nice view of the busy yet muted highway below us chatting away and tasting dishes leisurely.
The Lobby
Opening night
Pan Asian Section
There's a separate Pan Asian section where live cooking was going on. Nasi Goreng and such was on offer along with Italian fare being served up hot. I was in the mood for Indian food so did not try those options.
The selection was eclectic in terms of dishes from different cuisines so it was tough to choose what to eat. I stuck to the staple dishes this time. Some of my favorites included the traditional Kozhi roast which I teamed with the fresh baked buns from the bread section! The chicken (kozhi) roast had a lovely home made taste to it and was perfectly spiced. Went well with the soft bun. Biriyanis were lightly spiced and good too. There were plenty of interesting salads and even though I'm not a salad person I was almost tempted to try some of them! I also loaded some of the Paneer curry onto my plate and it was happily tender and flavorsome. Previous night, the Lasagne caught my palate's fancy in that hearty, cheesy way only lasagnas can. My first thought was how nice it would be if Chennai was rainy and I was eating this in bed watching something nice on Netflix. Sigh.
On the plate: Chicken roast, chicken biriyani, paneer curry and buns; soft, crusty.
Breadsticks, dips!
The dessert section is set separately and offers a huge variety to dessert lovers. Note that the cutlery for desserts is placed in a space below the dishes. There were the usual favorites like warm gulab jamuns and even laddoos and milk sweets. But there were also pies, mousse, cakes, tiramisu, ice creams and more!
Dessert section setup
My personal favorite was the Pistachio Financier which was just scrumptious with a dollop of fresh cream on the top. Not too sweet, fresh-made, moist and with that amazing pistachio flavor. I would have eaten a dozen of those if I wasn't already full. Another lovely dessert was the raspberry flavored cream cake which was super soft and again delicious. In fact, one of the Canadian guests staying there who we spoke to said it was great too.
In summary, Cafe G offers a relaxed ambiance just like the hotel itself and if they continue to offer food with the same quality, it will be a great choice for buffet lunch near the OMR area.
Hampers and special requests
The hotel has an interesting offering where they offer custom gift hampers filled with food, chocolates & goodies you choose. You can request for anything you wish in the hamper for your special person! Do check with the hotel for more details on this.
Offer
This part of the building resembles a ship's stern!
Location
The hotel is situated in a very good location right where LB road meets the OMR. That's pretty much right where the IT expressway begins! The hotel itself overlooks the Taramani road and it's a nice sight to view when you're sitting in the dining area overlooking life pass by the busy junction.
Launch Festivities
The launch party was lots of fun; the hotel had pulled out all stops to make it a memorable night for the guests. After the introductory speeches made by the senior management, the stage was set for some memorable dance and music performances. There was an award winning dance troupe who dazzled us with their jaw dropping "Tron dance" where dancers wear LED lit suits and dance in pitch darkness. That takes some coordination and timing! Then there was an interesting musical duet performed by musicians flown in from abroad. One of the ladies played the harp while the other played the flute! Yes, first time I was seeing a harp in real life and not on the set of a medieval movie set! :D All this was set in the event hall which it seems can be segmented to suit smaller gatherings.
About the brand
Although the name seemed familiar, I wasn't aware that the Holiday Inn brand is one that's famous worldwide. In fact, it is owned by the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) that manages thousands of properties across the globe. This is the first Holiday Inn in Chennai and they plan to expand in a big way in the coming years across India they said.
The GM, Shipra Sumbly Kaul who was involved with this venture said that Holiday Inn as a brand is known to be family friendly worldwide and they plan to follow that in Chennai too along with being a hotel that won't empty the wallet. I enquired later how they mean "kid-friendly" and they replied that the children's menu is designed by "Nutrition Australia" and is a well-balanced, nutritious meal. Also kids (upto 12 years) accompanying parents who stay at the hotel can eat free. Catering to the family I feel is a good idea since there are enough hotels around that focus on the business customer along the IT expressway.
Ambiance
After the press meet there was a buffet lunch served in the dining area adjoining Cafe G on the 3rd level. The space is designed tastefully to cater to couples as well as the families and large groups who might take up lots of seating. The setting changes dramatically from lounge chairs to the standard dinner tables with comfortable seating. There are tables adjoining the large french windows draped with tall curtains. I was in the company of reporters from an interesting publication Travel Secrets who were also here for the launch. We had a great time seated here with the nice view of the busy yet muted highway below us chatting away and tasting dishes leisurely.The Lobby
Main course section at Brunch time
Opening night
Cafe G - Multicuisine restaurant
Coming to the food, Cafe G is a multicuisine restaurant that has plenty of variety in the continental section with some nice choices in the Indian section.
Pan Asian Section
There's a separate Pan Asian section where live cooking was going on. Nasi Goreng and such was on offer along with Italian fare being served up hot. I was in the mood for Indian food so did not try those options.
The selection was eclectic in terms of dishes from different cuisines so it was tough to choose what to eat. I stuck to the staple dishes this time. Some of my favorites included the traditional Kozhi roast which I teamed with the fresh baked buns from the bread section! The chicken (kozhi) roast had a lovely home made taste to it and was perfectly spiced. Went well with the soft bun. Biriyanis were lightly spiced and good too. There were plenty of interesting salads and even though I'm not a salad person I was almost tempted to try some of them! I also loaded some of the Paneer curry onto my plate and it was happily tender and flavorsome. Previous night, the Lasagne caught my palate's fancy in that hearty, cheesy way only lasagnas can. My first thought was how nice it would be if Chennai was rainy and I was eating this in bed watching something nice on Netflix. Sigh.
On the plate: Chicken roast, chicken biriyani, paneer curry and buns; soft, crusty.
Breadsticks, dips!
Desserts!
The dessert section is set separately and offers a huge variety to dessert lovers. Note that the cutlery for desserts is placed in a space below the dishes. There were the usual favorites like warm gulab jamuns and even laddoos and milk sweets. But there were also pies, mousse, cakes, tiramisu, ice creams and more!
Dessert section setup
My personal favorite was the Pistachio Financier which was just scrumptious with a dollop of fresh cream on the top. Not too sweet, fresh-made, moist and with that amazing pistachio flavor. I would have eaten a dozen of those if I wasn't already full. Another lovely dessert was the raspberry flavored cream cake which was super soft and again delicious. In fact, one of the Canadian guests staying there who we spoke to said it was great too.
In summary, Cafe G offers a relaxed ambiance just like the hotel itself and if they continue to offer food with the same quality, it will be a great choice for buffet lunch near the OMR area.
Hampers and special requests
The hotel has an interesting offering where they offer custom gift hampers filled with food, chocolates & goodies you choose. You can request for anything you wish in the hamper for your special person! Do check with the hotel for more details on this.
Offer
As an introductory offer, Cafe G's buffet is being offered until May 31st at INR 650 plus taxes for breakfast, INR 1050 plus taxes for lunch and INR 1,200 plus taxes for dinner.
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