Where nature follows you in

ITC Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru, Lapwing Suite: The first green luxury hotel, Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru, is located in one of the city's elite neighbourhoods. It once again confirms the fact that Bengaluru is the Garden City of India.

The 292-room hotel has been designed by renowned architect Rajinder Kumar who had earlier designed ITC Green at Gurgaon and popularised the green building concept. A mix of sandstone from Gwalior and Malaysian red bricks on the exterior and blonde Italian marble floorings, it seamlessly blends in art and nature.

At the ITC Royal Gardenia, nature and the greens did not stop at the entrance. It came all the way in - thanks to Francesca and Patrick.

The hotel's interiors and walls have been created by Francesca Basu in a manner that portrays nature in all its hues and different manifestations. `Nature and its myriad life forms' is the common theme that runs through each rooms and floors. The use of colour, motifs, textures and relief work add to this.

The first floor houses the hotel’s spacious banquet area offering banquet space with a pre-function area of nearly 8000 sq ft and a separate party room of 2500 sq ft. Located on the same floor on the right wing is the Kaya Kalp Spa spread over 10,400 sq ft with seven treatment rooms with jacuzzis, saunas and steam baths, a salon and a 1100 sq ft gym complete with the latest fitness equipment.

This also happens to be the first hotel in India to create the concept of `vertical gardens' or `vertical wall of plants' designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc who has been inspired by the rainforests, especially the ability and adaptability of plants that vie for sunlight. Blanc has balanced the needs of soil, water and sunlight to create the lush resplendent indoor gardens that rise up from the open lobby to the ceilings high above. The lobby also connects the hotel’s main entrance to the Grand Arrival Court.

Each of these four vertical gardens show off a collection of 1500 plants. The Living Wall at The Cubbon Pavilion covers an entire section and has around 25,000 plants reaching up to 30 metres high to the 12^th floor from where the daylight filters in to create an atrium effect. Much of the hotel's lighting needs are met from natural sources and is also supported by an energy-efficient lighting system. Plants too are graded as per the light required for sustenance and growth. Over 1200 species of Philodendrons brought in from the Nilgiris now thrive indoors.

This hotel is India’s first to have been granted permission to operate choppers from its roof top elevated heliport located on the 22^nd floor. The 27 metre diametre heliport has received the DGCA approval and authorization to operate landings and take-offs under day VFR conditions – interpreted as day time operations only.

This exclusive and unique facility at the ITC Royal Gardenia is designed to cater to Class 1 helicopters with twin engines weighing up to 5.4 tonnes. All operations to and from the heliport are carried out by an experienced crew of two qualified helicopter pilots.

Today evening I shall return to Kolkata.

ess bee