The city of Jammu has witnessed immense political turmoil, causing social instability in the city,since independence; a condition that has drastically improved over the past few decades. Though the city has faced tremendous challenges, its enterprising, bold and energetic population has always strived to chart its development in a positive direction and keep its spirit alive. The design of the hotel is inspired from that spirit – to celebrate life!
The owners of the hotel had a clear vision – to create a landmark for the city; a beacon that reflects the wave of growth of its inhabitants and a place for celebration. With that vision, the idea was to create a crisp identity for the hotel and carve out spaces that are multi- functional and spacious.
Located on the Jammu-Srinagar Bypass, the hotel enjoys good connectivity to prominent corporate hubs, industrial estates, several educational institutions and multi-specialty hospitals.Located in close proximity to NH-1A, Jammu Airport and the Jammu Tawi Railway Station, the connectivity offered a great opportunity for the hotel to be explored as a Destination for the city. With an eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, banquets, wellness center, guest rooms and space for offices, the hotel has been envisioned to offer a complete package of entertainment, attracting not just tourists, but also the people of the city.
Spread over 1.72 Acres, the hotel is designed to welcome modern, leisure as well as corporate travelers. The circulation has been designed in such a manner to ensure no overlap between the movement patterns of hotel users and banquet users. The segregation is achieved by facilitating separate entrance lobbies at different levels on opposite sides; while connecting the lobbies through a grand statement staircase. The Ground floor sprawls over an area of 26,500 Sq. ft.,with a grand entrance lobby flanked by a lounge space for waiting and casual meetings. As one traverses through the lobby, the visitor gets a glimpse of the delectable dining options including an all-day dining area and a specialty restaurant. The hotel features flexible meeting spaces including a 25,000 sq. ft. Royal Ballroom that accommodates up to 2000 guests with additional pre-function space and a lawn for pre-event cocktails. This is the only facility in the city that can accommodate such a large gathering at one time- a feature that has made the hotel the only popular choice. To cater to the young generation and the modern traveler, a specialized health & wellbeing section has been conceptualized, which is integrated with the pool area, offering the users a space to unwind. The Swimming Pool deck is designed with a Bar, that offers stunning views of the city, especially during sunset, acting as a popular destination for youngsters. The rooms are strategically stacked in a tower that faces the pool on one side and the old city on the other. The tower formation for hotel rooms provides structural efficiency, enhanced services management and flexibility to the owners to modify the room configuration in future. It houses 119 comfortable rooms and suites that are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and modern amenities.
The interior design has been kept locally focused. Connected overall through a common theme of maintaining a premium look, every space has received detailed attention when it comes to material palette. All the restaurants and bar spaces have been designed to be visually catchy- rapid use of bright colors paired with varying materials and a plethora of jali patterns, art works and wall hanging features ensure that the user is instantly awe-struck with the richness of the space. Extravagant ceilings, chandeliers and regal light fittings aggravate the feel of the space. All the banquet halls have a simple bi-color theme and the conference halls and meeting rooms have been designed with a formal aesthetic imbibing a lavish use of wood. All the rooms are designed keeping in mind the elite demeanor of the customers; a complimenting palette of materials have been used and the overall design theme has been toned down, helping people to relax in a calm and passively-designed space- one that is minimal and doesn’t provide too many distractions.
2013
2016
Energy efficiency has been the core of the design process; the entire hotel has been designed to reduce dependence on energy with passive solar techniques, attention to orientation and facilitating wind movement. Since the desired facilities required large interconnected spaces, it was crucial to design a monolithic structure that enables structural, firefighting and public health engineering efficiency, which can be resourcefully monitored from the basement levels, right till the top. This also helped to create a large space on the ground, which was designed as an extension of the banquet halls, requiring very little maintenance and utilizing treated water from the STP. The main tower has been tilted facing East and West, maximizing the sunlight intake during the days and reducing pressure on artificial lighting. Similarly, the design ensures natural light in all public areas, with double height glazing; and minimizes glare with vertical elevation members. The complex has been carefully integrated with green building engineering strategies to minimize operational costs.
Overall, the hotel stands as a mark of pride and prosperity, dominating the skyline of modern Jammu. It has been successfully positioned as a preferred destination in the city and renders a space that offers luxury and entertainment to its inhabitants, catering to all age groups!
