Already basking in realtors' attention, Chandigarh would soon be able to take pride in its mall hotels, as seen in Dubai and Thailand.

These hotels are being touted as the next big thing after speciality and destination malls in India. Besides being a lucrative business option, the mixed-use pattern lends a more cosmopolitan look to the malls.

For hoteliers, it's the best opportunity to be present at a premium location at relatively lower costs and have assured footfalls even on leaner days.

"Out two out of five hotels are in the malls," says Sanjeev Pahwa Vice- President Country Inns & Suites, Country Development & Management Services (P) Ltd, which is a part of Carlson Hospitality Worldwide.
After having launched in Jalandhar and Ludhiana, the mid-tier lodging chain plans to spread its hospitality wings to other parts of the region too.

"Among the preferred destination are Chandigarh, Amritsar, Patiala and Baddi," reveals Pahwa. Talks are on with at least three promoters in Chandigarh.

The 80 to 100-room hotel in city, according to Pahwa, would preferably be in a mall. The mixed-use pattern offers perfect synergy of components in terms of lease rates, occupancy levels and client profile.

Owners of Regent International and the Radisson Brand Worldwide, the Carlson Hospitality operates about 1,660 hotels, resorts, restaurants and cruise ship operations in 82 countries.

The Country Inns & Suites promises to offer value for money. 'Though ours is a four-star hotel, it offers special amenities typically found in higher-priced hotels," says Pahwa.

And even though this is a fairly new trend in the realty sector, it's fast catching up. The ITC fortune hotels is also said to have been interested in a similar arrangement for a business hotel.

According to a research by Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate services provider, this year 23 million sqft. of new space will come up in the market, and by 2009 the number will rise to 50 million.

On similar patterns, in Gurgaon, the Clarion Group and Anumod Sharma's Galaxy Towers are coming up with a five-star boutique hotel with a fashion-lifestyle shopping arcade.

In Greater Noida, Omaxe Construction is constructing a mall called Omaxe Connaught Place over an area of 14 lakh sq ft. The mall will also have a hotel to cater to corporate houses in the vicinity.

The concept has worked wonderfully well in Singapore. The mall-hotel arrangement suits both the hoteliers and developers. For malls, hotels spice up the viability of commercial and retail space and add to the footfalls.

Hoteliers can, on the other hand, leave aside the hassle of construction approvals, avail ready space and above all enjoy overhead cost benefit.

(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com)