Commonwealth Games a big opportinity: Selja

Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja has described the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi as a big opportunity to showcase India's beauty and its rich cultural diversity.

Inaugurating the newly renovated Hotel Janpath in the Capital here last night, the Minister said,''Commonwealth Games is a big opportunity for all of us in India. Thousands of athletes and tourists from all over the World will come to India during the Games and witness the country's rich cultural diversity and its beauty.'' Addressing reporters at the inauguration of the hotel, which has been designated as the Games family hotel, the Minister, however, said all stakeholders involved in the Games had to pitch in for timely completion of the infrastructure pertaining to the Games.

''All the stakeholders have to pitch in for timely completion of tourist infrastructure for the Games,'' Ms Selja said.

Hotel Janpath has undergone an extensive makeover, to bring it on par with global quality standards, to host the international delegates of the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

The newly inaugurated hotel now boasts of 148 renovated rooms including 20 suites, which are functional yet luxurious.

The lobby of the hotel has been completely re-designed to give an impression of a lavish entrance, and is reminiscent of Lutyen's architectural theme.

To give a grand look, the double height lobby has been adorned with massive imported crystal chandeliers from Czech Republic and Italian marble flooring which adds to the hotel's exuberance.

The entire look of the hotel has been designed to project Indian extravagance. While the original structure of Hotel Janpath is intact, several contemporary additions have been made to appeal to the world traveler.

The hotel exterior has been adorned with tinted glasses to give a classy appearance to the entire façade.

To appeal to a global palette, Hotel Janpath will now offer extensive cuisines ranging from Italian and Mediterranean to Mangalorean and North Indian.

The renovation of Janpath Hotel is part of the endeavour by the India Tourism Development Corporation to renovate the state-run hotels Asoka, Samrat and Janpath to create a world class ambience to cater to the foreign tourists expected to throng the city during the International sporting event, scheduled to be held in October.

Talking to UNI on the occasion, Director (Commercial and Marketing) Rajiv Makkar said a total budget of of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the renovation of the three hotels.

The target date for completion of the renovation process is March 31, 2010, he said.