Kolkata has become the country's first city to have a floating hotel and in turn joined cities like Moscow, St. Petersberg, Vienna, Hamburg, Amsterdum, Phnompen, Hongkong where "Floatels" are the major tourist and business attractions.
The four-storied Floatel in Kolkata has been built as per international four-star standards and was under construction for the past four-and-a-half years at the Kidderpore docks.
The Floatel has a 24-hour coffee shop capable of accommodating 110 guests. The specialty restaurant is centrally air-conditioned with 73 rooms and three suites with attached marble and ceramic bathrooms.
The Rs 31 crore (Rs 310 million) Kolkata Floating Hotel Complex is expected to be in operation within the next three to four months, Manab Pal, director, Manor Floatel Limited, told reporters in Kolkata.
All rooms on Floatel are literally 'on' the river and is expected to be a major destination for business travellers as it would have fully equipped state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities, Pal said.
Pal said the Floatel, which is being given the look of a ship, will be managed by Orchid International and has been under the constant scrutiny of the American Bureau of Shipping, an agency affiliated to the UN's International Maritime Commission which certifies floating structures on basis of safety and security.
