“A mid-market fully-serviced business hotel with upscale features” is how Fortune Select Loudon by Welcomgroup Kolkata positions itself. Located at 21B UN Brahmachari Street (Loudon Street), just off Park Street, the hospitality spot spread across a modest 0.68 acres with 68 rooms has the look and feel of a boutique hotel.

“The building was old-fashioned (it housed Hotel Rutt Din), so we had to reconstruct chunks of it. We chopped off about 15-20ft from the front and created a long elevation,” explained architect Vinu Chadha. “Calcutta is doing well in terms of occupancy, especially in the business segment. So our hotel is well-timed,” said general manager Amitava Guha Thakurta.

Nostradamus Lounge & Bar

The 800sq ft, 44-cover lounge by the main lobby is done up with low red, black and white couches, tables and lamp shades. Behind the granite bar counter you’ll find mixologist Irfan Ahmed as beverage consultant. Unusual concoctions like Ginger Basil Mojito and Cucumber Pomegranate Mojito, and classics like Kamikaze, Margarita, Cosmopolitan and Long Island Iced Tea can be ordered, in addition to the usual wines, white spirits, liqueurs, beers and single malts. The evening starts with soft lounge music and progresses to retro, rock and blues and then commercial, hip hop, house and trance, with DJs Sammy and Faraz at the turntable.

Swimming pool and gym

Step out of the coffee shop, walk up the stairs and turn left for a pleasant surprise. You could soak up the sun or simply take a dip in the blue swimming pool under the sky. Perfect for that winter barbecue or grill-by-the-pool parties. It faces the fitness centre still under construction.

The lobby

After the very Indian namaste at the door, a corporate white and rich chestnut-dominated lobby awaits you. White faux leather couches with low white tables and textured coffee-and-hazel floor rugs flank the main lobby, whose see-through walls bring in a bit of the green outdoors skirting the hotel’s driveway. A statement veneer back wall with steel globules adds sparkle. Some black over-sized vases break monotony while chandeliers with draped chains and blue beadwork add colour.

“We broke the floors above the lobby area to create height and added glass walls for a sense of depth and also to bring in natural light,” added Chadha.

A flight of stairs from the lobby takes you to the two banquets — Emerald (1,705sq ft) and Sapphire (1,240 sq ft) — that can accommodate about 200-250 people. A good spot for business meetings.

Zodiac — 24-hour Astral coffee shop

Neat and functional, the 48-cover coffee shop is in sync with the rest of the hotel, with daylight streaming in through the glass walls. A bar service and a buffet area for breakfast, lunch and dinner makes it a convenient stop on the hotel’s first floor. The menu boasts of traditional north Indian fare along with selections of Oriental stir-fries, pastas and Bengali curries. Wall-mounted LCD screen TVs keep you entertained.

The rooms

The 68 rooms of the hotel occupying the second to seventh floors comprise 41 base category standard rooms, 23 middle category Fortune Club rooms (picture above) and four deluxe suites. The corridor walls wear photographs of old Calcutta. Wooden flooring, elevated sink-in beds, study table, a 32-inch wall-mounted LCD TV, a stocked mini-bar and a closet with electronic safe make up each room. The Fortune Club rooms have some add-ons like a full-length dresser, recliners and suspended benches that can double as luggage racks. The suites have a sitting room and a powder room attached to the bedroom.

SWOT analysis
by Amitava Guha Thakurta, GM, Fortune Select Loudon

Strength: Located off Park Street, so right in the heart of the city’s business and entertainment hub; five-star amenities.

Weakness: One-way road leading to Minto Park.

Opportunity: No other hotel in the vicinity focuses primarily on the business clientele.

Threat: Gadgets and facilities all top of the line, so revenue generation becomes crucial.