City-based Eden Realty is planning a string of hospitality projects, spanning luxury resorts and star hotels, along the river Hooghly on land parcels taken on lease from the port.

The developer, who has so far focused on residential development in and around the city, is in dialogue with several hotel operators, domestic and international, to manage the properties, the owners of Eden said.

Industry sources suggested that Hilton, ITC, Accor and Postcard are some of the brands that have shown keen interest in working with Eden Realty.

The locations for the hospitality units include land
parcels in Howrah adjacent to the Botanical Garden in Shibpur, Kidderpore, Budge Budge and Raichak. The developer estimates an investment of around ₹1,500 crore in the projects that would come up in phases.

“This is an incredible opportunity to develop the riverfront as a hospitality hotspot. It has been made possible because the Port leased out land for commercial purposes for the first time,” Arya Sumant, MD of Eden Realty Group, said.

Sumant was unwilling to confirm the name of the operators Eden is in touch with to manage the hotels. “We don’t have the expertise in hospitality, so we will work with partners,” he explained.

The first of the block will be at Shibpur, next to Eden’s riverside residential development ‘Devprayag’, which was officially launched on Tuesday. An 80-room hotel will come up on the riverfront, which can be further expanded.

Across the river lies the biggest land parcel for Eden, where a bigger hotel will come at Kidderpore. “We plan to string the properties together with dedicated boat services,” Kumar Satyaki, joint managing director of Eden, said.

The Raichak is likely to be a boutique hotel, given that the land parcel is 3 acres. The Budge Budge 5-acre parcel can accommodate entry-level luxury properties.

Eden hopes to build a tourism-focused circuit along the river, hoping to attract conferences and wedding crowds on a large scale.

“We have not been able to make the most of the tourism potential of the river Hooghly yet. However, it is now changing as the port is leasing away land, not just for commercial real estate but infrastructure development,” Satyaki pointed out.

For instance, the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (formerly Calcutta Port Trust) has leased land to construct a Ferris Wheel and a cruise terminal as part of riverfront development. Several plots on Strand Road have also been leased out for office space. Eden Realty has also received an allotment near Fairlie Place where it plans to build office space.

Going forward, Eden is also looking to come up with a residential villa project in Shibpur, the first of its kind along the river in Howrah.