ONE DESTINATION.
TWO CELEBRATIONS.
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has three properties slap bang in the heart of Hyderabad — Taj Krishna, Taj Deccan and Taj Banjara. The first two are located a pearl’s throw from each other and combined, Krishna and Deccan offer a room inventory of 260 + 151 = 411.
Wisely using a private 500m bridge that connects the two hotels as a “wedding corridor” for the baaraat, Taj Krishna and Taj Deccan are being pitched to wedding parties as a combo package.
“We certainly see a huge opportunity to go hard on the wedding market. We’ve been making some strides in that direction because between these two hotels, we’re close to 400 rooms and six banqueting options going from 2,000sq ft to 10,000sq ft and a choice of at least six speciality restaurants. I think we’re able to give a discerning wedding consumer that breadth of space that he wants,” said K. Mohanchandran, area director Hyderabad and general manager of Taj Krishna. [If that name sounds familiar, Mohan’s last assignment was at Taj Bengal, where he was general manager for six years. In his new role, his task is to synergise all the five Taj properties in Hyderabad, including Taj’s business brand Vivanta and luxury Taj Falaknuma Palace, where Salman Khan’s sister Arpita had her wedding last year.]
“This year, the wedding season started in November and continues until March. Usually in December, hotels are low on corporate business because it’s holiday season and the expats go home but the weddings have taken over; the period from December 8 to 29 is very auspicious. So every hotel in Hyderabad will be busy with weddings,” said Rishi Chopra, general manager, Taj Deccan, as t2 sat down with him over lunch at the spacious Syn Asian Grill & Bar.
THE WEDDING CORRIDOR
What’s one of the biggest problems Indian weddings face? Getting clear roads and permissions for the band baaja baaraat. With this 500m-long “wedding corridor” that connects Taj Krishna and Taj Deccan, the baaraat can be one of the primary functions, not something that needs to be on the itinerary just because it has to.
“For Marwari weddings, the baaraat is compulsory. Say, the wedding group stays at Taj Deccan. They assemble for high tea and the wearing of the safa on the Kohinoor lawns and then they walk down the bridge to Taj Krishna, where the wedding is held. It’s basically a 500-600m stretch. The major advantage is it’s on the premises so there’s no hassle of police permissions or traffic. The group can do whatever they want and take their own sweet time for the baaraat. Yes, there are certain rules but they have a ball of a time!” said Aditya Kumar Datta, catering sales manager, Taj Krishna.
MONEY MATTERS
Why hold a destination wedding in Hyderabad? “During the winter wedding months, compared to doing a wedding in Goa or Rajasthan, a Delhi or a Mumbai, I think the price points in Hyderabad are still not steep.We are still doing average room rates of around Rs 8,000-Rs 9,000 at the five-star end. From the cost perspective, you get 150 people over for a wedding and you’ll end up spending a lot less than you would in other cities,” explained Mohan.
“The pricing per plate would be around Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 for Taj Deccan. At Taj Krishna, it would begin at around Rs 2,100 for a standard menu going up to Rs 3,500,” said sales manager Aditya. Dinner is always slightly higher priced than lunch.
The connectivity is another major factor. “I think we’ve got great connectivity when it comes to Hyderabad with respect to the number of flights and the flying time it takes to travel here. We’re not more than two hours away from any mega city in the country. That holds true for Calcutta too,” said Mohan.
Plus, you can start clicking for that wedding album as soon as you land at the swanky Rajiv Gandhi International Airport! The P V Narasimha Rao Elevated Expressway, which was in 2009 the country’s longest flyover at 11.6km (our Parama flyover is 7.7km), connects you to the main city in around 40 minutes.
FOOD & THEME
There are broadly two types of weddings in Hyderabad — the local Andhra wedding and the north India or Marwari wedding. “We find many Marwaris of Hyderabad who are related to those in Calcutta. They attend weddings here and we do the kind of Marwari food that’s needed for a wedding. Our effort is to keep the food authentic. If we do dal-bati-churma, it should be the way you get it in Jodhpur,” said Taj Krishna’s executive chef Nitin Mathur, who was with Taj Bengal from 2004-2007.
What about wedding menu trends? “If there are three-four functions, they want the cuisines to be occasion-based. So a small lunch will be Indian. A cocktail party will be European food with lots of cocktails. And the main dinner will have a little of everything with many live counters serving chaat to teppanyaki-style zucchini. Live counters are getting very popular. In fact, people want the whole menu to be live with the food served warm and the whole visual experience. This is the trend,” said Mathur.
Many Marwari guests wish to experience Andhra cuisine. “Yes, Andhra food has a non-veg part to it like Koora Lamb and Haleem but there are many vegetarian dishes like Poriyal... their lentils are very popular and they eat a lot of saag,” said executive chef Rishi Manucha of Taj Deccan.
WEDDING BUYS
Finally, the shopping. Not far from Taj Krishna and Deccan are wedding stores Sabyasachi, Elahe and Suhani Pittie. “A lot of wedding shoppers from Calcutta walk in. Our signature piece at the moment is also by Calcutta designer Anamika Khanna — the lehnga worn by Sonam Kapoor in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo,” said the store owner. Guess what? He’s also a Calcutta boy!
#TRENDING IN HYDERABAD WEDDINGS
For the wedding decor, white and peach flowers are being preferred over banana leaves and rajnigandha.
High tea is becoming more attractive than dinner. Traditionally, Marwari-Sindhi weddings used to happen overnight but that culture is being done away with. [There have been no overnight weddings in the last 18 months at Taj Krishna.] So by 5pm, when both the sides are present, there is an elaborate spread of high tea — welcome drink, passarounds, small buffet and desserts.
Live counters are popular. In fact, people want the whole menu to be live with the food served warm and the whole visual experience.The “throne” is becoming redundant. The bride and groom prefer to mix with guests.
The sangeet has become as important a function for the Telugu folks as it is for the Marwaris.Brunches are more of a carnival concept with bar counters and stage performances. Stand-up comedy has entered the wedding scene.
TAJ KRISHNA: Offers a combined space of around 55,000sq ft. The main hall is called the Grand Ballroom, which opens on to lawns accommodating up to 2,500 people if you combine all the space. For separate functions, there are F&B outlets like the Tea Lounge, Firdaus, Golden Dragon, Al-Fresco and the Seasons Bar & Lounge.
TAJ DECCAN: The main banquet Kohinoor offers 5,700sq ft, the large Lawns cover 16,000sq ft and the Pool Lawn around 11,000sq ft. “With these outdoor options and indoor halls, we can hold 300 to 2,000 people. So no matter what the size the wedding group is, everyone fits in,” said Chopra. There are four dine dens — Syn, Spice, coffee shop Arena and the bar. Of these, Syn Asian Grill & Bar is most popular for cocktail parties.
Text: Karo Christine Kumar
