The first luxury hotel in India to be built on the airspace of a conventional railway station, The Leela Gandhinagar is a 318-room property that combines modernity with subtle inspirations from local Gujarat architecture and culture. Jaideep Anand, Vice President & General Manager, The Leela Gandhinagar talks about the positioning and the uniqueness of the property.
Bharti Sharma
Located merely 30 minutes from the Ahmedabad airport, The Leela Gandhinagar scores in terms of its proximity to important business hubs making it the perfect choice for corporate meetings and conferences. Jaideep Anand is credited with spearheading the pre-opening tasks for various Leela Properties but with The Leela Gandhinagar, it’s different and special. He has ensured The Leela Gandhinagar showcases the brand in the most elegant way and the finest extension of ‘Leela’.
Opulent memories for our guests
With a myriad of facilities, from a world-class spa, a swimming pool and a state-of-the-art fitness centre, to exceptional dining venues spanning an array of cuisines in idyllic settings, The Leela Gandhinagar promises its guests a stay worth remembering. Jaideep states, “At The Leela Gandhinagar, our team is always delivering an experience that lives up to the brand philosophy- ‘Atithi Devo Bhavo’, ie Guest is God. Starting from being a destination for intimate escapes to hosting family social gatherings or large-scale corporate MICE events, we ensure the experience delivered is nothing less than luxury with careful attention to detail at every step. The Leela Gandhinagar team here believes in delivering warm and opulent memories for our guests to cherish for a long time and come back for more.”
The folklores of Gujarat
As The Leela Gandhinagar is going to be the first-ever Leela hotel in Gujarat, the brand has worked really hard on delivering the regional flavour, rendering the local feel based on the region’s taste, preference, and culture. “Since the day of inception, the Leela Gandhinagar has embraced the enriching culture and untold stories in every nook and corner. Be it the architectural marvel it’s known for today, or the opulent interior carefully decorated with different kinds of regional art forms that depict the inspirational untold stories of Gujarat. As a destination popularly known as the ‘Silk route’ of the country, the Leela Gandhinagar has embraced the different touchpoints with various forms of fabrics,” mentions Jaideep.
Mega venue for Mega-events
The Leela Gandhinagar is hosting the 36th Annual IATO Convention, which is going to be the first mega event since the outbreak of the Covid19. Being one of the largest MICE destination complexes in the country – The Leela Gandhinagar along with Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre will be offering state-of-the-art conference facilities that will elevate the event’s grandeur and magnificence.
Sharing more details on the much-anticipated event, Jaideep tells, “The Leela Gandhinagar is privileged to host the prestigious IATO conference this year. With that being said, the Leela Gandhinagar houses the Grand Ballroom spread over 8545 sq ft with an attached pre-function area of 13,584 sq. ft. Add to that the multiple boardroom meeting spaces of 6612 sq. ft. combined with state-of-the-art technology and the personalised Leela services; perfect ingredients for a grand event like the IATO convention. Furthermore, the Leela Gandhinagar boasts extravagant and extensive outdoor venues with the potential to host up to five thousand people. Overall, the Leela Gandhinagar offers cutting edge, versatile indoor and outdoor meeting spaces that are well equipped to host business and social events of all magnitude.”
More mega-events to follow…
The Leela Gandhinagar today is one of the most affluent modern pride of the state of Gujarat. Thus, the thread of events doesn’t end with the convention. Sharing details on some major upcoming events, Jyadeep tells, “With one of the biggest convention halls in the country – Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Centre is soon going to be ready for hosting our honourable Prime Minister’s Vibrant Gujarat event, followed by our country’s pride Défense Expo in the first quarter next year. The Leela Gandhinagar along with Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Centre will be pivotal in hosting several large-scale medical conferences and social residential events.”
F&B to satisfy the most versatile palate
With a tempting mélange of delectable cuisines, picturesque vistas, and modern contemporary interiors, The Leela Gandhinagar offers an extensive selection of dining venues to please even the most urbane patrons. “The food and beverage at the Leela Gandhinagar offer an extensive selection of dining venues to satisfy even the most sophisticated palate. Though food and beverage are conventionally believed to be a lesser contributor to the hotel’s total share of revenue, the Leela Gandhinagar’s dining options even in this short stretch of time has been fancied by a lot of non-resident business patrons from the city and beyond. Therefore, the overall f&b contribution we are striving for will be at par with other key revenue contributing departments.”
An Artist’s galore
The Leela Gandhinagar garners a lot of inspiration from the regional influence. From the famed Adalaj Stepwells or Vav, to the contemporary Venetian mirrors in the grand lobby, one can experience a juxtaposition of traditional and modern-contemporary beauty, never seen before. Jaideep shares, “The artwork present in the reception is inspired from the Kutch Embroidered fabric created using glass acrylic or mirror. Experience more such compelling art stories such as this, that can only be ‘toured’ and not told. Every evening our head concierge leads our patrons on this sojourn and culminates it with Moksha Lounge signature afternoon ‘Tea Charlie’, which again showcases the synergy, this time in cuisine diversity.”
Restaurants on platter
The hotel also offers the finest culinary options at various dining alternatives spanning a host of cuisines, served in the most charming environs. Jaideep shares, “Starting with the all-day dining outlet ‘Citrus Junction’ as the name suggests is inspired from the historical Indian railways. The décor and architecture of the restaurant capture the essence of Indian railways and displays the pivotal role railways played in the lives of Indians over the last century. Whereas, our speciality Indian restaurant- Diya represents a stimulating sense of curiosity created by an interesting play of light on carved contours of the silver metallic ceiling. Finally, the Moksha Lounge offers ‘tripti’ or ‘satiety’ for our hunger and thirst. Be it, youngsters, hoping to catch up with their pals, or a quick chit chat for homemakers in the neighbourhood or an all-day dining area to interact business, Moksha Lounge is an all-day meeting place for guests of all ages from all walks of life.”
