After waiting for close to 38 years, crowborough which was first proposed in 1985 is finally ready to welcome guests.
Rechristened as Vivanta Shillong, in a historic event, Meghalaya’s first five-star hotel was inaugurated by Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma on Friday.
Proposed in 1985, the work for the hotel had been going on since 1986 and could be completed after decades. The hotel has been in the news for over three decades for all the wrong reasons, having suffered an innumerable delays along the way.
The erstwhile Crowborough Hotel is now rechristened as Taj Vivanta Shillong.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the State faces a shortage of high-quality rooms and the presence of five-star hotels in Shillong would allow the government to attract high-value tourists, host national and international music and sports events, and other seminars and conferences.
“The Vivanta Meghalaya, Shillong would herald an era of luxury tourism in the State and will go a long way in fulfilling the aspirations of the residents of the State,” Sangma said while adding a gathering.
The hotel, which is located in the heart of Shillong city
The Chief Minister reiterated his vision of transforming Meghalaya into the top 10 states within the next 10 years and said that Tourism is at the core of realizing this vision.
He said that the Government is developing Tourism on a hub and spoke model where in Sohra, Jowai, Shillong, Umiam and Tura will act as hubs and nearby rural tourist destinations will be developed as spokes.
“Tourism is a very important sector and has a great multiplier effect therefore the government is working to create the right ecosystem for Tourism in the State,” he said.
In line with this strategy the government has taken a number of initiatives to augment the accommodation infrastructure in the State.
In addition to accommodation infrastructure, the Chief Minister said that the connectivity infrastructure is also being upgraded to decongest Shillong and provide connectivity to new destinations.
The Chief Minister also said that the Vivanta Meghalaya, Shillong along with the upcoming hotel Courtyard by Marriott will give a huge boost to high-value tourism in the State. This model will be further replicated going forward to transform Meghalaya into the most preferred destination for ecotourism. Today we have handed over the hotel to IHCL and the hotel will soon be open for guests.
It may be mentioned here that with a built-up area of about 8,800 sq. m, the hotel has over 100 rooms and other facilities including a speciality restaurant, coffee shops, bar, retail shops, and a banquet hall.
It is owned by the Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and has been leased out for a period of 33 years on a PPP mode to be operated by the IHCL.