Taj Hotels' wilderness lodge to start in Nov

Company earmarks Rs 30 cr for setting up five lodges

The Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has announced the launch of its first 'wilderness' lodge in India.

The lodge "" Mahua Kothi "" located in the Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh, will be operational from November this year.

Taj will operate the lodge under the name of Taj Wilderness Lodges (TWL), an entity formed in association with Conservation Corporation Africa (CC Africa), which is a leading eco-tourism company and a comprehensive safari operator from Africa, and Cigen Corporation, part of Nepal-based Chaudhary Group.

Chaudhary Group and Taj are partners in Taj Asia, which is a vehicle through which the partners own, operate and plan to expand their hospitality interests in South Asian and Asia-Pacific markets.

Taj has entered into a business management contract on this property with its owners in MP, and plans to set up five such lodges "" four in Madhya Pradesh and one in Uttaranchal.

The company has earmarked Rs 30 crore for the development of the lodges with each lodge costing around Rs 6 crore. Mahua Kothi, spread over a 40-acre land, will have 12 jungle suites and the package will cost Rs 23,000 for Indian tourists and $600 for foreign tourists.

The launch of Mahua Kothi will be followed by the launch of Taj's second lodge 'Baghvan' on the border of Pench National Park, southern Madhya Pradesh in February 2007.

Taj has plans to aggressively advertise the wilderness lodges in Europe, North America, Australia and Asean countries through its sales offices.

Through TWL's, Taj aims at promoting wildlife and eco-tourism in the country.

"India has a vast and bountiful wildlife offering and together with the advantage of CC Africa's database, we will make a concerted effort to improve the quality of safari management in India and take it to international standards," said Raymond Bickson, MD and CEO, Indian Hotels Company, at the launch.