Home Away From Home

That’s the Kenilworth Hotel in Kolkata for you, which completes 50 years in 2019. Amit Dixit enjoys a pampered stay

- Amit Dixit

Looking at its 100-plus guest rooms and suites spread across a heritage building and a modern tower block which came up later, the superlative F&B venues, and the general swirl of activity, it’s difficult to imagine that the Kenilworth Hotel had its origins as a humble guesthouse where guests had to bring their own soap and towels. In the comfort of my suite in the property’s heritage wing, I was certainly having a hard time believing it.

M.S. Bharat, who came to Calcutta to seek his fortunes after serving in Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, took over the property in the late 1960s and it’s been with the family ever since. It was a pleasure to spend time with Raju Bharat, his son, who is the current owner and a mover and shaker in the Indian hospitality industry (in contemporary parlance, that would be ‘influencer’). He’s a mine of information and perspective on the state of hospitality and tourism in eastern India. He is replete with anecdotes about the hotel, which has hosted a number of celebrities over the years, including M.F. Husian, Satyajit Ray and Tanuja. Bharat is also a bundle of energy, shuttling between Kolkata and Goa, where they have another hotel. In fact, over the years, they have operated several hotels, but this is their current portfolio. The next generation is also getting into the act.