Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park

Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park was a five-star hotel on TTK Road in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The property began operating in 1981 as the 250-room Holiday Inn Adyar Gate, built on the site of the gates to an older garden house. It was developed by Adyar Gate Hotels Limited, a company established in 1970 by T. T. Vasu, associated with the T. T. Krishnamachari Group, and K. R. Veerappan. The hotel formed part of Chennai's established business and hospitality district and served both corporate travelers and leisure guests. The property changed names and management affiliations several times. It was later known as Holiday Inn Madras, and in February 1985 it was taken over by Welcomgroup Hotels after the Goyal family acquired a controlling stake in the company. It was subsequently renamed the Welcomgroup Adayar Park Hotel. In 1988, Sheraton Hotels entered into a management arrangement for the property, which then operated as the Welcomgroup Park Sheraton Hotel & Towers. In 2015, InterContinental Hotel Group assumed management and the hotel adopted the Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park name. By the later part of its life, the complex contained 283 rooms, including 38 suites. Its accommodation was distributed across a six-storey main building and an adjacent eight-storey tower, supported by a two-storey service block. The hotel also offered multiple restaurants and bars, including The Residency, Cappuccino, Westminster, On the Rocks, Dakshin, Gatsby2000 and Connexions. These venues covered international cuisine, South Indian food, coffee-shop service, lounge and bar formats, afternoon tea, and themed nightlife. Meetings and events were a major part of the property's commercial offer. The hotel had several banquet halls, smaller meeting rooms and boardrooms, with facilities described as capable of hosting anything from small business meetings to large functions of up to approximately 1,200 people. Other amenities included a swimming pool, fitness facilities and underground parking for roughly 200 to 250 vehicles. Its positioning combined full-service accommodation, business hospitality, dining and event infrastructure rather than focusing on a narrowly specialized lodging format. The hotel ceased operations on 20 December 2023. The closure was connected to plans to demolish the existing complex and replace it with two luxury apartment towers. As a result, Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park is now a historical hotel property rather than an active operating location. Its succession of Holiday Inn, Welcomgroup, Sheraton and Crowne Plaza identities reflects changes in hotel ownership and management structures in Chennai over more than four decades.

The property that became Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park opened in 1981 as the 250-room Holiday Inn Adyar Gate. It stood on TTK Road in Chennai, on land associated with the gates of an older garden house. The development company, Adyar Gate Hotels Limited, had been established in 1970 by T. T. Vasu, one of the owners associated with the T. T. Krishnamachari Group, and K. R. Veerappan. From its beginning, the hotel was designed as a large, full-service property rather than a small lodging operation, combining accommodation with restaurants, event space and facilities for corporate visitors. The hotel initially operated within the Holiday Inn system and was later known as Holiday Inn Madras. In February 1985, Welcomgroup Hotels took over the property after the Goyal family acquired a controlling stake in the company. The hotel was then renamed the Welcomgroup Adayar Park Hotel. This period placed the property within an Indian hospitality group while retaining its established role in Chennai's upscale hotel market. A further management transition took place in 1988, when Sheraton Hotels was contracted to manage the property. It became the Welcomgroup Park Sheraton Hotel & Towers. The revised identity corresponded with an expanded physical complex comprising a six-storey main building, an eight-storey tower wing and a two-storey service block. The hotel eventually had 283 rooms, including 38 suites, with approximately 140 rooms in the tower wing. The operating model combined rooms and suites with a broad food-and-beverage portfolio. The Residency provided international cuisine in an Edwardian-style setting, while Cappuccino functioned as a round-the-clock international coffee shop near the lobby and pool. Westminster served as a bar, On the Rocks offered international dining, and Dakshin focused on South Indian cuisine. Gatsby2000 was a themed discotheque with capacity for about 600 people, while Connexions operated as a high-tea lounge. This range allowed the property to serve hotel guests, local diners, private functions and nightlife customers. Meetings and events were another defining part of the hotel. Its facilities included banquet halls, smaller meeting rooms and boardrooms. The published descriptions identify spaces for gatherings ranging from approximately 20-person meetings to large functions of up to about 1,200 guests. Underground parking was described as accommodating approximately 200 to 250 vehicles. Together with the restaurants, pool and fitness facilities, the meeting infrastructure supported a positioning aimed at business travelers, weddings, social events and other large-scale functions. In 2015, InterContinental Hotel Group assumed management of the property and it was renamed Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park. The Crowne Plaza identity connected the Chennai hotel with IHG's international upscale business-hotel brand, while the property retained its existing location and full-service facilities. The hotel continued operating under that name until 20 December 2023, when it closed permanently. The closure was associated with a redevelopment plan involving demolition of the hotel and construction of two luxury apartment towers. The property therefore ended its history as an operating hotel after more than four decades and several successive brand and management identities.

• 2023

  Hotel closes permanently

  [1]Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Parken.wikipedia.org

  The hotel closed on 20 December 2023 ahead of planned demolition and redevelopment as two luxury apartment towers.

• 2015

  Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park identity introduced

  [1]Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Parken.wikipedia.org

  InterContinental Hotel Group assumed management and renamed the property Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park.

• 1988

  Sheraton management begins

  [1]Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Parken.wikipedia.org

  Sheraton Hotels entered into a management arrangement, and the hotel adopted the name Welcomgroup Park Sheraton Hotel & Towers.

• 1985

  Welcomgroup Hotels takes over the property

  [1]Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Parken.wikipedia.org

  Welcomgroup Hotels took over the hotel after the Goyal family acquired a controlling stake in the company; the property became Welcomgroup Adayar Park Hotel.

• 1981

  Holiday Inn Adyar Gate opens

  [1]Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Parken.wikipedia.org

  The 250-room Holiday Inn Adyar Gate opened on TTK Road in Chennai.

• 1970

  Adyar Gate Hotels Limited established

  [1]Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Parken.wikipedia.org

  Adyar Gate Hotels Limited was established by T. T. Vasu and K. R. Veerappan, laying the corporate foundation for the future hotel project.

Full-service five-star business and leisure hotel with substantial dining, meetings and events facilities.

• Accommodation · 1981

  Guest rooms and suites

  The hotel offered 283 rooms, including 38 suites, across its main six-storey building and adjacent eight-storey tower. The accommodation product was designed for both business and leisure stays and formed the core of the property's full-service five-star proposition.

• Food and beverage

  Restaurants and bars

  The property's dining portfolio included The Residency, Cappuccino, Westminster, On the Rocks, Dakshin, Gatsby2000 and Connexions. Together these venues covered international meals, South Indian cuisine, coffee-shop service, bar operations, themed nightlife and high-tea lounge service.

• Events and business hospitality

  Meetings and banquets

  Meeting facilities included banquet halls, smaller function rooms and boardrooms. The spaces were configured for small corporate meetings as well as large social or business events, with described capacities reaching approximately 1,200 attendees.

• Hotel amenities

  Guest leisure facilities

  Amenities included a swimming pool, fitness facilities and substantial underground parking. These services supplemented the hotel's accommodation, dining and event businesses and supported longer business and leisure stays.

• 2023

  Closure for residential redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The hotel complex had operated for more than four decades and was targeted for redevelopment.

  Action taken

  Operations ended on 20 December 2023, with plans to demolish the hotel and replace it with two luxury apartment towers.

  Aftermath

  The Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park property became defunct and ceased to offer hotel accommodation or hospitality services.

  Source

• 2015

  Move into the Crowne Plaza management portfolioStrategy

  Background

  The property had previously operated under Holiday Inn, Welcomgroup and Sheraton-related identities.

  Action taken

  InterContinental Hotel Group assumed management and changed the hotel's name to Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park.

  Aftermath

  The hotel operated under the Crowne Plaza identity until its permanent closure in December 2023.

  Source

1. 1Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Parken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park official hotel pageihg.com