The Park Hotels

The Park Hotels is an Indian hospitality brand and hotel group associated with the Apeejay Surrendra Group and headquartered in Kolkata. It operates contemporary luxury and boutique hotels across India under four related brands: The Park, The Park Collection, Zone by The Park, and Zone Connect by The Park. The group’s portfolio includes owned and leased properties in cities across the country, with the reference material describing a network of 30 hotels in 20 cities. The hotel business began in 1967 when Surrendra Paul opened the first Park hotel on Kolkata’s Park Street. The original property contained 150 rooms and established the group’s association with design-led urban hospitality. A hotel in Visakhapatnam followed in 1968, extending the business beyond Kolkata. The Park New Delhi began operations in 1987, giving the brand a presence in the national capital and strengthening its positioning in the business and leisure hotel markets. Following Surrendra Paul’s death, his daughter Priya Paul succeeded him in 1990. Under her leadership, the group expanded its metropolitan footprint. The Park Bangalore was added in 2000, with its design attributed to British designer and architect Terence Conran, and The Park Chennai was commissioned in 2002. The New Delhi property also participated in the restoration of Jantar Mantar, the historic astronomical observatory dating from 1724, through an agreement with the Archaeological Survey of India in 2000. The brand’s identity is built around contemporary design, urban locations, restaurants, bars, events, and lifestyle-oriented hotel experiences rather than a standardized international chain format. Its properties have been recognized in Indian tourism and travel awards, while individual restaurants and hotels have received attention from international publications. The Park Kolkata won a National Tourism Award for outstanding performance as India’s Best Boutique Hotel for 2003–04, and later received a business-hotel award at Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s India’s Best Awards in 2018. The Park Chennai’s Atrium restaurant was included by Forbes in a 2006 listing of India’s most expensive restaurants, while The Park Hyderabad appeared in The Independent’s 2010 selection of holiday ideas. The group’s broader brand architecture extends beyond the flagship The Park name. Zone by The Park and Zone Connect by The Park are positioned as additional accommodation concepts within the same hospitality house, allowing the company to address different travel occasions and market segments. The Park Hotels therefore combines an upscale flagship identity with a wider multi-brand hotel platform serving business travelers, leisure guests, and contemporary domestic hospitality demand across India.

The Park Hotels traces its origins to 1967, when Surrendra Paul began the Apeejay group’s hotel business with the opening of a 150-room property on Park Street in Kolkata. The location placed the hotel in one of the city’s best-known commercial and cultural districts and supplied the name that became the group’s flagship hospitality identity. A second property was added in Visakhapatnam in 1968, marking the beginning of the group’s expansion beyond Kolkata. The Park New Delhi commenced operations in 1987. Its arrival in the capital broadened the company’s appeal to corporate, diplomatic, and leisure travelers and established a larger national profile. After Surrendra Paul’s death, his daughter Priya Paul succeeded him in 1990. Her tenure was associated with the further development of The Park as a design-conscious, contemporary Indian hotel brand. The group continued its metropolitan expansion in the following decade. The Park Bangalore opened in 2000 and was designed by Terence Conran, whose involvement reinforced the brand’s emphasis on architecture, interiors, and modern lifestyle hospitality. In the same year, The Park New Delhi entered into an arrangement with the Archaeological Survey of India connected with the restoration of Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory built in 1724. The Park Chennai was commissioned in 2002, extending the flagship portfolio into another major southern Indian city. Recognition followed across the group’s hotels and food-and-beverage operations. The Park Kolkata received the National Tourism Award for Best Boutique Hotel for the 2003–04 period. In 2006, Forbes highlighted the Atrium restaurant at The Park Chennai among India’s most expensive restaurants and noted its menu association with Italian chef Antonio Carluccio. The Park Hyderabad was included by The Independent in a 2010 list of holiday ideas. The Park Kolkata later received The Best Business Hotel award at Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s India’s Best Awards in 2018. The business has developed into a multi-brand hotel platform within the Apeejay Surrendra Group. Alongside the flagship The Park properties, its portfolio includes The Park Collection, Zone by The Park, and Zone Connect by The Park. The reference material describes the combined network as comprising 30 owned and leased hotels in 20 Indian cities. The group’s evolution therefore reflects a progression from a single Kolkata hotel to a national hospitality house combining upscale flagship properties with broader contemporary and select-service formats.

• 2018

  The Park Kolkata wins business hotel recognition

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  The Park Kolkata receives The Best Business Hotel award at India’s Best Awards organized by Travel + Leisure India & South Asia.

• 2004

  The Park Kolkata receives National Tourism Award

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  The Park Kolkata is recognized as India’s Best Boutique Hotel for the 2003–04 award period.

• 2002

  The Park Chennai is commissioned

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  The flagship brand expands into Chennai.

• 2000

  The Park Bangalore opens

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  The Park Bangalore is added to the portfolio, with design by Terence Conran.

• 2000

  Jantar Mantar restoration arrangement

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  The Park New Delhi undertakes restoration-related work at Jantar Mantar through an agreement with the Archaeological Survey of India.

• 1990

  Priya Paul succeeds Surrendra Paul

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  Following Surrendra Paul’s death, his daughter Priya Paul assumes leadership of the hotel business.

• 1987

  The Park New Delhi begins operations

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  The brand establishes a presence in India’s national capital.

• 1968

  Visakhapatnam property added

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  The group expands beyond Kolkata with the addition of a hotel in Visakhapatnam.

• 1967

  First The Park hotel opens in Kolkata

  [1]The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  Surrendra Paul begins the group’s hotel business with a 150-room property on Park Street in Kolkata.

An Indian contemporary luxury and boutique hospitality group emphasizing design, urban destinations, food and beverage, and lifestyle-led hotel experiences across multiple hotel brands.

• Luxury boutique hotels · 1967

  The Park

  The flagship hotel brand of the group, The Park focuses on contemporary luxury, distinctive interiors, urban locations, restaurants, bars, and event facilities. Its history began with the original Kolkata property in 1967 and later expanded to major Indian cities including New Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai.

• Luxury hotel collection

  The Park Collection

  The Park Collection is a related accommodation brand within The Park Hotels’ multi-brand portfolio. The available reference material identifies it as one of the group’s four hotel brands but does not provide a detailed property-by-property description.

• Contemporary hotels

  Zone by The Park

  Zone by The Park is a contemporary hotel concept operated within the Apeejay Surrendra hospitality portfolio. It extends the group beyond its flagship luxury-boutique positioning, although the supplied reference does not specify its full service model or launch history.

• Hotels

  Zone Connect by The Park

  Zone Connect by The Park is a further hotel format in the group’s brand architecture. It forms part of the broader portfolio described as covering owned and leased properties across Indian cities.

• Restaurant

  Atrium

  Atrium is a restaurant at The Park Chennai. Its menu was associated with Italian chef Antonio Carluccio and was included by Forbes in 2006 among India’s ten most expensive restaurants.

• 2002

  Expansion into ChennaiStrategy

  Background

  After adding properties in Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, New Delhi, and Bangalore, the group pursued further metropolitan expansion.

  Action taken

  The Park Chennai was commissioned.

  Aftermath

  The group broadened its southern India presence and added a property recognized for its food-and-beverage offering.

  Source

• 2000

  Support for Jantar Mantar restorationStrategy

  Background

  The Park New Delhi became involved with the conservation of the historic Jantar Mantar observatory, built in 1724.

  Action taken

  The hotel entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Archaeological Survey of India for restoration-related work.

  Aftermath

  The initiative connected the hotel brand with the preservation of an important New Delhi heritage site.

  Source

• 2000

  Expansion into BangaloreStrategy

  Background

  The group continued expanding its flagship hotel network into major Indian metropolitan markets.

  Action taken

  The Park Bangalore was added to the portfolio, with design by Terence Conran.

  Aftermath

  The opening strengthened the brand’s presence in southern India and reinforced its design-led positioning.

  Source

1. 1The Park Hotelsen.wikipedia.org