Category Archives: Travel

Man who cycled 20,000 km across India suggests recycling waste is way forward

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology, Sports, Travel
Abhishek Kumar Sharma has submitted his findings with the Centre (TOI Photo)
Abhishek Kumar Sharma has submitted his findings with the Centre (TOI Photo)

Aligarh :

The year will end on a “clean” note for 28-year-old Abhishek Kumar Sharma, a research student of environment at Kanpur University, who began a journey on bicycle in November 2014 to endorse Prime Minister Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Sharma completed the trip on December 22 and has staggering numbers and remarkable insights to talk about.

Sharma covered 20,000 km across 25 states, met chief ministers of 18 (Kerala was the best experience as CM Chandy was readily available), interacted with 402 district magistrates and addressed lakhs of students in over 200 lectures on environment and cleanliness.

Sharma submitted his findings with the Union urban development ministry on ‘How to Make Waste our Wealth’. The first seven days were tough: starting from Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, he battled cold in December, January and faced extreme heat in May-June in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

In Sharma’s opinion, with sensible solid waste management one can make wealth out of waste. “Mysore is the cleanest city. They have a self-sustainable model of waste management wherein they segregate waste as organic, inorganic, and recyclable. Kachra or junk goes to kabadiwallahs, organic waste is used for bio-fertilizers. I think South India is cleaner than North India,” he said.

Also, on his journey around India he found villages cleaner than cities. “This means educated people litter their surroundings expecting someone to pick it up,” he said. A village in Punjab, which has the same sarpanch for the past 15 years, is mentioned by him because the sarpanch invented interesting ways to keep his surroundings clean and healthy. “He made a biogas plant for all to use free of cost,” Sharma said.

The Smart Cities plan can only be successful if surroundings are clean and waste is managed effectively. “Municipal corporations should go beyond dumping waste – from one site to another, honestly that is all they do. To be able to make wealth out of waste they should segregate waste as organic, inorganic, recyclable and so on and put them to use accordingly.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Eram Agha, TNN / December 28th, 2015

Bird watching festival organised in Kanpur zoo, 741 migratory birds sighted

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel
Painted storks at Kanpur Zoo - TOI photo
Painted storks at Kanpur Zoo – TOI photo

Kanpur :

For the first time a bird watching festival was organised by Kanpur zoo on Friday wherein the birders, nature lovers and the visitors were given a unqiue experience of witnessing the zoo lake and its catchment area. The idea behind the festival was to enable the people to see a number of migratory birds nesting on the trees in the lake area. The unique festival had been organised by Kanpur zoo under the aegis of Social Forestry department on the instructions of the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The visitors to the zoo were an amazed lot to see colonies of a number of birds on the tree tops. A total of 741 birds were spotted in the lake area which belonged to 44 different species. The different bird kind included Pied Kingfisher, orange headed thrush, painted storks, little egret, great cormorant, open bill stork, black headed ibis, waterhen, whistling teal, grey hornbill to name a few.

Chief Conservator of Forest, Kanpur division, KR Yadav on the occasion said that Kanpur zoo is a natural place with a distinguished lake which attracts a number of migratory birds each year. He said that the way pollution is rising in the city there is no place left for these birds here except the lush green and natural look alike jungle area in Kanpur zoo which attract birds towards it every year.

Kanpur zoo director, Deepak Kumar said that a total of 741 birds were spotted belonging to 44 different species which in itself is a record. He said that not only the number of the birds spotted was huge but also their varieties were witnessed in a big number.

On this occasion, a number of school children participated and they saw the birds chirping and making sound. The children were guided to the lake area and shown the entire lake. The two watching towers on this purpose were used to witnessing and capturing birds. The bird lovers made use of their high-tech cameras to capture the birds and each of their little activities. The children also had the best of their time as they picnicked in the woods and close to the lake in the presence of their teachers and the forest officers.

District Forest Officer Ram Kumar on the occasion said that the children had been given the access in the Safari area which has lake to make them aware about the birds and their species.

Zoo vets Dr RK Singh, Dr UC Srivastava, Dr Mohd Nasir were present who guided the students and explained them about the birds.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kanpur / by Abhinav Malhotra, TNN / December 04th, 2015

5 Agra monuments in India’s top 10 frequented by foreigners

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Agra:

Just the city of Agra and its close neighbour Fatehpur Sikri have five of the top 10 monuments in the country that are most visited by foreign tourists.

Replying to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma said Taj Mahal alone has 23% share of foreign tourists travelling to India. Agra Fort got 12% in 2014. He added that foreign exchange earnings through tourism in India during 2012, 2013 and 2014 stood at Rs 94,487 crore, Rs 1,07,671 crore and Rs 1,23,320 crore respectively.

The minister dismissed claims that the tourism industry had witnessed a decline compared to the last few years. “On the contrary”, he said, “foreign tourists’ arrival growth rate in India has more than doubled between 2012 (4.3%) and 2014 (10.2%). In 2013, it was a mere 5.9%.

In terms of exact numbers, a total of 6.58 million tourists visited India in 2012, which increased to 6.97 million in 2013 and 7.68 million in 2014.

Citing Archaeological Survey of India’s data on foreign tourist arrival at centrally-protected monuments in 2014, Sharma said Taj Mahal with 6.4 lakh visitors, Agra Fort with 3.43 lakh and Qutub Minar with 2.76 lakh were the top three tourist destinations in the country.

The other three monuments of Agra which featured in the top 10 list are Fatehpur Sikri (5th position), Akbar’s tomb (8th) and Itimad-ud daula (10th).

To another query on carbon pollution around the Taj Mahal, the minister said that the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) Authority has banned entry of Euro-I model, petrol/diesel-operated auto loader vehicles from July 31 to reduce vehicular pollution in the vicinity of the Taj. He added that TTZ Authority has also decided to convert petrol/diesel-operated commercial vehicles to CNG. So far, 34,302 vehicles have been converted to CNG in Agra, he said.

However, though the Taj Mahal still remains at the top of the most-visited monuments in the country, there has been a constant fall in the number of foreign visitors to the 17th century monument in the last three years. There were 7.9 lakh visitors from abroad to the Taj in 2012. But the number came down to 7.4 lakh in 2013, further dipping to 6.4 lakh in 2014.

Prior to 2012, the average foreign tourist footfall at the world heritage building had been increasing at a rate of 10-15% per annum. In 2010, 6.1 lakh foreigners had visited the Taj. The number went up to 6.7 lakh in 2011 and further to 7.9 lakh in 2012.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / Aditya Dev, TNN / December 02nd, 2015

India’s first Elephant ambulance bringing Mia and Sita, the female jumbos rescued from Tamil Nadu circus,to Mathura.

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Travel

Agra :

After spending decades in the circus, Mia and Sita were rescued by wildlife SOS under their circus elephant rescue mission, coordinated by union government, on Sunday. The two female jumbos are currently traveling in India’s first modern custom designed elephant ambulance and will be sent to Elephant Conservation & Care Center in Mathura.

The female elephants, “Mia” and “Sita” are the 6th and 7th circus elephants to be rescued in the year since the Centre has teamed up with animal rescue organization Wildlife SOS to rescue captive elephants being illegally used for circus performances, as part of its project to check maltreatment of wild animals. Wildlife SOS was instrumental in the release of Raju, the elephant who cried after being released from a life of chains after 50 years, and has collaborated with the government against the practice of using bears for dance performances. The organization is partner with the government to save 67 captive elephants from across the country, starting with 17 in the first phase that started in November, 2014.

This rescue also marks the inaugural trip of the Wildlife SOS’s new elephant ambulance – the first modern elephant ambulance in India with automatic electric hydraulic ramp, showers, dual power supply, dedicated room for the veterinary team with washing and treatment preparation area. This vehicle was designed to make transporting rescued elephants safer and more comfortable for the elephants.

Geeta Seshamani, Co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said, “With the addition of Mia and Sita to the herd, we have now rescued more than 10% of all the elephants that remained in India’s circuses when our circus elephant campaign began about one year ago. We are proud of this progress, but are committed to see this campaign through to the end, when we can say that no more elephants are suffering in India’s circuses.”

Earlier rescue operations required Wildlife SOS to hire trucks that were not specially equipped to deal with elephant rescues which made transport unsafe, challenging and inefficient.

Shreekant Upadhyay, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, UPFD said, “I am very happy that Wildlife SOS’s dedicated team is travelling across India to Tamil Nadu to save these elephants. Our Forest department congratulates Wildlife SOS with the success of this operation. ”

Initiatives to protect the elephant are not recent. In 1992, the ministry of environment and forests launched Project Elephant, designed to help elephants both wild and captive. In 1998, the central ministry banned the use of wild animals like tigers, bears, leopards, lions and monkeys in circuses. The elephant joined that list recently. The Animal Welfare Board of India has issued show-cause notices to circuses found lacking in animal welfare and documented maltreatment of elephants.

Both Mia and Sita, in their 50s will reach to elephant care and conservation centre Mathura on Wednesday. While Mia, the more spirited of the two, is developing a cataract in her eyes. She has significant, painful inflammation in both hind feet, as well as abscesses in her toenails – all of which contribute to making her gait severely abnormal.

Sita, the one who is more mild and mannered is also no less in need of veterinary intervention. Her right front leg never healed properly from an old fracture and is fused so she cannot bend it. Her left front leg is hyper extended, putting pressure on her foot, which has led to nail cracks and abscesses. Because of these problems, she has likely not been able to lie down and rest properly in more than a year.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Environment> Flora & Fauna / by Ishita Mishra, TNN / November 23rd, 2015

This 62-yr-old covered 1,000 miles inside 24 hours

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports, Travel

Agra:

When Suresh Pal Singh took his first long distance trip on a motorcycle from Agra to Kolkata on a Royal Enfield motorcycle at the age of 19, little did he realize that his passion for riding would make him set a record 43 years later. Meet 62-year-old Singh, a retired mechanical engineer, who has become one of the very few senior citizens from the country to have accomplished the “Saddle Sore” endurance ride, certified by the Iron Butt Association of USA. This competition requires a motorcyclist to cover 1,000 miles (1,610 km) in less than 24 hours.

Astride his Royal Enfield 500, he commenced his ride on October 10 from Agra at 10pm. He traversed the Yamuna Expressway, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur Ajmer, Beawar, Pali and Dingai, before returning by the same route to arrive at the start point on October 11 at 8:40 in the evening. He travelled the requisite 1,000 miles in less than 23 hours, stopping only for fuel and nourishment every 250-300 km during the course of the ride.

“As per my calculation, I was aiming to complete this challenge in less than 22 hours, but for a traffic jam at Gurgaon and refueling problem in Rajasthan,” said S P Singh, adding that he will now be pursuing for Limca Book of Records as well.

The Saddle Sore challenge conducted by the Iron Butt Association is a strong group of 50,000 toughest motorcycle riders worldwide, who share their experience on safe long distance motorcycle riding.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / TNN / October 15th, 2015

In Lucknow to trace their roots, love for India

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Lucknow :

He is not an Indian but a part of India always lived inside Noel Gunther. In fact, the desire to see ‘Charbagh’ grew with this Briton in mid 50s. On Saturday, his dream came true and the ‘happiness of its achievement’ rolled down his eyes as tears.

Overwhelmed with joy, Noel said, “I could feel the warmth of my grandfather’s love in the air.” Noel represents a group of some 1.2 million non-Indians surely in love with India brought together by London based ‘Families in British India Society (FIBIS) a not for profit organization started in 1998. Accompanied by 15 others, Noel reached India to trace his roots in September.

“Charbagh was the workplace of my grand-father Robert Upshon who worked as electrician in Indian Railways and stayed in Lucknow in the 1920s – the formative years of Charbagh Railway Station,” he said.

Trustee of FIBIS, Elaine MacGregor who headed the group said, “Ancestors of all FIBIS members have a common heritage emanating from India. Their forefathers have worked or lived in cities of Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Meerut among others in years between 1600 and 1947 AD.”

So far, the group has covered Delhi, Meerut, Amritsar, Dharmshala and Shimla. After Lucknow, they would travel to Kanpur, Bithoor, Agra and Jaipur before leaving in the coming week. “While other places are important, Lucknow stands out because a large chunk of people who visited India are connected to it,” Elaine told TOI.

“Lucknow’s importance may be gauged from the fact that one-third of all queries received by FIBIS are related to it,” she added. In Lucknow, the group would pay a visit to La Martiniere and Residency on Sunday morning besides having a brief walk in Hazratganj.

Like Noel, other members in the group are also very sure of their Indian connection. Some of them have done individual researches to establish their links. Noel for instance had Baptism record of his aunt who was born in Lucknow.

Others relied on FIBIS which ‘joins the dots’ for British in love with India with the help of references. “We have a name data base of 1.28 million members extracted from hundreds of documents including East India Company Parish Registers, Newspapers, Directory of British residents in India, old books, photographs and diaries,” said Elaine.

Besides reclaiming one’s history and origin and answering ‘who do you think you are?’ the journey is a nostalgic experience to most. Twenty year old Mark, youngest member in the group says that decided to explore a country they are so passionate about while Penny from Brisbane wanted to see her alma mater – the La Martiniere Girls College once again.

A secondary aim is to document condition of British cemeteries in India. Valmay, who is compiling the report said, “Many cemeteries are overgrown and missing. But there are some positive stories as well as in case of Shimla where a local pastor has volunteered to save cemetery.”

Two other groups starting from Bengaluru and Kolkata would come in the subsequent weeks.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Shailve Sharda, TNN / October 11th, 2015

Maharajas’ Express bags global luxury award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Allahabad :

Maharaja Express, the luxury train that offers royal tour on five routes, including Agra and Varanasi, was recently conferred the coveted ‘Seven Star Global Luxury Award’ in Indonesia. The award, launched in 2013, is given for excellence in the field of hospitality. The train is operated by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

Maharajas’ Express beat internationally renowned luxury trains like The Deccan Odyssey (India), the Rocky Mountaineer (Canada), Rovos Rail (South Africa) and other brands such as Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, Bali Food Safari and the Luxury Charter Yacht to win the award.

It also has the distinction of being voted as ‘The World’s Leading Luxury Train’ at The World Travel Awards for three consecutive years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

North-Central Region (NCR) public relations manager Pradeep Dutta said, “By bagging the Seven Star Luxury Award, Maharajas’ Express has cemented its brand and reputation as ‘The World’s Leading Luxury Train’. It is truly a special award that will bolster the reputation of the train internationally.”

Maharajas’ Express currently runs on five circuits across north-west and central India, covering a dozen destinations, mainly in Rajasthan, between the tourist months of October and April.

The Luxury Tour Circuits on wheels, allows one to explore exotic locales including trip to one of the largest dinosaur fossil parks at Balasinor with opportunity to meet one of the Indian royal family, a trip to erotic temples of Khajuraho, to participate in the exhibition elephant polo match at Jaipur, cocktail & barbeque sundowner on the sand dunes at Bikaner, champagne breakfast overlooking the immortal beauty of the Taj Mahal in Agra and boat trip on the Ganges at the Holy City of Varanasi.

Since its inaugural run in 2010, Maharajas’ Express has been redefining elegance and opulence, luxury and comfort, recreating lifestyle of the princely era and showcasing Incredible India.

All its carriages are equipped with an array of top notch facilities such as live television, DVD player and wifi. All coaches are equipped with individual temperature control, attached bathroom and water filtration plant. Besides round-the-clock valet service and a paramedic is available throughout the journey.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Ashraf Jamal, TNN / September 29th, 2015

On foot and two wheels, city finds its legacy

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Luknow :

Nearly 200 citizens took part in Lucknow Heritage Walk-Kaiserbagh and Lucknow On Cycle (LOC), organised on the occasion of World Tourism day by the state department of tourism along with The Times of India and NBT with support from NGO Itihas which is working in the field of heritage conservation. Old and the young evinced special interest to know more about Lucknow.

Major General R S Malave who participated in the cycling event termed it as a good and timely beginning. “We are trying to create a similar heritage circuit in Lucknow Cantonment, which has heritage buildings such as Dilkusha and will co-ordinate with the district administration for the project,” said Malave.

Retired bank employee P K Shinde was of the view that such events must be held at frequent intervals. Shinde said, “Cycling on roads of Lucknow and on a Sunday was a fantastic experience. There were many things we came to know. Such events will help even tourists and visitors learn something about the city.” Ramkrishna from Hyderabad, along with Telugu speaking Lucknowites Satish and Satya Narayan said, “The Biryani link between Hyderabad and Lucknow is there, but events like this would attract people from far and wide.”

Conducting the walk, Smita Vats highlighted the cooling features of Taikhana. Meanwhile, a monkey hopped from a banyan tree and sat on a participant’s cycle for five minutes, giving all opportunity click pictures.

Buoyed by the availability of cycle tracks, Lucknow district administration is mulling some in Old City, especially in the Hussainabad area. District magistrate Raj Shekhar said, “We are proposing cycle tracks around Bada Imambara, Chhota Imambara, Clock Tower, Picture Gallery, KGMU, Tile Wale Masjid, etc. Once the cycle track is in place, Hussainabad Trust will start a free cycle kiosk with 100 bicycles for tourists at Bada Imambara, free of cost for 2-3 hours on deposit of photocopy of ID card.”

The DM went to Bada and Chhota Imambaras, Clock Tower, Rumi Gate, Satkhanda and Kaiserbagh. The DM said such events should be made a part of Lucknow’s annual tourism calendar. “It was a ride of around 6-7 kilometres. It was a great fun and also rare learning experience for us. It is a healthy tourism practice which will save lot of time, parking space and have added health advantage. But it needs more coordination with tourist police, co-ordination with LMC, traffic police, an escort vehicle with loud hailer and need of cycle track in the above areas. Once stabilised it will be a special attraction of Lucknow tourism,” the DM added.

Cold, filtered water 500 litres each at Bara and Chhota Imambara and 200 litres at Picture Gallery are also being planned. DG tourism Amrit Abhijat complained about the lack of cleanliness on Kaiserb

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / September 28th, 2015

UP Tourism Department to put Draupadi’s home town on the tourism map of the state

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department is collaborating with the Draupadi Dream Trust to put the Draupadi’s home town Kampilya in Uttar Pradesh on the tourism map of the state.

Neera Misra who is a resident of that area and has been carrying out a extensive research on Draupadi for the past several years said that they have already sent a proposal to the UP Tourism Department for the formation of the Kampliya-Sankisa Heritage Development Board for its development.

A senior Tourism official while talking to “The Pioneer” said that the the proposal for the Board has been sent to the various Government Departments for NOC. “After receiving the NOC from the various departments it will be sent for approval for the next cabinet” he said.

Neera Misra who has actively mooted for the project said that this it is necessary to highlight Draupadi who was the first iconic women who spoke against the prevalent traditions and was a great inspiration for women empowernment.

She said that the main aim of the exercise was to recognize the enhancement of the status of girls and women of this region, and UP as a whole and bringing positive change in attitude towards women “In the words o Ram Manohar Lohia –“If I have to Choose between Sita and Draupadi, I would always look upon Draupadi as the ideal woman. It is very important to highlight Draupadi” she said.

Giving a brief history of the place she said that Farrukhabad is under Kanpur Commissioner and formed part of erstwhile rich Panchala Janapada mentioned in ancient Texts which comprised of Kanpur, Farukhabad, Bareilly Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Etah, Etawah Mainpuri, Rampur districts.

She said that Draupadi’s Kampilya was now a kasba in Tehshil kaimganj and has as a Nationally Protected site of ASI

“If we talk about the highlights of Kampilya there is Kapil Muni’s ‘Tapasya Sthal’ and Kampilvasini Mandir, Rameshwar Mandir (Shiv linga) established by Shatrughana and Lakshmana, Kaleshwar Mandir established by Draupad. It was visited by Buddha, Chinese Traveler Fa-Hein and Alexzendar Cunningham, Surveyer General of ASI” she said.

She said that as per the Development Plans Phase I, II they had proposed DPR – Infrastructure Development to Develop Farrukhabad (U.P.) as Tourism Destination. As per the Development Proposal Phase II they have proposed Creation of Yajna-Kunda on Vedic lines, renovation of ancient temples

“We have proposed the creation of Panchal Cultural Heritage University for Vedic studies, Buddhist and Jain studies, Ayurvedic Centre, Food Technology and Fashion Technology “ she said.

In the Development Proposal Phase II (contd.) they have proposed the establishment of Draupadi Museum (at Kampilya)– Diorama, facilities for showing Mahabharata – Panchala history and Culture of Ancient to British Period through Art, Artifacts and Interactive Information Technology including a cultural journey like Akshardham Temple Delhi.

“We have also proposed establishment of Food Park to popularlize and conserve agro heritage , Charak Memorial Ayurvedic Center for health care management, Annual Panchala Mahotsav – Cultural and Trade Promotion Festival with Draupadi Samman Award ceremony for women empowerment” she said.

Neera said that there were various misconceptions regarding Draupadi, “She was the Princess of Panchala Kingdom, and thus called Panchali and not because she had five husbands. Draupadi, did not emerge out of the fire, but was born to the Queen of Panchala Kingdom, after King Drupad performed the Fire Sacrifice ritual to beget a warrior child. Few realize the intense emotional turmoil Draupadi experienced when her mother-in-law asked her to take five Pandav as husbands. But she converted a challenge into an opportunity, to emerge a victor of gender parity” she said.

“She was the first ever woman to openly raise her voice against injustice and inequality towards women, refusing to succumb to evil desires of men. Being a Queen, she still worked as a Hairdresser to another Queen, during exile, teaching us the dignity of labor and the value of developing the talent for self empowerment. The dialogues for women’s empowerment cannot run on western concepts. It is our classical liberated women who stand heads above all as examples who lived the most progressive lives and took decisions that established gender equality” she said.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / Daily Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / by Sharmila Krishna, Lucknow / Thursday – September 10th, 2015

Renaissance hotels debuts in North India by launching first hotel in Lucknow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Renaissance Hotels, a hotel brand known around the world for helping the next generation of business travelers to discover unexpected cultural experiences has announced the opening of its first hotel in North India, in the city of Lucknow. With 16 floors and 112 stylish rooms, it is the tallest hotel to open in Lucknow and offers stunning views of the Gomti River and the city’s landscape.

Renaissance Lucknow Hotel is the brand’s second hotel in India after almost 14 years, with the first Renaissance hotel being based out of Mumbai city. On its launch, Rajeev Menon, Chief Operating Offer – Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), Marriott International said, “Lucknow is fast emerging as a cultural and business hub in Uttar Pradesh and makes for the perfect location for a Renaissance Hotel. Renaissance Hotels is a global, lifestyle hospitality brand that seeks to inspire and provoke its guests to discover something new and different each and every time they visit.”

The Renaissance Lucknow Hotel features a contemporary design that is juxtaposed against the heritage background of Lucknow. The centrally located hotel provides easy access to business hubs as well as popular leisure destinations in the city. The Renaissance Lucknow Hotel has 96 tastefully appointed rooms and 16 suites that offer modern luxury to guests.

The hotel features a variety of dining options that include international cuisine all day dining restaurant, the Awadhi specialty fine dining restaurant, the hotel patisserie that specializes in freshly baked pastries, sandwiches, cakes and brewed coffee and a poolside bar located on the 16th floor offering exquisite wines, cheese boards and an exclusive range of International beverages. Leisure facilities at the hotel also include a well-equipped fitness centre, a yoga studio and a rooftop infinity pool and Jacuzzi.

Conveniently located in Lucknow city centre, the hotel offers extensive facilities for social events and meetings. Spread over 26,000 sq ft, the versatile indoor and outdoor space features the Renaissance Hotels signature R.E.N. meetings program, designed to bring live entertainment and the best of the local destination to business and social gathering. “The Renaissance Lucknow Hotel brings a modern, new face of hospitality to Lucknow and is sure to set benchmarks in the city,” said Rahul Maini, General Manager, Renaissance Lucknow Hotel.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Priyanka Singh, TNN / September 11th, 2015