India-headquartered Gokulam Group of companies, a business conglomerate having diverse operations, has opened their first overseas business venture, with a four-star luxury business hotel in Doha. The 42-year-old Chennai-based business group’s Gokulam Park Doha hotel started functioning, near Foreign Ministry annex in Doha’s Old Salata area a few days ago. Speaking to Gulf Times on behalf of the group’s chairman and prominent Indian businessman A M Gopalan, popularly known as “Gokulam” Gopalan, one of its senior officials said the new 72-room premium hotel heralded the arrival of their fast-growing group in Qatar. As part of their business expansion in Qatar, the official said their group would set up another five-star hotel and a resort in the next few years. They are also exploring possibilities to set up hotels in neighbouring GCC states, he said. The new hotel, operated in a 13-storey state-of-the-art building on the Museum Road, has 38 executive suites, 34 well-groomed rooms, business centre, conference hall, swimming pool, multi-equipment fitness centre, barbeque grill and shisha, pool side bar, lounge bar, steam room and sauna, and multi-cuisine restaurant, among other facilities. According to the official, Gokulam Park Doha could match any other hotel worth its name and is eyeing on the country’s major corporate business groups and other institutions to boost its activities in coming months. He said Gokulam Group had identified Qatar as a country with enormous potential to record good economic growth in coming years and this is one of the reasons why it has invested in the country’s growing hospitality industry. The official said the proximity to various institutions, the Doha International Airport and the new airport under construction would help the hotel attract corporate customers. As a build-up to the Ramadan, the hotel has also lined up a series of activities. A multi-national and multi-cultural staff, representing more than 15 nationalities are serving the hotel, said the group official. More nationalities would be recruited to the work force in coming months, he added. The group official said a major opening ceremony of the hotel was planned sometime later in the year. The hotel also plans to host community events of different nationalities residing in Qatar. The $1.5bn Gokulam group, which has been running a successful chit fund and related financial activities in India since 1969, made a successful foray into many other activities including hospitality, education and movie industry in the last one decade. The group runs a medical college in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district. N G Menon, who has close to four decades’ experience in the hospitality industry across the world, has taken over as the hotel’s general manager.

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