Mumbai gets its first floatel
Mar 11, 2017: Mumbai gets its first floating hotel, AB Celestial, in the backdrop of the iconic Bandra-Worli sea link. This new theme hotel is located at the Maharashtra Maritime Board’s jetty at Bandra under the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. WB International Consultants, the founder of AB Celestial, in association of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Maharashtra Maritime Board have opened this unique luxury floating hotel. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra inaugurated the hotel in the presence of Jaykumar Rawal, Maharashtra Tourism Minister and other dignitaries.
The AB Celestial is designed and the know-how has been imported from the USA. It is a state-of-the-art, three-tier luxury dining floatel with a sky deck, two galleys along with the capacity to accommodate a minimum of 660 guests across four tiers. AB Celestial exhibits facilities of international standards such as online booking and comfort system including snacks and dinner. The floatel also houses two multi-cuisine restaurants including a club lounge equipped with a 24-hour coffee shop.
Inaugurating AB Celestial, Fadnavis, said, “This floatel will offer a unique experience to visitors. The Government has been encouraging and supporting innovative concepts to bolster tourism potential of this city and the State. Different concepts like a floatel will definitely bring more tourists to the city and also offer distinct hospitality experience.”
Commenting on the occasion, Jaykumar Rawal, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, stated, “The Floatel concept was conceived and spearheaded by the State Tourism Department with numerous government bodies involved to make this a reality and jewel in the crown of Maharashtra. We wanted to launch more attractions in the state, and the launch of this floatel is the first step towards making Mumbai a destination for luxury travel. Maharashtra receives large number of foreign tourists in India besides many domestic affluent tourists. This Floatel will certainly become a huge attraction for the tourists.”
Chetan Bhende, Managing Director and CEO, WB International Consultants, said, “We are happy to gift this novel concept to people of Mumbai. Now, they can have a different experience of dining and hoteling. The jetty was a perfect spot to open an attraction such as AB Celestial. It provides a very good view of the Mumbai coastline and of the sea link. This is going to be history in making and I hope that it is received well by everyone.”
Photo caption: Devendra Fadnavis inaugurates Mumbai’s first floating hotel
