DilkhusOfficial at 17:35, 28 March 2026

2026-03-28T17:35:35Z

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{{Short description|Hotel in Kolkata, India}}
{{Other uses|Grand Hotel (disambiguation){{!}}Grand Hotel}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Oberoi Grand
| former_names = Grand Hotel
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| image = OberoiGrandHotelKolkata_gobeirne.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_size = 250px
| caption = The Oberoi Grand Hotel
| logo = Grand Hotel Kolkata logo.png
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| owner = [[Oberoi Hotels & Resorts]]
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| location = [[Chowringhee]], Central Kolkata
| address = 15, [[Chowringhee Road]]
| location_town = [[Kolkata]]
| location_country = [[India]]
| coordinates = {{coord|22|33|40.42|N|88|20|56.46|E|display=inline,title}}
| groundbreaking_date =
| construction_start_date = Late 19th century
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The '''Grand Hotel''', now known as the '''Oberoi Grand''', is situated in the heart of [[Kolkata]] on [[Chowringhee Road]]. It is an elegant building of [[British India|British]] era and is a famous building in Kolkata. The hotel is not owned by [[Oberoi Hotels|Oberoi chain of hotels]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manglik |first=Mr Rohit |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Introduction_to_Hotel_Business/3K8zEQAAQBAJ |title=Introduction to Hotel Business: [9789368751526] |date=2023-11-23 |publisher=EduGorilla Publication |isbn=978-93-6875-152-6 |page=21 |language=en}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Street in front of the Grand Hotel, Calcutta - LIFE.jpg|thumb|Old [[Chowringhee Road]] in front of Grand Hotel (Calcutta)|left]]
The house was converted into a boarding house by Mrs. Annie Monk who later expanded her business to include Numbers 14, 15 and 17. 16 Chowringhee was occupied by a theatre owned and managed by [[Arathoon Stephen]], an [[Armenia]]n from [[Isfahan]]. When, in 1911, the theatre burned down, Stephen bought out Mrs. Monk and, over time, redeveloped the site into what now makes up the modern hotel.<ref name="denby">{{Cite book|last=Denby|first=Elaine|title=Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion|publisher=Reaktion|date=April 2004|pages=197–198|isbn=9781861891211|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhLyGME7734C&q=%22Great+Eastern+Hotel%22+%22Spence+Hotel%22&pg=PA197}}</ref> Built in an extravagant neoclassical style, the hotel soon became a popular spot amongst the English population of Calcutta. It was known, in particular, for its annual New Year party that, along with iced champagne and expensive gifts, involved the release of twelve piglets in the ballroom. Anyone who caught a piglet, could keep it.<ref name="denby" />

In the 1930s, sometime after the death of Stephen, a typhoid epidemic in Calcutta resulted in the death of six people at the hotel. The drainage system at the hotel was suspected and it was closed in 1937. The property was leased by [[Mohan Singh Oberoi]] who reopened the hotel in 1939 and was able to buy the property outright in 1943.<ref name=denby/>

The hotel got a major lift during World War II when about 4000 soldiers were billeted there, and would party regularly. Events like the U.S. Marines' Ball at the hotel remind visitors of such times.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manglik |first=Mr Rohit |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Accommodation_Front_Office_Foundation_I/k3gzEQAAQBAJ |title=Accommodation & Front Office Foundation - I: [9789368754411] |date=2023-11-23 |publisher=EduGorilla Publication |isbn=978-93-6875-441-1 |page=32 |language=en}}</ref>{{Wide image|Grand Hotel Ad.png|200|Old advertisement of hotel}}

==Features==
[[File:Grand Hotel Calcutta (c. 1903).jpg|thumb|Grand Hotel (Calcutta) in 1930s]]The hotel features a large white building covering an entire block, colonnaded verandahs and Executed in an extravagant [[Neoclassicism|neoclassical style]], The Oberoi Grand features a full‑length portico upheld by Ionic columns, stuccoed facades, and colonnaded verandahs that wrap the upper floors.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-14 |title=Sun shines on Kolkata landmark after years, but for how long? |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sun-shines-on-kolkata-landmark-after-years-but-for-how-long/articleshow/106825929.cms |access-date=2025-07-03 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> The five‑storey block is arranged around a central light well and landscaped courtyard, ensuring natural ventilation and daylight. Inside, the ground‑floor lobby retains original mosaic flooring and teak paneling, while the Grande Ballroom with its ornate cornices, crystal chandeliers, and sprung dance floor has hosted celebrations ranging from state banquets to charity balls.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodricks |first=Tyrel |date=2017-11-22 |title=Kolkata's Oberoi Grand welcomes Threesixtythree Degrees restaurant |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/oberoi-grand-kolkata-threesixtythree-degrees-restaurant/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Architectural Digest India |language=en-IN}}</ref> The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, was honoured on 10 May 2024 with the [[Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage]]’s blue cultural plaque, recognising its century‑long heritage as the “Grande Dame of Chowringhee” and its role in Kolkata's architectural and social history<ref>{{cite news |last=ET Bureau |title=The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata Honoured with the INTACH's Blue Plaque for Cultural Significance |work=The Economic Times |date=10 May 2024 |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/hotels-/-restaurants/the-oberoi-grand-kolkata-honoured-with-the-intachs-blue-plaque-for-cultural-significance/articleshow/110018067.cms |access-date=2025-07-02}}</ref>

==Awards==
*Top Hotels in India [[Zagat Survey]], Top International Hotels, Resorts and Spas 2005
*Best Business Hotel in Asia: Nominated International Business Asia and [[CNBC]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=5 Star Hotel in Kolkata with Highest Standards of Hygiene {{!}} The Oberoi |url=https://www.oberoihotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/ |access-date=2022-07-26 |website=Oberoihotels.com}}</ref>
*Best Hotel in the Five Star Deluxe Category in Eastern India Department of Tourism, [[Government of West Bengal]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tourism.gov.in/sites/default/files/2020-02/Hotel_Guidelines_From%2019-01-2018.pdf|format=PDF|title=Hotel Guidelines From 19-01-2018|website=Tourism.gov.in|access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:OberoiGrandHotelKolkataCourtyard gobeirne.jpg|The Interior Courtyard of Grand Hotel (Kolkata)
File:First Floor Lounge - Oberoi Grand - Kolkata 2013-05-23 8235.JPG|First Floor Lounge of Grand Hotel (Kolkata)
File:Ball Room - Oberoi Grand - Hotel - Kolkata 2014-05-23 4724-4726.TIF|Ball Room of Grand Hotel (Kolkata)
File:Ball Room Lobby - Oberoi Grand - Kolkata 2013-05-23 8045.JPG|Ball Room Lobby of Grand Hotel (Kolkata)
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata}}
*[https://www.oberoihotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/ The Official site]

{{Kolkata topics}}

[[Category:Hotels in Kolkata]]
[[Category:The Oberoi Group]]

Grand Hotel Kolkata - Revision history

DilkhusOfficial at 17:35, 28 March 2026