The planning and construction of The Classic Hotel began in the year 2007. On Nov 9, 2009 the hotel was commissioned for a full fledged service. Initially the first two floors were operational however, in the ensuing fifteen days the third and fourth floor became functional.
The hotel started off with around 70 employees but gradually more people were inducted to meet the man power requirement of the various departments. On June 2010, The Classic Hotel was classified as a 3 star hotel. A regular inspection is being conducted to maintain the 3 star rating.
Probably one of the biggest achievements of the hotel so far is in regards to its Food Safety and Standard Management ISO 22000:2005 – which is a privilege and nobility even amongst the three star hotels in India.
The quality check deals with food storage system, temperature, proper uniform (made of recommended material), separate kitchen knives for vegetables and non-vegetables, colour of the chopping boards etc.
Records of Visitors from Abroad
The hotel has registered a total number of about 500 foreigners in the opening year. The number doubled in the very next year and tripled in the following year, which was approximately 1500. Most of the people were on business trip. Their nature of work was related either to NGOs/Non Profit Organisation or Sports or official tour.
“The foreign tourists as per our record are almost negligible however, if the foreign nationals start visiting us, it will not only be a number game but also a continuous process as word of mouth can do wonders to convince and attract more people faster than any other medium”, says Salam Sachhidanand Singh, General Manager of The Classic Hotel.
Hotel industry has the potential to be one of the leading sources of revenue for the State. Probably the economy of the state can do a world of good with more cash inflows from such avenue. “The tourism industry work hand in hand with the hotel industry”, adds the General Manger. The fact of the matter is flourishing tourism industry could be the back bone of the Hotel Industry.
Recognisable Features of the Hotel
The hotel has 59 room altogether to accommodate guests. The types of room can be categorised into Standard, Deluxe and Suite.
Classic Standard roomis meant for a traveller seeking a budget room rate with the basic amenities. However, there are also air-conditioned room in this category with a few extra amounts.
Classic Deluxe has the maximum number of rooms with a total of 26. A tea kettle and water bottle is kept at all times for the guests.
There are also a Classic Executive Deluxe room with balcony showing a gorgeous vista of the surrounding Imphal City. This type of roomis highly recommended for a honeymoon couple.
Suite comprises the next types of room. The rooms are separated into two sections. All in all, there are 7 rooms in this category.
Classic Suite with a total number of 4 rooms offers a drawing room and a living room.
Classic Executive Suite consists of 2 rooms with a balcony each and a luxurious accommodation.
Presidential Suite epitomise the most expensive with the best features conceivable from a 3 star hotel. The amenities include a bath tub, an exclusive mini bar with non-alcoholic beverages, a drawing room, a living room, internet connectivity, TV etc.
Breakfast is complimentary for all the guests. According to the majority of feedback received from the visitors, excellent customer service is the hall mark of this organisation. The will to provide uninterrupted service is evident, when the director of the Classic Hotel, Naoba Thangjam says, “The hotel offers round the clock service”.
Conference Hall
The hotel has two separate conference hall and a board room. Most of the high profile events, meetings and parties in Imphal are held in these halls. Not to mention the Banquets which are often organised every now and then. In fact it is not farfetched to say that The Classic Hotel is ‘the most happening place in the city’.
Classic Royale has a capacity of 250 guests with an in built state of the art technology public address system and electronic presentation equipments either for a high profile meeting or for hosting an event.
Classic Regency can accommodate 70 guests to conduct a function, a conference or organise a grand party or a reception. It is fully equipped with advanced public address system and an electronic remote overhead projector complemented by a white screen for a power point presentation and a theatre.
In addition the hotel offers a facility to organise close door meetings for just about10 people. It is better known as the board room. The room caters to the high end requirement for conducting executive board meeting to hammer out important decisions.
Taking this on board the General Manager comments that, “we are not a very profit oriented organisation”. The fact is rather than maximising profit by utilising every inch of the hotel premises, the management is concerned more about the comfort, privacy and value for money.
After a brief period of time, the hotel management felt the need to provide spacious lobby with equally cosy sitting arrangement. This prompted the team to convert the Regent (former conference hall located on the ground floor) to Rita Café. This has now become a fast food joint with live music played on the weekends, particularly on Saturday and Sunday evening. It is the place to hang out – for young and adventurous crowd however, of late it is becoming a hub for fun loving people from other age groups as well.
The Classic Café located on the first floor, basically serves full course meal inclusive of local, Indian, Chinese and Continental. A light music is played at all times to keep the guests entertained whilst they wait for the order or enjoy their meal.
The Classic Hotel has also now branched out to Outdoor Catering service.
The values of the Classic Hotel is focused more on excellent customer service and impeccable quality in terms of product, hygiene, health and safety (for the guests and employees alike), secure environment, homely atmosphere and brand loyalty to all those associated with the organisation. The benchmark in hotel industry of the region is set by The Classic Hotel. The core values are governed by high standard of work ethics and culture. In fact this hotel sets the trend and strives to maintain the ideals through innovative, dedicated and disciplined work force.
For instance, in the recently concluded Sangai Festival, the team representing The Classic Hotel set up a kitchen at the fair/mela. Sitting arrangement were also organised for the comfort of the customers. The next year many food stalls followed their footsteps. The fact that a lot of people liked this ingenuity, gave the team a sense of pride and satisfaction.
Familiarity of Total Quality Management is explicit through the shared expertise and experience. As a pioneer in hospitality industry of the region, the onus of sharing skills and know-how to the huge pool of untapped human resources lie on their shoulders. Keeping this in mind, The Classic Hotel encouraged and witnessed the establishment of Classic
Hospitality Training Institute at Imphal.
On the food being served, the menu presents a repertoire of Manipuri, Indian, Chinese and Continental. Customer feedback worthy of mention is the New Zealand football team, the American music band ”Firehouse”, who visited the hotel in recent years. They bear testimony to the success and popularity in terms of excellent service and quality of food (continental) being offered to the guests.
Exotic but locally prepared food served on a banana leaf with dona (leafy bowl) amazed the foreign visitors. Based on the ratings of the hotel from the Trip Advisor, even the majority of guests from other states of India and abroad, who stayed at the hotel took back pleasant memories and experience to share. This is evident from the very good ratings being dwarfed by the excellent ratings on the Trip Advisor.
However, many a times the family visitors from outside Manipur have to cut short their stay in order to avoid impending bandhs, protests and blockades that unfortunately often bring the whole gamut of business and administrative activities of the state to a grinding halt.
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Yes , parking area is not sufficient
Right
No parking system….
Yes we need like this much more
All floors functioning well n probably earning well too. Thanks to these egocentric owners of such big hotels, shopping malls, hospitals by the roadside for creating day to day traffic chaos