Mumbai gets its first 'Floating Hotel'

Mumbai: Dining is no longer going to be conventional, as the megapolis got its first floating hotel – ‘AB Celestial’ – where one can enjoy a relaxing evening in the backdrop of the iconic Bandra -Worli sea link.

This new theme hotel is docked at the Maharashtra Maritime Board’s jetty at Bandra under the Bandra-Worli Sea link, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) said in a release.

This luxury floating hotel was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis yesterday.

The concept is conceived by WB International Consultants (the founder of AB Celestial) in association with MTDC and Maharashtra Maritime Board.

The AB Celestial is designed and imported from the US, having three-tier luxury dining floatel with a sky deck, two galleys and a capacity to accommodate a minimum of 660 guests across four tiers, it said.

The floatel, mainly targeted at affluent and foreign tourists, also houses two multi-cuisine restaurants including a club lounge equipped with a 24-hour coffee shop.

Earlier, the floatel was launched in 2014, by then state tourism minister Chhagan Bhujbal, but could not open to public due to issues over permissions.

Currently in India, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have floating hotels. Globally cities like New York, Dubai, Hong Kong, Saigon in Vietnam have floating restaurants.