DHAKA: State-owned five-star hotel Rupshi Bangla is going be closed for over one year due to renovation works from Monday.

Besides, the hotel will be reopened on January 2016 being re-branded by Inter-Continental Hotels Group (IHG), the group who left the hotel in 1983, said authorities concerned.

Sources said the renovation works will begin on September 1, and valuable furniture will be auctioned there.

Reopening of the hotel may be deferred due to delay in the renovation works, said the authorities.

A big-size display of plan of the renovated hotel has been exhibited on the hotel lobby, which shows the after-renovation ‘Inter-Continental’ hotel’s structure, its exterior and interior, including rooms, meeting rooms and hall rooms.

Hotel management authorities said, two international seminars of the US Energy Association and the high officials of the D-8 countries’ tourism ministries were held lastly.

Several programs remain booked to be held on August 31, the day before the closure.

Meanwhile, regular local and foreign customers have been informed by letter about the hotel closure,

At present, the hotel has 272 guest rooms; those had a fair of $100 to $150. On Monday, 152 people were staying at the hotel; majority of them will leave the hotel before 31 August.

It had seven presidential suits of 1,350 square foot each with the minimum fare of $500.

Curtain will be closed after giving a ceremonial farewell to those, who will stay at the hotel on Monday       

Following the renovation works, the quality and the area and of guest rooms will be increased. As a result, the number will deceases to 226 and the area will increase to 40 square meters whereas the lowest area of the present guest room is 28 square meters.

An agreement on renovation works was signed between the hotel management authority, state-owned Bangla Service Limited (BSL), singed and the IHG on 2019.

The renovation works is going to begin under the agreement. It was scheduled to begin on July 2013, which was delayed for the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 event.

The possible cost on the renovation works has been estimated by Tk 400 crores. BSL will finance it through bank loan.

Opened on 1966, the hotel is located at Shabagh in the city on a land of four acres. Since then, IHG ran the hotel till 1983 followed by a take over by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc as Sheraton Dhaka Hotel on 1984.

Starwood left the hotel on 2011 and sate-owned BSL took over the hotel management, re-branding it as ‘Rupshi Bangla’.

BDST: 1150 HRS, AUG 27, 2014