It’s been a successful one year and it feels good when you realise something you dreamed of has turned out just the way you planned it, says Nikhil Kapur, GM, Ista on the hotel’s first anniversary in the City.
Catering to the business class of Bangalore’s elite IT and ITES sectors, the response here, according to Nikhil, has been positive. “Bangalore had to be our first choice and from our brand perspective, it was a destination that would be great. We believe in catering to the local flavour and tune ourselves to the needs of the people who walk in to our hotel. And that is where our uniqueness lies.”
Among the many services the hotel provides, a distinctive feature is the method adopted while taking food orders at restaurants. Called the kneel-down service, a person who waits on any table at Ista will kneel on one leg and take the orders from customers and this, Nikhil explains is drawn from the Indian tradition. “In India, we always look up at guests and this service is just a way of respecting our customers,” he says.
The hotel  has also taken steps to do its bit for the environment. “We have adopted rain water harvesting and the water collected is used for numerous plants and trees on our property. With the proposed Metro Rail project right outside our hotel, several trees had to be brought down. We helped relocate some of them into our premises,” shares Nikhil.
As part of the celebrations, the hotel will be hosting an event-filled evening for guests at their restaurants — Lido and Zaman — as well as their lounge bar — Liquid.
Lido is all set to host a four-course international cuisine (with an Indian touch, adds Nikhil), while Zaman will dish out an elaborate North Indian meal. “Along with wine and dine, the evening also promises to be entertaining with dance performances at Lido and an interactive supper theatre at Zaman. Liquid will have a DJ, a percussionist and a flair bartender to entertain customers,” says Nikhil.
“We are a young hotel with a young team and always attempt at working differently from others. We believe we are an international hotel with an Indian heart and hope to take that forward to our future hotels and brands as well,” says Nikhil adding that the Ista brand will open in Hyderabad’s Electronic City this August and move to other cities sometime in the future.