Home / NEWS / Hospitality Trends / Australian architects CSA increases Indian focus

Designed by CSA, Westin Mumbai opened last month.

Australian interior architect firm Chhada Siembieda Australia (CSA), which has recently completed a number of hospitality projects in India, sees lots of potential to grow in this market.

“India is certainly on top of our list. We have consciously made a decision to focus on the Indian market because we enjoy working here and there is plenty of scope for innovation,” said Rick Whalley, principal, CSA.

The Starwood-recommended architect firm has done the Westin Sohna Resort and Spa, Gurgaon; Westin Mumbai Garden City; and Westin Hyderabad Mindspace. It is also doing the Westin Delhi Gurgaon and Park Hotel Hyderabad, which will be launched this year, as well as the Crowne Plaza Pune and Westin Jaipur projects.

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“We have excellent working partnerships with hotel project developers in India and our objective is to strengthen and expand the relationships by creating hotels that richly reward the developer’s bottom line,” Whalley added.

The company is looking at opening an India office soon and also considering tying up with local firms for documentation work.

Whalley said there is a growing demand for contemporary designs in hospitality sector, and that Australian designs are receiving much prominence in India.

“Australian design has become a tour de force in India as an exciting alternative to the traditional American heritage and European classical approaches, and we bring a fresh approach for sophisticated, well-travelled guests,” he added.

Whalley, who had recently visited the Westin Mumbai Garden City, said that it was a challenge to do this particular job since it was not traditionally designed as a hotel; the developers decided to convert an office building into a mixed-use property.

“One of the most important tasks was separation of traffic for both office staff and hotel guests. We also had to look at separating the internal traffic so that it does not affect the smooth functioning of the office as well as hotel,” he said.

With a strong practice built over 25 years, CSA has done over 100 projects for international hotel chains which include Hyatt, Regent, Westin, W-Hotels, Sheraton, Hilton, Intercontinental, Le Meridien, Marriott, and the Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa.