- The colonial hotel had played host to towering personalities and offering gracious hospitality to guests.
- The majestic colonial structure, bearing the legacy of the heritage hotel of the bygone era, is a favored destination of many.
- BNR Hotel, Puri is operated by IRCTC, which is a Central Govt. PSU, wholly owned by Govt. of India.
Puri (Kalinga Voice) -The BNR hotel, Puri has a Victorian Architecture. The term Victorian architecture refers not to a particular style but to an era—the reign of Queen Victoria over the United Kingdom of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. This hotel which is arc shaped, has huge arcs through the entire expanse of the verandah. The arc-shaped frames made of wooden plates have shown no sign of decay even after so many years. The reception desk is made of mahogany wood. The lobby houses multiple sets of olden-days black-wood cushioned chairs. The flooring is laid with red cement which is still intact in both the floors. Larger than life black and white photographs of those including Jaquelin Kennedy, Rajaji and Pandit Nehru hang on the walls.
The serpentine wooden staircase takes one to reach the first floor. The corridor is in an arc shape too from one end to the other. The huge arc patio with white-cushioned cane chairs remains a major attraction for all guests. With a cup of tea in hand and watching the roaring sea, it offers the best possible spectacle of the ocean.
Rooms are generously proportioned. A table of mahogany and a chair of rose-wood welcomes the visitor. There is a small ebony cabinet towards the end of the room which precedes the bathroom that combines modernity and tradition in its décor. The furniture is of vintage design. The bulbs have changed but the row of arc-shaped lampshades fixed on the walls with geometrical precision is the same one which once used to soothe the evenings of Fosters or Kenneths. Till recently, the service boys in this majestic resort wore outfits that combined Indian grace and English hospitality wearing milky-white pyjamas gowns rimmed with brown strips down to the knees.
BNR Hotel, Puri was the first building in the state of Odisha having RCC Roof. In October 1925 an amount worth Rs 1.84 lakh was sanctioned for carrying out alteration to make Ashworth Villa worthy of a good hotel. In 1925, the hotel became operational with C Stoner as its first manager. BNR carried out hotel expansion in 1938 under the able supervision of railway engineer E J Zachuk and the work was executed by Calcutta based Britannia and Burn company. Till independence no natives were allowed into the hotel except the ICS officials. During the Second World War, the Hotel was borrowed from the Railway by Army and the same was opened as a resort for Army Officers above the rank of Captain till it was handed over to BNR again after the War. The hotel got heritage status in 1998.
In the 1960s, John Kenneth Galbraith, the then US Ambassador to India, decided to visit Puri. He was put up at BNR Hotel. Manager of the Hotel got to know that he was nearly seven feet. One day before his arrival, Hotel Manager arranged with the local IOW to cut up two hotel beds and make one big-size bed for Ambassador Galbraith. Amazed at the attention to detail, the ambassador was overwhelmed, lauded the staffs in his appreciation. This was the BNR Hotel Service and spirit.
BNR catering was the ultimate choice for the hospitality of visiting high dignitaries and royalty travelling by special trains. The elite of Calcutta would visit the hotel in the holiday season like Pooja & Christmas and book the same rooms they stayed in their previous visits. They would want the same Nulleah who took them swimming in the Bay of Bengal and the same waiter who served them. Such grand loyalty was the result of extraordinary cuisine and personalized service the staff provided, spoiling their guests silly.
It continued to a very popular get away for holiday goers which included Kings & Queens, film makers, authors, journalists, Maharajas, and a host of other distinguished guests who visited this place time and again for generations to savour its old world charm, sylvan surrounding and legendary hospitality. Over the years, the visitor’s list included many eminent personalities like film maker Satyajit Ray, music maestro Sachin Dev Burman, US Ambassador J. K. Galbraith, the then Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Prince Schwarzenberg of Austria, former Chief Ministers of Odisha Sh Biju Patnaik, and Sh Janaki Ballav Patnaik, Justice Ranganath Mishra, famous writer Nirad Choudhry, Indira Gandhi, former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and many more.
