ITC Sonar — Indian Hospitality Magazine
Hotels Resorts

ITC Sonar

New Town's original ITC — the property that brought luxury lakeside hospitality to Kolkata

I

ITC Hotels (ITC Limited)

Founder · Est. 2002 · New Town, JBS Haldane Avenue, Kolkata

ITC Sonar opened in 2002 on JBS Haldane Avenue — the corridor connecting central Kolkata to the eastern developments around the airport and New Town. The hotel was designed around a cluster of lakes and water bodies, creating a waterfront luxury property unusual for an Indian city hotel. The landscaping incorporates Bengal's aquatic traditions — fishponds, water gardens, and lakeside walkways.

The hotel's Peshawri — ITC's frontier-cuisine concept (the sister restaurant to Bukhara in Delhi) — brought the no-cutlery, tandoor-focused dining experience to Kolkata. Eden Pavilion, the all-day restaurant, and the Pan Asian restaurant complete a dining portfolio that serves both the hotel's guests and Kolkata's dining public.

ITC Sonar's lakeside setting provides a resort quality within the city — the water bodies, gardens, and open spaces create visual and experiential distance from the urban context. Paired with the adjacent ITC Royal Bengal (opened 2019), ITC now operates a dual-property luxury campus on this eastern corridor.

ITC Sonar — additional image

“Bengal is a land of water. We built a hotel on water. The reflection is both literal and philosophical.”

What Defines ITC Sonar

Peshawri— The frontier-cuisine restaurant — sister to Bukhara (Delhi). No cutlery, tandoor preparations.
The Lakes— Man-made water bodies integrated into the hotel's landscape — creating lakefront rooms and dining.
Eden Pavilion— All-day dining with live cooking stations.
Water Gardens— Bengal's aquatic landscape tradition incorporated into hotel grounds.
ITC Dual Campus— Paired with ITC Royal Bengal — creating Kolkata's most significant hotel campus.

The Experience

The approach passes through gardens and over water — the hotel reveals itself through its landscape rather than through an imposing façade. The water is constant: visible from rooms, restaurants, and walkways. The effect is calming and distinctly Bengali.

Rated & Reviewed By

Condé Nast Traveller India · Travel + Leisure · TripAdvisor

Editorial Notes

  • The lakeside design is ITC Sonar's defining feature — studying the water integration is essential.
  • The ITC Sonar + ITC Royal Bengal dual campus is a significant hotel development model.
  • Peshawri brings Delhi's Bukhara philosophy to eastern India.
  • Recommended for hospitality students studying waterfront hotel design and dual-property campus management.

Getting There

By road: JBS Haldane Avenue, near Science City. Kolkata Airport: 20-minute drive. Taxi from central Kolkata: 30 minutes.