Trivandrum Hotel

District:: Thiruvananthapuram

Trivandrum Hotel, positioned at the very doorstep of Kerala’s power center, the Government Secretariat, is more than its enviable street address; it’s a leading pillar of civility that offers refined accommodations merged with world class restaurants serving the finest ethnic Travancore cuisine for its discerning clientele.

History

The genesis of the building dates back to 1893 when the land and building which was being constructed was given as a wedding gift to Ms. Jane Miranda by her mother Mrs. Maria Jeswanth Norona, a Franco Indian lady. Jane married Dr. Joseph Raymond Dais, an Indian of Portuguese descent, who later became the Chief Medical Officer of Travancore. The building was then leased to the British Postal Department to function as an “Imperial post office”. In1934, Mr. B. S. Sankaran Nair started “Trivandrum Brahmins” Hotel – however it was the social magnate Late Sri KC Pillai who transformed the home-away-from-home cliché into truth for his political and literary friends. The restaurant soon became renowned for both the sumptuous ethnic Kerala food it served as well as the part it played as a host facilitating political and cultural discourse among the titans of the day. More than a hotel it was a cultural centre which played a key role in the history of Travancore city.

It gained reputation as a centre of socialization and attracted eminent guests which included political leaders like M/s C.Achuta Menon, EMS Nampoodiripad, K. Karunakaran, N.K Seshan, C.K. Mani, Kunjuraman Nambiar, DR. G. Ramachandran, A.P. Udayabhanu, M.P. Manmadhan and D. Damodaran Potti; literary giants like Sri. G. Sankara Kurup, Kuroor Neelakantan Nampoodiri, P. Kunjuraman Nair, Uroob, Vailoppilly Sreedhara Menon, Thakazhy, Kesava Dev, Kunjunni Mash, V.T. Induchoodan, S. Guptan Nair; artists like Jaya Vijayans, Vidyadharan, M.G. Radhakrishnan and Guru Gopinath; dramatists like Kainikkara Brothers, N. Krishna Pillai, T. N. Gopinathan Nair and T.R. Sukumaran Nair and spiritual leaders like Swamy Brahmavrathan, Vedabandhu and Swamy Yathi.