Cricket Stars Call Chakan Hotel Home During India in Pune

PUNE, INDIA--(Marketwired - May 18, 2015) - The Indian Premier League's (IPL) 8^th season is underway, and as the excitement builds to see who will come out on top, teams are playing matches across the country. During the Pune leg of the tournament, the Kings XI Punjabi, as well as visiting teams the Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knightriders, made their home at the Courtyard Pune Chakan.

"Marriott India and IPL have had a long-standing relationship since the first season," Hemant Tenneti says, "and we were delighted to welcome the teams. Our new hotel was perfectly geared to host the cricketers and match officials."

To ensure the cricketers had privacy, guest floors of the hotel were dedicated exclusively to them, and to make them feel at ease, the hotel created a multi-purpose rec room, complete with a PlayStation, LCD TV, table tennis and Foosball, as well as full-service spa offering sports-specific treatments.

Long hotel stays can make it difficult to adhere to the strict diet of an athlete, but the Pune hotel's Executive Chef, Girish Kumar, designed in-room menus featuring high-fibre and protein-packed dishes. Of course, even the healthiest eater needs a treat, so pastry chefs created cricket-themed desserts, for guests and players alike, at the hotel's MoMo 2 Go.

Some of the Kings XI Punjab players got to play chef alongside Kumar, who hosted a cook-off with David Miller, Beuran Hendericks and Shaun Marsh. Miller whipped up a roasted chicken mustard sandwich, Hendricks baked a pizza and Marsh cooked spaghetti pomodoro. The trio surprised their teammates, and Kumar, with their culinary skills.

Delhi Daredevils stars Zaheer Khan, Imran Tahir, JP Duminy, Mayank Agarwal and Amit Mishra participated in a Spirit to Serve activity, playing a ten-over cricket match with students from the city's oldest school, Shree Shivaji Vidyamandir. After the match, players offered cricket tips and presented the students with autographed bats and team jerseys.

In addition to hosting the teams, the Courtyard Pune Chakan was also the official stadium catering partner and provided catering services for more than 3,000 people each day of the Pune matches.

About Courtyard Pune Chakan
Set in the heart of the city's auto and manufacturing hub, Courtyard Pune Chakan brings the first international business hotel to the area, offering excellent services, state-of-the-art technology and world-class amenities. Accommodation in this India hotel features subtle style, plenty of space and amenities such as a desk with ergonomic chair, high-speed Internet access, 37-inch LED TV, iPod dock, 24-hour room service, minifridge and coffee/tea service. Twelve residence suites are also available. The hotel is the top choice for meetings and events, and offers 11,725 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space; its dining venues, including MoMo Café and Bar, offer alternative meeting spaces. The hotel is near popular landmarks, including Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune University and Talegaon. As a Gold LEED-certified hotel, it also does its best to keep both the environment and its guests in top form.