The Conclave - AmbujaNeotia Hospitality (2024)

The Conclave was the first private club in Calcutta to create a reputation around decor, cuisine and personalised service. Launched in 1986, The Conclave was the first business club where fine dining and high commerce blended seamlessly. Thirty Five years later, it continues to be a preferred destination for its exclusivity, culinary excellence and service extraordinaire.

At The Conclave, members are known by their first names, their individual preferences are remembered and their feedback respected. Every event is organised with precision and an eye for detail.

Today, with a membership base that has grown over the years, a redefined set of cuisines, and a wide range of conferencing facilities, The Conclave brings a renewed experience in the heart of Kolkata as the club with a difference.

• Kolkata's first truly exclusive business club, where fine dining is anexperience in itself.
• First private club in Kolkata to create a reputation around decor,cuisine and personalised service.
• The concept of women being members in their own right at a time whenwomen were not even members or allowed to vote in other prominent Calcuttaclubs.
• The first exclusively women's club in Kolkata. Prima Donna was aConclave initiative.
• Entertainment in Kolkata had always been a quasi-public thing before TheConclave came; it made it private.
• Introduced a club culture that is intimate without being interfering.The Conclave employees know the members by name and are also aware of theirindividual preferences.
• Most cuisine-led establishments hid their chefs from the world; TheConclave brought to the fore, master artists like Chef Raju Gomes, throughpopular cookery classes that shared recipes, thus creating a culture of foodappreciation.
• The Chocolate Monte Carlo is an innovation. It has a 101 % menu strikerate. Normally, guests start with this item and then move on to others.

The Conclave was Harshavardhan Neotia's maiden entrepreneurial venture in the hospitality industry and the first chapter in a long success story. Today, with a glorious 37 years behind it, The Conclave is an enduring nostalgia for Mr. Neotia.

"Looking back, our decision to launch an absolutely new concept - a business club - was considered almost foolhardy by most. We started with a small library, conference room, 80 sq. ft chambers and a dining room of six tables, seating four each. Soon, we realised that this scale would not be viable, so we expanded the club as space became available in the building.

Initially it was a huge disappointment for us, as people did not warm up to the idea of an exclusive business space that was supposed to provide good food. So all I could do was show some grit and deliver outstanding cuisine. As I had no experience in creating a menu Madhu took control and we got going. The recruitment of Head Chef Raju Gomes was our first lucky break. Gradually, we created a reputation of providing the best old school, relatively light Continental cuisine in Calcutta - tortilla, tetrazzini and gratin. The Chocolate Monte Carlo has made the club famous.

It finally began to work. Membership increased to 250 in two-and-a-half years. The inflection point in our existence was some time in the mid-nineties. We needed to rejuvenate the place. We closed for eight months but when we reopened we did so with a look that was cool, classy and contemporary. In the early years, I knew the first name of every single team member who in turn also learnt the name of every member. The result was that The Conclave became a passionate place where people did amazing things to achieve customer delight.

Now we are ready to take ‘The Conclave’ brand forward. Ecohub at New town is a work-life balance initiative while Club Verde is a leisure club at Upohar – The Condoville. Montana Vista at Siliguri and Conclave Rio Vista at Raichak are on the anvil.

It has been an emotional journey as far as The Conclave is concerned. The club has maintained its exclusiveness and set benchmarks in quality of service. We have more than a thousand members now and I am happy that the club enjoys the distinctiveness of being the first private club in Calcutta to create a reputation centred around decor, cuisine and personalised service."

What has made The Conclave distinctive is its service. The staff is trained to interact with the members with the right blend of personalisation and professionalism. The Conclave, does not just prepare for what the client has asked, but for what he may need.

At The Conclave, guests are always served with a smile. The Conclave instituted the custom of sending cakes on special occasions to its members.

At The Conclave, this sense of service comprises a number of interventions right to the small gestures that make one feel special. Preparations are always perfect even when a conference or gathering is arranged at a very short notice. Every feedback is treated with sincerity and seriousness. The Conclave has more than lived up to the high standard of service for 35 years now.

The Conclave has achieved a niche in Kolkata's hospitality sector on account of its cosiness, convenient location and homely service. Members often refer to it as a second home.

The Conclave is spacious yet cosy, and along with large restaurants it offers private lounges with a dining area where members can spend quality time. The surrounding decor is tasteful and the service extraordinary.

The Conclave is the ideal place to eat and unwind. Combination of privacy and elegance sets the right mood for important dinners - be it business or informal gatherings with friends. As membership is by invitation, the club has been able to maintain exclusivity and boasts of serving the most well-known personalities from all spheres of life.

Harshavardhan Neotia, hailing from a family of collectors in Kolkata, had an impressive range of Ganesha artworks, which he formally brought together as The Conclave Art Collection when the club started.

Since then art and artifacts have been the contributing factors in the club's decor. Today, the select works of art by famous masters, particularly the commissioned paintings of the eternal Ganesha, form the essential motif in The Conclave's tangible as well as perceived ambience.

The Ganesha painting collection includes a classic Jamini Roy and emotive displays by M.F. Hussain, Ganesh Pyne, Bikash Bhattacharya, Shakti Burman, Jogen Chowdhury, Amitava Banerjee, Manoj Mitra. Lalu Prasad Shaw, Shyamal Dutta Roy, Jaysree Chakraborti, Ramananda Bandopadhyay, Ashoke Mullick, Jatin Das and some renditions by Suvaprasanna. There are sculptures too, in the private dining areas.

The Conclave has for over two decades stood for excellent cuisine, be it continental or Indian. At the club, food is not just about taste, but also about value-for-money. There is an established conviction that The Conclave's service comes with an informal guarantee of being the best-in-class.

Indian

Continental