A 120-year old mansion in the city, which used to be a favourite haunt of film stars in the 1970s and 80s, has now got a makeover as a heritage hotel. The Essenden Bungalow, which was originally the home of Portuguese citizen Eunice Gomez and her husband T. Shivaramasethu Pillai, was in the 1950s turned into Hotel Amritha, where film stars used to get together when the capital was the hub of the film industry.
The building has now been turned into Amritha Heritage with tastefully done landscaping complementing the eave-roofed heritage building. The single storey building located in Thycaud features both Portuguese and Travancore design elements. Union Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi will inaugurate the heritage hotel at a function at 10.30 a.m. on November 11.