Taj Connemara is a 5-star heritage hotel off Anna Salai in central Chennai, with 147 rooms, a pool, spa and Chettinad dining, about 14 km from the airport.
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Taj Connemara is a 5-star Taj heritage hotel on Binny Road off Anna Salai in central Chennai, with 147 rooms, a pool, the J Wellness Circle spa and Chettinad dining, around 14 km from Chennai International Airport.
Live rates and availability confirmed at booking. All prices indicative — updated June 2026.
Taj Connemara is the oldest hotel in Chennai and one of the city's most storied addresses. The property traces its origins to 1854, when it was built as the Imperial Hotel, becoming the Albany and then The Connemara in 1890. Today it operates as a five-star heritage hotel under the Taj brand, set on Binny Road off Anna Salai. After a 22-month restoration costing around 900 million rupees and involving some 1,400 workers, it reopened in October 2018 with its colonial, Art Deco and tropical-modernist features carefully preserved.
The hotel is known for landmark touches such as the city's first licensed bar, a grand piano dating to 1922, sixteenth and seventeenth-century temple carvings from Mahabalipuram, and an old raintree in the grounds alongside two Nagavalli trees. The restoration was guided by a respect for these layers of history, retaining period detail while bringing the rooms and facilities up to modern five-star standards. It combines this heritage character with a central business-district location, a rare pairing in the city.
The hotel sits on Binny Road, off Anna Salai, directly adjacent to Spencer Plaza on the eastern bank of the Cooum River. Chennai International Airport is around 14 km away, generally about a 45-minute drive. Chennai Central Railway Station is roughly 4 km off, and the Thousand Lights metro station is the nearest stop on the Chennai Metro, giving guests good connections across the city by both road and rail.
Marina Beach is a few kilometres east, and the museums of Egmore and the heritage core around Fort St George are within easy reach. The central position makes it convenient for both business and sightseeing, with much of old Madras within a short drive of the front gate. The Spencer Plaza shopping complex is effectively next door, which is handy for guests wanting retail and dining beyond the hotel.
Built across 4.2 acres, the hotel has 147 rooms, including four suites. The accommodation blends colonial and Art Deco design with modern comforts, running from Superior and Deluxe rooms through Luxury rooms to suites within the heritage building. Deluxe rooms make up most of the inventory. The design throughout reflects the property's restoration to preserve its period character, with the architect Geoffrey Bawa's tropical-modernist influence visible in the public spaces, so that staying here feels closer to a piece of the city's history than to a standard city hotel.
Dining is led by The Raintree, an open-air restaurant serving Chettinad and South Indian cuisine, set among the gardens beneath the hotel's namesake tree. The Verandah is the all-day multi-cuisine cafe offering Indian, continental and Thai dishes, and the Lady Connemara Bar & Lounge carries the distinction of being the city's first licensed bar, a piece of Chennai history in its own right. The combination ties the food experience closely to the hotel's character, and dining in the gardens is among the most atmospheric meals available in central Chennai.
Facilities include a swimming pool, the J Wellness Circle spa, a fitness studio and the hotel's heritage gardens with their old raintree and Nagavalli trees, one of whose wells is said never to run dry in summer. For events there is a ballroom able to host up to 400 guests theatre-style, alongside additional meeting rooms. Services include free Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service, a business centre and on-site parking, so that the heritage setting comes without compromise on the practicalities of a modern stay.
The ballroom and gardens make the hotel a sought-after setting for weddings, banquets and corporate functions that benefit from a heritage backdrop. The combination of period interiors, mature trees and a central location gives events a distinctive character not easily matched by modern city hotels. For couples and companies wanting a sense of occasion, the Connemara offers something the glass towers of the business district cannot.
The hotel is in the commercial heart of Chennai, beside Spencer Plaza and a short distance from Anna Salai's offices and shops. The area is within reach of Marina Beach, the Government Museum at Egmore and the historic precinct of Fort St George. The Cooum River runs alongside, and the central setting keeps the city's main attractions and business hubs close at hand, while the hotel's gardens provide a quiet counterpoint to the surrounding bustle.
Taj Connemara suits travellers who want history and character alongside a five-star stay, business guests needing a central base, and leisure visitors drawn to Chennai's heritage and the convenience of Anna Salai. Those wanting a beach resort or a hotel right by the airport will look elsewhere, but for guests who value a genuine sense of place in the middle of the city, the Connemara stands apart from anything else in Chennai.
| Room | What you get |
|---|---|
| Superior Room | Comfortable rooms blending colonial and Art Deco touches with modern comforts. |
| Deluxe Room | More spacious rooms, the bulk of the 147-room inventory, with garden or city views. |
| Luxury Room | Upgraded rooms with enhanced furnishings and additional space. |
| Suite | One of four suites, offering a separate living area within the heritage building. |
| Outlet | Cuisine / type |
|---|---|
| The Raintree | Chettinad and South Indian cuisine, open-air |
| The Verandah | All-day multi-cuisine cafe |
| Lady Connemara Bar & Lounge | Bar and lounge |
| Landmark | Distance | Approx. on foot |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer Plaza | 0.2 km | ~2 min walk |
| Marina Beach | 3 km | short taxi/auto |
| Government Museum, Egmore | 3 km | short taxi/auto |
| Chennai Central Railway Station | 4 km | short taxi/auto |
| Fort St George | 4 km | short taxi/auto |
| Express Avenue Mall | 1.5 km | ~18 min walk |
Distances are straight-line estimates; walking times assume roughly 12 minutes per km. Confirm routes locally.
Yes. It is the oldest hotel in Chennai, dating to 1854, and reopened in October 2018 after a careful restoration that preserved its colonial and Art Deco features.
Chennai International Airport is around 14 km away, generally about a 45-minute drive depending on traffic.
There are 147 rooms, including four suites, set across a 4.2-acre property in central Chennai.
Dining includes The Raintree for Chettinad cuisine, the all-day Verandah cafe, and the Lady Connemara Bar & Lounge, which was the city's first licensed bar.
Yes. There is a swimming pool, the J Wellness Circle spa and a fitness studio, set within the hotel's heritage grounds.
Standard check-in is from 14:00 and check-out is by 12:00, with early or late options subject to availability.