Live Life King Size

Builders are going beyond selling just apartments or villas. They now offer aspirational lifestyles to well-heeled buyers.

Five months ago, Pradeep (72) who loves watching tennis, could never get to watch the match telecast, as his grandson was always busy with his play station. But today Pradeep can just walk over to the spacious TV room in his clubhouse and watch the Wimbledon for hours at stretch.

He lives in Brigade Millennium, a gated community that offers several amenities within the compound itself.

Convenience factor

"Before I had to chalk out my daily routine to match my 16-year-old grandson’s lifestyle. He would sit in front of the television for hours and I kept waiting for my turn,” said Pradeep."

“ But here, the clubhouse has a TV room and I can watch sports and classic films over the weekend. In fact, they fixed a giant screen on the grounds when the Wimbledon was on this year,” he said happily.

More than a flat

Builders now sell a lifestyle along with four walls and a roof. According to them, the club culture had to be revived to feed need of huge residential townships mushrooming around the city.

“Today people realize the stress of commuting. With facilities such as swimming pool, squash court and ayurvedic centers arranged inside our club, there is no need for residents to leave the premises. No traffic snarls. No rush hours,” said Charu, manager, services, Woodrose club of Brigade Millennium.

According to Charu, non-residents can become members of the club. “We wanted to provide outsiders also with extra comfort factor. And allowing them to take memberships also helps generate revenue for the club,” she added.

Other villas and apartment projects such as Adarsh Palm Meadows, south city and acme harmony also offers a world of comforts to their residents.

Time saving

“Our hectic lifestyle does not permit us to drive to a gym or for dance classes after work. So having such facilities within the complex is always a great idea,” said Usha Saxena, a project manager at First Advantage Offshore Services. She moved in to Acme Harmony a few months ago and enjoying every movement of her stay there. “What I like about this place is that most of the celebrations are organised by the residents themselves. So we can interact with people from different fields,” she added.

The concept is already quiet popular among the people who stop over in Bengaluru on business.

“My office offered to book me a room in a hotel, but I declined the offer because I wanted to stay in one of these service apartments,” said Pavan Wasu, HR manager with a Hydrabad based company. His job demands that he stay in Bengaluru at least 10 days a month.

“I don’t need to be a member to enjoy the amenities offered here. After work, I relax with a game of pool or squash. I can pamper myself in a spa and end the night with great food in the restaurant without leaving the premises”, Pavan explained.

Lifestyle plus

“We are targeting techies and NRIs in the 30-48 age group. We wanted to give NRIs the same track of living that they are used to. A house is not enough, everybody needs a lifestyle,” said Shreedar Krishnamurthy, general manager, Adarsh Group. “We have badminton courts, toddlers’ pool, Jacuzzi and so on. Our clubs do not allow walk-ins thereby offering its members the exclusivity they look for,” he added.

According to Shreedar, a villa at the Palm Meadows costs around Rs 5 crore. But he adds that the response his property is getting from members in tremendous, which proves that his concept will survive with the right service.

“Everything comes in a package deal here. So we don’t have to shell out money separately for Gym or to play billiards,” said Ambika Nakulan, a resident of south city in Bannerghatta. “Here we can indulge in art, entertainment, sports and of course good old gossip,” she added.