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Barely five minutes away from the Bandra Kurla Complex, the new home for Indian big business, the Grand Hyatt is everything Mumbai’s other Hyatt is not. For starters it’s huge, based on its own 10-acre plot, which in Mumbai is an entire universe! The awe-inspiring lobby exhibits some of the best contemporary Indian art. Across Mumbai, the hotel is rapidly becoming known as a landmark. Townies regularly make the pilgrimage (over an hour in traffic) to the Italian restaurant, Celini, for the best thin-crust pizzas in the city, washed down with a cold coffee milkshake that inspires more awe than the lobby. The M Bar and grill also has outstanding continental food and a superb Sunday brunch. The hotel boasts a hightech convention centre that is almost always fully booked. Unfortunately, the neighbourhood of Kalina is really quite beat up and grungy, so unless you have work in the Western Suburbs or your convention is hosted in the hotel, there is little reason to stay here.
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What the Hyatt lacks in personality—it looks like any other run-of-the-mill international hotel—it can often make up in price, especially to corporate customers. Although it is an uninspired competitor to the Maratha and the Leela, it is still a good hotel that lives up to the Hyatt group’s international standards.
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Lower Parel used to be the heart of the now defunct textile industry and is currently experiencing an urban revival, as old mills are spruced up and converted into shopping malls and apartment complexes. The advertising industry, TV media and garment traders were the first businesses to move in, and the ITC Grand Central caters primarily to them. The hotel boasts every facility needed for a business traveller, except perhaps its location—it’s placed right between the financial poles of Nariman Point to the south and Bandra Kurla Complex to the north. Still, it’s unique style might just spark an architectural renaissance in this run-down precinct.
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The Grand Maratha is the grandest of the hotels serving the international airport area. It’s also one of the few five-stars to offer an entire range of Indian cuisine. Each of its restaurants is a gem. Dum Pukht showcases dishes slow-cooked in traditional sealed pots, or deghs, a culinary tradition with a 200-year-old history. Peshawari is an elegant restaurant that dishes up kebabs and tandoori fare from the north-western and frontier provinces. And Dakshin specialises in the fresh exotic flavours of the Malabar coast and southern India.
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Other international chains have built massive hotels in Mumbai that look like cheaper knock-offs of their Western counterparts, but the JW Marriott manages to rise above its competitors. Its epic scale only makes it seem more grand. Sitting in the Lotus Café enjoying the famous Sunday buffet, or perhaps sipping on a delectable latte, guests are treated to a view of the Lotus Pond swimming pool, Mumbai’s first and only infinity pool. And if all that space leaves you feeling lonely and in need of comfort, you can always slip into the cosy and warm Bombay Baking Company, the bakery that has single-handedly created a market for fresh bagels in the western suburbs.
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Located on the bank of Powai Lake and surrounded by the lush green hills (where panthers roam to this day), the Renaissance is an oasis of tranquillity in a city otherwise bursting at the seams. But you can’t leave Mumbai far behind. The meeting rooms and convention centre (India’s largest, with over 230,000 square feet of meeting space) of this hotel are always bubbling over with an IT conference or a BPO trade show. Part of the Marriott group, this hotel offers great ambience, outstanding food, a modern gym and a spa where you can have aromatherapy with a view of the lake.
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The Swissotel Osaka is the city’s newest boutique hotel. Located in the Namba district, just a few minutes’ walk from the nightlife of Shinsaibashi, the hotel offers a fully equipped business centre and health and fitness facilities. The hotel’s Long Bar Grill is now the place in south Osaka to be seen in. Twenty different suites are available, including traditional Japanesestyle and those designed for seniors. A host of personal amenities, including massage services, aromatherapy and facial massages, distinguish the Swissotel Osaka from its competitors.
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If the Oberoi sits on South Mumbai’s number one piece of real estate, this is the suburban equivalent. Stunningly located on the ocean, right by the Bandra Bandstand and mere minutes from the new financial district called the Bandra Kurla Complex, this hotel’s neighbours are people like Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s Tom Cruise. Unfortunately this is no Oberoi and the prices are too steep to attract locals. Nevertheless, the opulent hotel is frequented by business travellers who need to be close to Bandra Kurla and is also popular with the Bollywood film brigade. The food and amenities are excellent if overpriced, and the Min Yang Chinese restaurant really stands out.
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Situated beside Osaka Castle Park, the New Otani is in one of the nicest areas of Osaka, about 15 minutes from JR Osaka station. The business centre is set up for high-speed internet access and has copy machines, printers and conference and meeting rooms. A rooftop garden filled with seasonal flowers and herbs was recently opened. The hotel offers six restaurants serving Chinese, Japanese, and Italian cuisine. Trader Vic’s restaurant is a perennial Osaka favourite, and the bar has been frequented by world-famous musicians including Eric Clapton, Sting and Robert Plant after their performances at the adjacent Izumi Concert Hall or nearby Osaka Castle Hall.
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Located at the conjunction of the art deco Marine Drive and the skyscrapers of nearby Nariman Point, the twin towers of the Oberoi lord over one of Mumbai’s most coveted patches of real estate. Although both towers are managed by the Oberoi group, the older original tower has been rebranded as the Hilton. The newer, swankier tower remains the Oberoi. Together they make what is arguably Mumbai’s best hotel. The Oberoi offers a choice of three views—the ocean, the bay or the city— none of which disappoint. The restaurants are excellent. Try the new Tiffin restaurant, where Pacific Rim cuisine meets Indian spices to form some uniquely Mumbai sushi. The Bay View bar may be a bit fuddy-duddy, but the live jazz music, fine cigars and spectacular bay view are well worth the expense. Don’t be too surprised if you see more than just Mumbai’s creme de la creme (they are here every day) wandering the lobby or the shopping arcade—Michael Jackson and Bill Clinton have both stayed here.
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Located in the residential district of Cuffe Parade, the Taj President enjoys Mumbai’s most precious and rare commodity—silence. It is nevertheless less than a kilometre away from the crowded Colaba Causeway shopping district and the business districts of Fort and Nariman Point. An expensive but slightly kitschy renovation makes the lobby reminiscent of an airport, but the Taj President has much to offer. Rooms on the higher floors offer spectacular views of the city and the back bay, and the hotel’s restaurants are first-class—Trattoria, the 24-hour coffee shop, is both a fine Italian restaurant and a pit stop for hungry clubbers on their way home.
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