Tom Otley ST REGIS MUMBAI
HOUSED IN INDIA’S TALLEST HOTEL TOWER (39 storeys), this property opened in 2012 as a Shangri-La, and then became the Palladium hotel. In September, after a renovation, it reopened as India’s first St Regis hotel. It has become one of the city’s most luxurious choices, with the brand’s signature butler service, impressive art collection and a professional sheen added by its Starwood management.
ROOMS: The 395 rooms (including 39 Residential suites) have superb views of the surrounding city, and the vistas from the upper floors also include a sweep of the Arabian Sea. The rooms are on floors 12-28, with Residential suites (serviced apartments) on levels 29-32 and 34. Floor 36 hosts a private members’ club, Equus. All rooms are large for central Mumbai, with entry-level Deluxe versions (45 sqm) featuring separate baths and showers, free wifi and butler service.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS: The lobby-level St Regis Bar has the brand’s signature mural of the city the hotel is in, and the inviting Drawing Room serves tea, coffee and sweets. If you’re meeting someone during the day, the filling afternoon tea is well worth trying, with 20 types of tea to choose from. One level up is the colonial-style Sahib Room and Kipling Bar, which serves refined Indian cuisine and cocktails infused with spices. On the same level is the excellent all-day dining Seven
stregis.com/mumbai
Kitchens, named after the huge variety of food, including Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese and Japanese. There is a
nightclub on floors 37 and 38, and two additional restaurants on the lower one – By the Mekong (serving south-east Asian cuisine) and Yuuka (Japanese), as well as a bar/ lounge called Asilo. BUSINESS FACILITIES: On the lobby level there is the Library business centre and the Astor ballroom, which can
accommodate 350 people for a banquet, and the Terrace
Garden for outdoor events. The hotel has a total of 18 events spaces. LEISURE FACILITIES: The entire tenth floor is the Wellness Area. It includes the Iridium spa, with nine treatment rooms – six of which have tubs – as well as a huge, well-equipped 24-hour fitness centre and an outdoor swimming pool. VERDICT: A fabulous refresh for this property, and with the addition of the new design elements and Residential suites, it is now one of the city’s best.
Jenny Southan M BY MONTCALM SHOREDITCH LONDON TECH CITY
151-157 City Road, London EC1V 1JH
mbymontcalm.co.uk
Luxury lifestyle brand Montcalm now has five properties in London, and the M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City opened in spring 2015. The new-build 18-storey tower – designed by RIBA award-winning architects – takes the form of an elongated diamond, and its façade was inspired by an abstract painting by English artist Bridget Riley.
ROOMS: 269 rooms and suites come in eight categories, starting from 28 sqm. They are well equipped, with free wifi, media hubs with international sockets, fruit, mineral water and Krups coffee machines. Marble bathrooms have underfloor heating, plush velour robes and Elemis products (Hermès in suites). On entering my Junior suite, I was overwhelmed by the smell of room fragrance, which was being pumped from a unit on the workdesk, which I had to unplug. Rooms also have 37in TVs and touchscreen tablets to control the temperature, curtains, overhead lights and mood lighting. RESTAURANTS AND BARS: Top-floor fine-dining restaurant Urban Coterie is operated by hospitality group Searcys. On
130 BBT JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
the level below is Urban Coterie’s executive lounge/private members’ club – it can be used by Club room and Junior suite guests (you get a £20 voucher to spend). Membership costs £900 per year. Free drinks and canapés are served in the evening, and a continental breakfast in the morning. Also run by Searcys is the Tonic and Remedy lobby bar and mezzanine restaurant. The cocktail menu is inspired by ‘ye olde’ apothecaries, with an emphasis on herbs and botanicals. MEETINGS FACILITIES: Six function rooms on the second floor, from 25-163 sqm. In combination, they can accommodate up to 200 people for a reception. LEISURE FACILITIES: A ‘Versace-inspired’ spa can be found on level minus one. There are three treatment rooms, a spa
bath, a 12-metre pool, a steam room and a sauna. There is also a subterranean gym with cutting-edge Matrix machines. Both are open 6am-10pm (from 8am during weekends); the hotel is considering making the gym 24 hours. VERDICT: This is a good 21st-century business hotel, especially for anyone working in East London. The only things that let it down are some of the tech features – which is a shame as that is one of its selling points – and the design of the building, which disrupts the views. In terms of five-star facilities, it ticks most of the boxes, but it’s a bit too corporate to pull in the hippest media or tech types. For others, this will be no bad thing. Service was polite and helpful.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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