Arriving from the ancient, colonial-styled and venerable charms of the GALLE FACE in Colombo, to the bustle and rush of Mumbai, one absolutely NEEDS a place in which a business, or vocational visitor, can divorce themselves from the outside intemperance of heat, dirt and crush – and this hotel offers such a haven.

Depending on the time of day or night, the trip from the International Airport – down towards the City and our destination of Parel – the time spent languishing within the snarl of traffic can be as little as 20 minutes, and as much as 90 minutes. Even more: if unlucky. But then that is what one learns to expect from Mumbai – and Mumbaikers seem to take such passages of hours spent beating each other up on the roads as simply one of those natural necessities from which they concoct their own particular “Spice-of-Life” within this ant-hill-teeming metropolis.

This hotel is a city within itself. Its soaring, 30-storey tower and hospitality appendages sit solidly within a not-too-distant building-scape of ancient, desuete and abandoned factories, older tenements and a neighbouring large, very well-equipped, four-tower complex – whose gardens and sports facilities seem to be among the best that Mumbai city-living can offer. However, having entered within the hotel’s precincts, a polished calm, and smoothly-efficient hospitality-machine takes over.

As with all hotels now in Mumbai – since their “26/11” terrorist attack – the Security presence at the gates is in nowadays-usual evidence – though one cannot help but feel that the desultory and superficial examination under the bonnets and in the trunks of arriving vehicles by these automatonic personnel – is more a “show” to assuage sensibilities, rather than a serious check on whether or not one “might” have an AK47 hidden beneath the seat. Once past the now ubiquitous X-Ray machine and body metal-detecting scanner, the traditional doorman – larger-than-life in the complex formality of his uniform – is there to welcome and direct.

This hotel – and others that I have visited within a similar category – (whether in Delhi, Hyderabad or Chennai), represents an ethos that one feels is, like locally-distilled Indian whiskeys, vodkas or rums – a transliterated facsimile of what Indians have experienced in the West and subsequently brought back to their country to be put forwards as a home-grown representation of equivalence within their own, local reality.

This should not be seen as a negative statement – only, that when Oriental charm is overlaid above Western pragmatism and efficiency, something becomes lost in the translation. The charm becomes somewhat superficial through its filtered interpretation, and whilst the efficiency is adequately emulated, the sense of hospitality becomes suffused within an overall ethos of commercial functionality.

And that’s OK… It works, is acceptable – and is nevertheless still very “Indian”.

Having written this, I was most impressed by the courtesy of the staff at my late-night booking-in and the generous, conciliatory, complimentary sending to my room of a Cinnamon-Milk concoction – recommended to help alleviate the symptoms of my habitually acquired “Welcome-to-India” cold. This was both unexpected, absolutely charming and totally beyond the call of previously-experienced hospitality when staying here during other occasions at this same hotel. This single gesture “personalised” my experience and made me actually FEEL welcome – as opposed to, as before, just another cipher occupying a room in exchange for a fee.

The facilities and finishings of this building are excellent. Whilst the room was not overtly large, it had everything that is more-than-enough to allow a single person to feel comfortable and at ease. It might, however, prove a little constrained for a couple staying any length of time, because for a lady – other than the bathroom washbasin area – there is not much alternative space for her to tend to her makeup: always presuming that her companion will be occupying the small desk with his computer – or whatever.

The King-sized bed was comfortable and soft, the pillows downy and the large plasma TV adequate to the task of providing a window to the entertainment on offer from the inhouse system.

As with all hotels of this class, the bathroom is spotless, its fittings new, shiny and easily cleaned – with the usual, wall-sized mirror above the washbasin and a set of modern scales. The soaps are of a good quality, the towels soft and everything is as it should be expected. Even the hot water arrived plentifully and reasonably quickly – both in the mornings, when usage is at its heaviest – and later in the day.

A wall-safe is available within the cupboard, and the laundry service – not exactly inexpensive – is nevertheless efficient and correct. A tea-and-coffee kettle – along with a good choice of teas – allows for a little “self-catering” – as does the provision of an iron and ironing-board permit for that last-minute smartening-up of travel-weary clothes. The bar fridge is well-stocked – and its offerings, as expected, are also not exactly “value-enticing”. But when one “needs a drink – one pays the price”.

Room service was, however, a disappointment. Not the service itself – which was excellent and doesn’t take too long – (everything delivered with the usual panache one would expect from in-room dining, and within the promised 30 minutes) – but rather the fact that Indian Chefs don’t seem to be able to keep their hands off the “hot” concoctions…

Allow here for the introduction of “Spaghetti Bolognaise Masala”... I have no objection to people – who LIKE such variants – being asked, FIRST, whether they wish to enjoy such local, “culinary creativity”: but to be presented this classical dish as a spiced-up “fait accompli” – when one has precisely chosen this meal BECAUSE it is (traditionally) NEVER spiced – witnesses a poor level of kücher-judgement. Somewhat upsetting...

Communications by Internet are on various service plans of 2 hours, or a day, and work well – with a standard, minimal 120 minutes costing about US$6.50. Super-fast day-rate plans are also available, and the most expensive of these will set a visitor back by around US$45.00 for the day. Which is, in my opinion, outrageous…!! The slowest day plan – normally charged at US$11.00 or so for the two hours – is available for free to Welcome and Premium ITC Fidelity point members.

Personally, I would always prefer to see Internet access included in the price of the room – everywhere. This is often the case in Australasia, some parts of Western Europe and many hotels in the ‘States – and I have always felt that this additional method of charging is not exactly fair as patently the bandwidth used is NO WHERE near the real cost of the service bought.

Then again, as most people nowadays use their own cell-phones – rather than the once, equally-punitative Hotel ‘phone service – I guess such establishments have to make their profit somewhere else – and the Internet, (along with soft drinks), seems to have most adequately offered this opportunity to further furnish their bottom line at the expense of the client’s needs.

The swimming pool at the Spa and Health club is not really one designed for laps but more for a relaxing soak – or a gentle paddle around. The marbled ambiance and warmed waters lend itself well to just such a lazy splosh around. However, the gym offers some good equipment – though at peak times it is sometimes difficult to have access to what one would like to use.

The Business centre was small – with only two (naturally) Windows computers on offer but with plenty of other good stuff – a great scanner, paper shredder, printers etc. Surprisingly, I was not charged for five print-outs of some single documents pages that I needed to have hard-copied. Another, small, but well-appreciated touch.

The Function facilities are evidently more than adequate and appropriately grand – with a lovely roof-terrace area where open-air events can be held.

Breakfast is best attended early as – even though the different offerings do indeed get replenished, this often seemed to require a request from the guest to do so before the staff noticed the shortfall… The food on offer provided something for everyone – whether inclined towards Masala hotness, or the more tepid, banal and unspiced tastes favoured by the majority of Western foreigners.

The 30th Floor encloses a really lovely Executive Lounge whose soaring ceilings and mezzanine – on which various additional business machines and desks are available – create a beautiful space: the floor-to-ceiling windows, with their stained-glass inserts at the heads, and the chandeliers all making this volume a very comfortable area in which to have an end-of–day drink whilst overlooking the dusk, or the rising city lights, and enjoying the enveloping comfort of the deeply-soft furnishings.

Twin terraces at either end of this huge room, offer open-air views of the city towards the sea on one side – which, surprisingly, was actually visible, despite the smog – and the inland harbour reaches, on the other. I could quite well imagine having a quiet and intimate drink, or dinner, within the pagodas that showcase this space – and decried that, unfortunately, it seems that the fountains also included in the design, are never allowed to play their dance. Pity.

Location-wise, the hotel is pretty much half-way between the Airport and the real heart of the city – Downtown Mumbai – and also not too far away from other popular areas such as Andheri West, Juhu and Bandra.

Would I recommend this hotel to a friend…? Probably – depending on where they needed to go whilst staying in the Metropolis. There are certainly many as good alternatives elsewhere – a few of which are nearer to the airport, some of which are nearer to the beaches of Juhu, others of which are nearer to downtown Mumbai. It would really depend on the visitor’s program.

This hotel is certainly no better nor worse than others within its category. It offers pretty much the same standards, the same kind of room, the same quality of service and a similar price: indeed, it would not be the only one of its genre to actually NOT offer anything overtly, and overwhelmingly different, to its peers.

In such a case the decisional element comes down to factors such as that little something extra that was promoted by one of the staff towards one’s self – or to the benefits of its position – the quality and extent of its breakfast buffet – or maybe even the rewards benefits program to which it is subscribed.

As part of the StarWood chain of hotels – which is amongst the largest of such reward groups – this hotel, along with its location – for those whose business is not necessarily business but rather as much the leisure side of places such as Bandra and Juhu – it offers certain, polished benefits.

However, for an overnight, in-transit stay, I wouldn’t personally be prepared to put-up with the traffic fine of time payable to reach it, but would even pay a premium to be nearer the airport.

In summary – it’s a “good” hotel… And there is nothing to precisely fault its fluid efficiency. However – as with many other of its ilk – it’s “soul factor” is somewhat lightweight – and so its perfected functionality exists merely to service a necessary need: which it does with as much polish and aplomb as any other hotel of its class within its price range.

... And there’s nothing wrong with that. In the end, any hotel responds to one of two criteria. It is either acceptably functional and offers an efficient service: as do most “5-star chain hotels”. Or, alternatively, it has – by its architecture, and service ethos – an inate sense of “style”: such as the Georges V in Paris, the Hermitage in Monaco, the Cipriani in Venice, or the Burj al Arab in Dubai – to mention just a very few.