Grand Hyatt Mumbai offers options for business and leisure

“Have you ever been here before?” asked Dietmar Kielnhofer, General Manager of Grand Hyatt’s Mumbai property. He was sitting across from me, postured and poised, as I greedily dug into the gnocchi dish before me at the hotel’s Italian restaurant, Celini. “A long time ago!” I had responded, “Almost 20 years.”

When my aunt would fly down from Singapore to Mumbai on business, I’d come by Grand Hyatt with my mother to see her. I was quick to forget the initial purpose of my trip the second I saw those pristine, larger-than-life hotel room beds and spectacular views of Mumbai from the windows. I couldn’t believe that this was the same city I lived in; I had never seen it like that before. When my aunt attended meetings and other boring work commitments, 4 year old me was busy having the staycation of her life, lounging in a bathrobe about 10 sizes too big, and running up a hefty room service bill.

Returning to the place two decades later felt like a full circle experience. I was finally able to contextualise the fun I had felt all those years ago. As the property celebrated its 20th year in luxury hospitality in March this year, I celebrated my 20th year of indulging in it! My stay this time around was all the more enjoyable, not only because of my ability to fully soak it all in as a grown person, but also because of the standards of Grand Hyatt that have only improved since then.

I was surprised to learn that both of Grand Hyatt’s international cuisine restaurants, Celini and China House Restaurant stand as the city’s best within their cuisines. They are 5 and 4 star restaurants respectively, aiming to provide truly authentic meals to their diners. A conversation with Chef Alessio, the head chef at Celini, besides some hearty laughs, offered me first-hand account of the restaurant’s commitment to a true-to-origin Italian fine dining experience. What drew him to Celini over any other establishment in Mumbai, was exactly this; an unapologetic and uncompromising approach to Italian food in a city full of bastardised menus.

Many restaurants in Mumbai claiming to serve Italian food tend to drastically alter classic dishes in order to appease South Asian palleted patrons. However, not just at Celini but also at China House Restaurant, the bottom line remains unflinching: if you want authentic food from either of these cuisines, Hyatt is the place to go. For something resembling these cuisines, you might have to go elsewhere.

You won’t find this uncompromising attitude contained to the culinary spaces at the hotel and instead will see it throughout the hotel in both tangible and intangible ways be it the lavish suites, the rejuvenating Club Oasis spa, the pleasant outdoor spaces perfect for throwing functions, right down to the  the art on the walls which the property is particularly famous for. The hotel’s focus on business travellers has pushed its offerings to this demographic beyond expectations with multiple conference rooms and work spaces, and an overall quiet, professional and sophisticated environment running through all the public spaces right from the lobby to the gym, to the exclusive club house. On top of all these qualities, its prime location just minutes away from the domestic and international airports as well as Mumbai’s key business district, Bandra-Kurla Complex makes it the perfect stay for these kind of travellers.

As someone who was not on business but rather there to experience the more leisurely side of the property, my one note would be to tweak some of the spaces on the property in order to appeal to Mumbai residents looking for a quick getaway over a weekend. Given the rise and popularity of staycations ever since the pandemic, improving upon spaces like the pool or developing some rooftop entertainment options could go a long way in drawing in a crowd whose primary focus is on recreation and leisure.

But despite these minor changes, Grand Hyatt has reached its well-deserved 20th anniversary in Mumbai’s hospitality space and they have their own staff and management to thank for this. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Grand Hyatt Mumbai hosted an an Anniversary Brunch and announced that there were exciting plans in store for the coming year including gastronomic events, art exhibitions, and a range of exciting partnerships. At the Brunch , Kielnhofer expressed his joy stating, “Over the past two decades, we have strived to bring alive the purpose of Hyatt – to care for people so they can be their best.” On this note, it has become clear that 20 years after its launch, even a brief visit to Grand Hyatt Mumbai can leave you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to take on the world.