Mumbai is the commercial capital of India and the sheer number of people who visit the city on a daily basis is testimony to the vibrancy and economic power it has over Indians as well as people from all over the world. Needless to say, Mumbai has a large number of hotels where travelers can stay. This ranges from super 5-star luxury hotels to smaller budget hotels which are located all along the breadth of the city. We have picked up only a select few, but there are literally hundreds of others to choose from as well all over Mumbai.

Intercontinental The Lalit

Tariff: Rs.18,000 onwards
Why stay here: Wide range of meeting rooms, all facilities, proximity to airport
Check out: www.thelalit.com

There are quite a few hotels in the immediate vicinity of the international airport on Sahar Road. These have a steady clientele thanks to the fact that Mumbai does not have an airport hotel in the terminal building. InterContinental The Lalit is one of the hotels in this area. The first thing that strikes you when you step into the hotel is the sheer size and open space of the lobby. It is expansive and enjoys natural lighting. A number of restaurants branch off this central area, like the Indian restaurant Baluchi, Beluga the bar and 24/7, the all-day dining restaurant. There are 368 rooms and suites in this hotel spread over seven floors. The rooms are spacious and there are little touches which go to make this hotel special. For one, the ever-smiling staff: You will never pass a hotel staff without them folding their hands and saying Namaskar to you; even if you are passing them at a distance. Then there is the safety factor. In many hotels, certain floors are accessible by lifts only when you insert your room card in the lift. But, at The Lalit, you can only access the elevators for all floors by using your room card. Some rooms have options of twin beds too, in case you need to share a room with your business associate.

Moving on to the business center, this has a few dedicated workstations and all the basic amenities. There are a number of meeting rooms and banquets to suit different types of meetings. Forum I and II, Quoram I, II, III and IV are the other meeting venues. A special banqueting facility is offered at the Lalit Plaza, which can accommodate up to 1,200 people. It is dome-shaped and also has a pre-function area. The Box Office is located at the ground level of the hotel and is usually used for film premiers, but you can also use this for a small and select business meeting.

Taj Mahal Palace

Tariff: Rs. 21,500 onwards
Why stay here: Iconic hotel
Check out: www.tajhotels.com

The iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel is located opposite the Gateway of India in Apollo Bunder. This hotel came under a terror attack in 2008, but the revamped structure has had guests flocking back to its fold.

The hotel is of mammoth, and beautiful, proportions with 560 rooms. There are 11 restaurants, including 2 bars, one all-day, one lounge, 5 specialty restaurants, one outdoor and room service. The hotel has 11 banquet rooms, with capacity ranging from 25-500 people. The business center is fully equipped and provides all necessary support to a business traveler.

The Oberoi, Mumbai

Tariff: Rs. 25,000 onwards
Why stay here: Another iconic and famous hotel
Check out: www.oberoihotels.com

Marine Drive is host to a number of prestigious hotel properties, including Nariman Point’s The Oberoi, Mumbai. It is about 23 km from the domestic airport and 5 km from the World Trade Centre. Its 14-level atrium lobby offers a fitting introduction to the hotel’s new fresh contemporary interiors. It has 287 rooms, including 73 suites. Of these, a large number face the ocean.

The meetings and conference facilities at The Oberoi, Mumbai include The Jaipur Room and The Udaipur Room, which can host up to 25 people each. The business center features 9 meeting rooms that accommodate up to 20 people.

There are two office spaces, as well as four web-enabled guest workstations. Office facilities such as a courier service, printing, binding and photocopying and more, are all available on the premises.

The hotel’s rooms can also be converted into temporary ‘work stations,’ thanks to the special media hub below the writing desk, which offers plug points that fit all sockets. It is equipped with an HDMI port, enabling guests to connect equipment such as camcorders, portable playstations and iPods to the television, along with a USB charging socket and video and S-video multi-sockets, for a premium viewing experience.

The business center also sports a reference library which includes telephone directories, yellow pages, dictionaries, corporate information, commercial and industrial guides, to name a few.

InterContinental Marine Drive

Tariff: Rs. 19,500 onwards
Why stay here: Great location
Check out: www.ichotelsgroup.com

Another biggie on Marine Drive, this hotel has 58 club rooms and suites. The meeting rooms are open 24 hours a day and have state-of-the-art plasma TV, broadband wireless Internet connectivity and high-tech fax and phone-forwarding facilities.
There’s broadband and wireless Internet connectivity in all rooms, restaurant and bars. You can avail of call forwarding facility to personal hand phone. The InterContinental also houses Onyx, which is a customized banquet hall with 150-people capacity and fully-equipped to hold conferences as well as events with small gatherings.

There are a host of dining options at the hotel, including Kebab Korner, the Indian restaurant, Corleone, the all-day Mediterranean restaurant, Dome, the terrace skybar and Koh by Ian Kittichai, a signature Thai restaurant.

Hotel Marine Plaza

Tariff: Rs. 15,000 onwards
Why stay here: Great location
Check out: www.hotelmarineplaza.com

Yet another hotel on Marine Drive, this is located close to the city’s commercial hub and government offices. It has 68 rooms and 3 meeting rooms. The facilities offered at the business center include Internet access, photocopy and printouts. The approx day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room is Rs.1,800 plus taxes per hour (includes basic stationary, mineral water, flavored water, 1 round of tea/coffee with cookies). Tech support is provided on chargeable basis.

Hotel Sahara Star

Tariff: Rs 16,000 onwards
Why stay here: Located just outside the domestic airport
Check out: www.saharastar.com

Just as you come out of the domestic airport in Mumbai, you will see the unique façade of the Hotel Sahara Star. The hotel has 223 rooms, including 13 luxurious suites.

These are equipped with LCD TVs, Wi-Fi connectivity and motorized curtains. Banquet halls come with pre-function areas and an efficient team of banquet personnel to help you with your events. There are a number of meeting rooms, state-of-the-art audio-visual facility, live broadcast and tele-video conferencing facilities, Wi-Fi internet connectivity and much more. Aces, the Presidential boardroom, is one of the largest in the city.

It has a capacity to accommodate 77 people and has a 4-screen barco projection system, Bosch digital congress network system, voice-activated cameras, ceiling-mounted visualizers and multimedia documentation of proceedings. There are 9 food & beverage outlets in the hotel, including The Lagoon Lounge which offers single origin coffees and specially grown varieties of teas.

Courtyard by Marriott

Tariff: Rs 8,500 onwards
Why stay here: Next to international airport
Check out: www.marriott.com

Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai International Airport is located on Andheri Kurla Road, close to the international airport. It has 331 rooms, including 77 Club rooms and 16 Courtyard suites. There are 8 meeting rooms with a total space of 12,000 sq feet. Some meeting rooms are at the lobby level to provide easy access to all attendees, while those on the first floor are ideal for parallel sessions, trainings and product displays. On offer are state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities, wireless high-speed Internet access and video conferencing facilities.

Renaissance Mumbai Convention Center Hotel

Tariff: Rs 10,250 onwards
Why stay here: Good bet in north Mumbai
Check out: www.marriott.com

Situated in the northern suburbs of Mumbai on the banks of Powai Lake, this hotel is spread across 15 acres of landscaped grounds. There are a total of 583 rooms (including the new tower), and these have special features like dedicated work area, two line phones, PC hook-up with high-speed Internet connection and voice mail. A special feature here is the Executive Club Lounge, which is spread across 12,500 sq feet.

Set on the topmost floor of the new tower, the lounge is based on Marriott’s Great Room lobby concept. It is divided into different zones: private business areas, boardrooms, individual workstations overlooking the lake, a media wall, library, central bar, foot reflexology room and a terrace area.

It is open 24 hours. The Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Convention Centre has over 230,000 sq feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space and 15 meeting rooms. All modern conference facilities are available.

Located at the lower lobby level, business center offers facilities like word processing, personal workstations with computer, equipment rentals and private areas for office usage, discussions and boardroom meetings.

In 2008, the hotel also launched a New Tower adjoining the existing building. The 16-storeyed Towers overlooks the Powai Lake and has 300 of the 583 rooms mentioned earlier.

The Park Navi Mumbai

Tariff: Rs 4,250 onwards
Why stay here: Located in new business hub; value for money
Check out: www.theparkhotels.com

The entire Navi Mumbai belt has seen frantic activity over the last few years. A number of commercial and business establishments have opened branches here, or shifted entire offices here. So, this new business hub has also attracted entrepreneurs from all over India. Little wonder, then, that a number of hotels have also opened here.

The Park Navi Mumbai is close to one of Asia’s largest industrial belts, Thane, Belapur Road. The Park Navi Mumbai has an open plan approach that connects all the parts of the hotel in an organic fashion. It has 80 rooms wired with the latest technology, of which 15 are studio rooms, 41 are deluxe rooms, 14 are luxury rooms, 14 are studio suites and there’s one Presidential suite.

An added feature is that if you are using any of the larger rooms, you get your own kitchenette, which is a big plus if you are planning a long stay at the hotel due to work commitments in the area.

The banqueting facilities include state-of-the-art audio-visuals, outdoor/indoor catering services, and is spread over 16,000 sq feet.

Rosewood is a 2,570 sq feet-sized hall which can be used for large conferencing, exhibition and seminars.
It can accommodate 250 people in theater style and 135 people in classroom style. Banyan too has a large banqueting space of 2,010 sq feet divided into three halls. It can accommodate 150 people in theater style. Banyan 1, Banyan 2 and Banyan 3 are three symmetric halls 670 sq feet each that come into play when the Banyan is partitioned.

It is ideal for all types of conferences and parties on a small to medium scale. The Terrace and The White Garden can also be used for events. The former can accommodate 700 people while the latter has one of the city’s more popular alfresco dining spaces. Meeting rooms I and II can accommodate 30 people in the theater style and 15 in U-shape.

Bengaluru

There are so many hotels to choose from when in Bengaluru that it is indeed difficult to give just a selection here. From small budget hotels, mid-level ones to the ones by India’s top hotel chains, you have it all here. We have highlighted a few here…

Vivanta by Taj M.G. Road

Tariff: Rs 9,000 onwards
Why stay here: Most business-related amenities available; good location
Check out: www.tajhotels.com

This Taj property is located 34 km from the airport on M.G. Road and has 167 rooms and a number of restaurants, including Café Mozaic for all-day dining and Graze for an European meal. There are a number of banquets and conference halls, including Trinity, Vijaynagar, Kensington Hall, Richmond Hall and Richmond Lawn. The business center is operational 24 hours and high-speed Internet access can be arranged for other meeting spaces with three days prior notice. Wi-Fi access charge is Rs.600 for 24 hours continuous usage for residential guests, other increments are also available. Agenda boardroom can accommodate 10-12 people and the services include facsimile, photocopying. laptop computers and printers on hire, translation/interpretation services with advance arrangements, video-conferencing and webcasting facilities and workstations.

Hotel Royal Orchid

Tariff: Rs.8,000 onwards
Why stay here: Good banqueting options
Check out: www.royalorchidhotels.com

This 5-star hotel is located on Golf Avenue, adjoining KGA Golf Course, on the Airport Road. It has a rooftop pool, an executive lounge, a business center, boardroom, Wi-Fi connectivity, banquet halls and conference rooms, among other features. The banquet hall can be partitioned to create a space for small gatherings. A host of tech backup are provided for meetings and events. One of the banquets, Spring, is located in the lobby. It is ideal for business get-togethers and can accommodate 350 in theater style.
We must also mention Royal Orchid Resort and Convention Center, located in Allalasandra, Bellary Road, Yelahanka. This has 42 deluxe rooms, 8 superior rooms and 4 exclusive cottages. This is a good venue to host meetings and events: Arena 1 and 2 are banquet halls each with a seating capacity of around 75 people in theater style. The Dome is used for larger business conventions and conferences and can accommodates 350-370 people in the theater style. Quorum, the boardroom accommodates around 20 guests in theater style. The property also houses an open-air convention center that can accommodate 2,000 guests.

The Park

Tariff: Rs.5,400 onwards
Why stay here: Good option for conferences and meetings
Check out: www.theparkhotels.com
The Park is located on M.G. Road and has 36 deluxe rooms, 34 deluxe balcony rooms, 6 deluxe terrace rooms and 8 luxury rooms. The Residence has 20 keys, there are 4 terrace suites and 1 premier suite. There are a number of halls to choose from for your business meetings, including The Oak Room and Blue Box, which is a multi-purpose venue. It has a retractable screen, projection facility and comfortable seating for up to 20 people.

The hotel provides certain special services like conference kit with the company logo embossed, special working lunch menu, music or light entertainment to provide a break, hostesses to escort guests, special effects for product launches, facilities to make banners and backdrops, cookies, mint and chocolate platters on the table, personalized stationery, matchboxes, pencils and pads, running tea or coffee counter throughout.

ITC Windsor

Tariff: Rs.7,300 onwards
Why stay here: Ornate opulence
Check out: www.itchotels.in

The ITC Windsor is located 33 km from the airport in a highly secure diplomatic pocket. This downtown location is near prominent business and commercial areas and opposite the Bangalore Golf Course. It has 240 guest rooms, including 22 suites and one Presidential suite and six specialty restaurants.

A special feature is the Eva Floor, which is an entire floor exclusively for women travelers. Every room here has top-of-the-line accessories, plasma TVs, video phones and intercoms. At the hotel, you can access wireless high-speed Internet access at Rs.600 per day.

The boardroom can accommodate 12 people, while the ballrooms can accommodate 275 people. While Regency I is a spacious and ornate hall, Regency II is its smaller replica and connects to the larger hall through four large arched doors. Victoria Room is a furnished boardroom while Westminister boasts a pre-function area for dining.

There are two adjoined conference halls, House of Lords, each with their own pre-function area. The Manor Club is an exclusive venue usually for banquets. An attached mini boardroom makes it ideal for meetings.

Savannah Sarovar Premiere

Tariff: Rs.8,500 onwards
Why stay here: Good location
Check out: www.savannahhotel.co.in

Located on Whitefield Main Road, this hotel is close to a number of corporate offices and has 104 rooms. It has 3 meeting rooms. The approximate day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room ranges between Rs.25,000 (Forum I), Rs.10,000 (Forum II) and Rs.6,000 for the boardroom. These prices are exclusive of taxes. These rates are for 9 am to 6 pm. You can avail of IT support at an additional cost. There are a number of restaurants here, including Savvy the multicuisine restaurant, The Oriental Blossom, the Chinese restaurant, Sin, the tea lounge and the cake shop; and Onyx, the bar.
An approximate rate for the banquets is Rs.750 plus tax per person.

Fortune Park JP Celestial

Tariff: Rs.3,800 onwards
Why stay here: Good location
Check out: www.fortunehotels.in

Located on Race Course Road, just 4 km from M.G. Road and 1.5 km from the railway station, this hotel boasts 130 rooms, including 64 standard rooms, 34 Fortune Club rooms and 32 suites. The hotel has a number of restaurants, a tea lounge and a bar. The banquet halls can accommodate between 10-350 guests. There are 4 boardrooms too.

Park Plaza

Tariff: Rs 9,000 approx
Why stay here: Promises to be good
Check out: www.parkplaza.com

This soon-to-be-opened hotel is a must try if you are visiting Bengaluru later this year. The hotel will have 234 rooms and the location is on Marathahalli, Outer Ring Road. The business center will have Internet, fax, B/W and color copies, secretarial services, folder binding and conference support facilities. There will be six meeting rooms and the approximate day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room would be around Rs.850 per person including delegate package. Projector, IT support, beverages are included in package; innovative buffet presentations, video conferencing, conference call equipment can also be provided. There will be a number of restaurants on the premises, including a multicuisine all-day dining, Indian/Lebanese fine dining, Chinese/Thai fine dining, a bar, a pool bar, French Brasserie and a lobby lounge.

Delhi & gurgaon

If you are traveling to Delhi, the number of hotels you can choose from is impressive, befitting the capital of our country. You find hotels here to suit all budget types, from the smaller hotels of Karol Bagh to the beautiful properties in Dhaula Kuan, while a number of mid-size hotels dot the entire city and its adjoining areas. There are a number of long-stay apartments too, in case your business demands a longer stay. Areas like Chittaranjan Park and Safdarjung also have a number of smaller establishments where you can stay for a shorter period.

The Oberoi, New Delhi

Tariff: Rs. 14,000 onwards
Why stay here: If your budget allows, this is a perfect option
Check out: www.oberoihotels.com

Located on Dr. Zakir Hussain Marg, The Oberoi, New Delhi is 24 km from the airport. It is a premier 5-star hotel and its proximity to the city’s business and commercial districts makes it a favorite of business travelers.

The hotel has 283 rooms, including 31 suites. The hotel’s dining options include threesixty°, the all-day dining restaurant and Travertino, which serves traditional Italian cuisine. The Club Bar is ideal for afternoon tea, business drinks and evenings at leisure. The Oberoi Patisserie and Delicatessen is India’s ‘first’ exclusive gourmet food store. All the restaurants are popular not only with the hotel guests but also with Delhiites. The conference and banqueting facilities can accommodate up to 350 guests. The 24-hour 4,150 sq feet business center comprises one 16-seater boardroom, three 12-seater boardrooms, two 6-seater conference rooms, four 2-seater private offices and 5 web-enabled computer workstations and a library.

The services offered here include AV equipment rentals, interpreter services, laptop rental, polycom audio conferencing system, video conferencing system and wireless connectivity. The banquet halls are also perfect for conferences and events.

Taj Mahal Hotel

Tariff: Rs. 14,000 upwards
Why stay here: As good as it gets
Check out: www.tajhotels.com

If you are ready to loosen the purse strings in favor of business, this hotel is perfect. It is located a 30-minute drive from the airport and is 10 minutes away from the political power centers of New Delhi. The Taj Mahal Hotel, on Number One Mansingh Road, is a distinguished addresses. It has 294 rooms, including 27 suites and one Grand Presidential suite. The hotel is equally popular as a dining destination by walk-in clients, thanks to the presence of such restaurants as Wasabi by Morimoto and Rick’s Bar.

The hotel has over 12,500 sq feet of meeting space with 5 indoor and 2 outdoor venues. Capacity of the venues varies from 20-500 people.

The USPs of the hotel’s banquets are exclusive rooftop venues and natural light in 3 out of the 5 halls. The halls include Diwan-I-Am, Diwan-I-Khas and Aftab-Mahtab. All three can be interconnected. The hotel’s business center has 3 conference rooms with seating capacity of 6-8 people. You can get access to high-speed broadband Internet and Wi-Fi.

You can also get office equipment and audio-visual equipment on rent. LCD projector, video conferencing, white boards and flip charts are available on hire. 24 hrs advance notice is required in some cases. Secretarial services and video-conferencing facilities with supporting computer software are available here.

The business center also has a lawyer’s library to refer legal books. It also has the SCC (Supreme Court Cases) online facility.

Park Inn, Gurgaon

Tariff: Rs. 8,800 onwards
Why stay here: Small and suitable
Check out: www.parkinn.com

Park Inn by Radisson Gurgaon hotel is located in Civil Lines, near Mor Chowk, Gurgaon. Situated close to IFFCO Chowk, the hotel scores heavily with business travelers, thanks to its location. It has 55 rooms and two restaurants. Cafe55 is the multicuisine restaurant which serves Chinese, Indian and continental cuisines, while the Lounge Bar also serves continental cuisine and finger food.

The business center has a 18m2 well-equipped boardroom with a capacity to seat up to 10 people, and facilities like facsimile, Internet usage, photocopying, printouts etc.
The hotel has one meeting room, divisible into two with a capacity to accommodate up to 80 people. The approximate day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room is Rs.850 plus taxes per person or Rs.15,000 plus taxes as day rental charges.

All the latest audio-visual equipment and Wi-Fi connectivity is provided on a chargeable basis. The approximate rate for the banquets is Rs.850 plus taxes per person and includes buffet lunch, AMT/PMT with cookies during the conference and the basic conference hall set-up.

The Oberoi, Gurgaon

Tariff: Rs. 30,000 onwards
Why stay here: Expensive, but worth it…
Check out: www.oberoihotels.com

The Oberoi, Gurgaon has an enviable location: Just 15 minutes from the airport. With so many businesses shifting to Gurgaon over the years, this stunningly beautiful Oberoi property has attracted many since it opened some time back. Spread over nine acres, the hotel encompasses a 36,000 sq feet central water feature surrounded with restaurants and luxury retail space. It has 202 rooms and suites.

The 18,000 sq feet conference and banqueting facility can accommodate 6-1,000 people and is located on the edge of a water body with floor-to-ceiling windows letting in natural light. There are 5 ballrooms, 10 meeting rooms and 2 outdoor venues. The Belvedere, an exclusive members-only business club, features a lounge and 5 meeting rooms.

Fortune Select Excalibur

Tariff: Rs.10,000 upwards
Why stay here: Good, upcoming location
Check out: www.fortunehotels.in

Located on Sohna Road, Gurgaon, this hotel is close to the NCR’s upcoming business district. It has 135 rooms and a 24-hour business center. There are 2 boardrooms with video conferencing, projector facilities, drop-down screen, revolving power consoles, camera and basic flip charts, 3 internet stations with apple IMAC (wireless keyboard and mouse), facilities of printer, photo-copier, scanner, fax machine, binding machine, grinding machine, laptop on rent and Wi-Fi connectivity. The boardrooms can accommodate 8-10 people. The 2 banquet and conference rooms are spread over 7,700 sq feet and can accommodate up to 500 people. It is backed by Wi-Fi.
The approximate charges for a day conference (base price) is Rs.1,000 plus taxes per person. The charges for a boardroom are Rs.12,000-Rs.18,000 plus taxes as applicable. A host of technical backup like LCD projector, mikes and mike podium, laptops, IT support, fullproof power back-up are also provided.

Shangri-La’s—Eros Hotel

Tariff: Rs 11,000 onwards
Why stay here: Located in the heart of the city
Check out: www.shangri-la.com

Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel stands tall in one of the most prime areas of the Indian capital city. Located on Ashoka Road, Connaught Place, staying at this hotel may stretch your budget (as do some of the other top hotels we’ve mentioned) but the beautiful property is certain worth considering.
It has 320 rooms, including suites. The business center offers a host of services, including translation, printing, lamination, facsimile, broadband, internet access, DVD player and audio and video conferencing.

There are 3 meeting rooms and the approximate day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room is Rs.40,000 plus taxes, inclusive of 2 complimentary tea, coffee and cookies round, in case of full-day usage.
All tech backup is offered on chargeable basis only.

Peppermint Hotel Gurgaon

Tariff: Rs.5,700
Why stay here: Good location
Check out: www.pepperminthotels.com

Founded in the year 2008, the philosophy behind the Peppermint Hotels is creating ‘uniquely designed value priced hotels, resorts and everything in between with 4-star quality service offerings at a 2-star price.’ Today, Peppermint Hotels is operational in Gurgaon and has 9 hotels under development in cities like Baroda, Kumarakom, Pune, Jodhpur, Jaipur,
two in Bengaluru, Goa and Raipur,
with 12 to be executed thereafter in multiple cities.

There are 46 rooms in the Gurgaon hotel. All rooms are equipped with amenities available in any luxury hotel, including LED reading lights, LCD TVs, DVD, iPod docks and wireless & wired internet. Located in the Millennium City Centre of Gurgaon (Sector 29) and close to the expressway (NH 8), this new concept hotel is in close proximity to Signature Towers and Unitech Business Park. It is 14 km from the domestic airport and 33 km from the railway station.

It also has a business center with high-speed internet access (Wi-Fi and LAN), fax, executive computer work station, laser printer with color & black and white ink color copier & scanner. There are two banquet rooms, a 24×7 multicuisine coffee shop, a Chinese restaurant and a bar.

The banquet halls are located one floor below the lobby level and are ideal for a seminar for up to 150 people or a party for about 200. A soundproof partition can divide these rooms as well so that you can take either. The hotel assists you with both audio & video facilities, LCD screen, projections with sound system and good quality cuisine.

Kolkata

The political scene in Kolkata is undergoing a sea change, with the old CPM guard giving way to a new power play at the state Assembly. But the legendary hospitality of the city has remained unchanged since the days when this was the headquarters of the British Raj. Many hotels of Kolkata bear testimony to the city’s British heritage, mostly in the construction. But a number of newer properties too have come up in recent years here.
Swissôtel Kolkata


Tariff: Rs.8,000 onwards
Why stay here: City’s ‘largest’ pillar-free conference hall, beautiful property
Check out: www.swissotel.com
Talking of new hotels in the city, you have to first check out Swissôtel Kolkata. This hotel has 147 rooms which includes suites, executive rooms, rooms and suites with jacuzzi. The hotel offers state-of-the-art facilities at its business center, with Apple desktop computers with high-speed internet connectivity.
The hotel has extensive meeting and function space with one of the city’s ‘largest’ pillar free conference halls, Bern, of 656 m2 divisible into 3 areas; a further 3 function rooms, Zurich, Basel and Geneva. There are 2 boardrooms, Arosa and Lugano. The approx charges of hiring a meeting/conference room ranges from Rs.8,500-Rs.1,08,000 for a half-day session. The function rooms are ideal for meetings/conferences. It has good quality AV equipment, projector, IT support, video conferencing facility; lighting and decor is provided as well as a full meeting planning and concierge service. Another plus point is the location of the hotel: In New Town, just 3 km from the airport.

The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata

Tariff: Rs.19,000 onwards
Why stay here: As grand as its name
Check out: www.oberoihotels.com

The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata is affectionately known as the ‘Grande Dame of Calcutta.’ The Oberoi Grand’s neo-classical façade and pillared entrance has become a landmark in the city. Located in Chowringhee, the heart of Kolkata’s commercial district, the hotel has 213 rooms and suites, three restaurants and bars, a grand ballroom which can accommodate 800 persons, a 24-hour business center, a shopping arcade, among others. Well-equipped for banquets, the hotel has 3 conference rooms namely Burdwan (75 persons), Coochbehar (75 persons) and Ballroom (800 persons). The woman business traveler is attended to especially by the hotel. Staff members who are female are pressed into service for her. Care is taken to see that she gets absolute privacy during her stay.

Hyatt Regency

Tariff: Rs. 7,600 onwards
Why stay here: Close to the IT hub and airport
Check out: kolkata.regency.hyatt.com

As you approach the hub of the city from the airport, you cannot miss the imposing façade of Hyatt Regency Kolkata. The hotel has 233 luxury rooms and suites and is popular with business travelers because of its location: in the city’s IT hub of Salt Lake City. It is 15 km from the Howrah Railway Station.

The hotel offers over 12,970 sq m venue for banquets and conferences, including the pillar-free Regency Ballroom of 610 sq m.
There are a total of 7 meeting and conference rooms, like the Guchhi Terrace which is usually booked for more intimate business events. The Regency Ballroom, Topaz and Sapphire offer flexibility of space by partitioning the halls into separate units according to your needs. From fresh banqueting concepts to innovative catering, the hotel’s banqueting team customizes each event to suit the needs of guests. The Regency Ballroom and all meeting rooms have good quality audio-visual and high-speed communications connections.

Taj Bengal

Tariff: Rs. 14,750 approx
Why stay here: All the Taj amenities
Check out: www.tajhotels.com

Taj Bengal is located on Belvedere Road, Alipore, just 2 km from the city’s commercial center, and is close to many government offices and consulates. The hotel was designed by legendary architect Bob Fox. It has 228 centrally air-conditioned rooms including 16 suites. There is a well-equipped business center. There are six banquet rooms to conduct business meetings, with capacities ranging from 15 to 500 persons auditorium style or 15 to 1,000 persons for cocktail/receptions. The hotel provides catering for breakfast, lunch, dinner, meeting breaks and cocktail parties.

Two beautiful gardens offer the perfect setting for group lunches and dinners (between November and February) and can accommodate up to 600 persons. Hotel business services include laptop computers on hire, mobile phones on hire, multimedia computers and portable printers on hire. You can also avail of secretarial services, translation/interpretation services, wireless Internet access, workstations and conference rooms.

The Astor Kolkata

Tariff: Rs.7,000 onwards
Why stay here: Great location
Check out: www.astorkolkata.com

Located on Shakespeare Sarani, a road dotted with business establishments and office premises, The Astor hotel is more than three decades old. The Victorian building itself is over 100 years old.

Designed for the corporate traveler, the Astor has 35 rooms. There are 2 banquets: Coronation Hall is a mid-sized banquet/conference hall and can accommodate 80 people in theater style and 40 in U-shape. The other hall Rendezvous can be used for small corporate meetings and can accommodate 20 people in theater style.

Fortune Select Loudon

Tariff: Rs.4,250 onwards
Why stay here: New and neat
Check out: www.fortunehotels.in

This is a new property, but already creating waves in Kolkata. As the name suggests, this hotel is located on Loudon Street, near the famous Park Street. It has 68 full-service rooms, including 23 Fortune Club rooms and 4 suites. Zodiac, its 24-hour multi-cuisine coffee shop and Nostradamus, its lounge and bar, have both become quite popular. It has 3,100 sq feet of meeting and banquet space.

You can get Wi-Fi, secretarial support and a fully-equipped business center with state-of-the art boardrooms here. The Emerald Hall can accommodate 120 people in theater style while the boardroom can accommodate 10.

The Park

Tariff: Rs.5,800 onwards
Why stay here: Iconic hotel
Check out: www.theparkhotels.com

This luxury 5-star hotel is located on the famous Park Street. It has 149 rooms, including 56 deluxe rooms, 40 luxury premium rooms, 36 luxury rooms, 16 deluxe suites and 1 Presidential suite. It also has multi-functional banquet halls spread over an area of 15,000 sq feet. Pine Hall, Rosewood Hall, Ebony Room and Banyan Room all offer the latest facilities. The designer banquet space, The Galaxy, has an additional capacity of 500 people. The hotel is famous for its nightclub Tantra, the high spirits of Someplace Else and Roxy, and the food at Saffron and Zen.

ITC Sonar

Tariff: Rs.8,500 approx (Net only rate)
Why stay here: Unique ‘business resort’
Check out: www.itcwelcomgroup.in

Located near the famous Science City, ITC Sonar is a 4-acre property, full of lush green gardens and water bodies. ITC calls this a “business resort, a place that has all the trappings of a business hotel, along with the ‘feet-up-feel’ of a resort.”

It is en route from the airport to the city and a 10-minute drive from Sector V, Salt Lake, the IT hub. It is the ‘first’ hotel in the world to be registered by UNFCCC for Carbon Emission Reductions.

There are 8 meeting and conference rooms with state-of-the-art facilities including Wi-Fi. Pala is the high-tech conference venue which can accommodate up to 750 guests, whether theater-style by day or a lavish themed event by night. The hall can be subdivided into three sections. There is also an outdoor banqueting area, the Sunderbans.

Fairlawn Hotel

Tariff: Rs.2,250 onwards
Why stay here: Value for money
Check out: www.fairlawnhotel.com

You may be surprised by this inclusion, but Fairlawn is an iconic hotel tucked into the bylanes of Sudder Street. It is close to Park Street; a family-run hotel since 1936. It is popular with foreign tourists. It was recently renovated, has Wi-Fi connectivity. The garden is the lobby-equivalent and a great place to unwind. The dining hall serves a full English breakfast and if your meeting is over early, try the afternoon tea. A little bit of England in the heart of Kolkata…

Chennai

Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, boasts of a large number of hotels. All the big hotel chains have a branch here and there are some other local hospitality chains too that have beautiful properties in the city. It is difficult to do justice and list all the possible good business hotels. Here’s a selection…

Radha Regent

Tariff: Rs.5,500 onwards
Why stay here: Geared for the entrepreneur
Check out: www.radhahotels.com/chennai

The hotel has 91 rooms and is located on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Inner Ring Road, Arumbakkam. The business center offers facilities like Internet browsing, printing documents, scanning, copying, fax and CD/DVD writing. There are six meeting rooms and the approximate day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room is Rs.10,000 plus taxes.

The hotel provides a host of technical backup for conferences, including IT support, projector, mike, music, podium, UPS, telephone, video conferencing and Internet usage.

There are two restaurants in the hotel; while one serves South Indian, Continental and Indian cuisine, the other is an Oriental restaurant. Both are popular with local people too.

The Raintree hotels

Tariff: Rs.7,000 onwards
Why stay here: Good eco-sensitive business hotels
Check out: www.raintreehotels.com/

These ‘eco-sensitive business hotels’ believe in ‘setting a new standard of environmental responsibility.’ The Raintree Hotel, St. Mary’s Road is located near a hub of business, auto and manufacturing activity in Alwarpet; while the other Raintree hotel is located in the famous Anna Salai. The Raintree Hotel, St. Mary’s Road has 105 rooms and suites. It has high-speed internet and an all-inclusive business center. The hotel offers meeting and banquet facilities designed to accommodate up to 300 guests. The St. Mary’s, Chamiers, Greenways and Cenotaph are 4 banquet halls equipped with state-of-the-art technology. The business center provides smaller meeting facilities, all secretarial service and high-speed Internet facility. The meeting rooms can accommodate 2-16 people.

The Raintree Hotel at Anna Salai, Teynampet, has 230 rooms and suites. This 5-star hotel features an array of meeting and event facilities that cater to conferences, banquets and special occasions. The meeting rooms and banquet halls can accommodate up to 1,000 guests and feature high-tech AV support, wireless internet connectivity and customizable room layouts. Smaller boardrooms complete with secretarial services are used for private functions. The business center is ideal for hosting small, private functions; there are also three boardrooms. You can fit in 8-12 guests here.

The Park Chennai

Tariff: Rs.5,200 onwards
Why stay here: Host of amenities for business meetings
Check out: www.theparkhotels.com

The Park in Chennai is a 214-room 5-star deluxe hotel designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates, Los Angeles. It specializes in boutique banqueting and has three conference halls, Sansara Hall, Chandra Room and Surya Room. It also offers certain special services like conference kits with the company logo embossed, working lunch menu to cater to various individual tastes, hostesses to welcome and escort guests, special effects for product launch like life-size models of the product and display boards, facilities to make banners and backdrops of your choice, cookies, mint and chocolate platters on the table, personalized stationery, match boxes, pencils and pads.

For conference/seminars, facilities provided here include podiums, lecterns, blackboards, flip chart, board or white board, raised platform, conference kits, banner & backdrops, tent cards, simultaneous translation, video coverage/audio recording and photographers.

Hotel Savera

Tariff: Rs.5,000 onwards
Why stay here: Old favorite
Check out: www.saverahotel.com

The Savera has been a popular hotel for entrepreneurs traveling to Chennai. It has different categories of rooms, including the clubroom (luxury business class room) and executive rooms (business class rooms) . There are 230 in all, and 70 of these face the pool. There’s a buffet restaurant called The Piano, the Malgudi serves southern cuisine and the Lobby Café offers all-day dining. For meetings and events, Savera can accommodate between 20-1,000 guests.

Taj Coromandel

Tariff: Rs.17,000 onwards
Why stay here: Noted banqueting address
Check out: www.tajhotels.com

Taj Coromandel, Chennai has a total of 212 rooms, including the luxury rooms, Taj club rooms and executive suites. It is located around 17 km from the airport and 5 km from the railway station. It has 4 restaurants and one bar. This Taj has been popular as a banqueting destination in Chennai for many years now. It has six conference venues, namely the Ballroom, Boardroom, Hastings, Clive, Dupleix & Willingdon. Taj Coromandel features indoor/outdoor catering and capacities range from 20 to 750 persons in auditorium style or 25 to 1,200 persons for receptions in floating style. The hotel offers wireless broadband Internet access, videoconferencing and web-cast capabilities with modern infrastructure. The business center services include broadband Internet access and cyber butlers, color copier, laptop computers on hire/multimedia computers, portable printers on hire and secretarial services. Meeting rooms have capacity to seat between one to 10 guests and you can avail of translation/interpretation services too. The hotel is Wi-Fi enabled.

Hyatt Regency

Tariff: Rs.7,000 approx
Why stay here: Great IT backup service
Check out: chennai.regency.hyatt.com

Hyatt Regency Chennai is now accepting reservations for arrival on Friday, 1 July 2011 and beyond. This is a premium business hotel, located in the city’s central business district, 20 minutes from the airport and IT corridor. Located on the iconic Anna Salai (Mount Road), the hotel has 327 rooms. It has over 1,900 sq m of conference and meeting space. The business center offers secretarial services and multi-lingual staff. There’s Wi-Fi access in all public areas. All conference rooms are connected with Ethernet ports supported by a fiber optic backbone. If required, the fiber optic backbone may be accessed from one meeting room to another.
There is a centralized AV control room, broadband Internet, ISDN, LCD projector, drop-down projection screens, light racks and sky-hooks to enable suspension of any kind of lighting or AV equipment, are available in all meeting rooms.
The hotel has the capability to facilitate live broadcasts, video and teleconferencing in all meeting rooms.

The Accord Metropolitan

Tariff: Rs.5,000 approx.
Why stay here: Value for money
Check out: www.theaccordmetropolitan.com

This 5-star hotel has 162 rooms with a number of business facilities.
It has three banquet halls on a dedicated floor with a capacity to accommodate up to 1,000 guests. The banqueting rooms can be divided to provide five function rooms to accommodate different group sizes. It also has a fully-equipped business center with full secretarial services support. The hotel is located just 12 km from the airport.

Trident, Chennai

Tariff: Rs.9,500 onwards
Why stay here: Close to the airport and new business hubs
Check out: www.tridenthotels.com

Located on G.S.T. Road, this is close to the airport as well as the new business districts of Oragadam, Sriperumbudur, Maramalianagar and Guindy and 10 minutes from the Chennai Trade center.
This low-rise hotel has 167 guest rooms, which include 11 suites and 156 Trident Club rooms and deluxe rooms. Banqueting facilities at the Trident, Chennai include five meeting and conference areas.

Coimbatore

We next stop at Coimbatore, the third largest city in Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore reportedly has more than 40,000 small, medium and large scale industries, mostly dealing in engineering. Like most cities of southern India, the standard of education is very high here, drawing possible entrepreneurial options to the city. It is also one of the top IT destinations of the state.
So, where do you stay when in Coimbatore?

Hotel City Tower

Tariff: Rs.1,600 onwards
Why stay here: Value for money, conference hall, secretarial services on offer
Check out: www.hotelcitytower.com

We first checked Hotel City Tower; rooms here are priced at Rs.1,600 onwards. Located in the Ramnagar area, the hotel is quite popular with business travelers. However, one point to note: Don’t expect super luxury here; it’s more a value for money hotel. It has a number of restaurants, including the multicuisine restaurant Cloud 9 and vegetarian restaurant Orchard. It offers rooms in various categories: standard, executive, deluxe and presidential suites.

The hotel houses a spacious and well-maintained conference hall that can accommodate more than 200 people at a time. There is also a business center with Internet access and secretarial services. Other facilities include safety deposit lockers, travel counter, doctor on call, airport coach services and parking facilities. It is Wi-Fi enabled.

The Residency

Tariff: Rs.5,200
Why stay here: Good location, try their group rates
Check out: www.theresidency.com

Moving on to Avinashi Road, we find The Residency, which boasts of near-full occupancy on most days. It is located quite close to the railway station, a number of engineering colleges and certain textile industries. This is a 4-star premium luxury hotel. The location is the clincher for this hotel; it is also just a 20 minutes drive from the airport. The business center boasts of advanced communication facilities and the hotel offers secretarial and allied services for traveling entrepreneurs. There are private cubicles for high speed Internet browsing. Conference rooms have a seating capacity of 16 persons and there are offices to hold board meetings and personal interviews. You can hold banquets and conferences in the hotel: Senator I can accommodate 80 guests (theater style) while Senator II allows you to host a U-shaped table meeting, with up to 42 attendees.

There are 135 air-conditioned rooms with complimentary broadband internet facility. There are group rates too: Rs. 4,750 plus tax for a standard single and Rs.5,100 plus tax for standard double. The rates are valid only for a minimum booking of 10 rooms from the same organization on a single day.

Hotel CAG Pride

Tariff: Rs.3,400
Why stay here: Close to the airport, special studio rooms, popular coffee shop
Check out: www.cagpride.com
Hotel CAG Pride, also located in the Ramnagar area, is a good hotel for a short stay. It is located 8 km from the airport. The 3-star hotel also has a permit room called Knotty Spirits, a multicuisine restaurant Golden Crop, a large banquet hall and a round-the-clock coffee shop. It has four banquet halls, with capacity ranging from 10-200 covers.

Each of the hotel’s 71 centrally air-conditioned rooms comes with complimentary Wi-Fi and are priced at Rs.3,400 minus tax per night. A special aspect of this hotel is the Studio rooms. These are ‘semi family rooms’ with an additional room with a single bed (along with the main room with a choice of king-sized bed or twin beds).

The studio rooms also have a dining table for four, a mini bar and 32” LCD TV. The studio rooms are especially a fantastic value for money,’ claims the hotel’s website. The cost of a double studio room is Rs.4,300 while you have to shell out Rs.500 for an extra person. This excludes the luxury tax.

Heritage Inn

Tariff: Rs.2,800
Why stay here: Business center, good for a short stay
Check out: www.hotelheritageinn.in

Heritage Inn, on Sivasamy Road, Ramnagar scores because of its location: right in the heart of the city with quick access to many public amenities. Some travelers who have stayed at this hotel feel the rooms here are not that great and the hotel quite small. It is located about 10 km from the airport and the hotel’s website calls itself a ‘luxury budget hotel.’ The hotel is centrally air-conditioned and has 63 rooms. The room tariff (single occupancy Rs.2,800 plus tax) includes a buffet breakfast. There are a number of restaurants; Paruvaa, a multicuisine restaurant, Apex Garden, which is the rooftop restaurant and Rafters, the bar. You can conduct business meetings at Summit, the fully operational business center. The hotel also has a conference call with a capacity of 35 covers, while its 1,000 sq feet banquet hall has accommodate up to 100 people.

Hotel Rathna Residency

Tariff: Rs.2,000
Why stay here: Banquet hall offers good facilities for business meetings
Check out: www.rathnaresidency.com

Check out online for Coimbatore hotels and the name Hotel Rathna Residency crops up almost everywhere. Located on Variety Hall Road, this hotel room tariff starts from around Rs.2,300 year round. Apart from a number of restaurants, the hotel has Ruby, a conferencing and banquet facility which can accommodate more than 200 people.

The other conference hall, Amethyst, has a capacity of around 120 people. The banquet hall Pinnacle can accommodate 100 people (theater style). Basic notepads, flip charts and markers are provided complimentary by the hotel whereas microphones and overhead projectors are supplied on request at an extra charge.

Hotel Vijai Paradise

Tariff: Rs.990
Why stay here: Cheaper option for
short stay
Check out: www.hotelvijaiparadise.com

Finally, we also take a look at Hotel Vijai Paradise, on N.S.R. Road, Saibaba Colony. Online reviewers say this hotel provides value for money. But it lacks business facilities like Internet or fax machine. A business class non A/C room (double occupancy) here will cost you Rs.1,200 while a business class A/C room (single occupancy) will cost Rs.1,550. The hotel has two banquet halls.
You can host a reception here for even 450 people, while there are mini A/C conference halls which can accommodate 40 people.

Not perhaps a grand choice when in Coimbatore, but this one’s certainly quite friendly on the pocket, if you are just starting out and have a budget constraint.

Indore

Moving on, we come to the heart of India: Madhya Pradesh. Indore is dubbed the commercial capital of the state, thanks to the presence of a number of small, medium and large-scale manufacturing and service industries. These range from automobile to pharmaceutical, software and retail. The major industrial areas of the city are the Pithampur Special Economic Zone and the Sanwer Industrial belt. So, if you have to travel to Indore on business, where do you stay? We give you a few options.

Sarovar Portico

Tariff: Rs. 4,000 onwards
Why stay here: Value for money
Check out: www.sarovarhotels.com

The hotel is ideal for business travelers to Indore, offering a host of amenities and special features. Located in the city center on M.G. Road, it has 94 guest rooms and suites. The business center is equipped with desktop LCD computer, high speed Internet connectivity, fax, print and scan services as well as adequate meeting space. There are five meeting rooms, which can accommodate between 15 to 150 people. The approximate day charges for hiring a meeting room ranges between Rs.3,000-Rs.6,000 plus taxes. However, if a guest books the room with a meal package the hall rental becomes negligible. The hotel also provides certain technical facilities on request, including Wi-Fi connectivity, webcast arrangement, LCD projector, flat screen TV, pad, pencil, conference kit, mineral water and in-built speaker with PA system. It boasts of the city’s highest rooftop restaurant, The Terrace, a multicuisine restaurant, Rouge and a lounge bar called Liquid.

Fortune Landmark

Tariff: Rs. 6,000 onwards
Why stay here: Customized meeting halls
Check out: www.fortuneindore.com

Fortune Landmark Indore is run under the professional management of M/s Fortune Park Hotels Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd). It is located 17 km from the airport and 7 km from the railway station. It offers halls of various proportions to help you organize your business meetings with ease. The Zodiac, Devasari (I and II ), Surya, Shankh and the boardroom each offer exclusive layouts, styles and complete customization. Zodiac can accommodate up to 350 people in theater style, while Shankh can accommodate 40 people in the same style. The two boardrooms can accommodate 6-10 people.

Ginger

Tariff: Rs. 1,499 onwards
Why stay here: Good budget hotel
Check out: www.gingerhotels.com

Ginger Hotel is located near the Shanivar Darpan on A.B. Road. You can reach the hotel in 40 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes from the station and bus stand. It is close to business hubs like Dewas, Pithampur, M.G. Road and Tukoganj. The hotel has 95 rooms, which are equipped with amenities like mini-fridge, LCD TV and self-controlled AC. The conference room can accommodate around 30-40 people and the meeting room can seat 8-10 people.

Sayaji

Tariff: Rs. 4,000 onwards
Why stay here: Best for large conferences
Check out: www.sayajihotels.com

With 210 rooms and suites, 4 restaurants and 10 banquet venues including Mahal, the air-conditioned pillar-less auditorium for 700 people, Sayaji is a good option if you want to host conferences, seminars and conventions at economical rates in Indore. There is complimentary Wi-Fi connection in the hotel. It even has a squash and lawn tennis courts and a chip ’n’ put golf course. Sayaji has a 1,000 sq feet Presidential Suite, 5 suites and 11 executive accommodations which make up the Grande Seventh on the 7th floor of the hotel. Here, you can enjoy a host of other special services as well. The hotel can accommodate 25-3,500 people across its banquet venues.

Hotel Crown Palace

Tariff: Rs. 2,000 onwards
Why stay here: Business basics in place
Check out: www.crownpalace.com

The hotel has 51 rooms and suites, which are air-conditioned and have internet connectivity. There are a number of function rooms to choose from when planning your event here. The Crystal Room can accommodate 50 in theater style, while Victoria Fall lawn has the capacity to accommodate 700 in reception style.

The hotel’s boardroom table has connectivity for laptops and LCD projectors and is an ideal venue for an executive meeting. The services on offer here include high-speed Internet access, LCD projection, writing paper and pencils, flipchart, whiteboard and pencils and audio-visual equipment.
The boardroom leads on to The Conservatory, a light, comfortable room, perfect for tea and coffee breaks. The Conservatory also opens on to its own private garden.

This cry needs to get louder

India needs more and more airport hotels.

There are a number of reasons why a country like India needs an airport hotel in every city. Airport hotels are:

Convenient

Staying in a hotel that’s a few miles from the runway, or even on the airport grounds (the U.S. has the O’Hare Hilton and the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport), may mean the difference between making a flight or missing it.

Meeting money-savers
Attendees can save time and money by meeting at an airport hotel rather than adding another leg (in a car) after a flight to meet downtown. Further savings can be had if some meeting-goers fly right home after a meeting rather than stay at the meeting location overnight. For delegates who are driving into town, airports are easily accessible and parking isn’t a problem.

Full of bells and whistles
The Miami Airport Hilton and Towers has a jogging trail around a freshwater lagoon, plus tennis and basketball courts; the Fairmont Vancouver Airport has a fantastic spa, a whole floor of hypoallergenic rooms and hotel check-in a few steps from the baggage carousels. And as a nod to time-challenged road warriors, many Hilton and Hyatt airport properties now have lobby kiosks for checking in and out as well.

Ahmedabad

The commercial capital of Gujarat is indeed a vibrant city. Over the years, a number of hotels, malls and restaurants have sprung up all over Ahmedabad, a testimony to its vibrancy. There are a host of options available to the business traveler in all parts of the city—be it the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar side (if you need to visit government officials) which boasts of Taj’s Gateway Hotel Ummed, across the Sabarmati river, where the Le Meridien is situated, or the prime area, Ashram Road, which has a number of offices and hotels like Fortune Landmark and the more recent, St Laurn Towers. We check out the merits of some of these.

St Laurn Towers

Tariff: Rs.7,000 onwards
Why stay here: Well-equipped business center, unique Grande floor option
Check out: www.stlaurntowers.com

This 5-star hotel has 129 rooms. Each room offers spectacular panoramic vistas of glistening riverside and city views. Even bathrooms are larger-than-life and luxurious with white marble walls, a shower cubicle, cozy bath tub and much more. On offer are high speed Wi-Fi and video conferencing.

A special feature here is the Grande Floor, designed for business czars who love to enjoy their own space. Private and secluded, this includes two floors of exclusive accommodation, a dedicated reception desk, a personalized butler service and many amenities.

A single executive room is priced at Rs.7,000 per night, a Tower Residency suite would cost Rs.15,000 per night and the St Laurn suite would cost Rs.20,000 per night, excluding the 6 percent luxury tax. The price includes complimentary buffet breakfast at Café 15A and airport pick-up and drop. The hotel has three conference and business meeting locations: Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire. These are equipped with state-of-art video conferencing facilities including LCD projectors and sound & light systems. These are ideal for conferences, corporate meetings, seminars and workshops for up to 20 people for each space. At the hotel’s business center, you can avail of secretarial services, modern multi-media tools, pre-installed communication gadgets and Wi-Fi system.

The Grand Bhagwati

Tariff: Rs.6,000
Why stay here: Good location, popular business hotel
Check out: www.thegrandbhagwati.com

This hotel has become a landmark on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway over the years. Many offices have shifted to this new part of town, making this hotel a popular choice for business travelers. It has 35 guest rooms and 2 grand suite rooms. The room amenities include an executive working desk and wireless high speed internet access. There are three restaurants: Bricks, Café Piano and Dhuan. The Grand Ballroom has 7,000 sq feet of pillar-less space. It can accommodate 1,000 people theater-style and 500 or 250 people in the double U and U-shapes respectively. There are various package options available for conferences. The simple and cozy Chancellor’s room is perfect for small conferences and can include 40 people, theater-style.

Hotel Pride

Tariff: Rs.4,000 onwards
Why stay here: Good hotel to host a conference or business meet
Check out: www.pridehotel.com

The business hub of Satellite is booming, making the area’s 5-star Hotel Pride a good option to stay at. Located on Judges Bungalow Road, this hotel is just off the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway, so the location is perfect. It has 164 rooms, a fine-dining restaurant called Casablanca, a 24-hour coffee shop called Café Treat, and an exclusive lounge bar, Zing. It has a number of halls, viz. the Imperial, Royal, Majestic, Chancery, Presidential, Senate and the Board Room; each of these can be customized to suit your exact needs.

Gateway Hotel Ummed

Tariff: Rs.6,000 onwards
Why stay here: Just 1 km from the airport
Check out: www.thegatewayhotels.com

Located in the International Airport Circle, Hansol, this hotel is preferred by many travelers. It is around 1 km from the airport, 9 km from the central business district and 12 km from Gandhinagar. The hotel has 91 rooms, including 4 suites. There is Wi-Fi internet connection throughout the hotel. The business services include a business center, broadband internet access, fax and scanning. You can avail of the hotel’s secretarial service as well as translation/interpretation services. The two banquet rooms and the boardroom can accommodate 10 to 120 people in theater style.

Sarovar Portico

Tariff: Rs.4,000 onwards
Why stay here: Affordable and comfortable
Check out: www.sarovarhotels.com
Hotel Sarovar Portico is located in Bhawan’s College Road, Khanpur which is around 8 km from the airport and 3 km from the railway station. It has 69 rooms, which includes 19 executive suites. The business center offers photo copier, printer and Internet usage facilities. The hotel also has a boardroom. There are four banquet halls in the hotel. You can hire Shamiana for Rs.55,000 plus taxes; Mandap for Rs.20,000 plus taxes and Durbar 1 and 2 for Rs.15,000 each plus taxes (all are day charges). To make your conference a smooth operation, the hotel provides projector, collar and podium mike, white board with marker, duster etc as well as all other latest support equipment. The River View restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Fortune Landmark

Tariff: Rs.4,650 onwards
Why stay here: Tried and tested option
Check out: www.fortunehotels.in

Fortune Landmark is located on Ashram Road, which is an ideal location for a business hotel. It has 95 rooms which includes 64 standard rooms, 18 Fortune Club rooms, 12 executive suites and 12 Presidential suites. The hotel has, over the years, become popular with business travelers to Ahmedabad. You can get state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment at an additional cost, dedicated telephone lines on request, motion picture, slide and overhead projectors, Mono, stereo and multi-track tape recorders, video cameras, video projectors and video players, PCs and wired or wireless high-speed internet access in meeting rooms. Among the meeting rooms is South Court, which can accommodate up to 135 guests for a conference. The Senate is a boardroom which can seat up to 15 people and also has a 42 inch plasma screen.

Park Plaza

Tariff: Rs.8,000 onwards
Why stay here: New but shows promise
Check out: www.parkplaza.com

This hotel has just thrown its doors open last month, but the response has already been positive. It is located opposite Gujarat College in the Ellisbridge area. It has 90 rooms, including suites. The business center provides support like Internet, photocopying, fax, printouts and secretarial services. There are two boardrooms and 5 conference rooms. The approximate day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room is Rs.15,000 onwards. The technical backup provided for a conference includes projector, all AV equipment, LCD projector and IT support. Beverages are included in package, while bandwidth and equipment can be hired. There are two restaurants; one all-day dining and one Oriental specialty.

Pune

With a number of IT companies and small and medium businesses choosing to operate out of Pune, the city has become the destination of choice for entrepreneurs from all over India. Many people travel between Mumbai and Pune on a daily basis; and many go to Pune at least once a week. Little wonder, then, that a number of hotels have opened their doors here. We take a quick look and tell you which ones are your best bets.

Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre

Tariff: Rs.8,000 approx. (room only)
Why stay here: Located right in the business hub, 418 rooms, 12 meeting rooms
Check out: www.marriott.com

The Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre is a 25 minute ride from both the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Pune’s airport, making this a central location. The hotel has 418 guest rooms, including 44 suites and 170 executive club rooms. Enter the premises and the first thing that you notice is the wide expanse of the lobby, which the Marriott calls the ‘great room.’ This is the focal point of the hotel; the far left side of it is a bar lounge, where you can catch up with business associates over a quick drink. The hotel has one of the largest international convention centers in India. It has 12 meeting rooms and three boardrooms.

The hotel offers best available rates for room bookings, which means the room rate depends on percentage of occupancy and day of the week. You can book bulk dates all over the year and get special room rates too. The hotels ‘Meetings that Matter’ concept helps you plan different kinds of business meetings and conferences, with the price range starting from Rs.900 per person, which includes certain basic facilities. There are various combinations you can choose to create your own package.

The hotel offers a variety of cuisine: Alto Vino offers traditional Italian food, the rooftop (24th floor) Paasha’s tandoor kitchen comes alive at night, Spice Kitchen offers a mixed buffet as well as an a la carte menu while Shakahari offers vegetarian Asian fare. Don’t miss out the Pune Baking Company; this deli is also a great place to meet up with your business associates; or else go over to Bar 101, which offers an extensive collection of 101 whisky and premium cigars. The hotel is Wi-Fi enabled, though you have to pay for this service.
While in Pune, also check out the other two Marriott properties: Courtyard by Marriott in Hinjewadi and the soon-to-be opened Courtyard by Marriott City Center in Bund Garden Road.

Hyatt Regency Pune

Tariff: Check out the rate of the day concept which varies per the occupancy of the hotel
Why stay here: Conference and meeting rooms are perfect for entrepreneurs
Check out: pune.regency.hyatt.com

Located in Weikfield IT Park, Nagar Road, this hotel boasts 219 guest rooms, including 50 Regency Club rooms and 18 suites, ranging from 40 sq m to165 sq m. It has over 1,900 sq m of conference and meeting facilities. An eye-catching open-style bridge overlooks the hotel’s façade. The hotel’s Regency Ballroom is a 640 sq m pillar-free, high-ceilinged ballroom which is divisible into three soundproof sections, and opens onto the pre-function area and a terrace. There are seven meeting rooms of various sizes, as well as open-air terrace options to provide flexibility for private or breakout sessions. The conference and meeting rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual and high-speed communication connections. They open onto a large pre-function area that is ideal for coffee breaks, pre-dinner cocktails and bar set-ups. The hotel’s business center includes additional meeting rooms, computer workstations, video, teleconferencing and secretarial facilities and equipment on rental basis. The hotel also has parking facility for up to 300 vehicles.

Ginger Pune

Tariff: Rs.1,999 approx.
Why stay here: Day use rate of around Rs.999
Check out: www.gingerhotels.com

Ginger Pune is located on the old Mumbai-Pune highway at Wakad, which is a convenient stop for a quick visit to the city. It takes one hour to reach the hotel from the airport and 45 minutes from the railway station. The Ginger is a good budget hotel, well-recommended by business travelers with 128 rooms. The conference room can host 20-60 people, but you need to inform the hotel in advance if you wish to use this room. It has high-speed internet connection at Net Zone, you can get Wi-Fi cards at the reception for a nominal rate. A unique feature here is the self check-in facility, just go to the automated check-in kiosk, powered by Astrolife(TM), which has been introduced in India for the first time.
If you are in Pune for just the day, Ginger offers day use rates too which are applicable on room only. There is another Ginger property in Pune, at the Pimpri Chowk. This has 100 rooms and a meeting room which can seat 8-10 people.

The Westin Pune Koregaon Park

Tariff: Rs.7,500 onwards
Why stay here: Great location
Check out: www.starwoodhotels.com

The Westin is located just five kilometers from the Pune airport. Also in the vicinity is Magarpatta and Hadapsar, an IT hotspot. The hotel has 1,470 sq m of meeting space and an entire level for its restaurants and bar. It has 277 guest rooms and suites, including the executive club rooms.

The business center provides a full range of services like photocopying (B/W or color), lamination, spiral and comb binding, an Internet-enabled workstation and facsimile machine, and coffee and tea service. The 24-hour meeting room is equipped with video and teleconferencing and wireless high speed Internet access.

You have to shell out Rs.600 for a day for the access. If you have the money, check into the suites here, at R.10,999 plus taxes per night. These have 80 sq m space with a private terrace, a personal butler at your call 24/7 and a host of other services.

Citrus

Tariff: Around Rs.3,600
Why stay here: Good value for money
Check out: www.citrushotels.com

The Citrus at Pimpri has 99 rooms and suites. These include 80 superior rooms and 19 deluxe rooms. There are also 43 well-equipped service apartments coming up soon. There are a number of restaurants and four conference rooms. Of these, Citron I can accommodate 20 people in the boardroom setting, while Citron IV is 1,580 sq feet in area and can accommodate 100 guests in theater style or 200 guests in the casual floating style.

Vivanta by Taj Blue Diamond

Tariff: Rs.6,000
Why stay here: Good for business meets
Check out: www.vivantabytaj.com

This hotel is located on the beautiful Koregaon Road; 5 km from the airport and 2 km from the nearest railway station. From the glass fan-shaped entry canopy to the atrium space in the lobby with a full height glass wall opening to the exterior, this Taj property is beautiful. There’s high bandwidth wireless internet (usage fee applies) in the rooms. It has 9,300 sq feet of conference space spread over 5 banquet rooms and the outdoor Garden Court, which can accommodate 300 guests for a cocktail dinner. There are 2 meeting rooms: Agenda and Debate and 2 banquet halls: Russet Room and Banquet Hall with seating capacities for up to 60 delegates board room-style and 180 for theater-style receptions.

Chandigarh

If you are traveling to Chandigarh for a business meeting, you have a number of hotels to choose from. This beautiful city attracts entrepreneurs to its fold thanks to the number of industries and businesses that have set up shop here over the years. Many hotels offer great views of the majestic mountains all round, and makes your stay that much more special. Let’s check out the most popular hotels in this city.

Taj Chandigarh

Tariff: Rs.5,600 onwards
Why stay here: Great location, all amenities available
Check out: www.tajhotels.com

Taj Chandigarh is located in Sector 17, the city’s prime business and shopping area. It takes around 30 minutes to drive down to the hotel from the airport and 15 minutes from the railway station.

Taj Chandigarh has 149 guest rooms including superior rooms, deluxe rooms, luxury rooms and a suite. All rooms have full length glass windows and some offer a view of the mighty Shivalik mountain range. The rooms have movable work table and there’s Wi-Fi Internet throughout the hotel.

The business services that the hotel provides include audio/visual equipment, a 24-hour business center, laptop on hire, secretarial services and video conferencing facilities.

Indoor and outdoor banqueting facilities are also available at the hotel. There’s an Asian restaurant called Black Lotus, there’s all-day dining at Cafe 17, while Dera is the Indian restaurant. There’s also a retro-themed bar called Lava Bar.

Sun Park

Tariff: Rs.2,000 approx
Why stay here: Good for conferences
Check out: www.sunparkresorts.com

Hotel Sunpark is a 3-star government approved hotel, located on the Panchkula-Zirakpur-highway, Zirakpur. It is ideal for business meetings, conferences, seminars, exhibitions and product launches. The hotel has 70 guest rooms and suites. The conference hall Ghosti is available for hosting your meeting and the hotel provides certain services to help with the preparations.
Milan is the hotel’s hall for conferences, and can easily accommodate up to 350 people.

Hotel Mountview

Tariff: Rs.7,000 onwards
Why stay here: Good location
Check out: www.nivalink.com/mountviewchandigarh

Hotel Mountview’s location is sure to soothe your fatigue and tiredness away. The Shivalik range serves as the backdrop of this hotel, and the famous Rock Garden is also located nearby. The hotel has 145 centrally air-conditioned rooms and 11 suites, some with private balconies. Each room has satellite cable television, direct dial telephone, channel music, refrigerator and 24-hour room service There are a number of restaurants at the hotel. For your business-related needs, here’s some information.

The banquet hall Confluence can accommodate 400 people, there’s an executive lounge which can accommodate 20 people.
The hotel also has a conference hall called Viewpoint and a business center with all the basic amenities.

The Bella Vista

Tariff: Rs.7,000 onwards
Why stay here: Host of business support services
Check out: www.bellavista.in

The boutique hotel Bella Vista also offers a panoramic view of the Shivalik range. The location is quite perfect: In the city center of Panchkula, at the intersection of the Delhi-Chandigarh-Shimla highways. The airport is a 10-minute drive, while the railway station is 5 minutes away. It has 50 individually designed rooms. There are deluxe rooms, premium and Cabana rooms, huge pool suites and presidential suites.

Serenade is the hotel’s Mediterranean style all-day-dining area, while The Brio bar has an appetizing range of food and drinks on offer. These are great places to catch up with your clients. The business support provided at the hotel includes audio-visual equipment, a business center, boardroom/meeting room, printing, photocopying, fax service, secretarial service and wireless internet access in public areas.

The banquet halls and meeting rooms can accommodate from six to 350 guests. The banquet facility includes two halls (Florence and Siena) with a capacity of 350 people for receptions, or 200 people in theater style seating.
The hotel also has the option of hosting open air banquets at the Terrace for up to 250 people. There are two elegant meeting rooms with a capacity of 6-14 persons. The meeting rooms have access to the well-equipped business center with secretarial support.

Hometel, Chandigarh

Tariff: Rs.3,300
Why stay here: Value for money
Check out: www.sarovarhotels.com/chandigarh-hometel.shtml

Hometel, Chandigarh has 114 rooms of superior category and is located in Industrial Area, Phase 1. There is a special Net zone, scanner, printer and photocopier, and fax services on offer. The hotel has five meeting rooms. The approximate day charges of hiring a meeting/conference room are thus:
Imperial Ball Room: Rs.1,75,000* approx (can be separated into two halves); Imperial 3: Rs.60,000* approx; Imperial 4: Rs.30,000* approx and Boardroom: Rs.15,000* approx. (*) Conditions apply
All basic backup is available for a conference, like all beverages and IT support with projector, screen, mikes, laptops and video conferencing facilities.
There is a multicuisine restaurant Flavours, a barbeque restaurant Terrace Grill and a bar named Chill.

Guwahati

It may well be described as the entry point to the north eastern part of India. The region is a leading producer of tea and a host of other large and medium businesses have sprung up here over the years. Guwahati is the commercial capital of Assam; the name is derived from two Assamese words, Guwa meaning areca nut and Haat meaning market. Guwahati’s location is of crucial importance: It is known as the gateway to the seven other north-eastern states, better known as the seven sisters.

Ginger

Tariff: Rs.1,500 onwards
Why stay here: Value for money
Check out: www.gingerhotels.com

Ginger Guwahati is a good budget hotel and ideal for the traveling entrepreneur. Located in Upper Hengrabari, Borbari, the hotel has 70 self-sufficient rooms. All the rooms have basic amenities like mini-fridge, LCD TV, self-controlled AC, tea and coffee maker and telephone.
The hotel also has a conference room. A special feature is the Net Zone, which provides high-speed internet connection. Wi-Fi cards are available at the reception at a nominal rate for this service.
The hotel’s conference room is perfect for meetings and presentations. It can seat about 40-50 people in theater style, 35-40 people in U-style and 40-45 people in cluster style. It is also equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and audio visual equipments. An entrepreneur should inform the hotel in advance if he/she wishes to hire the conference room.

Kiranshree Portico

Tariff: Rs. 4,000 onwards
Why stay here: Good location, stylish yet not very expensive
Check out: www.kiranshreeportico.com

Located on G.S. Road in the Paltan Bazaar area of the city, hotel Kiranshree Portico is a good business hotel which offers a host of features for the business traveler. It is situated 21 km from the airport and just half km from the railway station. It has Wi-Fi internet, white boards, flip charts, LCD projector with screen, laptop, DVD, audio system catering and butler service for all kinds of events. The boardroom Sapphire can accommodate around 30 people. Onyx, the conference hall, can accommodate 60 people while Coral is the hotel’s banquet hall which can accommodate around 500 people. The hotel has 61 rooms with data port in all rooms. The food is of good quality here: White Pearl is the multicuisine restaurant, Mezz9 is the coffee shop and there is also a lounge bar called Atmosphere.

Vishwaratna Hotel

Tariff: Rs.3,000 approx.
Why stay here: Value for money
Check out: www.vishwaratnahotel.com

Vishwaratna Hotel is a 3 star hotel (govt. approved), located on A.T. Road. It is the nearest in its category to Guwahati’s LGB International Airport. It is also quite close to the city’s commercial center. There are 50 air-conditioned deluxe/executive rooms and suites. The hotel has amenities like flat-screen TV and Internet access points in most rooms. There are two banquet halls, Durbar and Mehfil, where you can host your meetings, presentations or any other event.

Business hotel must-haves

Consider these pointers before booking your hotel room…

• Easy transportation facilities; mostly located near business hubs/ commercial centers
• Easy-to-book meeting rooms
• Well-equipped business center (note: IT backup is of primary importance here)
• Good quality restaurants to treat clients
• Amenities like printer, laptop on hire, fax, binding
• Additional features like secretarial service and interpreter service on offer are preferred
• Rooms with work desk, data ports, Wi-Fi enabled, widescreen TV sets
• If there are options for entrepreneurs to unwind after a hard day’s work, it’s even better. So, if there’s a spa, pool or fully-equipped gymnasium, chances are a business traveler will check into such a hotel during a business trip.

©Entrepreneur June 2011

Disclaimer: Information about some of the hotels has been culled from their websites. The room rate mentioned is according to a particular date this month; this rate may vary with seasonal change too. So, if you are planning to stay at any of the hotels mentioned here, please check out the room rates according to your exact date of travel. In some cases, the tariff mentioned is the room rack rate. Most hotels charge certain taxes over and above these room rates.

1. Government Policies
40 percent think it is average
55 percent think it is good
5 percent think it is excellent

2. Credit Availability
5 percent think it is excellent
20 percent think it is bad
45 percent think it is average
40 percent think it is good

Of the 100 surveyed, 60 were of the view that credit availability can be much better. The economic downturn did mean a credit squeeze for them to a certain extent.

3. Business Environment
65 percent think it is average
35 percent think it is good

4. Competition from China
65 percent think it is average
35 percent think it is good

5. Loan Rates and Preferential
100 percent companies think that small businesses should get lower loan rates

6. Pain Points
45 percent feel it is the high cost of financing
35 percent feel it is the rising cost of raw materials and demand
20 percent feel it is infrastructure

7. Demands from the  Government
Faster processing of loan applications
Support from government for technical upgradation
Skilled manpower for the sector

8. Growth Path
30 percent feel that small businesses are struggling to find their footing, and that this will last for the next two years
45 percent expect the small industry to graduate to the medium industry within 5 years
25 respondents said they could not forecast on the growth of their company

9. Biggest Hurdles to Growth
Availability of finance
Red tapes
Infrastructure
Duty structure

10. Labor Laws
65 percent see it as the major problem
35 percent think it is manageable

11. Lack of Credit Rating Facility
50 percent see this as the biggest hurdle to easy credit
30 percent see this as an issue
20 percent see this as a manageable issue

©Entrepreneur October 2009