An Excellent Deal. Review on Hyatt Regency Delhi, Delhi

On my trips to India, I always make sure that I have a day or two to spend in Delhi, roaming the old Mughal city, doing some shopping, and eating at Karim's (perhaps my favorite restaurant in the country!!!). Usually, I try to stay at the Oberoi Hotel, with its stunning decor and impeccable service, its always seemed to be a refreshing and relaxing conclusion to my trip after spending a month or two travelling around visiting myriad relatives. However, on a recent trip, after KLM delayed my Delhi-Amsterdam flight for 13 hours, they accomodated me at the Hyatt Regency Delhi. Considering the significant price difference between the two hotels (a standard room at the Oberoi is about $280/night in the summer, while a standard room at the Hyatt is about $150/night) the Hyatt is an excellent deal for a five star hotel in New Delhi. Specific points are presented below...

BUILDING AND GROUNDS:

Entering the Hyatt Regency Delhi is like coming into an oasis completely isolated from the heat and dust of the city outside. The low rise building rises out of plush, manicured lawns and beautiful gardens dotted with sparkling swimming pools, and clay tennis courts.

INTERIOR DECOR:

The lobby and hotel rooms are all decorated in white marble and wood paneling with a stunning effect. Inside, the hotel had a very neo-traditional Indian decor, providing a look that is very modern, but still very Indian. The lobby contains antique traditional Indian artwork, including Zari, Meena-Kari, carved wood, stone and ivory, sculptures and miniature paintings. The overall look is absolutely beautiful.

AMENITIES:

The hotel offers numerous amenities to its guests, including swimming, tennis, saunas, jacuzzis, massages, a gym, a beauty salon, etc...The rooms are large and tastefully decorated and furnished for a fusion ''east meets west'' look.

DINING:

The hotel offers its guests several dining choices, in the form of 6 different restaurants. Cusine choices include traditional Mughal/Indian, Oriental, Continental/Western, and English. My personal suggestion would have to be the Indian restaurant, Delhi Ka Aangan. The restaurant claims to combine elements of four styles of cuisine, Bania, Kayastha, Muslim and Mughal, to form the traditional Delhi style restaurant. My personal suggestion would be to try the Murgh Makhni and the Murgh Malai Kebab, and to top it off with the decadent Rasmalai with Pista and Elaichi.

LOCATION:

The hotel is located between New Delhi's Connaught Place and Palika Baazar shopping district and Indira Gandhi International Airport. I found the location to be reasonably conveniant, as long as you dont plan on going to the old Mughal city. The Chandni Chowk/Jama Masjid neighborhoods are pretty far off, especially with the traffic in the old city lanes, expect a full day trip if you want to visit Lal Quila or Jama Masjid.

THE SHOPPING ARCADE:

This is what I, as a self-declared shopaholic, LOVE about this hotel. On the lobby level, the hotel has an immense shopping arcade filled with shops mostly selling handicrafts. I hadnt had time to pick up any gifts for my friends or any decorations for my house, so I went on a little shopping spree here. The arcade and everything from pashminas to marble inlay work, to Kashmiri silk rugs. The stores were better priced than the duty free gift shops at the international airport, but there was no barganing (I think). I ended up buying a lot of marble from one of the stores, the shopkeeper was very nice to me when I spoke to him in Urdu...

All in all, I enjoyed my stay at the Hyatt, and would defiantely consider staying there again. The considerable price difference between it and the Oberoi makes it, at least in my opinion, a formidable contender in the 5 star hotel market in New Delhi.