Indian and International Celebrities’ Fixation With Luxury Hotels in Mumbai
Being the celluloid capital of country as dynamic as India, the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai attracts millions of visitors, local and foreigners, every year. It is only obvious that Mumbai hotels have ringing cash counters. But that shouldn’t take anything away from the quality of services and overall accommodation experience that luxury hotels in Mumbai provide. The Big Four – Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, JW Mariott, The Oberoi and The Hilton- account for most bookings for accommodating high-flying celebrities, national and international. These include state heads, bureaucrats, international pop stars, Hollywood and Bollywood hotshots – basically anyone important enough to get reservations in the first place. So who are the 5 kinds of people who throng to luxury hotels in Mumbai? Here they are:
1- Corporate Heads/Managers – With globalization, there has been a meteoric rise in the number of business travelers heading to Mumbai, also the corporate capital of India. Most of them travel in groups and have their meetings, seminars and conferences arranged in the well-equipped premises of the hotel itself. Since most luxury hotels in Mumbai have dedicated Business Centers, suitable for conferences holding up to 500 people at a time; it only makes sense that they are a major favorite with the discerning business traveler who travels smart.
2- State Heads/Senior Politicians/Bureaucrats – The kind of luxury that top Mumbai hotels afford to their guests is only deserving of the kind of guest list they enjoy. A major percentage of this guest list constitutes of visiting State Heads, politicians of State and Central level and various other bureaucrats in town for official visits. Since security is a major concern, the Big Four mentioned above are the most popular options with such guests.
3- Celebrities from the World of Entertainment – Yes, you always see the odd movie actor strolling in the hallway. In fact, Mumbai hotels have been voted among the 20 best hotels in a celebrity poll among Hollywood actors. So, if there is anyone – from Matthew Perry to George Clooney – visiting Mumbai, they know where they have to stay. With the kind of money at their disposal, it is only fair that the Indian Film Industry’s own stars are not far behind and are frequently seen splurging up obscene amounts of money when staying in these hotels.
4- International Sports Stars – It is common knowledge that with the glamorization of Sports, sportsmen stay and dine at the best of places. Mumbai’s luxury hotels are the ideal retreat for visiting national and international sport stars whenever they are in town. Many a times, an entire section of hotel is booked to accommodate a visiting Australian Cricket Team, or the Canadian Squash Team. After a day’s grind in the field, these sports people find themselves curling up in luxury.
Most of these hotels have world class, in-house restaurants which are quite popular with their patrons. Restaurants such as Vetro in The Oberoi and Golden Dragon at the Taj Palace have made a name for themselves, independent from their parent hotels. Besides restaurants, luxury hotels are also visited for their spas, conventions centers and gymnasiums. And with innovative marketing and better budgeting, the various facilities at the top Mumbai hotels are being made more and more accessible to a wider spectrum of consumers. This is the reason for the sharp incline in the number of people visiting luxury hotels in Mumbai.
