I am like Tom Hanks in The Terminal. Except that I shall get to leave my current base without any trouble. Except that I don’t want to. Airport hotels are usually meant for a few hours’ kip-down and snacking between flights, but the new Plaza Premium Day Hotel at the Kempegowda Airport in Bengaluru is so nice that I wish they’d let me move in here.
The single room allotted to me is tiny, yet it has every facility and amenity that a traveller might need. Very tall people may feel a bit cramped in the single room bed, but that has never been my problem. The hotel has singles, twin rooms, studios and family suites. All the rooms have flat-screen television sets, conveniently placed reading lights and plug-in points, sleek rain shower in the bathrooms and good quality toiletries.
The ‘nice’ part is that effort has been put into making the day hotel not just functional, but luxurious, too. There are design elements in the rooms in the bright cushions with zari borders and the artistic lampshades. A spa within the hotel is serviced by well-trained therapists who also work in the Plaza Premium lounges at the domestic and international departure areas at the Kempegowda Airport. More design touches come in the form of vibrant photographs of city life in Bengaluru, giving a visitor a sense of the place s/he is staying in — it’s far too easy to feel suspended in time and space at a featureless airport hotel, and these visuals are both comforting and cheerful.
There’s a 24/7 cafeteria offering cookies, fruits and beverages. For a more substantial yet light meal, the cafeteria kitchen can whip something up quickly, such as poached eggs or a club sandwich.
Any traveller who’d rather not check in, but is desperate for a shower and a foot massage, can pay only for use of the separate shower rooms and for a spa session.
A row of desktop computers stands on a long counter running along the corridor — this is the day hotel’s internet workstation. The corridor extends past the rooms, so you can get yourself a little ‘after supper walk a mile’ stroll before the next flight without having to deal with the airport crowds. The domestic check-in counters are right below, and I had been warned that ongoing renovation work at the airport might make the nights a bit noisy. Fortunately, there was little or no disturbance, and the sleep quality was great.
Viktor Navorski (Hanks) was miserable about living inside an airport. He might have felt differently if he had had my room.
The information
Location Level 2, Domestic Departures, Terminal 1 Building, Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru
Accommodation 9 singles, 1 twin room, 8 studios, and 2 family suites
Tariff From Rs 2,500 for 3hrs/single room
Contact 080-66784833, plaza-network.com