Catching an early-morning flight often entails setting the alarm for midnight. If you’re flying from Delhi’s T3 terminal, though, you can look forward to a peaceful night’s slumber — if you’re smart enough to check into Eaton Smart, that is. Located on Level 5 of the terminal, this 93-room hotel has an international wing (57 rooms, for transiting passengers) and a domestic wing (36 rooms, for departing domestic passengers, check-in up to 6 hours before the flight — to be extended to 12 hours in future). Both wings offer a restaurant, spa and gym.
I checked in late. The lobby overlooked the airport staff’s badminton court, while my compact room had a view over one of the escalators. There was ample storage but, owing to security issues, guests are only allowed hand baggage (my check-in luggage was kept in storage). The key card whispered to the frequent flyer in me: “Slow down. Take a moment — to breathe, to feel.” There were Tom Dixon lamps over the bedside table, the bathroom was a soothing black. The beds featured signature Ezzz bedding and, on cue, I promptly fell asleep.
The restaurant’s comfort menu yielded, next morning, my breakfast of diced papaya and mushrooms on toast. A range of spa treatments beckoned, from deep tissue to hot stone, papaya body scrub to bergamot body exfoliation, although all I needed was a 30-minute foot massage to get me on my feet and on my way. Contact 011-45252000, newdelhiairport.eatonhotels.com