Mid- to upscale brands are a surprisingly youthful category in India. Many of them are run as a scaled-down version of a five-star luxury/deluxe hotel — a little smaller, a little slimmer, but fully outfitted in terms of service and amenities…at a distinctly more palatable price.
Major points:
1. Tariff typically around Rs 4,500–7,500, maybe a little higher in resort destinations or metros.
2. ‘Complimentary’ breakfast.
3. Larger rooms, with greater emphasis on décor, comfort and entertainment.
4. Business spaces (banquet and MICE) and media centre/technology.
5. In-room amenities typically include entertainment technology beyond TV (from DVD player to iPod dock); branded toiletries and grooming essentials; tea/coffee kits and sometimes snacks/fruit bowls and a mini bar; locker; and a complimentary newspaper.
6. Fitness facilities, with at least a gym; maybe even a small pool and sauna/spa.
7. Typically full 24-hour service, with in-room dining, laundry facilities and perhaps even a travel desk; still friendly, but maybe a tad more formal manner to suit business travellers.
8. Multiple F&B offerings; typically at least one 24-hour eatery.
9. Wi-fi connectivity throughout premises the norm.
10. Parking space, with or without valet service.
Aloft
Starwood’s ‘design-led’ brand attempts to woo Gen X and Gen Y travellers with prime locations (IT hubs, micro-cities) and smart technological offerings. Locations Bengaluru (Whitefield) and Chennai; also opening at Coimbatore, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad this year and at Bengaluru (Cessna Business Park) next year.
Tariff Rs 4,000–15,000 Contact starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels
Citrus Hotels
One of the youngest chains in the mid-rung space, Citrus has contemporary-styled rooms in properties that acknowledge local heritage and prize scenic locations in southern and western India. Locations Alleppey, Goa, Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar, Pune and Sriperumbudur.
Tariff Rs 3,000–9,000 Contact citrushotels.com
Courtyard by Marriott
This chain geared to ‘road warriors’ claims bright day-lit rooms (and suites) larger than typical for its category and a full-service bouquet including choice of F&B venues, a pool or spa, and even a view. Locations Ahmedabad, Chennai, Gurgaon (Sushant Lok), Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune (Hinjewadi and downtown), with the next rung of cities in the pipeline including Bhopal, Bilaspur and Kochi.
Tariff Rs 4,500–15,000 Contact marriott.com/india
Fortune Inn and Park
ITC’s mid-market/upscale Fortune brand comes in several flavours: Fortune Inn, Fortune Park, Fortune Select, Fortune Landmark and Fortune Resort. Of these, Inn and Park are the best value, with a mellowed-down mix of conventional and contemporary properties. Locations Inns at Gandhinagar, Jammu, Manipal, Noida, Pune (Hinjewadi and Viman Nagar) and Visakhapatnam. Fortune Parks at Bengaluru (Race Course Road), Delhi (Ghitorni and Chhattarpur), Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata (Howrah), Ludhiana, Thane, Trivandrum, Vapi and Vijayawada; also coming to Jamshedpur.
Tariff Rs 3,000–8,000 for Inns, Rs 2,000–12,000 for Parks Contact fortunehotels.in
Four Points by Sheraton
This is Starwood’s more sedate, less edgy (compare Aloft) mid-market chain. Its classic-casual style veers away from both trendiness and ostentation (no remote-controlled moods, no crystal chandeliers). A pool and spa, all-day dining and a lounge bar at each property, with internet access at a fee, makes up their idea of Simple Pleasures. Locations Jaipur, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Visakhapatnam; also to open in Faridabad next year.
Tariff Rs 4,500–11,500 Contact starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints
Holiday Inn
The InterContinental’s iconic mid-market brand has split in two (see ‘Holiday Inn Express’). A global brand relaunch has added signature scent and lobby tunes, updated bed and bath amenities, and friendlier (Stay Real), more individualised (‘your stay, your way’) service. Expect concierge, pool, family-sized rooms and suites, live entertainment…oh, and kids eat free. Locations Goa (Cavelossim), Jaipur, Kochi (new opening), Manali, Mumbai, Ooty and Pune (Hinjewadi) and Kochi; and then coming to Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Goa.
Tariff Rs 2,570–18,500 Contact holidayinn.com
Lemon Tree
Full-service contemporary-Indian hotels with exceptional brand recall (courtesy the yellow-bow ponytails senior staff wear so you can find the ‘suits’ faster and the jocular walls that invite you to laugh off a long day), Lemon Tree prides itself on ensuring ‘sound sleep’, a ‘big breakfast’ and ‘express connect’ for both business and leisure travellers. You’ll find plush linens, citrus-themed toiletries and perhaps a pool too. Locations Ahmedabad, Alleppey (on Vembanad Lake, near Kumarakom), Aurangabad, Bengaluru (Electronic City and St John’s Road), Chennai, Delhi (Kaushambi), Hyderabad, Goa (Candolim), Gurgaon (City Centre North and Millennium City Centre, both Sector 29, and UdyogVihar), Indore and Pune (Hinjewadi); also opening at Chandigarh, near Delhi airport and in east Gurgaon (Sector 60), Mumbai, Pune and Shimla.
Tariff Rs 2,500–12,500 Contact lemontreehotels.com
Novotel
The prolific Accor group’s base category of rooms in this mid-scale chain matches economy prices. Nevertheless, these sizeable and swanky hotels offer everything an upscale hotel might boast — suites, pools, sauna/salon, travel desk, concierge service, considerable F&B choice and, at Bengaluru, even a nightclub. Locations Hyderabad (near the airport and near HITEC City) and Mumbai; opening next month in Bengaluru (Techpark) and later this year in Visakhapatnam.
Tariff Rs 2,250–20,000 Contact accorhotels.com
Peppermint
Feathertop mattresses, down pillows, day beds and concierge service don’t often turn up in mid-rung accommodation. Fresh-faced Peppermint also has touchscreen kiosks for check-in, multiple dining options (from vending machine to regional fare), child-friendly services and quirky gift shops. Locations Gurgaon and Jaipur; also coming up at Bengaluru, Delhi, Goa, a second Gurgaon address, Kumarakom and Vadodara.
Tariff Rs 3,000–10,000 Contact pepperminthotels.com
Portico
The third Sarovar mid-range brand costs only a tad more than Park Inn, but tops it with pools, spas, suites, swanky outdoor entertainment spaces, 24-hour room service, boutiques and other such luxuriousness for not much of a pinch in the pocket. The décor won’t lure more conservative tastes outside their comfort zone, nor alarm them with newfangled technology. Locations Agra, Ahmedabad, Baddi, Badrinath, Delhi (two), Durgapur, Goa (Baga), Haridwar, Hosur, Indore, Jaipur, Kakinada, Lonavala, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Manali, Nasik, Navi Mumbai, Surajkund; also to be launched in Rajkot and Bengaluru this month, followed by Ghaziabad (Vaishali) and Jaisalmer later this year; and subsequently Agartala, Bengaluru (Rajaji Nagar), Bodhgaya, Ghaziabad (NH-24), Raniganj, Solapur, Sriperumbudur, Tezpur, Thekkady and Tirupati.
Tariff Rs 2,500–8,000 Contact sarovarhotels.com
Quality
Quality Inns and Resorts is the more leisurely, fancy sister of the prolific Choice Hotels’ Comfort brand, and comes with a bar and multiple F&B options in city locations, plus a spa or disco in resort-style properties. Locations Chennai (two), Chiplun, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hyderabad (two), Kodai-kanal, Pune (two), Nasik, Shimla, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam; looking at Coimbatore, too.
Tariff Rs 5,000–20,000 Contact choicehotelsindia.com
Ramee Guestline
This upscale Middle Eastern mid-rung chain’s facilities vary across locations, but are more in line with a resort or boutique property (spa, disco, pool, airport shuttle/pickup). Plush for the price. Locations Bengaluru, Mumbai (three) and Tirupati; two more coming up in Mumbai, one in Pune.
Tariff Rs 4,500–15,000 Contact rameehotelsindia.com
United 21 and Pancard Club
Proposing to be all things to all people, these Panoramic brands emphasise both conferencing and entertainment facilities (disco, art gallery, pool, shopping complexes). There are even service apartments in some United 21 properties, while Pancard is the more youthful, fun place (Pune has a UFO-shaped conference venue called Area 51). Locations Pune (Pancard Club, Baner Hills) and Thane (United 21); also coming to Durgapur (United 21), Hyderabad and Jaipur.
Tariff Rs 6,500–18,000 Contact panoramicworld.biz, united21.in