Park-Easy

Susan George reviews The Park, Chennai

Barely a year old, The Park, Chennai, retains a sense of novelty, not merely by virtue of its relative newness. Branding itself as a luxury “boutique” hotel, The Park revels in elegant simplicity in an industry otherwise obsessed with ostentatious design and embellishment. There’s no gurgling fountain in the foyer. There isn’t a burly, turbaned security person manning the entrance. Chances are, you might have to open the main door to the lobby yourself. From the uncluttered lobby to the functional conference halls, The Park is distinctly unpretentious. Designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates, Los Angeles, the hotel is created on contemporary, trendy lines. The atrium is daring in its simplicity and swathed in earthy tones of browns, khakhis and beiges. The art deco-like setting is complemented by the lounge music played in the hotel - you’re unlikely to be assaulted by cliched “hotel” music, as The Park steers clear of commercial tracks, replacing love songs and techno with fusion and world music.

Located on an erstwhile movie studio property, Gemini Film Studios, The Park pays its own tribute to cinema. In the evenings, the lobby is bathed in celluloid images, with movies projected on billowing opaque screens suspended from the ceiling. Movie memorabilia unexpectedly punctuate the hotel’s decor: original film posters adorn the walls of the suites, film cans and cinema awards are stacked in display cases at the hotel’s bar, and even the elevators are equipped with LCD systems. The hotel’s Leather Bar can take you by surprise - it’s the deep gray walls and floors that are made of leather, not the seating. Although seating is limited, the bar is well stocked, and on Saturday nights the music is pumped up to include progressive, alternative and tribal house. A ‘Lunch by the Bar’ deal is available through the year, between 1 - 3:30 p.m., comprising a four-course cold buffet and a complimentary beer. The entrance to ‘Six-O-One’, the hotel’s all-hour restaurant, is shielded by a glass wine rack, displaying a variety of Indian spirits, as well as new world wines from Australia and Chile. Like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant is free from superfluous clutter, its most striking design features being its bamboo flooring and its tables inlaid with compressed coconut fibre. A show kitchen and a pasta bar are other attractions in the restaurant. Set against the minimalism of the hotel, the Thai restaurant Lotus is deliberately dramatic with deep crimson and gold curtains framing the wall, floor length mother-of-pearl chandeliers, and a rivetting gold-painted lotus centre display. Authentic Thai cuisine is ensured by Chef Sommai Aksondee. The Park targets the business traveller, and rooms are designed taking into account corporate needs. As expected, the rooms have two-line telephone facility and a data port for Internet connectivity. The Park is centrally located, and you may just have to prioritise convenience over a love for the outdoors - the hotel is flanked by rather dismal looking commercial buildings and is on one of Chennai’s busiest roads. What you will get is personal service in an environment you’re not likely to forget.