Hyderabadi Hospitality

ITC Kakatiya Sheraton & Towers, Hyderabad is a veritable feast for the mind and the body, feels P R Subas Chandran

Hyderabad, a potpourri of many cultures, art and religion, with a 400-year-old history is glittering with new names in the hospitality industry. Located in the heart of the city, a five-minute drive from the airport, is ITC Hotel Kakatiya Sheraton & Towers.

Overlooking the picturesque Hussain Sagar lake, the hotel offers 188 elegantly furnished rooms and suites. It offers a wide choice of accommodation - from the Executive Club Floor to the Sheraton Towers for the ultimate in comfort, Presidential Suites, ITC One rooms and Club Suites Towers for the best in luxury.

But its USP lies in its 'Eva' floor that caters exclusively to women. Kuldeep Bhartee, GM of ITC Hotel Kakatiya Sheraton & Towers, says, "We have been witnessing a visible growth of single lady travellers over the past few years. Here, we have left no stone unturned to make her feel at home by providing a secure and homely atmosphere on the 'Eva' floor. “

"The strategy of the hotel is to drive business through their top-end offering of ITC One rooms. These are the super luxury category rooms of 600 sq ft with four fixture luxurious bathrooms, a massage chair, king-size beds with posturepedic mattresses, a spacious work place, 24 hrs Wi-Fi connectivity and all other offerings of a Towers floor.

This technologically driven hotel has an impressive list of facilities. Its health club, Kaya Kalpa, with an outdoor pool built around natural rock and equipped with a jacuzzi, recharges the body amidst natural surroundings. For business travellers, the hotel is equipped with a state-of-the-art business center operational round the clock. The hotel also banqueting and conference facilities that can accommodate 800 people.

Restaurants

The opulent Kakatiya Sheraton caters to a variety of cordon bleu cuisines with chefs who can tune the tongue with tantalising menus.

It has four restaurants in all. While Peshawri, with its robust and rustic ambience complemented with charcoal-fired North West Frontier cuisine, titillates the taste buds, DumPukht, a restaurant that offers royal cuisine of the Nizams, arouses the most jaded of palates. Deccan Pavilion is a 24-hour restaurant that serves cuisines to suit every mood and has five show kitchens. And finally, a South Indian restaurant aptly called Dakshin that caters ethnic coastal and regional cuisines from four southern states.

For after hours, the hotel has Rani Rudrama's Court, a tea pavilion that offers an exotic range of teas. For the more eclectic, there's the Marco Polo Bar that serves an array of wines and Havana Cigars for the connoisseurs. Another option for a long night is Dublin, a resurrection of an Irish bar. This 124-seater swanky pub spread over 2,400 sq ft boasts of leathered upholstery and wooden interiors. The shades of red blend perfectly with acoustics accompanied by dull lighting. DJ Erroll spining tracks of various genres like house, rock, retro, funk has the crowd rocking to the music. The live-wired luxurious lounge with the kaleidoscopic interior has a wall painted by Barbara Simons of Mc Nelli Design group of Ireland. Guests can request the bartender to create a new blend of floral, fruity or spicy cocktail that will linger on the palate. By the way, Beltinis are a rage here.