Delhi's five-star hotels will have to raise their game following the arrival of a Shangri-La property in the city.
The Shangri-La Hotel, New Delhi opened on September 8 close to Connaught Place, the commercial hub of New Delhi and location of most of the city's western brand hotels. It is a 40-minute drive from the airport.
The hotel has undergone a "soft opening", so only a handful of the 323 bedrooms are currently available, but the Café Uno restaurant, with open kitchen and outdoor terrace dining, bar, lounge, Uno 2 Go patisserie and health club with gym, indoor and outdoor whirlpool and outdoor pool, are all open.
All rooms have high-speed internet access and wireless internet access, plus there's a business centre, three meeting rooms and a ballroom that can be divided into four.
The grand opening will take place in early November, when the hotel's pan-Asian restaurant serving Japanese, Chinese and Thai cuisine, will open. The Horizon Floor, an executive level with 78 bedrooms, separate concierge and lounge, will also open in November.
Rooms start at $365 including tax for a single superior room occupancy and $20 more for a double room. For more information go to www.shangri-la.com.
The opening of this outpost from the luxury Asian brand is sure to stir Delhi's hotel scene, currently dominated by the Oberoi and Taj groups, althougha doubling of the frequency of flights between the UK and India over the past year means demand for hotel rooms in the Indian capital is expected to rise.
Report by Ginny McGrath
