Svelte, but generously so

The all-suite hotel in Select City Walk turns the notion of mall hotels on its head.

I’m not sure I like the idea of hotels within malls, and especially so in India where the maintenance of public spaces is lax, and the crowds can be a little overpowering. Yet, it’s something to get used to, mall-hotels are popping up in a number of places, and so though I didn’t expect much by way of design, I reluctantly agreed to be guided through the modern-sounding, all-suite Svelte Hotel in New Delhi’s Select City Walk.

The entrance, at least for now, is through a discreet door in the basement parking of the city’s swankest shopping district, up an escalator, down a corridor, to the lobby. There’s nothing ostentatious about it, but in a moment you’re cut off from the shopping and the shoppers, the restaurants and cinemas, so it’s comforting to know that while the entertainment is only a door away, there’s complete privacy within Svelte.

The reason why Svelte is referred to as an all-suite hotel rather than an apartment hotel is because it offers the services a hotel would: all-day dining, room service, housekeeping, swimming pool, laundry and so on. Interestingly, the designer has made no attempt to make it look like a hotel, so the dark monochromatic colours of the interiors feel, at first, just a little unfriendly. Perhaps some colour, or flowers, might help — the art, all originals by young, emerging artists — certainly does. And when other Svelte hotels open in other locations, the management hopes to shuffle the art around between them so that guests are able to enjoy a variety even within the same premises.

It is the rooms, or suites really, that are impressive, designed by Bobby Mukherjee in a contemporary, international mode. The furniture is stark, yes, but not uncomfortable — which seems to be the mandate for much of what passes for current sensibilities — and strangely, the lack of noticeable colour, or fussy detailing, could allow a guest to quickly establish his, or her, identity over these spaces. Here, it would be easy to personalise with a bowl of fruit, a jacket left casually over a sofa, even your personal bath amenities. Yet, when you choose to work — for this is clearly a business location, and property — there’s nothing to distract you from your laptop screen, or your paperwork.

The surprise, more even than the design, is in the size of the suites. There seems to be a notion, for no reason at all, that mall-hotels would be small. The Svelte turns that premise on its head, with generous space that is well designed in the bargain. Four categories of suites — and there are a total of 83 — range from 450 sq ft to 1,100 sq ft, or roughly from the size of a Mumbai apartment to the size of a Delhi apartment!

Within this space, you’ll find designated drawing/dining areas and bedrooms, each with a kitchenette that comes loaded with a microwave, built-in refrigerator, and smoothly sliding drawers that contain edgy crockery, cutlery and glassware. The higher category of suites also provide for chefs to come and cook for small parties the guests might like to host within their own suites. And like the rooms, the bathrooms too are spacious, trendy, but not over-the-top. On the rooftop is a swimming pool, walled in for privacy, and also available for small parties.

If Svelte changes perceptions about mall hotels, it also comes at a price. The published tariff ranges from Rs 14,000 to Rs 28,000, but this is a time for discounts, so if you’d like to check out the design — and the service — there’s no time like now. And the easy accessibility to the shopping and dining makes it even more attractive.