Grand Hyatt Mumbai

India is home to some grand old historic palace hotels, even in Mumbai—but this most modern of cities is booming, and a number of spectacular and utterly modern business hotels have landed in the suburbs, nearer the airport, rather than in crowded and historic South Mumbai.

It’s here, near the Bandra-Kurla business district, that you’ll find the sprawling Grand Hyatt Mumbai. Frankly, this isn’t the most postcard-perfect place for travelers intent on seeing the sights of the old city to set up shop—it is, however, ideal for business travelers, or anyone looking for a completely self-sufficient hotel experience. It’s possible to stay at the Grand Hyatt for days without ever leaving the grounds, dining in the hotel’s four restaurants, treating yourself to spa treatments in the health club, even shopping in the on-site mall. More than a hotel, it’s billed as a “lifestyle complex,” and includes 149 serviced apartments in addition to its nearly six hundred traditional guest rooms.

Accommodations are strikingly modern and spare, without any trace of touristy Indian kitsch, yet with enough personality to avoid the “where am I again?” feeling occasioned upon waking in many more anonymous business hotels. Rooms are open-plan, decorated in light woods and earth tones, and feature ingeniously designed bathrooms, placed behind floor-to-ceiling sliding partitions, with separate baths and showers.

Twenty-five-inch plasma TVs are standard, along with every technological amenity you could expect. Ground-floor Grand Club rooms feature private patios, a charming and welcome touch, and the suites are so massive you’ll wonder if you’ve been shown to one of the apartments by mistake. Perfect for the busy executive traveler, or anyone who wants a completely over-the-top luxury hotel experience—just do remember to come home again, or at least to venture out for a walk every so often.