Starwood Preferred Guest - Westin New Delhi Gurgaon Tentative opening date: 1st October 2010 Category 4

Photo Link (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/photos/index.html?propertyID=1710)

Web Link (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1710)

Total number of rooms: 313 including 1 Presidential suite and 5 Royal Suites
No. of Floors: 9

Restaurants

Taste- All day dining offering modern Asian and international cuisine

Prego- Italian restaurant

EEST- Fun filled vibrant restaurant with pan Asian cuisine

Mix- Lounge bar

Splash- Retreat offering healthy snacks by the pool

Treats- Patisserie serving freshly baked pastries including homemade chocolate pralines and truffles

Location:
In the heart of downtown’s commercial offices, convention centers, dining and shopping, and near to the New Delhi International Airport.

Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)
Travel Distance: Approximately 9.66 km/6.0 miles
Travel Time by car: 20 minutes

Options for getting to and from the hotel include:

Taxi or Private Car Service

Click here for its map (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/area/map.html?propertyID=1710).

In Delhi you'll stroll the age-old streets of Chandini Chowk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandni_Chowk) and shop in Connaught Place or rendezvous with the artists at Dilli Haat, and top it off with a visit to the sub continent's rockingist nightclubs.

Perhaps you would like to be my dance partner and we can enjoy New Delhi in a waltzed up (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/area/destinations/event_details.html?propertyID=1710&destinationID=684&categoryID=999&eventID=1343606) manner.

Let me find out if there are any photos or opening offer.

apguest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

Thanks for the update! I've been watching this building go up for over 5 years!

So how many standard suites?

Thanks for the update! I've been watching this building go up for over 5 years!

So how many standard suites?

Haha... you might like to drop a note to the property to find out.

You should be able to make a booking today.

Category level 4. (Please update the thread for me)

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/contact.html?propertyID=1710

apguest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

Look forward to trying it out this year. Thanks^

i have been driving by this property everyday for the last 1 week....it just doesn't seem like its going to be ready to open in a month....

thyetus, any update on this????

i have been driving by this property everyday for the last 1 week....it just doesn't seem like its going to be ready to open in a month....

thyetus, any update on this????

Gee, I was going to ask to soft-open it next week.

I imagine that it will open no matter what due to the Commonwealth Games. Whether it is 'ready' or not is a different matter.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/5.0.0.732 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

I also passed by it every day last week. It doesn't look close to completion, in my opinion.

I was actually at the Westin HYD a few days ago and spoke to a manager who had just been to the Westin in Gurgaon and thinks it will be open. I laughed.

Gee, I was going to ask to soft-open it next week.

I imagine that it will open no matter what due to the Commonwealth Games. Whether it is 'ready' or not is a different matter.

unfortunately that's true....a lot of places will open due to the commonwealth games, whether they are ready or not....i just hope they don't develop problems later just becaue they opened when they were not ready....

I was actually at the Westin HYD a few days ago and spoke to a manager who had just been to the Westin in Gurgaon and thinks it will be open. I laughed.

they will open because of the games....i just think they will be rushing things & may run into issues later....

managed to get a sneak peak at this property along with yosithezet this afternoon....many thanks to the hotel & thyetus for getting us an invite for lunch....there was a good choice of food & the layout was very nice at the restaurant on the ground floor....

the hotel is hoping to open in 2 stages, the first being the 1st of october & the next around the new year....the first 3 floors will open in the first stage, along with a couple of restaurants & the health club....the second stage will see the hotel open the rooms on the remaining 5 floors along with the executive club & 3 more restaurants....

if i remember correctly, there will only be a couple of suites open during the first stage....while i could not see any of the suites, i did get a tour of the deluxe & superior rooms....i was most impressed with the amount of natural light this property has, both in the lobby as well as the rooms....

the property is also in a great location with a number of malls & restaurants close by....its also right next to the highway so access to delhi is quite easy....

the property is also in a great location with a number of malls & restaurants close by....its also right next to the highway to access to delhi is quite easy....I suppose. But be prepared for traffic jams that last 30 mins just to get to the malls nearby.

I suppose. But be prepared for traffic jams that last 30 mins just to get to the malls nearby.

This depends upon the time of the day. But generally, I don't see any better options.

As mentioned by saad, we were able to get a sneak peak and lunch at the property. This seems to be a period where they are inviting many people to see the property in order to work out any kinks in the food services and market to corporates and others. I was impressed with the property and, as always, happy to catch up with saad again as well.

The staff are great. Everyone seems very excited about the opening. By the time I left I was as excited as them.

Arriving to the lobby was a bit of a challenge as my driver didn't know how to approach the property. I should have gotten someone on the phone but wasn't thinking. Anyway, the approach to the property will be from a side road with another approach directly into the conference center. Exiting the property puts you directly on the service road next to NH8 so I think you are well positioned to head towards the airport. Above the lobby is the Mix bar and East restaurant. Off of the lobby is the 24 hour cafe, Taste.

One thing that really sets the property apart is the amount of natural light everywhere. Standing in the lobby you have the huge windows and glass doors you walked through and directly ahead you have huge windows looking out the other side of the building.

We had the buffet lunch in Taste. I guess there are 8-10 stations from what I can tell. Cheese, antipasti, salad, Indian cuisine, Western cuisine, East Asian cuisine, Noodle bar, fruit/juice, deserts. I sampled a bit from many of them, though not all. The food was good all around. I wouldn't call anything out as having been especially delicious other than the presentation. The presentation was really striking. From the enamel-plated pots and bright neutral colors to colorful spice display through the open kitchen, this is a very enjoyable place to have a meal. The one thing that I didn't like was that they have carpeted sections of the restaurant which makes pushing back your chair to get up from the table a bit of a challenge.

After lunch I received a tour of the property. Like saad, I was able to a deluxe and a superior room. The rooms are uncarpeted, have floor to ceiling windows and are full of light. ^ I didn't check to see how dark it was with the drapes closed but I assume they have taken care to ensure a good night's sleep. Above the signature Heavenly bed is a nice light fixture with the reading lights hidden inside. The lighting controls are buttons similar to the ones in the Westin Pune. 2 of the buttons were labled and 4 of them were not. What do they do? I think they control the blinds perhaps.

Each room has an iHome (?) which is a clock radio with and iPod dock. They also have DVD players in every room and a nice sized LCD/plasma TV. The A/V ports which seem to be becoming standard in hotels are under the TV. Not the most aesthetic of placements but certainly functional and easy to access. Most properties put them near the desk which is a bit odd since you often can't see the TV when you are sitting at the desk.

There are electrical outlets on either side of the bed and one on the floor on a wall near the bed. I should have looked closer but I'm not certain whether they are the totally universal plugs they have in some places like the WGS. I pointed out that they are 'wasting' one of the easily accessible plugs with the iHome and after checking they realised there are additional outlets under the shelf that could be used for the iHome instead of the one above the shelf.

Oddly, is more standing closet storage in the deluxe room than the superior room. The configuration of the rooms is different so there is more drawer space in the superior room. Both rooms have powered safes which are large enough for a laptop and much more. I love the power in the safes! The safes in the deluxe room are pretty high whereas seeing to the back of the safe in the superior room will require bending down to look inside as it is in one of the cupboards behind the desk.

The desks in both rooms have mainly glass surfaces so anyone with a laser mouse will need to use paper or something underneath. The desk in the deluxe room has your back to the window. The desk in the superior room has you looking across the room, over the bed, out the window. Behind you is the safe and other storage and the minibar. So long as you grab the remote you may not move all day! ;) Internet is both wireless and wireline.

In the Deluxe room your suitcase and closet will be in a small seperate area which includes the bathroom and has a door that closes. While the idea is to provide some privacy if you have a guest, there are only two chairs IIRC. One is at the desk and one near the window on the other side of the room.

The bathrooms are quite nice. In the deluxe rooms you have a floor to ceiling glass window between the bathroom and the room. There is an electronic blind which will provide privacy but I think it is not labelled either. Regardless the bathtub is one of these odd (to me) tubs which is tapered so shallower at one end than the other. I'm not sure it is wide enough for a person of size to relax in the tub, but not certain. There is a seperate shower with both a rain-head and a wand. ^ The bathroom amenities are the standard Westin green set.

Sadly they use the standard thin magnetic keycards which are very prone to being disabled due to proximity to your mobile phone. I guess the difference in cost between these and the more sturdy RFID cards used by the LM BKK is significant but I wish someone would find a way to provide cards that don't have this issue. Cheaper for the hotel, annoying for people that stay in hotels often.

From the rooms we looked out at the view. From one side we looked won to the conference entrance. The hotel has plenty of conference and event space. The view from both sides is unobstructed and on clear days you'll be able to see very far into the distance. It was explained that nothing will be built to obstruct the views as the areas around the hotel are already spoken for and built. In the distance you can see an Indian cultural theme park which I heard about but never visited.

We returned to the elevator to go down and see the Westin Workout area. I don't think I've seen the naming convention used for the floors before. The lobby is on UG or Upper Ground and the offices, spa, gym, pool are on LG or Lower Ground. The elevators require keycards for access to the floors. They are taking security seriously and also noted that the room numbers are low and blend into the wall in order to ensure that people can't easily see your room number. Seems a bit more security theater than actual security but no complaints.

The gym looks impressive. There were perhaps 8 treadmills with iPod connectors and personal screens. I'd say there were anoter 10-15 machines and other equipment. Across from the gym is a steam room/changing room. As we walked past the gym we came to the pool. The pool is pretty long and looks great for laps. It doesn't seem all that wide but it also wasn't filled yet so perhaps it is just an optical issue. There is also a shallow pool for kids which seems larger than these pools are normally. On the ground floor.

Beyond the pool is a grassy area and then the fenceline. Beyond the fenceline is a large office building. In order to provide guests at the pool with privacy they have erected a scaffold-like structure on which they will hang/grow/place vines and greenery to block the view. Under this structure they will have a large wooden deck with furniture. This will be a great place for hosting cocktail parties and the like.

In this same general area is the Italian restaurant Prego. The building for Prego is quite large and has two floors. I imagine that someday the second floor will become something else. Perhaps a disco or another type of restaurant. For now it is planned to be used as part of Prego. Access to this building is via a covered, outdoor walkway.

As saad mentioned, they are starting with a limited number of rooms and venues. I've heard numbers ranging from 50 to 100 in the past week. This is going to make Plat upgrades difficult for the first few months I suspect. They will slowly open additional parts of the property as they are ready with, I think, January as the target for full operations. The Executive Lounge won't be open until 45-60 days from opening. Once open Plats will receive breakfast and drinks in the lounge. Until then breakfast will be in Taste but I'm not sure about drinks. IIRC Mix is not supposed to be ready on October 1.

As I mentioned, by the end of the visit I was really excited about staying at the property. I think this is going to be a wonderful property and I cant' wait to check-in.

I suppose. But be prepared for traffic jams that last 30 mins just to get to the malls nearby.

you can actually walk to some of the malls in 5-7 minutes from this property....

you can actually walk to some of the malls in 5-7 minutes from this property....

Haha, that's funny. That's true. My parents live about 10 mins away (by car) from this property and we always have to drive and so I've just associated that intersection with bad traffic. Funny that I didn't even think of walking. Guess I've lived in the US for too long (or maybe too much flying thanks to FT). :p

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.282 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/141)

Very interested to try it out - I'm likely to be in Gurgaon early/mid Oct so may stay here instead of the usual Crowne Plaza.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.282 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/141)

Very interested to try it out - I'm likely to be in Gurgaon early/mid Oct so may stay here instead of the usual Crowne Plaza.

I finally went into the Leela - very, very nice. Don't overlook that as an option in the future, I certainly will not be.

I had the pleasure of staying at the Leela for 3 weeks not too long ago. I was very happy with the property.

On my next trip, I am looking at giving the new Westin a try.

Leela's buy-in reward program isn't worthwhile for me. SPG is.