Very classy

Possibly a little on the large side for a Park and with lighter tones than some of the other Parks I've stayed at, the Park Hyatt Chennai is nonetheless a wonderful place to stay.

Check-in started off a little rough. Although I had advanced email correspondence with a guest service agent seek my room and other preferences, my requested transfer was late. I had used a DSU to book into a park suite which comes with complimentary transfers to and from the airport. As I was coming from the Regency Chennai I asked if I could have my transfer from there instead. That was agreed without issue. However, it arrived 30 minutes late, exactly. When the hotel driver arrived there was no apology of any kind but when checking-in at the hotel the agent apologised saying she understood the driver got stuck in traffic. That made me think the hotel had actually got the times wrong. In my experience, if the driver knew he was 30 minutes late, for whatever reason, he would have apologised profusely. Because he didn't (even once) I suspect he was none the wiser. Anyway no big deal.

I was given my choice of Diamond amenity (I chose the 1W) and asked for my business card. I was then escorted to my suite.

My request for a room near to or overlooking the pool was met with my suite being on the eighth and higest guest floor, one floor below the pool. The park suite is very nice. There is a large sitting area with two lounges (one double and one single, the larger one being white and having a couple of stains) and a large desk with a TV on the wall. A door separates the area from the large bedroom which has a king bed and day lounge and another TV with a DVD player. The bathroom is large with a large separate shower, double vanity and a very nice deep soaking tub. I really the tub in the grand suite at the Grand Kuala Lumpur but the edges are very steep meaning it's difficult to lay back and relax. Here, one edge of the square bath is at 45 degrees meaning you can lay back. Sitting on the bath's edge was a tray with the amenities including bath salts, a large candle and matches. The bathroom is furnished in lighter coloured marble and leads directly into a walk-through wardrobe with plenty of hanging and shelf space. From there you continue walking into the WC which as doors on both sides so it can be accessed from the living area as well as the bath.

There is not much of a view to speak of.

The minibar is not automatic (praise the Lord) and multiple bottles of water were provided each day. The TV has an abundance of channels including several in English (many of them movie channels). There are multiple power point outlets with the desk having this nifty fold out kind of panel with a couple of points as well as AV connections.

The service at every turn could not be faulted.

Bellman, doormen, front desk agents, housekeepers, security guards . . . everyone was especially polite, professional and pleasant. Everyone wanted to help and would bend over backwards to do so. In some respects, this at times came off a little unpolished. The desire to help meant that sometimes more tan one person was working on a simple task or request and literally bumping in each other. But I would take that any day of having disinterested and unhelpful staff who can't wait to clock off.

Despite requesting a taxi on two occasions I found myself in the hotel car instead. The driver was very professional and made small talk without being intrusive or annoying. At times he pointed out landmarks and was informative about bits and pieces of Chennai.

There is no dedicated business centre at the hotel. If you want printing or scanning you simply utlise the front desk staff and email documents to the generic address. I had cause to do this several times as I prepared for a couple of travel insurance claims. On one occasion I was waiting for scanned documents to be emailed to me. It turned out the check-in agent had changed my email (and postal) address from the one on my reservation (and GP account) to the one on my business card. Wy they would do this I do not know. Anyway, it was quickly resent to my personal address.

There is a particular example of exemplary service that I should share. I misplaced a hat. Not a huge deal by any means but it was just three days old an I had become particularly fond of it (it was bought in Europe and not being a hat person I actually this one suited me well). I was angry with myself for being careless. Desperate, I called the guest services line about 12.30pm and asked if someone could check to see if it maybe had been left by the pool or in the hotel car the day prior. After establishing that it was a hat I wanted and not the hotel car (single syllable words are so much harder) the lady on the other end of the phone said she would enquire. I thought neither scenario was plausible, though, and thought I must have dropped it out ont he street. Pouty and sulky like a child who'd lost his favourite toy I put the privacy sign on the door and tried to sleep.

About 3.45pm I got up, took the sign off, looked around the suite again and still couldn't find it. I phoned a restaurant I'd eaten at the day before where I thought maybe I had left it but no, nothing. I'd resigned myself to the fact it was gone and I'd thrown away another EUR30. About 4.30pm there was a knock at the door that I lamented; I was in no mood to talk to anyone. I opened it to find someone from housekeeping holding my hat. I couldn't believe it. Another lady then appeared from out of sight. It had been located in the lobby lounge area where I had left it the day before while waiting for scanning. The lady mentioned that they were a bit confused because I thought I'd left it either at the pool or in the car but they had found it in the lobby, suggesting that they had either voluntarily widened their search or called more than just the pool and driver. Clearly, this was five star service. It would appear the staff had made a very concerted effort to locate it, even when I had told the lady on the phone I may have left it there. I was exceptionally grateful for their work.

On my first night I ordered room service, a quesadilla. Five minutes after placing the order I received a call back saying that I mhave an old menu and that the quesadilla was no longer available. I settled on a Caesar instead. On my second night I had room service again, just a simple toasted sandwich. On both occasions the food was inexpensive, tasty and delivered within 30 minutes.

Breakfast is served in The Dining Room on the ground floor. There is a buffet with a big cold selection as well as hot local items. On top of that there is a menu with cooked-to-order hot items - different eggs, waffles, pancakes etc. Service was attentive and the food top-notch. I never saw a bill, presumably because I was a Diamond (guests are asked for their room number upon seating. The tea pots were odd. They provided 1.3 cups. You would think you'd change the size of the mug of the teapot. Overall breakfast was very nice.

The dining highlight was on my final night when I dined in The Dining Room to enjoy their special Road to Madras promotion. From my understanding it's essentially a selection of South Indian cuisine. It is both a plated menu as well as a buffet. A waiter brings small pewter ramekins of different dishes and for each explains what it is and its heritage. At any one time I had up to seven different dishes, in small quantities, on my table. From there, after essentially getting a taste of each, you can either order a second larger helping or avail yourself of the buffet. The food is spicey and I regretted not bringing tissues as my nose constantly ran. But it was outstanding. The food was exceptionally tasy and the service polished and professional. The young lady maitre'd (I don't know what the female term is) was very enthusiastic and friendly. My waiter was young and I gather in his early days as a waiter but presented very well and explained the dishes and their background with ease. And all that for less than INR1800all in (approximately AUD40). It was a steal and I thoroughly recommendit.

The location isn't perhaps the best. The upside is it's only about 20 to 25 minutes from the airport and it's in a particularly safe area being located adjacent to the governor's residence. The downside is there's nothing in the immediate vicinity. The closest attraction is the Phoenix Mall, a very large shopping centre which about 3.5km or a 30 minute walk directly down one street adjacent to the hotel. That said, it's not a particularly safe walk. Chennai traffic is horrendous and in many parts footpaths simply do not exist. But you could get an auto rickshaw there for at most INR150 (circa AUD3).

Taxis are also very inexpensive.

The hotel has a very nice infinity pool, not large but a pleasant and cool pool with sunbeds and grass around the edges. Although on the 9th floor the constant horn blowing of traffic below is noticeable. The hotel plays music through speakers to soften the blow. Attendants are on hand and you can order F&B.

The gym is a reasonable size with the usual top range equipment. It appeared as though there was a PT on hand for the bulk of the day.

It was difficult to fault this property. I would happily return.