A belated thanks to Keyser on the points above, which were extremely helpful.

I have recently completed stays at the 3 main properties in Mumbai. As I moved around a lot, I have had a one-night, and a two-night (or longer) stay at each of the properties. Therefore, I thought it makes sense to compare the stays as a reference to other first-time visitors who might be considering which of the properties:

LOCATION: SPG’s main issue here is not having a property located in or around Colaba, which is where most visitors want to stay.

- ITC Grand Central is located in Parel, a 15-20 minute drive to the area, but you are highly dependent on taxis since the area around the hotel, while walkable, presents nothing of interest to visitors (unless you are into discounted luggage shops). This is the only option where bellhops will hail a regular cab for you. High Street Phoenix Mall is the closest thing to the hotel, and is a good option for food and, shopping.
- ITC Maratha is best avoided based on location. Despite being basically across the street from the airport, taxis will want to charge you a minimum fare which will negate any cost savings. Nothing remotely walkable around here, and the area is traffic-choked meaning a quick trip to a restaurant can take a long time. It also doesn’t make sense to stay here if you have a late departure/early arrival, as incidentally, that’s when traffic will flow best in Mumbai, so you’ll be saving only 15 minutes off a journey to more interesting parts of town. It actually makes sense to stay here on a stopover if it means avoiding rush hour traffic.
- Westin is not advisable for a first-time visitor to Mumbai, unless you have specific business in the area surrounding the hotel. There are no regular cabs to be found around the hotel (only a tuk-tuk rank), and the hotel doesn’t come up on Uber meaning drivers get lost. Nevertheless, it is reasonably well located for Versova, and a straight shot to the airport on the highway, which can be done very quickly outside of rush hour. A trip to South Mumbai on the other hand will easily take over an hour. Oddly, of the 3 SPGs, this one has the most walkable options as it’s directly across the road from the Oberoi Mall, with good dining, shopping and cinema options.

PHYSICAL PROPERTY:

- The Westin wins hand-down, in my opinion. It has a modern, bright and airy design which is soothing and extremely functional. The rooms are huge, and the suite is just phenomenal. Great views as well. Bathroom is ample, but the partial frosting on the toilet door needs to be reviewed as not ideal, even for couples staying together! Excellent pool area, and the gym, although not huge, is one of the best I’ve ever seen in a hotel. Only downside are the slow elevators.
- ITC Maratha looks very impressive, but the rooms have old fashioned décor and awful looking massage chairs in the room. Rooms are on the large side, with awesome, large marble bathrooms very good sound proofing and no outside noise from the airport or traffic. No real views, other than the highway, airport, and slum next door. Pool area is small but nice, as is the gym.
- ITC Grand Central has a classic style, but to me felt a bit cramped. Rooms were on the small side, and least up to date of all the properties. Even ITC One room was disappointing, and not worth paying for, in my opinion, as the improvement from Tower Room is quite marginal. Good views from rooms, and from Club Lounge, but pool and gym are very underwhelming.

SERVICE:

No differences between properties here, as service has been excellent throughout and staff is really warm and willing to go the extra mile. ITC Grand Central have hostesses hovering around the lobby, club lounge, and restaurants to chat with guests, which is a nice way to show hospitality, but also a welcome respite for solo travellers as they are genuinely nice. Small negative note was being lied to at check-in at ITC Grand Central, being told that I was upgraded into a Tower Room, which was the category I had booked in the first place. Most impressive treatment was at the Westin, where staff recognized me, and remembered my name, even between stays.

PLAT TREATMENT:

- Westin contacted me 1 day prior to check in apologizing that they couldn’t upgrade me to a suite due to availability (the hotel was indeed fully booked several days out). On the second stay, I was upgraded to a massive suite, over 100sqm, with 180+ degree views. Club lounge is the best I have ever seen anywhere, the evening snacks were awesome. Too bad it’s not on a high floor. You also get free breakfast at Seasonal Tastes which is a huge buffet on the 17th floor, and I wish the hostess at check-in had explained that correctly to me as she indicated Plats have to stick to Club Lounge breakfast, which is still very nice, but not nearly as much variety.
- ITC Maratha were decent for upgrades, scoring a larger Tower Room in one occasion, and an ITC One on another occasion. The breakfast buffet can be taken at the Club Lounge or main restaurant, which while not as varied as the Westin, was amazing and had great staff. The breakfast room did not have many tables, meaning a short wait at times.
- ITC Grand Central was the stingiest when it came to upgrades, and I had to really beg ahead of my final stay to get an ITC One Room, which turned out to be underwhelming. Also, you are presented with a sheet at check-in explaining the Plat amenities, and breakfast is one of them. However, Club Lounge is not open during breakfast, so we just ignored this strange rule and had breakfast at the main restaurant, and got the plat amenity anyway. Club Lounge happy hour is a bit hit and miss with the food quantities and variety, but staff is great, and you can also sit outside, enjoying amazing sunset views. The lounge is definitely on the small size, with too many sofas occupied by 1-person parties, so we often had to sit at the bar.

DINING:

- ITC Maratha wins hand down, being home to two of Mumbai’s best restaurants: Peshawri and Dum Pukht. Prices are extremely high for Mumbai, but no trip to Mumbai is complete without a Tandoori dinner at Peshawri. Their Sunday brunch is also famous with locals.
- ITC Grand Central has K&K (Kebabs & Kurries) which features some of the classics from Peshawri and Dum Pukht. There is also an Asian restaurant on the premises, and the buffet restaurant is also popular with locals for weekend brunch.
- Westin has an overpriced Italian restaurant at the lobby, Prego, or Kangam which is a nice-looking north indian restaurant, on the 17th floor and is a local hotspot.

VALUE:

ITC Grand Central tends to be very cheap on weekends, and can be found for as low as Rs7,000 per night while ITC Maratha varies wildly. Rates at the Westin seems to always hover around the Rs11,000 mark, although I have scored some BRGs there. They have all stayed at Cat 3, meaning C&P at the Westin seems to be the best use for points.

FINAL VERDICT:

In my opinion, first-time visitors should head to ITC Grand Central due to its location. If you don’t have to be in or around South Mumbai, then I would recommend the Westin, based on superior physical property, awesome Plat treatment and unbelievable Club Lounge. I would only recommend ITC Maratha for a very short stay combined with a nice dinner at Peshawri or Dum Pukht.