When an already popular property undergoes a refresh, everyone is curious to know what’s new. TravelDine takes you on a walkthrough of this resort in one of Mumbai city’s poshest neighbourhoods.
Few Mumbai hotels can claim a true ‘resort feel’. The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake is one of the rare ones that can do it and with absolute honesty. The sprawling 600-room five-star establishment has the advantage that most hoteliers swear by — location, location, location.
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
Perched on the periphery of the picturesque Powai Lake, the property has the natural advantage of stunning views and plenty of greenery surrounding it. Hemant Tenneti, Cluster General Manager, Westin Mumbai Powai Lake & Lakeside Chalet, Marriott Executive Apartments, smiles, “In this hotel, my recommendation is to stay outdoors. Your room is great, it has outstanding views of the lake. Our F&B offerings are fabulous. But if you really want to explore this hotel, very few other hotels offer the variety of outdoor venues that we do. We have a very well-defined 1.2 kms paved path by the lake down which our guests can walk and enjoy a very quiet, peaceful time in the centre of Mumbai. It’s serene, it’s relaxing, it’s re-energising. There are park benches along the route, where you can sit down and enjoy a cup of tea or a conversation with friends and family or just read a book. This gives you the sense of a resort within the city. That works really well for us as a unique proposition.”
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
Tenneti, who was part of the original team that had launched The Renaissance in 2011, has now been actively involved in conceptualising the renaissance of the property and overseeing the rebranding of it in its new avatar as The Westin. While it was officially rebranded on March 1, 2022, a rebranding exercise on such a large scale obviously has to be in phases.
“When you walk across the hotel you’ll see a refreshed lobby, brand new restaurants, new rooms, and a new ballroom. After running The Renaissance for two decades, there was an opportunity for us to rebrand this hotel. Westin as a brand was available with us. Internationally, it’s as good a brand as the Renaissance and has very strong customer recall and a very distinctive brand positioning and identity,” he says.
The renovation had a sole aim — to make the hotel relevant to today’s times. “It’s 21 years of the way the product has looked and felt. We thought of a grand renovation. We were going for a brand change, so it had to add a significant difference but relevant to today’s world. We knew we wanted it to be 1) environmentally sustainable, 2) be technologically enabled, and 3) be easy to do business with,” he lists.
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
They were clear that the space needed to make sense not only as a building design but as an overall structure, from the guests’ arrival to departure. “When you come to a hotel like this, it gives you the opportunity to conduct your business but also because of the scope of space it helps you reenergise yourself, be it the jogging track or our pool (one of the largest in town), the massive gym, or our spa… You must have noticed how we put plants in our lobby as a centrepiece not flowers,” he points out. Yukta ‘Yaga’ Shetty, marketing communications manager, Westin Powai and Marriott Executive Apartments, chimes in, telling me how the redesign has centred around the concept of biophilia, celebrating all that is alive and life-giving.
The biophilia hypothesis is the idea that humans have an inherited need to connect to nature due to our evolutionary dependence on it for survival and personal fulfilment. Apparently, this manifests in the way we travel — spending money to sightsee in national parks and nature preserves, relax on beaches, hike across mountains, explore jungles, and spend more on staying in places with views of nature, especially those with excellent landscaping and waterfront locations. “Considering the landscape this hotel has, considering the location it has, considering it fits with the Westin brand values of being environmentally sustainable, choosing biophilia made complete sense,” says Tenneti.
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
Nature is in the details
The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake’s biophilic bent helps guests connect to the natural environment direct as well as indirectly, with its clever use of space. Tenneti elaborates, “Westin design is all around the use of natural colours, natural light, allowing it to be lighter, fresher, and everything that is related to making sure it’s sustainable. The material used is all sustainable environment grade. From the concept of biophilia in the lobby, elements that you’ll see in your rooms and in the spa, all the landscaping. This sense of space or expanse in a landlocked area is very rare for a hotel in Mumbai. When you take all these elements together, it fits in beautifully with the philosophy of Westin, of having a stay here that enables overall wellbeing.”
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
Those of you who visited the hotel in its previous avatar as the Renaissance Powai, will remember that majestic staircase commanding a sweeping swathe of the lakefront. After its recent rebranding and extensive renovation, I am happy that the hotel has retained that feature and added to its ability to create a sense of calm through the sounds of flowing water and the texture of gleaming stones that bring to mind a refreshing mountain spring.
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
Not just here and in their tranquil Heavenly Spa, but wellness is in focus throughout the spaces. I am pleased to hear about their Run Concierge, a person dedicated to enabling guests to engage in a healthy morning run around the well-designed natural outdoor track within the premises. From directions to refreshing citrus-infused water to towels, everything is geared towards making your morning run memorable.
Tenneti says, “It’s a business hotel, so we make sure that early in the morning, there’s something to energise you for the day ahead, and late evening, there’s something to help you relax after a long day at work. Whatever helps the guest achieve this is our focus.”
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
The same wholesome feel is a feature of their open-24/7 Westin Workout fitness studio as well. The spacious rooms and suites with award-winning Westin Heavenly Beds and wonderful views make use of repurposed wood and even the bath areas boast some tasteful shell art.
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
The open areas are well utilised — from the cosy lakeside corner called Gauri Point, perfect for an intimate engagement ceremony, to the lawns where there’s space for morning yoga, fun teepees, or just to soak in the outdoors with a cup of coffee.
Image: Courtesy Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.
The business of business
One of Marriott’s largest hotels in India, it has two separate wings and work is complete in one of them, while the other is due to be done soon. We head up to the Tower Lobby Lounge for a drink at the luxe bar and a dekko of its expansive view and well-equipped conference rooms, each named for a flower.
With almost 30,000 square feet of events space, 13 event rooms, 18 breakout rooms, and the largest area accommodating up to 2000 guests, this is certainly a resort to reckon with even when it comes to banquet facilities, be it work events or weddings.
The hotel is scaled up to manage that volume, with a team of about 800 servicing it. “In terms of the offering, it is really unique because we can be the business hotel for you, the convention hotel for you, but we also can be your urban resort and all three of them can happen in conjunction, on the same day!” smiles Tenneti. “You could be having a large conference at the convention centre but still be enjoying by the pool where you are not disturbed. The spaces are very distinctly defined and away from each other. That’s what makes it special. The infrastructure of the hotel has been laid out in such a way that it helps us to segregate those customers and give them those specialised services,” he responds when asked how they manage to retain that relaxed resort feel even while catering to so many different needs.
The finer points of dining
While Nawab Saheb, their elegant dinner-only restaurant featuring set menus and a la carte selections of Awadhi and Mughlai delicacies created by the famed Chef Yunus, has added a glamourous sheen to Indian cuisine ever since it started, their all-day-dining Lake View Café has always been popular for its fabulous multi-cuisine buffets, especially its Sunday brunch. Cluster Executive Chef Mukesh Sharma has brought his considerable culinary experience and expertise to make the meals across the hotel truly memorable.
The smaller café on the other side of the lobby has been refurbished as a casual yet stylish deli called Mumbai Express, which serves up elevated healthy fare featuring superfoods and some craft brands. I also loved that they have tables with individual charging stations so you can wrap up your work while you enjoy a bite.
It’s clear though that Mayouchi is the place to be. An Asian tapas bar with gorgeous interiors, super comfortable rocking chairs and sushi and dimsum to die for, the whole experience centred around the scintillating view of Powai Lake. I’m not sure whether I like it better in daylight or the twinkling lights at night, but sundowners with the sensational sunset here are definitely the biggest draw.
Good to know
Address: Westin Mumbai Powai Lake, 2 & 3B, Near Chinmayanand Ashram, Mumbai 400 087, India | Rooms & suites: 600 | Restaurants: Four| Tariff: Starts from Rs 15,000 | Website: Westin Mumbai Powai Lake | Instagram: @westinmumbaipowai
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