St Regis Mumbai - detail

I stayed at the St Regis Mumbai for two nights. It was amazing. Everything I expected it would be and more. I realize the style is not for everyone. It's very classic luxury, not modern. But I can totally get into that feeling. For example, the lobby cafe is called "The Drawing Room" and the business center "The Library" and they both feel like that entirely.

We were met by a driver at the hotel. The transfer was perfect. Very easy and good as the flight was 15 hours and we were tired. The service started immediately upon arrival. Our butler Ketan met us at the car as we arrived, introduced himself and informed us that he has arranged in-room check-in so we would go directly to our rooms. No waiting in a queue here to check-in.

The room was not massive but large for a city hotel with a desk and couch that fit nicely in a room with a king bed. The tub was huge and there was a separate shower.

The room also had lots of little amenities. From sewing kit to toothbrushes. The desk had a stapler and a ruler along with post-it notes. All kinds of goodies that make the room feel luxurious.

The butler informed me that there are several complementary services including pressing two items, coffee service delivered whenever I wanted, and unpacking service. I said "yes, please" to all of these. I went for a drink at the rooftop bar with Ed while Ketan unpacked my things and took my shirts to be pressed.

I had a great view of the race track in the center of Mumbai. It was beautiful both at night and during the day. So cool to have a view of the city and the sea. And the latte.

I didn't sleep great having just arrived so I was up very early (like 5am) and decided "time to try the coffee." I called the butler and asked for a latte and they immediately brought it to my room. It was like having an on call latte delivery service. I was hooked. I think I had seven lattes in my 36 hours there, and they started to delivery entire pots of coffee instead of just a cup.

Breakfast was included at the Seven Kitchens restaurant and it was as amazing as you might expect. Huge spread with all types of food from Indian to American. I had a cooked to order omelette while Ed had to try the dosa. Again they offered coffee, and a favorite thing about international travel they always are willing to get you an espresso drink (no basic drip coffee here). I had another latte with breakfast.

We used the business center to print things and also rented a conference room for a meeting with folks from Mumbai and the US. Overall the service was stellar even when we did run into issues with technology the team worked very hard to overcome.

Nice note from my butler handwritten. Very classy.

And they shined my shoes. Solid. Very five star.

The Westin Hyderabad Upgrade

I checked in to The Westin with my colleague Ed on Friday. We both got our rooms. I am a Marriott elite member and so got into the short elite check-in line and we got checked in early. We got our rooms assigned, and I don't often ask about upgrades even though I know I'm eligible if there are upgrade rooms available.

We dropped our bags and headed off to work. After getting back and resting up, Ed and I meet up and he tells me he has this massive room. A suite in fact. My room was fine (more than fine, really) but is just a standard Westin room. Very nice, but certainly not a suite with a sitting area.

I decided to talk to the manager and see what was up. Ed & I checked in at the same time. I'm elite, he's not. And he gets the upgrade? I choose Marriott hotels for a reason and they've just thrown that upside down. I explained. And explained.

After talking with four people, finally the manager Rahul says he understands and will move me to a larger room tomorrow. Nothing available now.

Ed and I headed to the bar which was all that was open at 11pm and got some food for dinner. Our schedules are so whacked. I almost didn't eat because I can't tell if I'm hungry. As we sat and had a beer and some food, Rahul finds me at the bar and says he found a room for tomorrow. He will call me when it is checked out.

So I am awaiting to see how the follow through goes as I wait in my smaller room for a call this morning saying I will be moved. I can't wait to see how the story ends.

UPDATE: While I was writing this at 8:30 am Rahul himself calls to say he found a larger room and could come up and help me move. Now, 8:45 am in a much bigger room.

Running in Mumbai

I went for a five mile run in Mumbai the day after we arrived from Newark. I knew if I was to run in India I would be better off running early in the morning. I would not only benefit from the cooler temperatures, but also the low traffic helps not feel like I'm in as much danger of cars and motorbikes.

I started from the hotel around 6:45 am and was planning to run to the Seaface, a path along the Arabian Sea. The path was maybe a mile away. As I asked around some of the employees of the hotel said they recommended I take a taxi to the Seaface and then run to avoid getting lost on the way. That felt like cheating (I've never taken a taxi to go running), so I braved the run both to the Seaface and along the sea itself.

I'm glad I did run there as I got to see neighborhoods of Mumbai. Streets lined with very old trees. Hundreds of taxis were lined up along the streets getting ready for the day. Taxi drivers washing their cabs to look sparkling clean.

People were out on the Seaface many of them jogging, walking or other exercise. Many folks were also avoiding the heat later in the day. Food vendors were already out selling breakfast to folks on the way to work.

This day was the election count day in India. The worlds largest election over 3 billion votes to count. It was widely expected the BJP party and PM Modi would win (he did, by a lot). I overheard groups of older men along the Seaface talking politics about the BJP and Modi.

I ran for about an hour. I turned around and ran back a slightly different way to enter the hotel from the back. It was a good experience and really helped me get oriented to the city and the people.

Running in Hyderabad

I went on a five mile run this morning in Hyderabad, India. This town is different than many (all?) of the other cities I've visited in India as it's hot and dry. It almost feels like Colorado or Nevada with the dry rocky terrain. It's hot here. Like 108 degrees hot. So I knew I had to get out and run early. Luckily I'm still not sleeping normally so I was up at 5am and was out the door at 6am when it was bright but still 75 degrees.

I ran outside my hotel and through what can be best described as a business park. Many buildings with names I recognize like Deloitte, Amazon, HSBC where companies have offices. People are out and about, some heading to work others just walking for exercise. I ran towards a national park that was about three miles away knowing I probably wouldn't make it but also knowing I would see tons of things along the way.

I run in the road on the right hand side into traffic so I can see cars coming and they can see me. My experience has been that it is generally scary but totally safe. People won't hit you, they'll just look like they will. So the motorbikes and cars come towards me quite fast and we come close but always miss.

There are dogs everywhere, and unlike a stray in the US these dogs are all friendly and don't pay much attention to people. Folks walk by them they sleep or play. They look happy and don't bother me at all. I've had much more trouble with dogs in yards in the US, and I saw probably a hundred dogs on my run today.

There are some beautiful houses. I finally got away from the business park and into neighborhoods. Huge houses looking new and very stately. Tree lined streets in what looked to be nice areas to live. I got to see a couple temples - mostly behind walls but I got to peek in a bit. I didn't want to be disrespectful.

I saw four tractors. Like real tractors one might find on a farm. Hauling stuff of all sorts. Lots construction equipment and building is happening everywhere here. I could smell smoke in the air. Not everyone but a lot, and I could tell after an hour of running my eyes and lungs had enough. I made it back to the hotel no problem and was hot and tired and ready for a shower.

Jump Zone Fun Center

Flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad

Flying on IndiGo airlines from Mumbai to Hyderabad Ed and I were flying with our local colleagues here in India. We got up and out early as our flight is at 9:15 am .

Our seats were selected for us. We sat together and I was lucky to be in the aisle leaving Ed in the middle seat and a stranger in the seat by the window. Ed was comolaining about his middle seat, hoping nobody would take the third seat in our row. 

Alog comes an Indian businessman who has he window seat. He offers Ed to sit in the window seat. Incredulous Ed says "are you sure?" Yes, yes. Ed loves over exstatic at his luck. The business man looks at me and says "move over" pointing to the middle seat.

I look back. Equally incredulous. I say "you want me to sit in the middle?" Yes, yes. Not wanting to make a fuss, I slide over and sit down. Ed laughs uncontrollably. 

Now I am in the middle seat between Ed and India businessman. Using a Beatles album and my noise canceling headphones to forget where I am. Lucky that I have had a double espresso and a latte, and the flight is only one hour.  

St Regis Mumbai in brief

I need to do a much larger post about the St Regis Mumbai. We were picked up by a car at the airport upon arrival and taken to the hotel. Very smooth and nice to have it prearranged. I used WhatsApp to communicate with the St Regis which is very cool. We go to the hotel around 10pm local time and were met by our butler (really) who whisked us to our room for in-room check-in.

The room is amazing. More on that later. The butler offers services including pressing (my shirts will look nice for the business meetings), shoe shine, coffee service (unlimited lattes delivered to your door) and unpacking service. I asked the butler to unpack my bag while Ed and I went to the roof to check out the rooftop bar to unwind before bed.

The rooftop bar was outside and had a great view. It is hot. Really hot. So we didn't stay too long. The view was worth the heat. On the floor below (floor 37) there was another bar with equally good views but also air conditioning. So we stayed a little longer there and enjoyed the lights of Mumbai.

Went to bed, got about four hours of sleep. Got up this morning and ordered a latte (yes!) from the butler. Got on my shoes and went for a run to the sea face, a walking path along the ocean. I ran for about an hour and it was hot. That was all I could take. It was great to see the city.

We ate breakfast at the restaurant 7 Kitchens and enjoyed some old favorites (ham & cheese omlette) and some Indian specialities, too. Another latte with breakfast and we were definitely full and happy. The spread was amazing and we only scratched the surface.

We experienced the business center to print some documents for our meetings today. We also arranged to use a conference room for a call we have tonight with our colleagues. The St Regis Mumbai has made it easy to get comfortable and get work done with the least amount of friction from the travel. It has been great. Sipping my fourth latte for the day.

Newark to Mumbai

Flying from Newark to Mumbai is a 15+ hour flight. I was happy to be in Polaris business with the “real” Polaris seats on one of the outfitted 777-300ER planes. The seats are configured 1-2-1 across, and my colleague and I are in the middle seats with a partition that goes up and down to allow for conversation (or privacy). 

I asked for and got the United pajamas they offer in business. I changed before take off to ensure maximum comfort. I appreciate the suspension of social norms that you can walk around in pajamas and slippers among these strangers on the flight and it isn’t weird.

As we boarded, we engaged in small talk with a couple next to us. They were from California and heading to India for work. They happen to also be in healthcare (I think they were both doctors) providing telemedicine services. I shared my feeling that getting to sit in this new seat in United Polaris is like being treated to Christmas early. We all agreed we were pretty lucky.

We taxied for almost an hour in Newark which felt like forever, and we had turbulence after take off so everyone was in their seats a little longer and our food service took more time. The food was generally good, I had an Indian dish with lamb. I don’t find it particularly outstanding except the desserts. There’s something magical about having a sundae with caramel sauce in flight. I had a Buffalo Trace bourbon for a night cap while watching a couple of movies (School of Rock and The Mule).

The time zone difference is 10 and a half hours between the US and India, so it’s a big shift to make. I set my clock to the new time zone and have been training myself to think it’s 5pm and not 7am right now. There was no way I was going to get away from sleeping some on this flight, so I slept for about four hours. The cabin was hot so all the blankets were annoying rather than helpful. They give two blanket and two pillows, so many you almost feel crowded.

I am reminded of the Lewis Black bit about long flights to New Zealand. It went something like “you can watch two movies, have a meal, sleep for four hours and you still have eight hours to go.” That’s exactly how this feels. Luckily I have plenty of work to do and prepare to be as productive as possible on the ground in Mumbai. We head to Hyderabad on Friday morning.

Polaris EWR

Spent seven hours in the Polaris lounge in EWR. It's one of the newest Polaris lounges available when you're flying business class on a United long haul flight. It's a marked upgrade from the United club available domestically.

I'm here with my colleague Ed and we enjoyed all the amenties.

I hit the buffet first as I was hungry (no breakfast on the domestic flight). I ate pasta, but I was disappointed that the food wasn't refilled (no salmon for me). I got a cafe latte which was delicious. I had more after that first one.

We used the phone room for various calls. Nice privacy. The attendants helped us bring in another chair and it was big enough for the two of us. It was tight, though.

We had a burger (with an egg on top) which was delicious. The fries were extra good, and Ed had the brownie with ice cream.

I took a shower. I'll be on a plane for a long, long time so can't hurt to start fresh. I love the showers it's like a five star hotel shower in a mall. Privacy in a public place. Something about it makes me love the experience. I can only imagine what it must be like to shower *on* a plane.

I had a Guiness and then later an Old Fashioned with Makers 46. I took more calls and did work until time to board. This place is like Christmas and my Birthday all at once.

Ord to Newark

Flying from Chicago to Newark on what will be the shortest of my two flights in the next 24 hours. It's a full flight and I'm packed for the long haul. I've tried to pack light, one satchel for work and a soft side carry on. It's about 10kg and I'm looking forward to doing laundry and exploring different cities over the next ten days. I will keep you posted.