The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

The centrally located Metropolitan Hotel & Spa is particularly popular with business travelers from Japan (owing partially to its celebrated on-site Japanese restaurant, Sakura), though it does attract a fair number of tourists from around the world. It's housed in a simple eight-story building and isn't as large or grandiose as some of the other luxury hotels in Central Delhi. Instead, it feels more casually inviting, with marble floors and a mix of wallpaper and wood paneling on the walls of the bright, airy lobby. Similarly subdued, casual decor continues in the hallways and on-site restaurants. 

The Metropolitan is located just west of popular shopping and dining area Connaught Place, a 10-minute walk away. It's just under a 10-minute walk to Shivaji Stadium Metro Station and about 12 or so minutes to Rajiv Chowk, a main interchange station underneath Connaught Place. It's a 20-minute walk to to Jantar Mantar, a collection of ancient astronomical instruments, while getting to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi's best-known Sikh temple, takes about 10 minutes on foot. India Gate is just under 10 minutes from the hotel by car. It's a 12-minute drive to Delhi Golf Club and a 15-minute drive to Humayan's Tomb, one of the city's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The sprawling Lodhi Gardens, full of Lodhi-era tombs and meandering paths, is also around a 15-minute drive away. Old Delhi Railway Station and Old Delhi's bustling market area -- Chandni Chowk -- are both about 15 minutes away by car, while it's a seven-minute drive to New Delhi Railway Station. South Delhi attractions such as the Lotus Temple and the Qutub Minar also take about 25 minutes by car to reach, but the journey can be much longer depending on traffic. The Indira Gandhi International Airport is about half an hour away by car without traffic, but can take significantly longer during peak hours.

The Metropolitan offers Deluxe and Club Rooms plus Executive and Metropolitan Suites. Rooms are smallish, with simple, modern decor including boldly patterned grey carpeting, ceiling-suspended lantern-style lamps that vaguely resemble birdcages, glass display boxes with pairs of traditional dolls on the walls, padded headboards embedded on patterned wallpaper accent walls, and long desks with office chairs and marble countertops. Standard amenities include small wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, kettles, minibars, safes, and bathrobes. Bathrooms are separated from the rooms by frosted-glass walls, which some guests may find privacy-compromising. Inside the bathrooms are large walk-in showers with ceiling-mounted rainfall showerheads and large mirrors stretching across tiled walls. Hairdryers and basic toiletries are provided and there's plenty of counter space and shelving. Club Rooms are similar to their Deluxe Counterparts, but are located on the seventh and eighth floors of the hotel and come with additional perks such as free airport transfers and access to a Club Lounge with evening happy hours (also accessible to all suite guests). Suites have near identical decor as the rooms, but add living rooms with midcentury revival style furniture in muted tones of gray and rust. Suite bathrooms are much larger and add jetted tubs.

Although it does get some tourists, the Metropolitan is primarily a business hotel and offers a range of meeting rooms and banquet halls along with free hotel-wide Wi-Fi, a business center, and administrative support facilities such as photocopying and transcription. There's also an outdoor venue next to the pool, Garden of Joy, which can host events for up to 350 people. The NeoVeda Spa is another main draw and offers all sorts of Ayurvedic treatments and massages. The spa's fitness center is small, but has enough variety in equipment to get a proper workout in, including treadmills, stationary bikes, and free weights. The rectangular outdoor swimming pool here is nothing special, but it's long enough to swim laps in. There are lounge chairs by the pool, but the area is shaded by the adjacent hotel for much of the day. The hotel has its own art gallery, Art Spice, which offers rotating exhibitions with works from both Indian and international artists on display. And for those who don't want to spend too much on artsy souvenirs, the Metropolitan features a large on-site boutique, Craft House, selling handicrafts, imported teas, and all sorts of jewelry, textiles, and home decor items. The hotel's many restaurants are perhaps the most attractive feature. Sakura is the best known, and offers Japanese food at lunch and dinner under the supervision of a celebrated Japanese expat chef. Flavours of India offers Indian fare from around the country and has its own bar with a decent liquor and wine selection. Zing serves breakfast (included in room rates) throughout the morning, and a Japanese breakfast is available. It opens again for a dinner buffet in the evening and serves a rotating variety of international and Indian dishes. A la carte dining and a variety of pastries are also available throughout the day and Zing has a brunch service every Sunday.