Anmol International

Rundown hotels cluttering the railway and bus station neighbourhoods in Indian cities is trite stuff, so good ones burgeoning is a sign of something good, usually related to our average incomes. So the recent surge in plum, albeit still budget, hotels in the worn Nampally neighbourhood is perhaps more good news than would suggest itself.

Anmol International, which holds its own pride of place in the surge above, is a quiet midsized hotel that can seem mammoth in appearance if you go with the justified level of expectations in this neighbourhood. The lobby catches you off your guard with its size, and the glib decor in mostly brown ensemble, has plushly upholstered sofas and settees.

The rooms are worth their prices, or at least all but worth them. The suites have a large room with a partition forming the mini-living/study, complete with a sofa and a cool glass lectern; a bedroom that's well-done with a king-size double bed, a sofa, mini-bar/fridge, and a normal 26-inch TV. For your ablutions, there's a good-looking bathroom with a tub besides the normal amenities. The tariff is Rs. 3,500.

The executive A/C rooms come with the same amenities as those of suites, the difference being the bathtub. If you are not a stickler for tubs, then you could definitely try this one priced almost halfway at Rs. 1,850. The other single rooms too have the facilities of the other categories, except that there is a lone bed to snuggle into.

There's also a multi-cuisine restaurant in the lobby floor that may not be superlative, but surely is affordable, and can fill 'er up.

For a budget hotel, Anmol International has a flurry of bonus facilities like the spa that usually form the differentiators of top-notch hotels. A sibling of the much bigger and more expensive Anmol Continental a kilometer away, Anmol International is an easy-on-the-pocket yet all-amenity-encompassing option, and located more conveniently for the railway traveller.