Vivanta By Taj

Begumpet, make room for the princely one. And HPS, prepare to share your glory.

ITC now has competition from the Tatas, right across the Greenlands flyover, opposite the Hyderabad Public School. Vivanta is a Taj brand “for the cosmopolitan global traveller”, and must be a relief for the corporate biggies with offices this side of the Great Banjara Hills Divide.

Vivanta is not regal or stately, or snobbish and stuffy, as the Taj name would have you expect. It has a slick, modernistic, urban look and feel. Smart staff, plush spaces, tasteful décor and sky-high prices help it score over certain other hotels that pride themselves on 5-stardom.

A health club, a pool, a spa and vast conferencing facilities are some of the amenities here. The rooms, called Superior Charm, Premium Indulgence and Deluxe Allure Suite are priced at Rs. 10,000 (plus taxes) onwards. By the way, those with a fetish for see-through bathrooms, please indulge yourselves – and, we'd like to see what you look like. Meanwhile, the Presidential Suite costs a reasonable Rs. 35,000.

Pitching camp in the centre of the city is a masterstroke – this is one lodging property that cannot go wrong.