The boulevard at the Orchid Hotel in Mumbai.
An executive suite, one of several room styles at the Orchid Hotel.
Mostly Grills at the Orchid Hotel, Mumbai.
An interior view of The Orchid Hotel in Mumbai.
A view of the Orchid's swimming pool.

The Orchid Hotel, Mumbai, is a deluxe 245-room, five-star hotel. It accommodates 700 guests for receptions and banqueting, and is adjacent to Mumbai’s domestic and international airport. Having won 51 international awards, The Orchid is a pioneering eco-friendly hotel, and the ISO 14001 certification reflects its concerns for the environment. The property is part of the HRAWI Hotel Group.

The Orchid is located in the heart of Mumbai. Its facilities include spacious guest rooms, four charming restaurants, a business centre, meeting rooms, an elaborately equipped fitness club and spa, and an indoor swimming pool.

Transparency is another advantage offered by The Orchid. The express check out is enabled by the interactive television installed in each room, which lets guests check their room bills, and place orders and messages. Worldroom Connect allows guests to use the internet by simply plugging in and starting work.

Green account

The Orchid won the ECOTEL® Award for its eco-friendly environment. Guests can earn credit points on all expenses incurred during their stay, which can be accumulated to redeem rewards such as holiday packages or gifts. The credit points can also be donated to the “green account” which supports several eco-friendly causes supported by The Orchid.

Eco-rooms

Guests can earn credit points on all expenses incurred during their stay, which can be accumulated to redeem rewards such as holiday packages or gifts.

The Orchid has five types of room: the deluxe, executive, club prive room and suite, the orchid suite, and the presidential suite. Each room is eco-friendly and includes imported anti-allergy and odour-free carpets, discreet use of wood, paper and plastic, cloth shopping bags, and newspapers and laundry delivered in cane baskets. Coathangers are made from pressed particle boards, and pens and pencils are made out of recycled cardboard, reprocessed plastic and scrap wood. Hand-crafted, rubber-soled reed slippers are available in the room, as are healthy potted plants instead of cut flowers, a recycle bin and bedside eco button to save energy.

The bedside eco button helps guests to save energy and reduce the room bill, and earns the guest a certificate for participation in energy saving. Each guest can also save energy by the discreet use of the key card system.

Business enclave

Business guests are catered for by the business enclave at the lobby, and the brightly coloured boardrooms in jade, opal and amber. Built with a soundproof surrounding, each room can be used for either meeting or dining.

Banqueting facilities are offered as chambers, senates and cascades suitable for seminars, training, residential conferences, product launches and cocktail evenings.

The bedside eco button helps guests to save energy and reduce the room bill, and earns the guest a certificate for participation in energy saving.

History

Kamat Hotels (India), a public listed company, signed a contract with the management of Plaza Hotels Private for a period of 30 years. This facilitated Kamat Hotels to run and upgrade the Kamat Plaza, a four-star hotel near the Santacruz Airport, with effect from 1 April 1994.

Kamat Hotels hired the services of architect DM Upasni and hotel interior designer Lynn Wilson. The Kamat Plaza, famed for meeting the needs of international business travellers, came to be known as The Orchid. It opened to the public on the eve of World Tourism Day, on 27 September 1997.

Awards and certifications

The Orchid was awarded the prestigious ECOTEL® certification by HVS Eco Services, USA. It also won the Green Globe Award from World Travel Mart in London in 1998, the Green Globe Achievement Award in 2000, the Dr MS Swaminathan Award for environmental protection, the Environment Policy Award 2000 in London, and International Certification from HVS ECO Services of 5 Globe ECOTEL® status in May 1997 and December 2000. The Orchid received its ISO 14001 Certification on 24 May 2001.