Svenska: Five-star boutique hotel hits Andheri

The management is headquartered in Stockholm, Svenska, the name of the hotel means Swedish and its first location in India is in the cluttered and congested suburb of Mumbai’s Andheri West.

You don’t really expect to find anything Swedish in a lane adjacent to Laxmi Industrial Estate, close to Lokhandwala Complex, a stone’s throw from multiplexes and innumerable corporate offices.

But location is everything and Svenska has the first-mover advantage as being the only luxury five star boutique hotel serving the populated business and residential neighborhoods of Andheri, Versova, Oshiwara and Malad.

This small format hotel of 22 superior rooms, six deluxe rooms and one luxury suite is squarely aimed at the business traveler.

The design might be cold and minimalist with clean lines like its Scandinavian origins, but the hospitality is the opposite -- warm, Asian, eager to please with an accent on personalized service. 

The space might be compact, but the services are big -- a fleet of BMWs for airport pick ups, in-car check in and a menu which allows you to order your meal from the car and have it warm and ready on arrival.

There’s a private butler service, complimentary in-room spa treatments, Wi-Fi, and no business center. Instead they offer you iPads and wireless printing services.

And if you fancy a little recreation before your next meeting, ask for PS3 and Wii gaming consoles, Blue‐ray movies or hang out in the rooftop jacuzzi, which got Svenska a tick mark against the swimming pool box in the five-star rating check list.

They make up for the absence of a fitness center by being affiliated to international chain Fitness First.

Avoid the odd looking and slightly uncomfortable chair which doubles up as a library on wheels, and the rooms are equipped with all the basic requirements of a business traveler -- DVD player, iPod docking stations, workstations and data ports, Crabtree & Evelyn bath and body products and newspapers of choice.

Defying the adage that size matters, Svenska Mumbai has managed to pack in five places to eat spanning Mediterranean and Japanese and a few token Swedish drinks and dishes on the menu.

This month (till February 28), if you are pressed for time, check out the corporate quick lunch buffet at the ground level Mesa Bistro (Rs 550 plus taxes).

And if you weren’t already scratching your head wondering how, the hotel can also accommodate up to 100 people for a conference or banqueting event.

So you see it’s not about size, but about making the most of what you have.

Room rate: Rs 8,800 to Rs 14,200, exclusive of taxes, inclusive of breakfast, private butler service, and in-room spa treatment.

F 73/74, Oberoi Complex, off Link Road, Andheri West; +91 (0) 22 4431 0000; www.svenskahotels.com

Restaurant Miro, one of six F&B outlets packed into this small hotel.