I was in Bangalore last month to attend a yoga and wellness retreat at Shreya’s Retreat- about an hour away from the city. I had heard bloggers, techies and writers talk about Aloft Hotel in Cessna Business Park and really wanted to stay there for a night to check it out.

A member of Starwood Hotels worldwide, Aloft Hotel like Westin, W, Sheraton, St Regis and Le Meridian belong under the same umbrella. Aloft hotels have about 75 hotels all over the globe with some in Colombia, Mexico and Panama so you should definitely look them up if you are heading that way. Aloft Cessna Business Park is located in the IT Hub of the city and is about an hour away from the International Airport.

The hotel is highly sought after by business travellers, techies, bloggers, writers and those of us who like the concept at Aloft. There are plenty of open spaces for guests to hang out and get to know one another. As you would expect, there is a splash pool that overlooks the IT hub and looks gorgeous post sunset. There is a gymnasium called ‘Recharge’ that is open round the clock so you can fit in your workout despite your hectic schedule. Fitted with the latest equipment, catchy workout tunes, bikes, treadmills and all the weights you’ll need to work up a quick sweat.

The hotel has about 191 guest rooms in three categories- standard, suite and the presidential suite. The guest rooms are large, airy and fitted with all the amenities right from the coffee machine to custom bath accessories by Bliss Spa. The suites are larger and the presidential suite is massive and luxurious with really interesting design installations along the suite. What really catches your eye are the design elements, lighting, music playlists as well as the plane at the entrance. For those of you who are hoping to catch up on some reading, there is plenty of space and if you need internet and a desk to work at- you can choose to sit in any of the state of the art working spaces fitted with printer, scanners and open through the day so you don’t miss your deadlines.

You can choose to eat in the room with a comprehensive in-room dining menu or head down to the coffee shop and pick from the buffet or the a la carte menu. The executive chef Sameer Luthra is a Cordon Bleu graduate and has worked with the Westin, Indigo Mumbai, as well as in Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. He works tirelessly to understand what each client wants before he whips up something delightful and delicious. I ate kebabs at dinner, which were were melt in your mouth delicious. I wasn’t drinking but the wine list looked pretty impressive and I was really tempted but I had an early morning start so I resisted.

If you are hungry between meals- you can head to ‘Re fuel’ and grab a juice, smoothie or coffee to go. There are plenty of food and drink options at the hotel and you can join some guests for a game of pool over some beers from the WXYZ bar. The bartenders are quick and super attentive and can whip up all your classics as well as concoct your favourite heady cocktail. Alternatively, you can sit at the Re Mix lounge and chat with some guests or meet up for drinks.

The management here are all young, vivacious and affable and clearly embody the brand Aloft is trying to portray. I had the pleasure of meeting Faiz Alam, the General Manager who has managed hotels like the Raffles, Singapore and the Le Meridien, Kuala Lumpur. Before moving to Bangalore, he was managing the Westin in Gurgaon. He takes guest relationships and hospitality very serious and was kind enough to show me around and explain to me the philosophy at Aloft. I also met Kunal Dewan, a graduate of Le Roche & Crans- Montana, Switzerland. Head of sales and marketing at Aloft, he has over 10 years of sales and marketing experience under his belt. The team at Aloft were brimming with excitement and ideas and full of energy- something I haven’t seen on my travels before.

My stay at Aloft was very comfortable and memorable. The room was well lit, airy with high ceilings and fitted with all the necessary amenities. I slept really well that night although the room was a tad too cold. It rained in the evening so I couldn’t go down to the pool but I enjoyed walking around the property, eating at Nook at dinner. For a business hotel, Aloft takes their food very seriously. The highlight of my stay was the breakfast. It was a standard buffet breakfast with all the trimmings and offerings from South Indian specialties, Indian, bacon, sausages and eggs (any way you wanted). The chef knew I was on a gluten free diet and brought over a sampler of 4 different wheat free dosas. Each crepe (dosa) had a distinct flavour profile, tempered with different spices and paired with a unique chutney- the combinations were gorgeous. The chefs used millet flour, ragi, mixed lentils to prepare the dosas and served it with sambhar and tomato, peanut, beetroot and coconut chutney. I was stuffed to my gills and it was time to say goodbye to the lovely team at Aloft. I had a few cups of green tea and said goodbye to the friendly staff and everyone who had made my stay memorable.

I can’t recommend this hotel enough. The staff is friendly, the service is impeccable and it isn’t frightfully expensive like the others in the city. They have live music evenings every Wednesday and Saturday and at Aloft there are plenty of like-minded people to meet. Check out their website and book Aloft on your next trip to the garden city and you can thank me later.

P.S- they have another hotel in Whitefield but the one at Cessna Business Park is special so book early to avoid disappointment.

Quick notes-

{Smoke free

24 hour coffee shop and in room dining}

Cessna Business Park

Sarjapur- Marathahalli Outer Ring Road

Kadubeesanhalli,

Bellandur Post,

Bengaluru- 560103

Karnataka

India

http://www.aloftbengalurucessnapark.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AloftBengaluruCBP?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/AloftCessnaPark

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3545