Hyderabad’s Wow Factor!

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Say the word Hyderabad, and it is palaces, fluted columns, haleem and old world tehzeeb that come to mind. Not the gleaming glass façade of the spanking new Park Hyatt, that looms in the middle of chaotic, traffic-snarled, rocky Banjara Hills. Hot address of the swish set, and a far cry from the hotels of old.

The wow factor hits you as you drive in. There’s the sparkling body of water as you enter, huge columns that soar endlessly upward, pillars of gleaming granite reflected on the custom-made marble floors that frame a massive Ganesha sculpture that dominates the atrium, crystal chandeliers suspended above it all…
The brand new Park Hyatt which opened its doors only months ago, is everything that a hotel from this premiere brand could be. And more. The rooms, all touch button efficiency, rival the best in the world. And while there are a few glitches – the blinds in the bathroom in the King suite aren’t quite as wall-to-wall as they should be — it’s the fabulous restaurants that truly place this Hyatt several notches above the competition. And it starts in the coffee shop, where you breathe in the aroma of freshly-baked bread and croissants, and sample a wonderful collection of teas from around the world. And it continues on its mezzanine floor at its signature Italian restaurant, Tre Forni, so named for its three giant ovens overseen by a young, engaging Italian chef who cooks his heart out for his guests in an open kitchen where he plays flamboyant conductor to his sublime opera .
Chef Matteo Grandi, who admits he has learnt everything he knows of the hearty, robust and yet delicate fare of Northern Italy at the feet of his grandmother, is both grandee and plebe.
He fusses around the guests at each and every table, eager to please, ready to go off menu and craft a meal to your taste. I get bite-sized fish of every description, bassa and giant prawns, calamari and baby octopus, in sinfully delicious sauces over an eight course meal! Barely out of his teens – Matteo is 21 — this is the young Grandi’s first chance to showcase his incredible talent. And he doesn’t disappoint.