The Park, Kolkata

Though there’s hardly a shortage of ancient palaces and colonial grand hotels, you certainly can’t accuse the entire Indian hotel scene of remaining tethered to the past. The Park Kolkata is an unabashedly modern design hotel, the sort of chic boutique that wouldn’t look a bit out of place in New York or London — and neither, to be absolutely fair, does it look out of place in Kolkata, provided you’re prepared to view the city through 21st-century eyes.

That’s not a T. Rex song, but the mindset of a traveler who’s aware that there’s demand in modern India for high-end boutique hotels with extremely desirable nightlife offerings. Nothing against high tea in some marbled lobby, it’s just not everyone’s cup of — well, you know.

Here there’s always something going on, whether it’s the disco, the pub, the cocktail bar or the poolside lounge — and by “something going on” we mean something more than just cucumber sandwiches. The whole place is liberally festooned with artworks, in addition to the design objects that fill every blank space. It’s not much of an exaggeration to call it a feast for the senses, and it would have to be, to manage to stand out in the rich fabric that is India.

• 149 Rooms
• Style: Modern Design
• Atmosphere: Happening

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