Background:
Recently finished up a stay at the brand new Leela in Hyderabad. And I have to say that at present moment, it’s probably the best hotel in the city, outside of maybe the Taj Falaknuma Palace (which I have yet to try). Unfortunately it isn’t available on points just yet (Choice hotel points can be used to book Leela hotels), but room rates are somewhat reasonable for a Leela starting at 14,000 INR (~160 USD) per night. I’m sure they are headed up soon though as the hotel gains recognition.
How I booked the rooms:
In a hotel market like Hyderabad, I hesistate to pay cash. There are so many hotels and brands of hotels available on points that it seems wasteful . However we were a large group (extended family etc) this time and different elements of our group wanted to try the newest and nicest hotel possible. And I have to admit that my usual favorite the Westin Mindspace, was in a terrible shape this time around (more on that later).
Anyway, I paid 15,725 INR (~$180) per room per night including taxes for my 5 night stay at the Leela. While one room was a regular deluxe room, the other was a Florentine Room, which came with some additional benefits such as access to the Leela Club for high tea. This hotel is not part of Fine Hotels and Resorts nor Virtuoso, but hopefully it will join one of those networks soon.
Arrival and Check In:
We arrived at the hotel around noon to find the lobby completely empty. From the outside, the hotel doesn’t immediately strike you as a luxurious hotel. If not for the vintage Rolls Royce parked at the entrance, you might not guess it was a five-star establishment. However, stepping inside, you begin to sense an understated elegance. The white marble flooring and the striking central chandelier command attention, while the signature Leela fragrance subtly fills the air, adding a refined touch to the ambiance.
The most striking feature of the lobby is a mosaic on the far wall depicting an array of figures, including celebrities, freedom fighters, maharajas, and other prominent personalities from India. At first glance, I assumed it focused on actors from the Telugu film industry, but the only ones I recognized were ANR, NTR, and Savithri. While it’s undoubtedly a beautiful piece of art, I couldn’t help but wish it had a more local focus. The mosaic features individuals from across India, many of whom don’t have significant connections to Hyderabad, which might have made it more relatable for the setting.
The check-in formalities were completed efficiently while we sat comfortably and enjoyed a welcome drink. Everything was handled swiftly using an iPad application, eliminating the need for them to take our passports and OCI cards and return them later.
The Regent Room – King
My parents stayed in the Regent Room – King on the fourth floor of the hotel.
These rooms don’t come with club access nor do they have the “Palace Services” button on the phones in the room. The corridors of the hotel were immaculately clean as you would expect from a new hotel or any Leela for that matter.
The moment you step off the elevator, you’re greeted by the same signature Leela scent as in the lobby, known as “Tishya.” It’s a captivating blend of jasmine, sandalwood, and a subtle hint of citrus—elegant and refreshing, easily one of my favorite hotel fragrances. As for the room, it followed a standard hotel layout with nothing particularly unusual. However, the thoughtful use of beige tones and carefully placed light fixtures added a touch of understated luxury to the space, elevating its overall ambiance. There was a nice desk and a very comfortable lounge chair in the room and the restroom was designed well enough to where it was impossible to peek inside while someone was in there 🙂
The Regent room was the smaller of the room types we booked. The most annoying part about this room or any room for that matter in the hotel was the centrally installed smoke detector on the ceiling. There is a nice, bright white flash of light every 20 seconds or so in all the bedrooms in the hotel. It truly stands out because the room has proper blackout curtains.
The Florentine Twin Room
My room was located on the 7th floor of the hotel just below the lounge. As soon as you stepped off the elevator here, it didn’t smell too great especially toward the side with the stairwell to the lounge. Apparently they were having some water line issues. It smelled like sewage to put it mildly.
My room was located on the side away from the lounge stairwell and smelled fine throughout our stay, but there were times where you stepped off the elevator and you were exclusively greeted with the unpleasant smell for the first two days. Sasidhar’s (my cousin’s) suite was apparently initially located on the smelly side before he was moved to the fifth floor.
Anyway, there were three main differences between the Regent and Florentine rooms: the Florentine room had a small luggage area near the front of the room, the walk-in shower was slightly bigger and more rectangular in shape, and the room gave access to the club lounge. Again the rooms were well designed and had great lighting with the control panel being located right next to the bed.
One of the other things I noted was that the Florentine Room had a few snacks left for guests, which were supposed to have been replenished once a day. That didn’t happen any time throughout my five nights at the hotel. A bit of an oversight for a luxury brand of the Leela caliber.
Turndown service was provided each night, including a lighter cleaning of the room and tidying of the bed linens. However, unlike many other hotels, there were no chocolates, mints, or small treats left on the bed. Adding such thoughtful touches could enhance the experience and help the hotel stay competitive. It’s not like I must have them, but it’s sort of expected at this point at luxury hotels.
The view outside of our window was nothing extraordinary, but I guess atleast I wasn’t looking out onto someone’s balcony.
The Wi-Fi throughout our stay was fast and reliable, and the TV offered a good selection of Telugu, Hindi, and English channels. While the TV was of the connected variety, it appeared the hotel hadn’t yet activated Chromecast or any other streaming apps. I managed to install YouTube and use it, but in today’s world, having Chromecast (or an equivalent) pre-installed is almost a necessity. This feels especially relevant since the bathroom was wired with speakers connected to the TV, allowing audio to play in the bathroom—a feature that feels underutilized without easy access to personal streaming options. And this wasn’t one of those hotel rooms with bath tubs from which you can watch TV, if someone fancied that.
The Club Lounge
High Tea: 4pm-6pm
Evening Cocktails and Hot Snacks: 6pm-8pm
The club lounge at the Leela was located on the eighth floor and on the first two days the place smelled of sewage. Because of the odor, the hotel offered to send us high tea and any of the food items on display to the room at no extra charge. They even closed down the lounge after our complaint and tried to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. So while the odor was unpleasant, the service certainly made up for it.
And so on the very last day of our stay, I found the courage to hold my breath and make my way back up. Luckily the stench was gone and the small buffet they had for high tea was quite nice. The lounge overall is a very nice space with decent views of the city from the windows. Since I was the only guest in the lounge, the service was super attentive and my Diet Coke glass was never empty.
The buffet accompanying high tea features an assortment of cold sandwiches, salads, fruits, desserts, and light Mediterranean fare. The food quality was consistently good, and I particularly enjoyed their Motichoor Ladoo. I didn’t stick around for cocktail hour or hot snacks however.
Breakfast at Solcito
All rates booked at this hotel (at present moment) offer free breakfast and it is served at the hotel’s main restaurant: Solcito located next to the lobby.
Breakfast is served daily from 6:30 to 10:30 am and features a buffet that is smaller compared to other hotels in the area. There was an entire refrigerator full of fresh juices, overnight oats, muesli, and fruits along with an quality selection of baked goods. As far as the Indian options go the buffet itself is very small, but the à la carte menu offers an extensive variety of options, and the overall food quality was very good.
Service during breakfast was also good, but nothing extraordinary from what I could tell. Given the low occupancy rates, I expected the staff to be a bit more proactive in taking orders and offering guests the chance to try local items. I personally prefer to waive someone down when I need something, but I know for sure that most people like to have a more personal touch. I wouldn’t even bother saying this if this wasn’t a Leela.
Pool and Fitness Center
The pool, spa, and fitness center are attached to the hotel via a skybridge. The pool features great views of the city.
The gym is open 24/7 and features a personal trainer available daily from 6 am to 10 pm. To use the gym, guests must sign a waiver confirming they have no health concerns and acknowledging the hotel’s non-liability in case of any incidents. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to take pictures of the gym. I was escorted there by an employee and handed over to the on-site trainer, Zashin. We started chatting right away, and I dove into my workout, making it tricky to capture any images. That said, it’s hands-down the best gym I’ve seen in Hyderabad. Zashin was incredibly helpful and proactive in suggesting workouts without being pushy. I did find it amusing when he asked if I had any health concerns again while I was running on the treadmill. I guess that’s just how out of shape I looked.
On-site Dining Options
As I mentioned before, the hotel’s main restaurant is Solcito, but there are three other food establishments on the property:
- The Wild Teapot (TWT): A spot for high tea and champagne, located near the lobby.
- Raen: The Chef’s Studio: A dining “experience” located on the second floor of the hotel, featuring a display kitchen where celebrity chefs showcase their skills. It’s open exclusively on weekends and also offers a Sunday brunch.An amusing incident (if you call it that) happened here with my cousin. He and my niece went downstairs to grab lunch, but when Solcito was full, they were directed to Raen on the second floor, where there was more capacity. The catch? They weren’t informed about the price of the weekend brunch, which turned out to be a hefty $80 per person. For a vegetarian teetotaler, there’s no way to get true value out of that. Yes he is thankful that he could afford it, but found it utterly nonsensical that pricing wasn’t stated anywhere upfront. Hotels shouldn’t assume people just like to throw money just for the heck of it.
What’s even more curious is that the promotional materials don’t mention a starting price at all:
- The Library Bar: A cozy, elegant bar with a selection of wines, cocktails, and single malts.
Bottom Line:
The Leela is undoubtedly one of the finest hotels in Hyderabad, as expected given its relatively new status and the prestigious brand it represents. The property can best be described as exuding “understated elegance.” The rooms stand out as being a step above other hotels in the city, and the service quality is generally impressive. Food quality whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner was great.
That said, certain aspects of the service model felt more aligned with mainstream luxury than the elevated experience one associates with The Leela. While the staff were incredibly considerate, helpful, and always ready to serve, it seemed as though they were still finding their rhythm. At times, service felt slow and less proactive. For instance, my parents tried calling for laundry service pick-up, but no one answered for most of the morning. Even after connecting, it took an additional hour for someone to collect it.
Similarly, during breakfast, I noticed a lack of engagement from the staff—no one approached guests to check on their stay or suggest trying some local delicacies, which could have added a much-needed personal touch to the experience. Surprisingly, despite the hotel advertising a “guided art walk” as part of the stay, not a single staff member mentioned it during my entire visit.
There were also a few other issues that stood out, such as the persistently flashing smoke detector, which was quite distracting at night, and an incident at the restaurant that my cousin experienced. These details, though seemingly minor, made the stay a little farther from perfect.
