Food

Grand Mercure, Mysore

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Grand Mercure is one of the premium 5 star hotels in India that is part of the Accor Group of hotels.  Currently this group has 1 hotel in India which is located in Bangalore which is very famous and located in the heart of city, Koramangala.  It has been amazingly accepted by tourists & business travellers across India & foreign countries.  When they wanted to set up their next hotel in India, they wanted to go to the cleanest city in India, Mysore.  Undoubtedly they are the best hotel in the league coz of the facilities and location in the city of Mysore.

 

Background
Accor Group of hotels which is a France based company has been around for nearly 20 yrs in the business and have nearly 39 hotels across the world.  And they have established themselves as a brand that wants to make a difference.  That applies to tourists all across the globe.  What better place to choose than the historic place of Mysore which has a rich history and tradition of its own.

 

Once the decision was done to be able to setup a hotel in Mysore, they had to go for a top-class builder to be able to build it.  Accor then choose, Brigade Group who were more than happy to build it.  Coz they very much known that it will be one of the best and most attractive place for anyone to stay in Mysore.  A successful completion like what has been done now, would mean a great credit to the build and the hotel.  And I feel that credit very much goes to Accor Group and Brigade Group.

 

I was lucky to be part of the wonderful opening to celebrate the successful completion of the project.  And to be able to cut the ribbon as part of the opening, someone really special needed to be part of the occasion.
Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Siddaramaiah cut the ribbon to open the hotel.  Minister of Heavy Industry and Tourism for Karnataka, Shri R. V. Deshpande was also present at the occasion.
Few more folks who were part of the celebrations included –
M.R. Jaishankar, Chairman & Managing Director, Brigade Group,
Jean-Michel Cassé, Senior Vice President, Operations, Accor Hotels India
Vineet Verma, Executive Director, Brigade Hospitality

 

The list of dignitaries mentioned above were part of occasion as they understand the importance of such a big hotel coming up.

 

History
This is a section I want to dedicate to writing a little about Mysore which is one of the culturally rich place.  When you read through more, you will understand what attracted Accor and Grand Mercure to the town.

 

City that has seen some great kings, rulers and dynasties thrive.  And the first name that comes to mind is the ‘Wadiyar Dynasty’ who ruled the ‘Kingdom of Mysore’ from 1399-1761 and then from 1799-1947.  There only a brief period of 18 yrs when Tippu Sultan was ruling.  But then after his rein, Wadiyar were coming back to ruling the Mysore.

 

Coming back to the present age, a lot might have changed from what was in the past but then the Mysore Palace has still been one of the most important buildings in the Mysore city.  It attracts crowd like no other place.  Especially during the weekend, when its completely lit it, it’s a spectacle to watch.  There also other wonderful buildings that house the paintings Jagamohan Palaces.  Few more to share are the Krishnaraj Sagar Dam that has Brindavan Garden, Chamundeshwari Temple, Regional Museum, Lalitha Palace and many more.

 

I feel that history could sometimes remain history unless you have something to connect with every time.  Well, I guess c is something that connects people together always.  And Mysore exactly knows how to celebrate the Dussehra.  It is surely one of the most awaited festivals in the city which would mean that the entire city would be decked up and there would celebration happening through the 10 days.  This is one festival celebrated with grandeur and pomp, which attracts loads of foreigners.  It’s a tradition that has been kept alive since nearly 400+ years.
The most important aspect of the entire celebration is the procession wherein they show-case the rich culture of Mysore and Karnataka.  There are special Royal Elephant which are well decked up and take part in it.  And one of the elephants would lift the ‘Lord Chamundeshwaris’ idol made of 750kgs of gold on its back.  And people come from far and wide during this time to witness the spectacle.  After Jumbo Savari, a torchlight parade takes place in the evening on Bannimantap Parade Grounds.  When ideally, you would want a VIP hot-seat or Front Row seat to be able to witness it all.  If not, take a room at the ‘Grand Mercure @ Mysore’.

 

Location
This is something I wanted to spend a little time to just give direction to anyone reaching Mysore form Bangalore.  When you driving from Bangalore to Mysore, after travelling nearly 90% of your journey, you will come across a huge signal, which cuts across the Mysore Outer Ring Road.  And for reference Columbia Asia hospital can be seen to the right side.  You need to cross the signal and keep driving until you hit upon a junction where you need to take right which leads you to the ‘Bannimantap Road’.
As you keep driving in this road, you will see the famous ‘JSS Medical College’ to the right side.
Further ahead you will find to the right side, ‘Bannimantap Ground’ where the Mysore Dussehra possession ends.

 

Take right and drive along the Bannimantap road and you will see the ‘Grand Mercure’ to the left side.
To be precise it comes in the intersection between Sayaji Rao Road, Anegundi Road and of course the Bannimantap Road.

 

Ambiance
This is a hotel which has got the best of ambiance, I have seen in a long time for a hotel in Mysore.  There are various aspects of the hotel that would make you get a wow feeling.  Let me share few things I noticed.
  • Grand Entrance – It is quite critical that the entrance is grand and for sure the huge gates signify the grandeur this place has got to offer.
  • Reception area – Soon after you enter there is nice diyas light up to welcome the guests.  There sure is a huge reception area to welcome the guests.
  • Famous toys from Channapatna are present near the entrance which looks quite good.

     

  • Mysore Culture in Photo frames – To be able to remind the guests about the Mysore culture, they have put up pictures of various buildings, carving, places, people and many other things.  All across the hotel, they have the set of 3-4 photo-frames that can be found, which is wonderful.  Everywhere the guest would be reminded of the culture.
  • Mysore Silk Saree – There is a huge Mysore silk saree put up near the reception area.  That has the famous Gandaberunda– 2 headed mythological bird, also the official emblem of Karnataka Government.
  • Wonderful sofa at the entrance where people can sit and relax while waiting to get hold of the magnetic cards to the rooms or wait for cars.
  • There is an open bakery with various breads made in-house on display, tourism helpdesk, banquet halls, Multi-cuisine restaurants, Bar, Infinity Pool on 6th level and of course the wonderful rooms.

 

It’s hard to put all things together in words coz its best experience visiting the place.
Restaurants
I want to spend time for sharing some insight into the individual restaurants that are present in the hotel.

 

La Uppu
This is a restaurant that serve food from Global Cuisine with some Local delicacies.  I had my lunch, dinner and breakfast at this place.  The food served here is simply amazing.

 

 

The lunch has a wonderful buffet spread with salad, soups, curries, breads and desserts for picking.

 

Most important aspect of this place is the Open Kitchen and Pizza oven shown to the guests.  For sure it looks wonderful.

 

There is also this section to the right soon after you enter, where there would be some deserts kept.

 

And also there are gaps where they have placed various traditional cookware items used for cooking.

 

There are also some diya and artworks which looks amazing.

 

Seating is quite comfortable and there is enough space between the seats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can either sit in the comfort of A/C or also ask for being seated outside as well.

 

Silk Bar
A nice place that has the Mysore Silk sarees used for decorating the entire area.

Though it is a bar, it does not seem to look like one coz it is so cosy.

 

Bar counter across is well setup.  They serve some wonderful cocktails, single malts, spirits and wines.

 

This is a place where guests can just come, relax, enjoy some drinks and enjoy the ambiance.

And for sure get mesmerized with the artwork used in Mysore silk.

 

Deli Shop
It is nice to have a bakery at the reception area coz there are many times we feel like grabbing a quick bite.  This for sure serves the purpose.

 

The bakery is setup quite well with various pastries, cakes and other items.

I am sure kids would love picking up items from this section.

 

By the Blue
This is the rooftop restaurant which has the Infinity pool by its side.

And it is quite famous in Bangalore and now for sure it will get popular in Mysore.

There is seating section inside and outside alongside the pool.

The famous ones would be the outside where you can see people swimming and somehow it has a very relaxed seating outside with fresh air coming.

The outside section would also have people doing some sun-bathing after swimming.

 

Inside section is also quite good, infact very well setup and it is one of the best fine dining places.

 

Food served here is the North Indian and I am sure there will

be lots of crowd always looking to come here and have food while enjoying the view.

Banquet Halls
A huge hotel like this will for sure has banquet halls for people to host party to larger audience.  They have 2 huge halls which can also be clubbed to make a bigger one.
There are also meeting rooms that can be used for corporate meetings.

 

Rooms
There are various aspects of the hotels that I have described until now.  But then finally it’s time to give more insight into the rooms and some of the facilities that you get in them.

 

Deluxe Rooms
These are the standard A/C rooms which have a Kings bed in them and there is TV, Mini-Fridge, Table, Sofa and other standard facilities.  Beautifully setup study-table, side-table cupboards, hangers and lockers.

 

The mattress and pillows are quite soft, which just makes you feel like taking a nap.  They have a 42” TV which has all the cable channels coming up which make you not miss any events even while travelling.

 

Bathroom is quite good with separate show section and all the required accessories.
View outside the windows is quite good and is filled with greenery.

 

To celebrate the opening, the hotel is offering a Deluxe rooms stay with breakfast for two inclusive of any one main meal from INR 7250 per night. This offer is valid from now until 30th June, 2016. The rate for a Standard Room is from INR 6000.
 
Luxury Category Rooms
These are the rooms in the 2nd level which are special in the way.  Coz they have all the facilities as described in Deluxe Room but many more things.

 

Interiors in this room looks a little bit more grand.  And of course, the most important offering in this room is the private balcony.  It is a balcony from where you can get a direct view of the Mysore city.
The balcony is also strategically setup to view the Dussehra Festival procession.  The procession would go right across the road alongside the room and the inmates can view it in full glory.

 

Another speciality is that you can club 2 rooms to make a huge room.  It is very useful for those who travel with their families and they want to share the rooms.

 

Premium Room
Top notch rooms in the hotel which don’t just have the features described in the other rooms.
They have a nice segregation between living and bedroom section.  There living room has the small open kitchen and the sofa.

 

The bedroom has the nicely setup exclusive beds for people to maintain privacy.  It is useful for those who want to maintain the same setup as they would have their homes.

 

Overall Experience
It was a wonderful opportunity given by the ‘Grand Mercure’ to be able to visit and review the place.  I enjoyed every aspect of the hotel and feel that they are surely set to do well in the Mysore region.  The culture of Mysore is very much alive in the hotel with the wonderful photo-frames.

Food served inside again is really good which shows that they have invested time in picking the right Chef to serve food to guests.  Rooms are very well setup and service is impeccable.  Restaurants are quite good and décor inside also superb.  The place feels so special that instead of staying at my relatives, I may end up staying at Grand Mercure during my next visit to Mysore.

 

My overall rating for this place would be 4.5/5.  Rating in other departments.
Location – 4.5/5
Ambiance – 4.5/5
Rooms – 4.25/5
Food – 4.5/5
Service – 4.5/5
Undoubtedly this is the best hotels to stay when you go to Mysore.
Thanks to Sonalika Pawar from Madison Public Relations for inviting me over along with other blogger friends – Debolina, Tapash, Ambica, John and Indrani.

They have an excellent job in setting this up and giving an opportunity.  Will be looking forward to many more such events.