Are Club Rooms Worth It

Club floor rooms, though the same size as the base category in most cases, are priced higher. Neha Gupta Kapoor lists when they are worth the extra spend

- Neha Gupta Kapoor

At 41 sqm, the Club Millesime room is the same size as the Luxury room, base category of Sofitel Mumbai BKC Hotel. Both room categories are equipped with free wifi, free water bottles, 40-inch LCD TV, iPod docking station, work desk, espresso machine, minibar, in-room safe, iron and ironing board, and a separate bathtub and shower. While all in-room offerings remain the same for the two categories, there is a ₹3,000 price difference between them. Internet rates for a mid-week stay in October at the Club Millesime room starts from ₹17,000 per night, and the Luxury room at ₹14,000 per night. In that case, why would you book the former?

Value for money. Simply put, for the additional ₹3,000, the Club Millesime room includes a one-way airport transfer (a 21-minute drive), breakfast, high tea and cocktail hours, free meeting room access and all-day free tea and coffee at the Club lounge on the 14th floor. The two meeting rooms can hold five and six people. Club guests may book these in advance, for an hour per day of their stay, to hold meetings with colleagues and associates. They may avail of the printing and scanning facilities too, free for the first ten pages.

As John Nair, head of business travel at Cox and Kings aptly says, “The Club floor is virtually an office.”

PENNY’S WORTH

When a hotel earns incremental revenue by charging you extra for the same 40 sqm space, it needs to justify this with perks. Nair reckons Club floor rooms to be a sensible choice for short-stay corporate travellers with a tight schedule.