New in Mumbai: Between check-ins

An airport-side stay calls you to unwind between departures and experiences

08 Jan 2026

Drawing inspiration from Mumbai’s Art Deco legacy and studded with Parisian accents at every glance, checking in at this all-new hotel in Mumbai means drifting into a cocktail bar and getting lost in the long corridors with architecture illustrated wall art guiding your way. Tucked outside a 500 metre radius of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, within the buzz of the city, stands ICONIQA Hotel Mumbai. Dismantling the concept of hotels as pit stops, the flagship property under Royal Orchid Hotels, tempts you to explore and pause within.

Instead of waiting at an idle lobby, savour the taste of smart hospitality as large French doors reveal versatile dining spaces and wine-red topiaries elevating the entrance of the 291-key hotel. With much more to offer, the hotel shapes an experience that lingers long, proving luxury is a feeling where warm hospitality and ease of stay shakes hands.

Designed for ease and comfort, the room unfolds with soft light and warm textures

ELLE DECOR INDIA CHECKS IN

If your idea of an airport hotel still involves jetlag naps and room service, ICONIQA Hotel Mumbai changes the narrative. The stay begins at The Aviator, which functions as both lounge and welcome experience. Rather than a traditional front desk moment, the bar sets the tone — dramatic but controlled. A sculptural red installation floats overhead, its fabric-like form introducing movement and warmth against polished stone floors and linear shelving. The lighting shifts subtly through the day, lending the space a sense of quiet theatre without tipping into excess. It feels like a pause engineered for travellers who are constantly in motion.

Contrary to the city that has a lot to say, the rooms and private quarters let out a soft exhale. Behind the doors lie a space washed in pastel blues and mellow peaches, a palette intentionally soothing. The wooden floors complement the wallpapers narrating the story of Mumbai streets and highlight the king size beds topped with plush velvet headboards. As the room unveils all the tricks up its sleeves, a captivating detail reveals ICONIQA’s final trick — the world’s first in-room smart laundry closet, steaming clothes discreetly behind mirrored doors.

Mirrored panels line the wall, reflecting light and greenery across the seating

DEVOUR AND PLUNGE

ICONIQA Hotel Mumbai puts forward a versatile dining experience. Starting off with Kadak which serves coffee cups by day , giving way to brasserie plates by night, with a red hued bar anchoring the space. Perimetered by more than 100 coconut trees and greenery, modular seating and walls here come alive with Gemini-AI Warli riffs, eccentric Mona Lisas and charming wallpapers.

When the lights dim, Scarlett, a speakeasy cloaked in deep maroon velvets and Portobello curios keeps things close with six bar stools, sixteen seats, low voices and slow pours. And a few steps above lies the iconic Bombay Swim Club stretching across the night sky. Part day club, part Asian izakaya, it culminates in a rooftop pool that seems to tumble into the airport below. With a dazzling pool, jacuzzi and laze pool, evenings at ICONIQA never ends, only meander.