Being a celebrity comes with many perks — the chief one being that you can afford the luxury of a plush home and everything plus that comes with it. Some celebrities tend to make their home in the strangest of places — five star hotels. Case in point: numerous politicians, Telugu cinema stars, writers, directors and other well-to-do people.
Chief Minister of AP Chandrababu Naidu’s family stayed at the service apartments of a high-end hotel, Park Hyatt, for a very long stretch when their house in Jubilee Hills was under renovation. The bills were being paid by their company, Heritage Foods.
One wonders why would people opt to stay at hotels rather than a temporary residence? The reasons are many. “When someone is always in the public eye, the biggest of all their concerns would be security and privacy. Hotels provide both. Yes, they are expensive but worth the investment because it leaves the residents feeling safe,” shares an employee of one of the hotels, on condition of anonymity.
There’s a great deal of comfort these places offer. Many restaurants to eat at, the gym facility and the salon all come under one roof. Perfect setting for film actors too and the bill is paid by the producer!
Park Hyatt, Banjara Hills
For creative people, they provide an environment of peace and quiet which is difficult to get at home. Trivikram has apparently stayed throughout the filming of S/O Satyamurthy and Attarintiki Daaredi at a service apartment in Park Hyatt, while Puri Jagannadh and Ram Gopal Varma have paid yearly rentals for hotel rooms that they used when they were working on their films. “You don’t have to think about anything at all. Just keep working and sleep when you need it. No diversions and no disturbances. That’s absolutely necessary for a creative mind,” reasons director-producer Sai Rajesh.
Interestingly, producers station directors in the hotel rooms throughout story sittings. Once the film is locked, an official work space is rented elsewhere.
Along with the comfort, there’s a lot more these hotels offer. Which is why music composers like S.S. Thaman and Ghibran work out of hotels like Park Hyatt, Avasa, Westin and Novotel, where they set up temporary studios in the city whenever they want to record. Thaman reveals, “The privacy is of course the main advantage. A studio always has a lot of moving crowd where directors and actors are coming in all the time. For the actors, especially, hotels are a comfort zone to come to and they do not have to be worried about anything.”
Adding on the advantages, he shares, “The 24-hour power supply is the biggest advantage. When you are primarily working on electrical instruments, you can’t risk that part of it. And lastly, the acoustical advantage that comes from the sound proofed rooms is just what I need as a composer. I generally take the rooms on the top floors which cancels excess noise. Plus, there’s a great view of the city in the evenings and that’s just a boost to the creative mind.”
Raashi Khanna
Besides, long stretches of staying at hotels gives you an edge. Raashi Khanna, who now has her own place in the city lived at Avasa a really long period. She recalls fondly, “Spending so much time there, you become friendly with the staff who shower you with a lot of warmth. I like only the tea my mom makes, and I had the liberty of going into the kitchen and making it for myself. Eventually, the staff understood what I like, and made it exactly like that without me asking! I don’t stay there anymore but even today, when I go there, they would get it for me! That’s sweet, isn’t it?”
Lavanya Tripathi
To lay it on the line, hotels are a home away from home, just with more benefits and less responsibilities. Lavanya Tripathi, who resides at Avasa, shares, “On a day when you are extremely tired, you don’t have to cook and can order, even if it’s in the wee hours! You don’t have to worry about things like making your bed or doing laundry because all that is taken care of. Other than that, people are trustworthy which is very useful if I ever have to return an expensive piece of jewellery or dress to a stylist. I don’t have to worry about being there to pick up a courier. They are small pleasures, but make a difference. And the rapport with the staff is the icing on the cake.”
