Lounges: Latest hotspots in Mumbai

Last week, we kicked off this page and putting a question mark to the hushed speculations about how nightspots are quickly disappearing, we brought you news about the burgeoning nightlife in aamchi Mumbai. True, the night is still young here. And we told you that despite a few shutdowns, some for renovation, the party is not yet over! As promised, we now bring you the latest trend from the nightlife scene, and if you haven’t noticed yet, lounges are fast emerging as hotspots across the city.

Very recently, several lounges opened at various corners of the city, including The Metro, Goofa The Era, The Wedding Cafe & Lounge, Zinc, Busaba, Panache Lounge, Rustam Lounge, and Waterpipe, among others.

Bishnu Das, Associate Vice President of T.G.I.F. in Mumbai, has a logic in place. “Lounges create a different mood. People, usually between the age-group of 25-35, are the actual spenders. They want to chill out, have a couple good drinks at the end of a hard day at work. They can’t do late nights because they have to be at meetings in the mornings,” he explains, pointing out that one cannot essentially compare discotheques and lounges.

“Mostly, teens who have the leisure to do late nights head to discos, while lounges allow one to unwind with the entire family,” Das adds, pointing the target customers of each.

Zia Sheikh, CEO and CMD of Svenska Design Hotels, Mumbai, says, “The lounge trend simply indicates that hoteliers and night-club owners will never get tired of bringing inventive and interesting new concepts to the city, as we know it is the best city in India to party, renowned for its night life, combined with a safe environment till the wee hours.”

Mankaran Johar, brand manager luxury dining, Aurus, reasons that the economy is growing and people are now getting more affluent. “We are now ready to dispose more income towards going out to eat and drink, and having fun while doing so.”