The Gordon House Hotel

The Gordon House is tucked away on Battery Street in Colaba. It’s a busy corner of Mumbai, right near the water and the old stone buildings. We have been here a long time, and the building itself has a lot of character you won’t find in the newer places. If you walk out the front door, you’re right in the middle of everything, with the street vendors and the sea breeze coming off the harbor. Inside, we did things a bit differently with the rooms. Each floor has its own look, like some are more country style and others feel like they belong in a different part of the world. It’s not a huge, sprawling place, so you get to know the faces of the people working at the desk pretty quickly. The elevators are a bit small and sometimes you have to wait a minute, but that’s just how these old Colaba buildings are. We see a lot of people coming through who want to be close to the shops and the cafes. In the evenings, the area gets quite lively with people walking around and the lights from the nearby stalls. We spend our shift checking people in, helping with bags, and pointing out where to get a good tea nearby. It’s a bit of a maze sometimes, but it feels like home once you settle in for the night. We just keep things running as best as we can.