OT: Favourite hotel in the world?
Jackie Shroff: I have stayed at so many hotels that it’s difficult for me to name just one. I loved this little hotel in Konkan — but it was so small I’m not even sure I’ve got the name right. I think it was called Sagar Tirth. It was tiny but very lovely. The rooms were so small, it felt like you could pull the walls down with your bare hands and go and live out in the open. It was bang on the beach, surrounded by tall palm trees. It felt like a complete respite from the world, just you and the sea. The people were warm, polite and very eager to please. There was no restaurant — you could order food, but it took so long to get from the kitchen to the room that I did my own cooking!

Apart from this, I remember the Fishtail Lodge and Crystal Lodge in Pokhara with fondness. To get to the former, you had to make a trip on a raft. Then, there was this hotel in New Zealand — again I forget the name — but it had waters so pure, they were almost see-through. I also like the Savoy in Ooty. 

But one hotel that I’ll always remember, primarily for its weirdness, is the W Hotel New York.

OT: Last visited?
Jackie Shroff:Last year.

OT: The experience?
Jackie Shroff: They call it W for wonderful, warm, etc but I’d add W for whacko. The room I was in felt like I was living in a coffin — it was so small. It was supposed to be a suite but it was actually only as big as my bathroom at home. But it was very atmospheric, appealing in a strange kind of way. It was very cool, very much a designer hotel but it also had old jaali-like lifts, like the kind we have in old buildings in Mumbai. The lobby was open and it felt very casual and inviting.

OT: The food?
Jackie Shroff: This is considered one of the best hotels in New York, so I guess the food met those standards. But to be honest, I don’t remember anything in particular.

OT: Repeat visit?
Jackie Shroff: I don’t think so! I hope to visit the little hotel in the Konkan again if I can manage a break in April. But the W Hotel is not the kind of hotel I really want to go back to — it’s great to have stayed there once, but in my opinion, it’s more a status symbol to have stayed there rather than a real, warm experience.

The information
Where: 541 Lexington Avenue, New York, USA
Accomodation: 688 rooms, 58 suites
Tariff: from $399
Contact: +1-212-755-1200, www.starwoodhotels.com