Hotel Review: Taj Awadh, Lucknow

Strengths: It is a Taj Property, so a minimum amount of class & luxury is ensured

Weaknesses: Not centrally located, a bit on the expensive side

I stayed for 2 nights at the Taj Awadh for approx. Rs.5500 per night. This was a discounted rate which I got through my company. I guess the regular rate is somewhere in the range of Rs.7500 to Rs.8500 per night – which is more on the expensive side and if cost is your only concern you are better off staying at the Park Inn, Clarks Awadh or Gemini International which are centrally located from all areas of Interest and are more economical as well.

The Taj Awadh is located about 45 minutes from the airport and you will need to hire a cab to get the hotel. It is located in the Gomti Nagar area in Lucknow. This is not a central location and Hazratganj, Chowk, Residency and other attractions ate a good 20 minutes away. The hotel building is itself very beautiful, calm and serene. It is located in very quiet surroundings and the staff is very friendly and courteous. The interiors of the hotel are beautiful though if you look closely you can see that the hotel has not been maintained well in the last few years. When I last visited about 4 years back in 2005 (when I was studying in Lucknow) the hotel was in much better shape and was abuzz with activity.

The room was great and had all the amenities of a regular 5 Star accommodation. The hotel looks a bit like a palace and has only 2 storeys. All rooms overlook a beautiful garden which is will done up and is very beautiful. Room Service is prompt and the food is great, the breakfast buffer had a lot of variety (it obviously does not compare with Taj Lands End Mumbai) but was great none the less.

The dissapointment was the very poorly maintained swimming pool. It was pathetic to say the least, full of dirt and leaves and you are not able to swim in it at all. The gym was also not well maintained. However they have a very good spa offering a range of massages. My wife tried out one of them and found the experience very soothing and relaxing.

If being centrally located is important and being economical is not that important – I would definitely recommend this hotel. Other than the swimming pool, my experience was great. (I however has a soft corner for Lucknow as a city and Taj as a Brand – hence I would be a bit biased, but have tried to provide as honest a review as possible)

Hotel Review: Mariott, West India Quay, Canary Wharf, London

Strengths: Good location (not central though)

Weaknesses: Expensive

I stayed for 2 nights in Marriott West India Quay in Aug’07 on a Business Trip to London. I paid GBP 195 per might which is awfully expensive compared to any standards and does not add up from a value for money perspective. In half that amount is you get some other hotel offering similar facilities services but it will not have the Mariott Tag on it. In such 5 Stars you just land up paying for the brand and not only for the services they have to offer.

The hotel is in Canary Wharf, which is significantly far from central London. From Heathrow it will take you about an hour and a half to get here and you will have to changeover from the Picadilly Line to the Jubilee Line. In addition the Mariott West India Quay hotel is a significantly long walk from the Canary Wharf Station and if you are tugging along suitcases this may again be a problem. The hotel the is bang opposite the West India Quay station of the DLR (Docklands Railway) so it would be great if you could take the DLR and not the Jubilee Line tube if you have to access this hotel (unless obviously you are coming by cab).

The hotel is awesome absolutely 5 Star, and I had no issues with any of the services. The Corporate offices of Barclays (where I was working then), Citibank and HSBC are a 5 minute walk away and hence most of them people living here are on Business Trips. The room had everything you could ask for from a 5 start hotel. However I did not get a room overlooking the wharf so I was a bit disappointed. Remember to ask for a Canary Wharf facing room when you do your booking so you will have a great view especially in the evening.

The restaurant and the buffet breakfast were awesome as well and no complaints on that front. In I short stay there I visited the gym which had a variety of equipment but I do not think they have a swimming pool.

This hotel is a great pick if it is for a Business Trip paid for by your company and if your office is in canary Wharf. Would never recommend it for people who need to travel to central London frequently.

Hotel Review: Copthorne Tara, South Kensington, London

Strengths: Hardly any

Weaknesses: Not a central location, Not close to tube station, Expensive compared to the services offered

The Copthorne Tara Hotel is a part of the Millennium Group of Hotels located in South Kensington London. Getting to this hotel is a pain. You will need to take the Piccadilly line from the airport and it will take you between 50 minutes to an hour to reach the South Kensington station from Heathrow. After alighting at the station you have a 15 minute walk through a great but lonely neighborhood to reach the Copthorne Tara Hotel. You will be in trouble if you have heavy suitcases and will be forced to take a cab which will be an added cost as well.

The primary drawback about this hotel is the not so central location and you will need to take a tube and keep doing the 15 minute walk to the Tube station to reach any of the touristy areas such as South Bank, London Eye, any of the Museums, Central Business District, and Buckingham Palace etc.

I booked at the Copthorne Tara hotel in Aug’07 through RCI. I stayed there for 1 night and paid Rs.6000. After taking a look at the average room, I felt that this hotel is very overpriced for the services offered. The room was not very well done up for a 4 Star Hotel. It was not well maintained and the bathroom was not clean as well. The bed made creaky noises every time you rolled over and the view from the hotel room on the 6^th floor was very pathetic as well. There was a problem with the TV and it had limited channels as well. The Wi-Fi was not working and there was no place to access the Internet – so all in all I hated the experience completely.

Room Service was very average and the restaurant and bar on the ground floor did not have anything great o offer. The only good thing was that the Copthorne Tara hotel was located close to Bombay Brassiere which was about a 10 minute walk away which is a great restaurant for Indian food.

I would not recommend staying here at all. If you are a tourist you are better off staying somewhere central London in some of the cheaper accommodations near Tower Hill, Borough etc. and if you are a corporate traveler you have a variety of options to choose from.

Hotel Review: Accord Metropolitan, Chennai

Strengths: Great Value for Money & Centrally located

Weakness: Poor Service & no proper ancillary facilities such as gymnasium & swimming pool

The Accord Metropolitan Hotel is located on G.N.Chetti Road in the T-Nagar Area of Chennai. This hotel is centrally located and is very accessible from all the major areas of interest in Chennai. You can travel to most parts of Chennai within 15 minutes from the Accord Metropolitan Hotel.

I stayed here in May, 2010 and the ride from the airport is about 45 minutes. I had done a corporate booking and the corporate rate is about Rs.2500 per night and the retail rate offered to regular customers is Rs.3500 per night. This is great value for money compared to the facilities offered at the hotel and on the cost versus front this hotel definitely scores much better than other hotels in the area such as GRT Grand, Chola Sheraton etc.

However the check in process is a pain. There are trainee staff who just did not know the check in process, hence I was waiting at the check in counter for over 15 minutes waiting to check in. When I finally got my room keys they goofed up my luggage. The key card in the Accord Metropolitan is incorrectly printed. There is an arrow indicating the way in which the card needs to be entered, and you need to do the exact opposite to actually open the door to your room. All in all the check in process was a pain and given than I had just gotten of a 2 hour flight after a tiring day, I was extremely irritated.

The room was great and even though the hotel is rated 3 Star would still rate it as a 4 Star room. There was no flat screen TV (just a regular one), but everything else was perfect. The room is spacious and big, has a sufficiently large study table and a very comfortable bed. There is a leg rest as well which makes reading of the huge relaxing chair very comfortable. The bathroom was very clean had a lot of free stuff such as the dental and sewing kit which I really did not expect given the per night charge of Rs.2500.

The breakfast was also complimentary, but the spread was pretty average and the service was poor. Even though the breakfast is to start at 6:00 AM, it had not been properly laid out till about 6:35 AM which delayed the start of my day. The service was also not upto the mark. The hotel has a gym and a very small swimming pool and both are not well maintained.

Check out process was a pain as well, and the trainees manning the check in / check out desk had no clue on how to swipe a Credit Card. I had to actually teach them. They took a good 15 minutes to check out again.

Service is poor, but it is very economical for the central location and hence all in all I would recommend this hotel.

Hotel Review: Chancery Hotel, Lavell Road, Bangalore

Strengths: Centrally located, very suitable for long stays, value for money Weaknesses: Nothing specific, matches up to a good 4* hotel

I stayed in this hotel thrice between Feb’10 and May’10. This hotel is located in Central Bangalore at one end of MG Road bang opposite Chinnaswamy Stadium. For such a centrally located and easily accessible are the single occupancy room rate of Rs.4500 + Tax is very attractive. (for double occupancy the charge is Rs.5500 + tax)

It will take you about 45 minutes to an hour from the new Bangalore Airport in Devanhalli to the Chancery Hotel. The first time I stayed there I also had an airport pick up included free in the price of the hotel. The hotel interiors are done up fairly well and the staff in friendly and you immediately get the feel that this is a decent 4 Star hotel.

The rooms are specious, on all 3 occasions I had a fax machine and Wi-Fi Internet in the room. The Television in the Chancery Hotel is not a flat screen one (which was a bit disappointing) and is a bit difficult to operate. I liked the eco friendliness of this hotel and the attempts they are making to Save Water and promote renewable sources of energy. Room service is good and prompt, although it is a bit on the more expensive side. I think all the tariff plans come with a complimentary breakfast. The spread is very good, though I found the restaurant staff a bit below the mark as compared to the reception and room service staff.

The gym in the hotel is very good and very well equipped as compared to the other hotels I have stayed in. It is open till 9:00 Pm which may be an inconvenience; however the variety of equipment is good which makes sense if you are interested in longer corporate stays. The Chancery Hotel also has a salon and spa, which offers relaxation massages. They are fairly priced and worth a try.

Another plus point is that there are many good restaurants nearby and on MG Road. Oh Calcutta, the famous Bengali food joint is only about a five minutes walk away and is worth a try. There are several good hotels close by such as ITC Windsor Manor etc., however I would think that the Chancery Hotel offers the best value for money.

Hotel Review: Hotel Park Premiere, Gurgaon

Strength: Good 4 Star Amenities, proactive staff Weaknesses: Inaccessible and far aware from important landmarks in Gurgaon, swimming pool is a sham, food variety not upto the mark. Quality Inn Bliss which is located within 2 kms, scores much better on all these points

This hotel is a Business hotel which is not very accessible and is located in Phase 5 Gurgaon. This is about a 1.5 kilometre walk from the Signature tower in Phase 5 where you will find the nearest ATM. The issue with this hotel is that you will not even find any cycle rickshaw guy nearby and hence you will have to walk for all the short distance commuting which can be a pain in the heat. I stayed in this hotel for 4 nights in early April 2010 and was pained at not having an ATM / Shopping complexes nearby (bit I guess this is a problem with Gurgaon as a whole).

This is a 4 Star Hotel with 4 Star amenities and is priced moderately at Rs.5500 per night for single occupancy. When I compare this hotel to Quality Inn Bliss which is also located nearby, I think that Quality Inn, Bliss is much better as they offer the same services and better accessibility at Rs.3000 per night (unless this was a corporate rate which was extended to me).

The room was pretty classy and upto the mark, I would say it was almost bordering on 5 Star accommodations and there was nothing wrong with the room per se. They have a swimming pool which is so small, that I think it was slightly larger than the size of a regular bath tub. In my 4 days there, even though it was hot, I did not see more than one person in the swimming pool as I do not thick there was enough space for two people to fit in. The gym and the spa at the Park Premier, Gurgaon are also nothing to write home about.

The room service was good but very very over priced, simple Tea and Toast would come to Rs.200 and that definitely blew a huge hole in my pocket. The restaurant was not upto the mark as well. The buffet spread is not very appealing and I would once again state that Quality Inn, Bliss which is not located very far away is much better on this aspect.

The checkout process was very cumbersome, and as I had booked through the travel agent, the hotel staff refused to issue me a bill. They conveyed that I would need to get the bill from the Travel Agent which was ClearTrip in this case. I had a huge fight with the staff due to this.

I know I have been scathing in my review, but I feel that travelers and reader are much better staying in Quality Inn Bliss as compared to the Park Premier, Gurgaon. While the hotel room is good several other services offered spoil the show completely.

Hotel Review: Quality Inn Bliss, Gurgaon

Strengths: Value for money

Weakness: No gym and swimming pool and hence may not be preferred for long corporate stays

This hotel is located in Phase 5 Gurgaon amidst a few other hotels about a 5 minutes walk from Signature Tower and Crown Plaza. I would still rate this hotel as fairly inaccessible as compared to other hotels in Gurgaon such as the Trident etc. When you compare it to Park Premier which is just 2 kilometers away and almost twice the price it is at least 10 times better in my opinion.

The most attractive part of Quality Inn Bliss is that it offers good value for money. For a single occupancy room I paid Rs.3000 per night and the facilities offered to me were way beyond my expectations.

The room was very well done up with a flat screen TV, Tea Coffee Maker, I would rate it a tad higher than 4 Star. There is no swimming pool and the gym is very small, so if that is very important to you I suggest you do not stay here. It is not a very palatial building but has nice and cozy rooms. The staff is very friendly and has a personal touch, as there was no ATM nearby they offered to provide me with case and billed the same to my account which I could pay by Credit Card. I found this gesture very cool as they are flexible to meet customer needs.

Room Service is prompt and definitely not as expensive as Park Premiere. I found the food tastier as well and I think Quality Inn Bliss definitely has better chefs. The tariff includes a complimentary breakfast and the spread is very good, again much better than Park Premiere. The staff was also very prompt in arranging a taxi for me at short notice.

I would recommend this hotel for long corporate stays or short stays as well, however only if you are not very particular about a swimming pool or a full fledged gym.