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.

Hotel Review: Radisson Zuri White Sands Resort, Goa

This is a 5 Star Resort on Varca Beach which is about 45 minutes from the airport. It is right next to the Club Mahindra Resort. To summarise the review it is equivalent to any other Five Star Resort with nothing more or nothing less. It is more of a corporate / business resort as compared to the other resorts in Goa. You can take a taxi to the resort and it will cost you between Rs.400 to Rs.500.

They had a traditional welcome at the reception with a Goan Necklace and hat. I found it pretty cool. The Welcome Drink which was made out of pineapple extract was also very good. The check-in process can be time consuming if there is a crowd given that there were only 2 tellers at the reception. However I did not face any such problem.

The resort interiors are fabulous and appeared to be very new. I have visited some of the Taj properties especially in Lucknow where the paint was wearing off and the room had an aged look – this was not the case here. The room and corridors have a very new and clean look and so do the restaurants etc.

The service was a bit slow – as I asked for the Times of India and they took 45 minutes to bring it, but I think that was a one off glitch in an otherwise perfect experience. I ordered food which came promptly and was very good in terms of taste as well as the portions. The room is very well equipped and has a balcony overlooking the swimming pool. I would even rate the interiors to be better than the Taj Lands End, Bandra and the room size was big as well. The Zuri resort has two swimming pools, a tennis court, table tennis tables etc. so there are a lot of recreational activities to be undertaken. I found the spa much better than most 5 star resorts as I found the massage experience more blissful than the rest. The cost is also reasonable as compared to other reports and is priced at Rs.800 for the 45 minute full body relaxation massage.

I had the breakfast as well as the Dinner Buffet at the coffee shop. The spread was good. I found their dessert options to be very good especially the Rasmalai and the Chocolate Mud Cake. You have options for watersports you can do Jetskiing, Parasailing and the Ringo / Banana ride for approx Rs.800 each. If you have a limited budget, I suggest you do the Jet Ski as compared to the other two as it is more fun. For women I would recommend Para-sailing as the Jet Ski can be a rough ride.

The tariff of this resort is approximately Rs.13000 / night. I feel it is on the higher side, however they have discounted weekend packages etc. which you can avail off.

Do enjoy your holiday in Goa!

Attraction Review: Jaipur City Palace, Jaipur

I would not call this much of a Palace. I think it was less of a palace and more of a museum. I would recommend you take a guide to help you navigate this city palace. There are 7 or 8 sections of the city palace which the guide will take you through. The Chandra Mahal where the current king lives, is not open to tourists. There is a proposal to open up two stories of the same with an entry ticket of the Rs.2000 or so which is expensive by any means.

The artillery section can be avoided as there are too may weapons and I got bored watching them while my wife went through the details reading every plaque. The central exhibits with the Clothes work by the various kings and queens are very boring again unless you are interested in textile history. I am more of the stories guy and what fascinated me was the story of the 2 huge urns kept in the courtyard which the king took to England full of Gangajal. Since the Jaipur City Palace is much more recent as compared to Udaipur City Palace and Amer Fort there are very few ancient stories associated with it which makes it boring. However I did manage to spend two and a half hours walking around out here.

There is a restaurant in the city palace which is very shady and the quality is also very poor. Jantar Mantar is very closeby and you can cover both Jantar Mantar and the Hawa Mahal on the same day as the Jaipur City Palace. Your guides are most likely to recommend some Rajai shopping places after the tour, on the outskirts of the City Palace. Please do not go to these places, you will get better deals in the Government approved shops in Jaipur City. Some of these shops also demonstrate the Vegetable Block Prining Technique which is interesting, so do go for the same and politely excuse yourself when they try to sell you stuff.

Hawa Mahal has nothing much to offer other than lots of air and walls where every inch is defaced by young Indian Tourists. I felt more embarrassed than happy at visiting the Hawa Mahal. Jantar Mantar is good fun if you are mathematically and astronomically inclined. Spend maximum of 1 hour at Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal, however a guide is a must at Jantar Mantar.

The Jaipur city palace is not as beautiful as the Udaipur City palace, which has much more to offer in terms of history. It is more a collection of photographs, clothes and weaponry of the Jaipur Royal family. However it just may be because we did not pick the right guide.

Attraction Review: Jaigarh & Nahargarh Forts

The Jaigarh and Nahargarh Forts are about 7 kilometers away from the Amer Fort and are about 5 kilometers away from each other. If you have time for only one of the two forts then it is recommended that you go to the Jaigarh Fort.

The Jaigarh fort houses the world’s largest cannon. You can take your car / taxi within the fort and navigate the fort in your car as distances are significant. Taking the guide is advisable and you can get a common guide for the Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts and the fee charged is Rs.100. In Jaigarh fort you will see the cannon and hear the stories associated with it. Apparently the last time it was fired, people within a 500 m radius turned deaf … or so the story goes.

I was also intrigued by the water storage & drainage system in Jaigarh Fort and going by the story told by the guide the kings who built the fort were very scientifically aware. The story goes that below one of the tanks the entire wealth of the Rajput Kings was stored which was emptied later in the 70’s and the Jaipur Delhi Highway was chock a block with trucks ferrying this wealth to Delhi.

There is also an exhibition of the Jaipur Rajput Royals in Jaigarh fort with a lot of focus given to Sawai Mansigh II (the father of the current King). There are a lot of photos and medals and you may find it worthwhile going through this if you have the time. There is also a shopping place for jewellery and silverware but again very very expensive as compared to the Government outlets in Jaipur city. You can spend a maximum of an hour and a half in Jaigarh Fort.

Nahargarh has much less to offer as compared to Jaigarh. This fort gives a good view of Jaipur City and is a good place for panoramic photography. There is a two storied palace with many rooms and passages similar to Amer Fort. The architecture is beautiful, but this fort is definitely not as well maintained as the other two. Thirty minutes in this fort would be sufficient.