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We came back last night from a trip to Delhi, Agra and Chandigarh. A very enjoyable trip, from which I will report to you in a number of posts during the following days.
I want to start of with our hotel in Delhi:
We stayed 4 nights @TheImperial Hotel in Delhi. My expectations were high, after what I saw and read on the internet and in magazines. It looked beautiful and with all the awards it had won it should definitely be able to give us a unique and royal experience.
Instead we were very disappointed, contrary to the Westin Hotel in Pune, from which I had no special expectations and was pleasantly surprised.
Comparing the two hotels made me think of the popular, pretty girl, winner of the beauty contest, but in fact not such a nice character (aka The Imperial) versus the modest, not so glam girl with the warm smile and golden heart (aka The Westin).
Yes, The Imperial has the looks; colonial grandeur meets art deco = beautiful!
Huge gardens and pool, inside the hotel is filled with historic interior decorations. Rooms with nice furniture and decor. Hundreds of glorious mirrors throughout the hotel.
And yes, the staff is well trained in consequently greeting you with the folded hands n bow "Namaskar".
And also yes, the food was good.
But did we sleep well and did we feel welcome? No, not really...
That the beds were very hard was not the biggest issue, but that the walls and (inter-)connecting doors are apparently paper thin, providing no privacy at all is NOT what I expect from such an expensive hotel. Three out of four nights we did not sleep due to our noisy neighbor, since you hear absolutely EVERYTHING!
You are staying with two persons in the room, instead of one? No problem, but we will charge you extra. You want Wifi? No problem, but we will charge you.
Hm, for me that feels cheap for such an expensive hotel.
The men who were responsible for cleaning our rooms were nice and personal in their service. Many others of the staff did their jobs correct, but routinely.
(Ofcourse there were other staff members that were nice at times.) I am not saying that they do not work hard, but you feel that as a guest you are just a number.
Oh yes, and the music in the dining areas etc was horrible!!! Heavy classical piano music or repetitive music or even two musics through each other (bar and restaurant)...Nervewrecking.
No, instead of the warm bath we experience at the Westin in Pune, the Imperial felt more like a cold shower. Too bad!
What is so great about the Westin then? (Apart from what I already wrote about it;-))
Well, the staff is young, eager to please, personal and warm. That makes us feel very much welcome and appreciated as clients.
And, honestly, what other hotel provides single dining guests with a fishbowl on their table to keep them company? How cute is that?
And what other hotel gives a leaving guest (like we were last week) a glorious chocolate cake wit the words "We will miss you"? Isn't that unbelievable?
So congrats to the staff at the Westin in Pune :" You are great!". Thanks!
I want to start of with our hotel in Delhi:
We stayed 4 nights @TheImperial Hotel in Delhi. My expectations were high, after what I saw and read on the internet and in magazines. It looked beautiful and with all the awards it had won it should definitely be able to give us a unique and royal experience.
Instead we were very disappointed, contrary to the Westin Hotel in Pune, from which I had no special expectations and was pleasantly surprised.
Comparing the two hotels made me think of the popular, pretty girl, winner of the beauty contest, but in fact not such a nice character (aka The Imperial) versus the modest, not so glam girl with the warm smile and golden heart (aka The Westin).
Yes, The Imperial has the looks; colonial grandeur meets art deco = beautiful!
Huge gardens and pool, inside the hotel is filled with historic interior decorations. Rooms with nice furniture and decor. Hundreds of glorious mirrors throughout the hotel.
| Having tea outside on the terrace of 1911. |
| We used neither the pool, nor the spa, but they both looked gorgeous. |
| The decor of the Thai restaurant was beautiful as well. |
| We had dinner at San Gimignano, the hotel's Italian restaurant. The staff there was nice and the food was good. |
| The number of mirrors was huge and many of them were beautiful. Let's take a pic of ourselves in this one.... |
| Oh...and in this one... |
| This mirror I would not mind having at home;-). |
| Yes, if customer satisfaction would have been all and only about chandeliers, mirrors, carpets and namaskars, then the Imperial would be top of the bill. |
| Everything was shiny and clean. |
| There was even a Chanel store in the hotel. Although I preferred the little bookshop;-). |
And yes, the staff is well trained in consequently greeting you with the folded hands n bow "Namaskar".
| This big, handsome man was really nice and looked impressive. |
And also yes, the food was good.
| We ate several times (breakfast and diner and drinks in between) at the hotel. The food was good. |
But did we sleep well and did we feel welcome? No, not really...
That the beds were very hard was not the biggest issue, but that the walls and (inter-)connecting doors are apparently paper thin, providing no privacy at all is NOT what I expect from such an expensive hotel. Three out of four nights we did not sleep due to our noisy neighbor, since you hear absolutely EVERYTHING!
| Still smiling, not knowing what nights were awaiting us. The red dot on my forehead was given by the hotel as a welcome. |
| When we complained the hotel did respond well and provided us with another room for the last 24 hours. A room without interconnecting door, so we finally could have a good night sleep. |
You are staying with two persons in the room, instead of one? No problem, but we will charge you extra. You want Wifi? No problem, but we will charge you.
Hm, for me that feels cheap for such an expensive hotel.
The men who were responsible for cleaning our rooms were nice and personal in their service. Many others of the staff did their jobs correct, but routinely.
(Ofcourse there were other staff members that were nice at times.) I am not saying that they do not work hard, but you feel that as a guest you are just a number.
Oh yes, and the music in the dining areas etc was horrible!!! Heavy classical piano music or repetitive music or even two musics through each other (bar and restaurant)...Nervewrecking.
No, instead of the warm bath we experience at the Westin in Pune, the Imperial felt more like a cold shower. Too bad!
What is so great about the Westin then? (Apart from what I already wrote about it;-))
Well, the staff is young, eager to please, personal and warm. That makes us feel very much welcome and appreciated as clients.
And, honestly, what other hotel provides single dining guests with a fishbowl on their table to keep them company? How cute is that?
And what other hotel gives a leaving guest (like we were last week) a glorious chocolate cake wit the words "We will miss you"? Isn't that unbelievable?
So congrats to the staff at the Westin in Pune :" You are great!". Thanks!
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Hello there! Thanks for engaging with my blog by leaving a comment. I always reply to comments, so be sure to check back for that. Have a nice day! Anja, Curly Traveller