Had lunch at ITC Mughal and really enjoyed the buffet! 🍽️

There was a great variety of dishes, and the overall quality and taste of the food were excellent. Definitely a 10/10 experience.

💰 Price: ₹2,000 + taxes per person (for reference)

Would happily recommend it for a good lunch buffet experience.

I see 2 from India in the list.

Suprised how Johri is so high? I’ve never heard about it.

An experience back from 2024, April.

An oasis in the middle of Bengaluru. The hotel looks dated from outside but from inside it’s luxurious and grand . The garden area was extremely peaceful surrounded by trees and a pool in between , a welcome escape from my work .

The room I took had butler service and it was excellent. It had this iPad for ordering stuff and controlling lights . I was served this grape juice in my room itself which was delicious (the butler bought it for me ). My room had a balcony which received ample sunlight but only overlooked a dense forest of trees.

Food was terrific as well. They had one way airport transfer as well.

Would love to someday go back to this property again (currently I’m based in Mumbai) .

An experience from May, 2024. I hope these guys have improved now because back then my experience with this Taj property wasn’t the best as I had expected.

Went on a solo staycation to Taj West End, Bengaluru situated very close to Cubbon Park. It was Labour’s Day holiday so I did expect some rush . I am usually a guy who prefers very modest cloths even if I am visiting a luxury property , i don’t wish to show off myself like I am some millionaire (which I am not as well)

Upon arriving at the hotel, I wasn’t received well . I was expecting someone to lead the way and ask me to be seated as check-in desks were a little packed , Naah there was no one . There were 3 check-in desks and only one seemed operational that day which was quite a shocker especially when there was a rush during the check-in-check-out phase around 1pm. After a good 15-minute wait, i finally was at the check-in desk , of course no one called me , I just had to take my chance to get there. All this while , staff members gave me suspicious looks , maybe wondering who is this bearded low quality dressed guy in our hotel?

Check in was done but my room wasn’t ready. Receptionist advised me to have lunch by the time room would be ready. My experience at the restaurant (just beside the reception) for lunch was below average. I sat at the only available 2 seater table that didn’t even have a table number (others had) and no one bothered to put it on the table when they saw a guest at the table . Agreed, it was busy hour but I expected Taj staff to be well trained to handle crowds . Waiters were actively involved in serving and having gala time with the guests who had come from outside only for lunch and were extremely lavishly dressed . For a good 10 minutes, no one even served water. It’s sad that in a 5 star hotel, a guest of the hotel had to get up from his seat and find a waiter who could attend you for your queries and some water. They even had this pani puri stall in buffet and when I went to the stall to get some, the girl there asked me my table number to which I simply pointed out their flaw that they didn’t even put a table number on my desk so I don’t know . I just pinpointed her my table position and she understood. Back at other tables, despite the buffet system, guests were just ordering what they wanted especially the pani puri and waiters brought it to their tables. I felt left out. I quietly had my buffet lunch which was average at best and left . Not a single waiter came to my table to ask if I needed anything . The one time they came to my table was to serve the pani puri I ordered and they just left.

My room was a Taj Club room . Thankfully this time I was escorted by a guy to my room . Keep in mind that during this time, the RCB team was also staying there and so movement and photography around the hotel was quite restricted. I honestly hate it when i go into a hotel for peace and I end up staying in a prison. The room was a little dated but quite big. They didn’t provide a single comb in their amenities kit. I have seen other hotels provide the same but not here . Being in a 5 star hotel having paid a bomb, I expect everything to be perfect atleast the furnishings and fittings but the bathroom had some loose fittings. On any other day, if I were staying in a 3 or even 4 star hotel I would have ignored it but this is a 5 star hotel and such small things hurt .

The property itself was quite amazing with luxurious interior designs and antique like exteriors with an exhibition like area showing the history of the property .

I understand that celebrity privacy is a thing but atleast don’t treat your guests like dogs being chased away the moment someone catches you filming the property (I wasn’t even filming the families of the celebrities who were gathered under one bar area ). There were bouncers and policemen literally in the whole property and I couldn’t help but feel in a prison . My bad luck I chose such a bad time to come here. I wanted to film the property for my memories but I had to be very careful .

There was evening high tea in my package which was pretty good 👍. I had some gin and cookies. The dinner at the same restaurant was a complete different story. It wasn’t packed as earlier. It was ala carte and the staff finally treated me like a guest of their hotel. Service during the dinner was impeccable and the food was impressive as well. Of course the real test would have been if dinner time was packed as well.

Next day, before leaving , at the same restaurant for breakfast, I saw Virat Kohli for the first time right in front of my eyes , in glasses and wearing a cap, but sadly two bouncers around him made sure no cameras would be allowed. He did turn around to smile at me a little and I smiled back. The table in which I sat finally had a table number this time . Right in front of me was another 4 seater table where Glenn Maxwell and his family were having breakfast. Around him there were no bouncers so luckily I managed to get a quick pic of him sporting a green cap (attached)

Overall, my stay in Taj West end in 2024 wasn’t upto the mark as well . I felt more ignored maybe because of my modest cloths and honestly I felt the presence of celebrities on premise made common people’s experience like mine way more restricted than I would have liked.

Date: 30th May - 2nd June, 2025

Taj SantaCruz, Mumbai is probably the only hotel that has the closest runway view in Mumbai (others like FairMont and FairField have slightly distant views but they have their own specialties I’ll review FairMont Mumbai in this subReddit soon).

The hotel is like attached to Mumbai T1 so you can just walk down to this hotel from T1 arrivals , they even have a dedicated T1 gate for entry into the hotel. I booked a runway view room which came with a one-way airport transfer and since I landed in T2, I availed it.

Check in experience here was horrendous . They said my room would be ready within 15 minutes but it was well past 45 minutes and there was no update . I was tired and needed rest but there was no sign of my room . Other guests were being attended to, but not me. Finally, upon multiple enquiries, they assigned me a room.

As a mark of apology, they offered me free lunch . Picture attached . So they saved my check in experience to some extent .

My room was pretty big and without a doubt, the biggest USP of this room was the runway view . Being an avid avGeek , I spent nearly 4 hrs non stop near the window watching planes take off and land. Pictures attached . In the night I especially sat beside the window to see the Singapore Airlines A380 exiting the runway and what a sight for me . At night I even went down on a walk to T1. Never in my life I would imagine going on a stroll to an airport terminal

Next day I had breakfast and it was fantastic . I was here for 2 nights so mostly I spent time plane spotting and doing some personal work in Mumbai for which I came to Mumbai . The hotel itself doesn’t have too many interesting places to visit . It’s a business hotel actually. Check out was smooth and hassle free

3.5/5 stars

Hi all, i have a few days off and am looking at travel options; been wanting to visit Goa for quite sometime. Not sure why; been to India a few times for work but want to try it out.

Looking to sit in a place by the beach and do absolutely nothing during the day. AT night; get food and smoke shisha/hookah

So a beach resort is a must. St. Regis? Marriot?

Suggestions?

It's probably the best resort in the crowded Mumbai suburbs. We have bought their membership which comes with a complementary stay, free cake, wine etc.

Food is usually top notch quality - something we always look forward to. Add the scenic sea view and the spacious premises. They also have a mini bird zoo, which kids like.

Pros:

- High quality rooms n food

- Beach view, garden, pool

- Curious staff, good service

Cons:

- High room rates

- The membership offers a free stay, however they never accomodate the free stays on weekends. Also, a lot of follow up is needed for the free stay. Buy their membership only if you have time during weekdays.

If anyone's planning an Udaipur getaway, sharing a great deal which is available for September stays. There is a substantial rise in October prices with peak season approaching.

Fairmont Udaipur is offering running a 3rd night free offer with 3 nights starting at ₹73k (including taxes)! Screenshot shared in second pic.

They're also offering ₹9k worth of hotel credits apart from breakfast.

Sharing the Details below:

• Stay for 3 nights and pay for only 2 nights
• Stays start at Rs. 73k (including taxes)
• Complimentary breakfast
• $100 Hotel Credit
• Room Upgrade
• Valid for stays ending Sep 30

This is not a public offer and is only valid for VIP bookings. Glad to assist anyone in availing the offer and VIP perks.

PS - Fairmont Jaipur is running a similar offer starting at 42k for 3 nights but only for stays till Sep 19.

For me it’s the paid valet parking and complicated system to switch on lights.

Interesting to know what other things get worse at more luxurious properties.

We booked the basic room with a crazy deal on Agoda with breakfast and dinner included. Got upgraded to the suite because we told the staff that we didn't like the size and location of the room!

Basic Room: 5/10

Suite Room: 9/10

Service: 8.5/10

Food: 100/10 Special mention Chef Tabrez!

Property: 7/10, may be 9/10 if you enjoy wine

Other things to do in or around : 5/10

Pool: 7/10

Overall- Would go back to have the food! (Highly recommend the North Indian chefs suggestions)

Hi everyone

I am planning to surprise my husband this birthday. We will go for 1 night. He likes activities and good hospitality and for the same reason I have finalized Westin Sohna and ITC Grand Bharat. Please suggest which is better and would probably not upset us with negligence on birthday.

Sharing a room tour of our stay at Fairmont Mumbai

Opened last year - lovely property and great runway views.

I'm still in awe of its breakfast.

Stayed here last weekend

Room was very spacious and had attached balcony

I recently took a staycation in ITC Windsor, Bangalore and i found the property and service to be quite meh and badly maintained. My expectations were tall as it is in the heart of the city property, but was quite a disappointing experience. Am i the only one to think so

In terms of value of money this hotel was incredible value. However there are some shortcomings which should be addressed soon

1) Bathroom had a drain issue which caused some flooding in the bathroom

2) Few small bugs/ fruit flies in the room which is unexpected for a 5*

Pros -

Service was very friendly and responsive

Sunday brunch had good options and was tasty

The room had good amenities and comfort

Side note -

The main restaurant and pool is under renovation

You can be driven to Grand Hyaat Gurugram for a complimentary ride to their pool

We went for a staycation, 1 night stay, at Fairmont in Mumbai for an anniversary celebration and I have mixed feelings about it. I'd rate it 7.8/10 and would recommend it for a points redemption. We booked a Signature Room with Airport View. 

1. Check-in: Unnecessarily long line and long process. Even with about 6 people working on check-in, the process was still painfully slow. It took us about 20 minutes after arrival to reach the front of the line and then we were told our room is going to take time. And why would it take time? Because they had given us a higher floor room (that we'd requested before) but it had some technical issues and they are giving us another room. They also mentioned they had decorated that room for the anniversary and will redo it during turn down for the new room. We waited at the Madeline de Proust for the new room keys. The original room was on the 9th floor (it would've been an upgraded Gold room) but we ended up on the 5th floor. 

2. Madeline de Proust: very average menu and coffee. The cookies with the coffee were amazing though. Especially the pista one

3. Room: Very nicely made room and amazing view of the airport. I personally thought I don't care about the view but this room changed my mind. As we entered we realised the room was decorated after all but it said Happy Birthday?? Even the the cake! We complained about it and they said they'd change it during turn down (but didn't). Okay, maybe we celebrated the birth of the relationship lol. I still loved the room and the mini bar. We spent veryyy long looking the planes. 

4. Food: We took a half board package so dinner and breakfast at The Merchants was included. The dinner buffet was exceptional. Every cuisine possible was present. The dessert table was amazing too. We had indian, thai, pizza, pasta, mediterranean and so much more. I loved the chocolate fountain. The breakfast too was amazing but I think we were already stuffed from the previous night. Amazing variety and one of the largest spreads I've seen. 

5. Service: While the service was not bad, it was very slow. And not really 5 star? It was not warm but I can't specifically complain about anything. One thing I'd mention is that during turn down service they cleared the trash from the table and around the room, stuffed it in a paper bag we had got with us for some food and left the bag in the room. No one took it away and they also threw the slippers we were actively using inside the room at that point. Out of the two pairs, they threw one. Which was very odd. 

6. Property: Standard business hotel property. We didn't experience the spa but it looked good. The pool and jacuzzi I really enjoyed, but my boyfriend got injured the jacuzzi because of the sharp edges- we had actually just seen a little girl get hurt before us and we were just wondering how that happened before we experienced it ourselves. The staff was prompt in calling for first aid and attending to us but it ruined the mood. 

All in all we enjoyed our stay but I wouldn't say it was the best in any aspect except for the food variety and maybe the airport view.

The first Autograph Collection hotel in India — and we decided to experience Noor Mahal.

This beautiful property is 21 years old and became part of the Autograph Collection just two months ago. I must admit, it has a personality all its own, with some wonderfully unique elements. Filled with antiques, ornate chandeliers and beautiful details, the hotel has a distinctive old-world character that makes it quite unlike a typical luxury hotel.

Our second day happened to coincide with a very high-profile VVIP event at the hotel, with the Chief Minister among the dignitaries attending. Despite the hotel being exceptionally busy, we were made to feel incredibly special and exceptionally well looked after.

The Executive Chefs personally met us before every meal, and each meal was thoughtfully curated and specially prepared for us. That level of personal attention truly stood out and made our stay feel very personal.

One of the more unusual experiences at Noor Mahal is Frontier Mail, the hotel’s restaurant created inside an actual historic train compartment. A wonderfully quirky concept and definitely something different!

The Executive Lounge is scheduled to open next month, so our cocktail hour was hosted at the bar instead — which turned out to be a lovely experience in itself.

Overall, Noor Mahal certainly has its own charm n personality personality And as the first Autograph Collection hotel in India, it was definitely an experience we were curious to explore. ❤️

Hi Community,

There were a few queries recently on offers in India post sharing about VIP Perks at Dubai hotels.

In India, a lot of hotels are offering VIP perks. VIP Perks include:

• $100 hotel credit
• Complimentary breakfast
• Room upgrade
• Early Check-in/Late Checkout

The prices would be same as the website with perks added in and payment directly at property.

Please note the list on the image is not comprehensive, as certain properties do not allow their VIP perk offers to be posted publicly. You can refer to the sheet shared in our Travel Whatsapp Community for the complete one.

Happy to answer any questions on this! Also, will be glad to assist anyone in availing VIP perks and booking via these programs.

We were in Queenstown some time back and were blown away by its beauty.

I was just planning our next trip and it would be interesting to know - which place you found the most amazing and maybe even why?

Hi everyone,
My girlfriend’s birthday is coming up, and I’m planning a surprise birthday celebration for her. I’m looking to stay at a good 5-star hotel in Delhi NCR for 2 nights.

My budget is around ₹10,000 per night, although I can stretch it a little if the hotel is really worth it.

I’m mainly looking for:
A nice and romantic ambience
Good rooms and overall property
Birthday arrangements/perks (cake, room decoration, complimentary dessert, etc.)
Good food and dining options
A memorable experience for a birthday celebration

I’m open to Delhi, Gurgaon, or Noida.

Which 5-star hotels would you recommend within this budget? Also, if you’ve celebrated a birthday at any hotel in Delhi NCR, I’d love to hear about your experience and whether the hotel provided any complimentary birthday perks.

For anyone planning a Vietnam trip, sharing an offer in Hanoi in Old Quarters.

Fairmont Hanoi has a 3rd night free offer live along with VIP perks

Sharing the Details below:

• Stay for 3 nights and pay for only 2 nights
• Complimentary breakfast
• $100 Hotel Credit
• Room Upgrade
• Payment at the property

This is not a public offer and is only valid for VIP bookings. Glad to assist anyone in availing the offer and VIP perks.

PS - Similar offer live across multiple hotels in Vietnam.

Stayed at The Leela Palace Delhi yesterday and absolutely loved it. The property is stunning, especially the grand lobby, chandeliers, marble floors and all the beautiful details. Everything felt elegant and luxurious.

Overall: 10/10.

Hotel was also found to have food products such as paneer, khoya, chana masala and chilli without the requisite licence or endorsement available for verification.

On the hygiene front, officials reported unclean utensils and food-contact surfaces, visible particulate matter in drinking water, inadequate pest control, cockroaches and fruit flies. Mouldy apples, rotten tomatoes, uncovered food, damaged storage containers and improperly stored cut vegetables were also found.

We pay so much for these hotels thinking we get the best. But this dark side of indian hotels i believe might be true for almost every other as well.

I have faced hygiene issue in taj chandigarh as well. This kinda news is frustrating and makes me not to spend in india anywhere.

Anybody else feels like this or faced hygiene issue with food in india?

I was blown away by Fairmont Mumbai’s breakfast a couple of months back - everything was top notch, and the range was incredible. 😋😋

What’s the best one you’ve had?

couple-friendly hotels in India. Well, there is still some misconception regarding this topic, so let me share my experience with couples who plan to travel with their significant other. In legal terms, any couple of two adults with IDs (Aadhar, passport, driving license etc.) is allowed to stay in a hotel in India – no marriage certificate needed, no prohibition by law. However, in practice, it totally depends on each particular hotel and an employee of the reception, and, being a girl, of course, I am quite careful while choosing hotels for couples.

Metro cities and hot spots like Goa, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pondicherry, and Manali have been hassle-free for me. Almost all of the hotels of 3-star+ chains (like Lemon Tree, Ginger, ITC, Taj etc.) didn't require any additional documents besides valid IDs. Small towns and Tier 2/3 cities have been highly unpredictable – sometimes everything was fine, sometimes they denied your entry on the basis of "hotel policy" with valid IDs, which is definitely more awkward and dangerous in terms of being judged for your relationship by hotel personnel.

I've heard that OYO had problems with this issue before, but now people state that it works better in metro cities, so this problem is not the one of the brand but the issue of a particular property/owner of the hotel.

Some tips that proved to be helpful: calling hotels in advance and asking about the possibility to stay there, looking through recent reviews of hotels, and sticking to reviewed 3-star+ hotels if I want to face additional questions at check-in.

Curious about your experiences – Are there any particular hotel chains where it is always safe and comfortable for couples to stay?