Not for the business traveller
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 12/7/05
We stayed here because all central hotels were full. Definitely not a good idea. This is what I wrote to them at the time:
Your website is in many respects misleading: for example, it describes the location of the hotel as
'A scenic 45-minute drive from Bangalore Airport, with convenient access to Bangalore city'
The journey actually takes twice that time and in no respect can be called 'scenic'. We were on business in Bangalore and found the location very inconvenient.
The website makes reference to 'unparalleled service'. In reality, whilst always pleasant, service was amongst the slowest and most inefficient ever encountered.
The room in which I stayed (2010) was dark and gloomy. Both the air-conditioning unit and the ceiling fan were too noisy to leave on at night. As there was no mosquito net or screen, the only option was to keep the windows closed. Sleep in these conditions was virtually impossible.
The bathroom was amongst the smallest that I have ever used. The shower spurted water sideways and was therefore unusable if one did not wish to receive water in the face and head. Fortunately a knee-level tap in the shower meant that washing was possible if uncomfortable. The lavatory was fixed at a height unsuitable for normal-sized people. No facecloths or robe were provided.
The fridge did not work.
The internet connection did not work. Prompt reaction on the part of Reception sent an engineer to check it but he was not able to repair it.
For someone on a business trip it is not acceptable that breakfast is not available until 7.30. On one of the two mornings that we were there, the breakfast buffet was unavailable, apparently because the chef had not arrived. The restaurant itself is a very unpleasant room which resembles a works' canteen: barn-like construction, terrible acoustics, tiny tables, too-strong lighting and no sense of any aesthetic considerations. The service was generally slow, although always pleasant. The food, on the other hand, was excellent.
We did not have the opportunity to try any of the resort's spa facilities but I can only say that I am not at all tempted to return as a tourist and would not recommend it to anyone else. Far from a 'luxuriant sanctuary' I found the architecture heavy and oppressive, although it must be said that the grounds are beautifully maintained. As a business hotel I have rarely stayed in worse. On future visits to Bangalore we will ensure that we stay somewhere else and will advise colleagues accordingly.