Hotel Le Roi, New Delhi, India

Inquiries:

You can visit the hotel's website at: delhihotelsleroi.com or check out Hotels.com for the best deals on other accommodations in New Delhi, India.

Location:

This boutique hotel is located on busy street, Raj Guru Road, Chuna Mandi, in New Delhi, India. Specifically, the hotel is located about a 10 minute walk from the closest metro station, R.K. Ashram Marg. This subway station was convenient to get to Connaught Place (one stop) for only Rs.8 and Rs.12 and one transfer got us to Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk) relatively quickly. If you know where you are going, the New Delhi train station is also less than 30 minutes by foot. The immediate vicinity outside of the hotel is busy, loud and appears chaotic, but that's the part we loved the most. The area has many local shops and quick eats. Water can be purchased from local shops nearby at inexpensive rates. We found the area fun and safe during the day and at night. The people in this area were friendly and for the most part didn't notice us. There are other hotels in this area so there were quite a few other travelers in this area as well.

Room Comfort:

The rooms were modern and comfortable. Our room (#401) was a good size for 2 people, as it allowed us to unpack and spread out without feeling claustrophobic. The comforters on the bed were very soft and made for a good nights rest. The room had a flat screen TV, cable to plug in your laptop to get a free Internet connection, big ceiling fan, coffee table, 2 seats, a desk with a chair, mini-fridge, a wardrobe and a couple of full length mirrors. Our room also had a large window overlooking the main street which we really liked, but it was a bit noisy at times which we didn't mind. The bathroom was also modern and had a glass wall looking into the bedroom or vice versa. Overall, the room and the decor was very modern, even for Western standards.

The one thing we didn't like about the room was that there was no central heating at the time of our stay, although provisions were there to have it at some point. We were there in late January and the room temperature hovered around 16°C at night and around 18°C during the day. The hotel staff did provide us with a small heater, but it wasn't effective enough to heat the room.

Cleanliness:

The hotel, restaurant and room were clean. There were a couple of minor issues, such as a couple of tiny ants in the bathroom, cracked paint in the hallway, small scratches on the wall, but otherwise very good and clean. The manager of the hotel cares about the hotel so we are fairly certain that he will take the necessary steps to ensure the hotel does not become worn and rundown too quickly.

Service:

We have a lot of positive things to say about the service at the hotel, but it's not all positive. Let's start with the good.

• The doormen were always willing to open the door, help with luggage and did it with a smile on their faces.
• Most staff was very nice, friendly and helpful.
• The manager is helpful, honest and fair.
• Taxis and tours can be easily arranged through the hotel, (but keep in mind that they are quite a bit more expensive than arranged elsewhere).

When our train to Agra (Taj Mahal) was delayed due to fog early one morning, we decided to arrange a day tour to the Taj Mahal through Hotel Le Roi. It was early Sunday morning and this was our only day to see the Taj Mahal, so despite knowing we would be paying more for the tour than offered by taxi drivers in front of the train station, we didn't want to take any chances and went to our hotel to arrange the tour. The staff at the hotel was able to arrange everything within 15 minutes and we were on our way shortly thereafter. The quality and service provided by the tour was really good. Considering the hotel arranged the tour within 15 minutes, really early on a Sunday morning, we were impressed and have to give them a lot of credit for being able to accommodate us at the last minute.

Despite all of the positive things about this hotel and their service, our initial experience with the hotel was bad and we hope that what we experienced does not happen to anyone else. Since our flight was scheduled to arrive in New Delhi at 11PM, we decided to book the airport pick-up service through the hotel, knowing that it was significantly more expensive than getting a taxi directly from the airport. We were worried that the hotel would forget about our reservation since we did not provide a deposit, so this was our way of making sure that the hotel was aware that we were coming. In addition to booking the airport pick-up service through the hotel, we had also re-confirmed our reservation a couple of days before our arrival. Although our taxi arrived 10 minutes late, we were taken to Hotel Le Roi directly from the airport. When we arrived at the hotel, the gentleman behind the desk, who claimed to be the manager, told us that the hotel is full due to the flight and train cancellations that hit New Delhi that week, but they have made arrangements for us to stay at their sister hotel. Although we were tired and not happy, we went along and let their taxi service take us to their sister hotel. When we saw the rooms we refused to stay there. At this point the manager of that hotel tried sending us to another hotel which we did not go along with after looking at it on the Internet with them. The hotels that they were trying to send us to were well below par with Hotel Le Roi and we simply could not accept staying at unfamiliar locations in hotels that were dirty, not to mention that our directive was to review this hotel. Even though the taxi driver refused to take us back to Hotel Le Roi, a staff member from the sister hotel eventually ended up driving us back to Hotel Le Roi. It took over 45 minutes of arguing with them to take us back, which eventually they did. When we got to Hotel Le Roi, we decided to spend the night on their sofas in the lobby until a room became available. They were kind enough to provide blankets, but our night was ruined and we were really tired the following day. At about 4AM the guests that were given our room checked out and we were able to check-in shortly thereafter. Although we understand that due to unexpected events (such as plane and train cancellations) hotels might have to accommodate existing guests, we realized during check-in that this was not the case with our situation. At check-in we were asked to fill out their guestbook which includes a column with the time that we arrived. When we were filling out the guestbook, we noticed that the people that checked-out where the same people that were given our room just 30 minutes before we arrived. This to us is not acceptable. In our professional opinion, these individuals should have been taken to the other hotel since we had a reservation for that night (and several nights thereafter) and they didn't. They simply arrived 30 minutes before we arrived. Since they had money in their hand and we were not at the hotel yet, perhaps the staff member who claimed to be the manager decided it's better to book the room than to take a chance on us not showing up, despite the fact that we were using a taxi service arranged through them. We didn't like the way this was handled and that the staff member misrepresented himself to be the manager when he wasn't. We did speak to the actual manger about this the following day and hope that this will not happen to anyone else. During check-out, the manager did not try to charge us for the night we booked and spent in the lobby which was good. We really believe that if it wasn't for that one individual working the desk that evening, our room would have been waiting for us on our arrival. This individual was not honest (as we learned that evening and on another occasion where he didn't have change for something we paid for and promised to return it the following day which he never did. We did eventually get our change from the manager who, without hesitation, returned it to us and later verified the accuracy of our claims with that individual.) It's a shame that this occurred, but hopefully it won't happen to anyone else.

Food:

Breakfast was included with the booking and was simple but sufficient. On our last day we ordered some Roti and other local specialties from their restaurant and were amazed that the staff left the hotel to buy it from a local vendor down the street to serve to us. The food was good, so the only thing we would do is find out where they bought it from and buy directly from them at a better price.

Overall Value:

Although our initial experience with the hotel was really bad, the hotel and most staff are very good. We enjoyed our stay at the hotel and recommend it to others. We would stay at this hotel again. Although it's not a cheap hotel for New Delhi standards, it certainly isn't expensive for what they offer. We should also mention that there are future plans to build a swimming pool and a fitness center, among other things, but as we learned by traveling throughout India, future plans often remain as such indefinitely. It's always a good idea to confirm with the hotels in India that they actually have what they say they have on their websites, especially if it's something that you are looking for.

Other Notes:

• When arriving in New Delhi for the first time, especially at night, avoid getting driven to unfamiliar locations and hotels. As a general rule while traveling to any country, be insistent that you get what you asked for or else you might find yourself being taken advantage of.
• There are many touts at the train station that are commissioned to bring tourists to a travel agency across the street from the train station that claims to be a "tourist office". The tourist office is at the train station and not across the street. These touts will tell tourists that your train to Agra Cantt (Taj Mahal) is delayed but there is another train leaving shortly thereafter and this "tourist agency" can rebook you for that train. Since the train is often delayed and there are multiple trains that leave for this area, it all seems legit. The scam occurs when they promise to refund the costs of your original tickets that never comes. The agent at the travel agency will tell you that you need to pay for the new tickets and they will refund you the money for the old tickets (via credit card) as separate transactions. Although the tickets they issue are real, the refund for your original tickets will never arrive. As a result, the travel agency made their commission by selling you train tickets. Don't fall for this scam. The real tourist office has limited hours but they are the only ones in a position to refund you the money for the train tickets, not the travel agency across the street. If you booked your tickets directly through the India Railway website (www.irctc.co.in) you can also get a refund through the website, provided that you meet their rules and conditions. We had no problem getting our money back for the train tickets through the official India Railway website when the train to Agra Cantt was eventually cancelled that day, but we did see many tourists fall for this scam.

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