Visitors expecting a normal hotel will be shocked at first: Hotel Express 66's entrance is little more than a hole in the wall that leads to a narrow chute lift. However, once you get to the second floor lobby, it's perfectly reasonable and quite tidy.
Visitors will either love or loathe the location. It's located in one of the busiest and dirtiest streets of New Delhi, and travellers looking for fine restaurants or markets will be grossed out. But hey: this is Delhi we're talking about. For me, I loved the location since it was a 15-minute walk to the New Delhi Metro Station and Railway Station, which means it's convenient to get around. The walk between the hotel and the station is dirty (men urinating in public open-air stalls; cow-led carts; lots of traffic) but completely safe.
Room Service for food is great but patchy. It operates 24-7, but many basic items (such as juice) were permanently missing from the kitchen throughout my four-day stay. Western food like sandwiches are atrocious. However, the soups and Indian food are excellent and fresh and you could eat off this part of the menu every day. Plus, it's super-cheap. A great choice if you're keen to dine in most evenings.
Rooms are clean, spacious enough, but not serviced regularly (swept, change of towels) unless you ask. Sheets aren't changed at all, but merely straightened out and fluffed. Service is friendly, but not thorough.
Hot water is so-so. If you're used to a bucket shower, the hot water lasts long enough to fill a large bucket before it heats up again. According to the photos, some bathrooms are new and polished. However, my bathroom (205) had severely rusted fittings. Not a big problem; just ugly to look at. Also: the walls between the rooms are paper thin. Every morning, I was woken by the other guests' alarm clocks and was kept up at night by their television and talking.
Overall, I didn't mind this place. It's good for young backpackers, especially considering the wifi and rough-but-convenient location.
The best thing about Hotel Express for me is the location (though this is the exact reason others will hate it), the relatively decent price and the free wifi access. If you have a laptop and need to work, the connection is strong, reliable and never breaks out.
- Express 66 Hotel
- Express 66 New Delhi
