This is my first visit since the hotel changed from a Starwood Hotel to a Hilton.
The hotel has not changed too much. The rooms are very comfortable and everything works. It has a very nice boutique feel, and I like the willing service. I have used the hotel in the past because it provides a nice introduction to India, and to date, I have not come across a guest who has had any trouble adjusting to the food, or any problems after visiting the hotel.
I did have a problem on this visit that would prevent me from returning, and offer this as a caution to others.
The hotel does (now) seem to go out of its way to try to confirm your exact arrival time. I checked in twice, once from Dubai at approx. 4am, the second from Ahmedabad at approx. 8pm.
The early morning arrival at 4am was no problem, I had booked the hotel for the night before, and my room was ready immediatley on arrival, as it should have been.
The 8pm arrival was a problem, I suspect because those leaving for overnight flights has not left yet. However I had pre-paid, so I should not have been waiting for a guest to check-out, my room should have been blocked off at my check in time. A request to see the manager solved the problem within 15 minutes, but I was left with the feeling that the hotel is maximising occupancy at my cost. Other guests, perhaps less well travelled, had to wait for a room past 9pm that night.
I should say of course, that perhaps I was unlucky, maybe this has never happened before, and will never happen again. No doubt this is not a problem when the hotel is not fully booked. Maybe the hotel was trying to be helpful and allowed too many late check-outs. Still after staying in 100s of hotel over a 20 years period this is only the second time that a pre-paid booking has not been honoured in full, so I take a dim view of it.
A pity, but after a long flight from Europe or America, you need to know a booking is a booking, with 100% certainty, based on my experience I will not stay here again.
- Meridien Hotel Mumbai
- Meridien Mumbai
