1.
Entry to the hotel.
Holiday Inn is a typical Airport hotel that sends its car to pick you up at the airport and drive you back to the airport; the one convenience that makes me put Holiday inn above the rest of the hotels around it.
Holiday Inn is a typical Airport hotel that sends its car to pick you up at the airport and drive you back to the airport; the one convenience that makes me put Holiday inn above the rest of the hotels around it.
2. Why are you in this hotel in this city?
For me it was a transit hotel to travel to Udaipur for my birthday. So my only purpose, to select this hotel, was to overnight stay. The hotel is located in Aerocity region which is quite a remote place from most of the city but has an easy connectivity via Airport Metro. There is also an accelerated offer going on which allowed me to gain 2500 bonus points for this stay. Already I had an offer to receive 2000 points for bonus stay if I stay for the weekends; but I was getting better bonus with Starwood properties where I get 3x points’ bonus plus check-in bonus. I value starwood points more than my IGH points. IHG doesn’t provide best price promise over other OTAs and you would usually end up paying more than the rate you would find on other alternatives which makes me less likely to sign up with this group. The difference in prices is a little big but again I got it covered in bonus points that I was getting from this stay. I won’t have chosen direct booking if it weren’t for accelerated offer that I had signed up for. However, IHG keeps running one of those bonus points every 3months and if you book directly, you get promoted for frequent stay rank.
3. Check in (Photos of lobby, Pictures of any decorative present)
The check-in was a breeze as there was no queue as such. Being an IHG guest, I was greeted with higher prestige. The manager himself came to greet me; which makes you feel like a big shot. I was provided with a welcome drink token. As part of my stay, the manager included free breakfast for which I can’t thank him enough.
Hotel was running optimally and hence I was provided with 2 single beds instead of one king sized bed that I had ordered online. One thing lacking in this hotel is prior calls to check on guests when they are tentatively arriving and keeping rooms ready in advance. I reached the hotel at 11 PM and was completely exhausted. I would have appreciated if my room could have been set in advance. This is just a suggestion for them.
4. Journey from Reception to Room
The hotel is significantly big and it was a little bit of walk from elevator.
The hotel is significantly big and it was a little bit of walk from elevator.
5. Room
The rooms
in holiday inn are quite spacious and mattresses are extremely comfortable.
This is my 2nd Holiday Inn in India after Jaipur. I wish I had taken
a chance to review the previous Holiday Inn. I wasn’t writing these long
reviews then.
There was a small couch present inside the room. It wasn’t among the comfortable sofas I have previously experienced.
Mattresses were soft and firm. There is a writing table on the right and luggage rack when you enter the room. There is a study table which is large enough for comfortably doing all sorts of works. The chair was slightly rocky but fairly comfortable to sit on and work. As all my work happens on my laptop, I require sitting on a steady chair or I am constantly all over the place. I need to sit at a work table to get my focus tuned & get things done. If I am on bed, I get lazy.
There was a small couch present inside the room. It wasn’t among the comfortable sofas I have previously experienced.
Mattresses were soft and firm. There is a writing table on the right and luggage rack when you enter the room. There is a study table which is large enough for comfortably doing all sorts of works. The chair was slightly rocky but fairly comfortable to sit on and work. As all my work happens on my laptop, I require sitting on a steady chair or I am constantly all over the place. I need to sit at a work table to get my focus tuned & get things done. If I am on bed, I get lazy.
6. Pictures of Entrance, Minibar, Table,Bed, Sofa, Alarm, other electronics
7. Internet speed
I enjoyed a data transmission speed of around 2 Mbps in my room. I believe it is only for elite members that higher speeds are reserved. It was an average speed for internet. I miss my European internet speeds while staying in Indian hotels.
8. Washroom
Washroom has got a big isolated basin. Separate cabins are meant for toilet and shower. There is a bath tub, for which if you have been following me for a while; you know how much I love spending morning in bath tub. Just give me sparkling drink and chocolate covered strawberries and I can spend hours with them. There is a glass in middle which makes things awkward on staying with someone but if you are alone then you can watch your favourite TV channels while relaxing in the tub. They have a bunch of towels and all of them are found super neat. The cloth isn’t hard and you can wipe a baby’s face without making it have an ape face.
I was surprised that there wasn’t any rain shower fitted. They had only spray shower.
9. Toiletries
Like all IHG hotels in India, they also had standard Biotique toiletries which I hate. I usually bring my own toiletries when I am staying at an IHG one. I only like Biotique Orange which releases citrusy fragrance. Normal ones are tad boring without any scent.
10. Food and Beverages
I am really sorry for not taking pictures of breakfast. It was so crowded that it felt really awkward to take any pictures. Long queues formed in everything and being in India, human hands were omnipresent inside the hotel’s sphere and people cut lines everywhere. Maybe I will capture it some other time.
11. Service
I am overall appreciative of the service provided in the hotel. Everything I asked for was present in few minutes. I know about a scandal which happened at this hotel when someone’s car got stolen from the parking area and they got an amount of negative press for not being present. They didn’t have any courtesy to apologize to the guest. I myself was extremely skeptical during the stay. But this night was all pleasant.
12.
Bottomline
I am really impressed by this Holiday Inn and it is the best Delhi Airport hotel in that price range. Only hotel I find better in this area is JW Marriott. I have not stayed in Pullman yet but all other hotels are strictly average in this region. I have stayed in Ibis, Novotel, Lemon Tree and Red Fox. I will definitely stay in this hotel whenever I am coming for just a stopover. Until Aloft opens up, I would rather stick to staying at Holiday Inn.
I am really impressed by this Holiday Inn and it is the best Delhi Airport hotel in that price range. Only hotel I find better in this area is JW Marriott. I have not stayed in Pullman yet but all other hotels are strictly average in this region. I have stayed in Ibis, Novotel, Lemon Tree and Red Fox. I will definitely stay in this hotel whenever I am coming for just a stopover. Until Aloft opens up, I would rather stick to staying at Holiday Inn.