This is the first time I have written a review having only just checked in. Unfortunately though my experience has been so bad that I feel obligated to share the details whilst they are fresh in my mind.
Arrival at the hotel was lovely. It looked beautiful from the outside.
Equally the location is beautiful when looking out of the windows, but the smell coming from the water when you step outside is overpowering.
When I walked in the scene that greeted me was one of pandemonium. There were people everywhere. Bearing in mind this is supposed to be one of, if the, best hotel in Mumbai I had expected a service which exceeded, or at the very least was equal to the service I had received at The Oberoi only a week before.
Sadly that could not be further from what I received.
There was no-one to greet me when I arrived. There is very little signage and so I am wondering around trying to work out which of the many counters is reception.
There are no staff available and so I stand where I believe reception is. There is nothing which resembles a queue and so I soon realise it is just a free for all. Eventually I am seen but the staff member offers me a cursory acknowledgement before finishing something on the phone. Whatever it was it was clearly more important than a guest.
Once I was eventually seen, I was told I was at the Tower reception but I needed the Palace reception. So I was given directions to the other reception.
If I stay at a 3 star hotel I expect 3 star service. But when I am staying at what is supposed to be one of, if the, best 5 star hotels in Mumbai I would expect someone to physically show me where I need to go. Directions that result in my having to find another member of staff to check if I am going the right way is a long way from what is expected of such a hotel.
On arrival at the Palace reception I was offered a seat. While I was grateful I had the benefit of a seat, I was not impressed to then notice that as other people came along they were required to stand.
How a hotel of this standard does not have sufficient staff to manage the check in process makes the mind boogle.
I then watched as a guest who arrived after me, but to be fair to them was having to stand, was seen before me. Whilst I did not object because they were standing and I had the benefit of a seat, it was unclear to me who was managing this process to ensure people were seen in the order they arrived.
On eventually been checked in I was already frustrated with the process. So when the staff member who was checking me in asked how my journey was I said it was very good until I reached the hotel. This is normally an opening to explain why I was not happy but the member of staff simply ignored the comment and carried on checking me in.
I was then escorted to the room. There was no attempt to show me where anything was and the member of staff just stood there. In the US you know they expect a tip and therefore one is paid. However, in India, as with most countries, a tip is given to say thank you for a good service. This was so far from good service that I have no idea why he was standing there.
To be fair to the hotel the room was very nice, in good condition as was the rest of the hotel. The hard product (the physical elements of the hotel) are lovely, but as I will continue to explain it is let down by the service.
My bags arrived and the bellman could not have been more helpful. Interestingly once I had confirmed that everything was good he was almost gone before I could tip him and it was as though he did not expect one. Nonetheless as the first person since my arrival to provide the level of service I expected I was more than happy to give him that tip.
When I went into the bathroom I found a stray hair that was certainly not mine. Not what I want to find in any hotel!
As this is the last day of a long 2 week business trip I wanted to get some gifts for the children. But when I went to the concierge for some help in finding the shops I needed unfortunately the poor service was back.
I was told where I needed to go, but was not provided with a map or anything other than some vague directions. Needless to say the directions were so poor I got lost and had to use Google maps ( certainly not the end of the world but not what I would expect from a hotel like this).
When I returned I thought I might just spend an hour by the pool. I asked for a bed in the shade and was pointed in the direction of some beds without towels. I asked for a towel and was told they would bring it.
After circa 15 minutes I enquired about when I might expect to receive a towel and was abruptly told I would have to wait as they had run out.
After another 5 to 10 minutes I saw the member of staff walking along with some towels. I managed to make eye contact and he realised I was looking for a towel. However he stood there waiting for me to come to him to collect the towel. Again not the worst thing ever, but not the service I expect from a hotel which purports to have such high standards.
I am hoping the stay improves and I am only here for a single night and so that limits my frustration at what I have paid for such a poor product.
I should add I spent a number of days at the Oberoi Mumbai and the Oberoi New Delhi before thinking I would try this for the last night and I am so grateful I did it that way. If I had been staying here for longer I would have been looking to change hotels.
In conclusion the hard product is amazing, extremely beautiful and well maintained. But if you are looking for or used to good service this is certainly not the hotel for that.
