grande dames. more specifically, old hotels. way old. now, india's colonial legacy did manage to leave sprinklings of the same left, right and centre, but the overall condition is not worth talking about.
1. taj mahal palace, mumbai
good : the iconic stature - from the architecture to the location, everything about the hotel has managed to set benchmarks. although the deserving-ness of its many bouquets is very arguable, the hotel still manages to retain its position as bombay's best, since 1903.
the hotel just re-opened, and expectations are very high indeed. so, all further comments are delayed to the future.
2. the imperial, new delhi
the hotel, which imo, beats the taj flat. or used to, since we still need to get a full grasp of the bombay taj. 1931 opened, this is an excellent property, which till before the aman set shop, was unmatched in the capital. superb food and even better service meets an excellent ambience in the art-deco meets colonial feel of the place.
3. taj westend, bangalore
mixed bag, really. the location is good by the city's standards, and it is a fine hotel overall. but thats just about it. there's nothing spectacular about it, not even a compelling history. the only interest factor is probably the vietnamese (yes, vietnamese) restaurant, blue ginger.
4. taj connemara, chennai
a colossal waste of prime property. taj can screw up property prioritization immensely. the corromandel (also in need of a heavy upgradation) is higher on the priority list, while this colonial landmark suffers ignominy and out of fashion fixtures.
5. taj malabar, kochi
a very fine place indeed. the only problem is, this being kochi, such a large hotel really doesn't need to break luxury records. thats why all the converted mansions in the fort are scoring way better. the poolside view though, has no comparison.
6. the oberoi grand, kolkata
desperate renovation required, but this being oberoi, it still works like a charm. the location is very central, though not that happening as a few blocks down the road, but the courtyard orientation dispels all urban brouhaha.
7. the oberoi cecil, shimla
the same case as calcutta's, only that in this case, attention is diverted to wildflower hall. needs more tender loving care.
8. the windamere, darjeeling
fireplaces and cottages and raj era hillstations are all nice, but not to the point of being a chintz emporium. can do much better, especially with that awful website.
9. the maidens, delhi
blame it on the political shift. the oldest hotel in the city (as old as the bombay taj) suffers from a southward movement of commercial and political power since its opening. civil lines has no need for a five star hotel (leave aside an uber 5 star), so this hotel is downgraded to 4, disassociated with oberoi (and even trident) and kept running nicely at that.
10. the great eastern, kolkata
if current construction site ideas are to be believed, this is going to be a greater tragedy than before. the oldest hotel of the country enjoys a great location, between the political hub of the city and a huge dig-up which is supposedly its new wing. the website (god awful at that) renderings are no better. rape, ongoing and undefied.
1. taj mahal palace, mumbai
good : the iconic stature - from the architecture to the location, everything about the hotel has managed to set benchmarks. although the deserving-ness of its many bouquets is very arguable, the hotel still manages to retain its position as bombay's best, since 1903.
the hotel just re-opened, and expectations are very high indeed. so, all further comments are delayed to the future.
2. the imperial, new delhi
the hotel, which imo, beats the taj flat. or used to, since we still need to get a full grasp of the bombay taj. 1931 opened, this is an excellent property, which till before the aman set shop, was unmatched in the capital. superb food and even better service meets an excellent ambience in the art-deco meets colonial feel of the place.
3. taj westend, bangalore
mixed bag, really. the location is good by the city's standards, and it is a fine hotel overall. but thats just about it. there's nothing spectacular about it, not even a compelling history. the only interest factor is probably the vietnamese (yes, vietnamese) restaurant, blue ginger.
4. taj connemara, chennai
a colossal waste of prime property. taj can screw up property prioritization immensely. the corromandel (also in need of a heavy upgradation) is higher on the priority list, while this colonial landmark suffers ignominy and out of fashion fixtures.
5. taj malabar, kochi
a very fine place indeed. the only problem is, this being kochi, such a large hotel really doesn't need to break luxury records. thats why all the converted mansions in the fort are scoring way better. the poolside view though, has no comparison.
6. the oberoi grand, kolkata
desperate renovation required, but this being oberoi, it still works like a charm. the location is very central, though not that happening as a few blocks down the road, but the courtyard orientation dispels all urban brouhaha.
7. the oberoi cecil, shimla
the same case as calcutta's, only that in this case, attention is diverted to wildflower hall. needs more tender loving care.
8. the windamere, darjeeling
fireplaces and cottages and raj era hillstations are all nice, but not to the point of being a chintz emporium. can do much better, especially with that awful website.
9. the maidens, delhi
blame it on the political shift. the oldest hotel in the city (as old as the bombay taj) suffers from a southward movement of commercial and political power since its opening. civil lines has no need for a five star hotel (leave aside an uber 5 star), so this hotel is downgraded to 4, disassociated with oberoi (and even trident) and kept running nicely at that.
10. the great eastern, kolkata
if current construction site ideas are to be believed, this is going to be a greater tragedy than before. the oldest hotel of the country enjoys a great location, between the political hub of the city and a huge dig-up which is supposedly its new wing. the website (god awful at that) renderings are no better. rape, ongoing and undefied.
