Westin New Delhi Gurgaon [Master Thread]
Oct 26, 2010, 9:22 am
#1
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Westin New Delhi Gurgaon [Master Thread]
Tonight is my third night at the Westin Gurgaon. I have mixed feelings about the property.
The hotel is clearly not finished and opened just a few weeks back. It is unfair to judge the property too critically, since there is still a lot of work to go. Only one of the restaurants has opened. There are some punch list items in the rooms, etc. Keeping that in mind, I am reasonably satisfied with the hotel. I have a colleague and a number of clients with me. None would have objections to trying the hotel again. I expect it will be incredibly nice once it is finished.
On the other hand, though, the stay hasn't been perfect. The floors of the rooms are marble and (in addition to being very cold and uncovered by rugs) are slippery. Add a little water from the shower and it's downright dangerous. Internet is expensive and very slow. The wireless internet wasn't working until tonight, and there are several APs with different names instead of one consistent AP. There is a DVD player, but doesn't appear to be a lending library of movies. The TV has limited channel selections (the Leela, up the street, has many more movie and drama channels - the Westin seems to focus on sports and local TV). There is a good bit of noise from MG Road if you're in the front of the building.
There was a giant rat in my first room. This, actually, is something I'm inclined to forgive. Once again, some of the building is still under construction. I'm sure doors are open and must certainly be hard to keep things out. I walked into my room last night and suddenly had a large rat run at me. I kicked it across the room, it then scurried under the bed and then I called the front desk. What disappointed me was the reaction. I thought someone was coming promptly, but eventually gave up and went downstairs. They moved me to another room, but really did nothing else except show me to a room on a different floor. I was somewhat disappointed by the response.
We've enjoyed the breakfast in the multi-cuisine restaurant. We even had a good dinner there the other night. I was incredibly impressed when the manager allowed my group to use the private room in the back to make an impromptu conference call. I ordered room service tonight, and it was also very good, though I would have preferred to have my fish and chips delivered on a tray instead of a giant trolley.
Westin Gurgaon Breakfast Buffet by marklyon, on Flickr
IWestin Gurgaon Room Service Trolley by marklyon, on Flickr
The room is reasonably well designed. The bathroom has a large glass wall that can be covered with a curtain. The shower and the toilet are in different cubicles. There is a rain head and handheld shower. There is a large soaking tub. Lots of closet space. Desk with glass top. Sitting chair, alarm clock with iPod dock, and lots of electrical outlets. The AC works very well. I would be happier with a larger carpet under the bed. At the moment, there are two small mats on either side of the bed. The lights can be controlled by pushbutton controls. There is a master off near the bed that shuts off all lights.
Westin Gurgaon King Room by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Bed & Seating by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Desk & TV by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Restroom by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Restroom by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Bed & Bath by marklyon, on Flickr
/mod
Preopening thread can be found here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...egory-4-a.html
/mod
The hotel is clearly not finished and opened just a few weeks back. It is unfair to judge the property too critically, since there is still a lot of work to go. Only one of the restaurants has opened. There are some punch list items in the rooms, etc. Keeping that in mind, I am reasonably satisfied with the hotel. I have a colleague and a number of clients with me. None would have objections to trying the hotel again. I expect it will be incredibly nice once it is finished.
On the other hand, though, the stay hasn't been perfect. The floors of the rooms are marble and (in addition to being very cold and uncovered by rugs) are slippery. Add a little water from the shower and it's downright dangerous. Internet is expensive and very slow. The wireless internet wasn't working until tonight, and there are several APs with different names instead of one consistent AP. There is a DVD player, but doesn't appear to be a lending library of movies. The TV has limited channel selections (the Leela, up the street, has many more movie and drama channels - the Westin seems to focus on sports and local TV). There is a good bit of noise from MG Road if you're in the front of the building.
There was a giant rat in my first room. This, actually, is something I'm inclined to forgive. Once again, some of the building is still under construction. I'm sure doors are open and must certainly be hard to keep things out. I walked into my room last night and suddenly had a large rat run at me. I kicked it across the room, it then scurried under the bed and then I called the front desk. What disappointed me was the reaction. I thought someone was coming promptly, but eventually gave up and went downstairs. They moved me to another room, but really did nothing else except show me to a room on a different floor. I was somewhat disappointed by the response.
We've enjoyed the breakfast in the multi-cuisine restaurant. We even had a good dinner there the other night. I was incredibly impressed when the manager allowed my group to use the private room in the back to make an impromptu conference call. I ordered room service tonight, and it was also very good, though I would have preferred to have my fish and chips delivered on a tray instead of a giant trolley.
Westin Gurgaon Breakfast Buffet by marklyon, on Flickr
IWestin Gurgaon Room Service Trolley by marklyon, on Flickr
The room is reasonably well designed. The bathroom has a large glass wall that can be covered with a curtain. The shower and the toilet are in different cubicles. There is a rain head and handheld shower. There is a large soaking tub. Lots of closet space. Desk with glass top. Sitting chair, alarm clock with iPod dock, and lots of electrical outlets. The AC works very well. I would be happier with a larger carpet under the bed. At the moment, there are two small mats on either side of the bed. The lights can be controlled by pushbutton controls. There is a master off near the bed that shuts off all lights.
Westin Gurgaon King Room by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Bed & Seating by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Desk & TV by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Restroom by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Restroom by marklyon, on Flickr
Westin Gurgaon Bed & Bath by marklyon, on Flickr
/mod
Preopening thread can be found here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...egory-4-a.html
/mod
Last edited by SanDiego1K; Oct 28, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Oct 26, 2010, 12:57 pm
#2
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Thanks for the stay report marklyon!
The rat thing really freaked me out, just reading about it!!
I must say you took it very calmly!
The rat thing really freaked me out, just reading about it!!
I must say you took it very calmly!
Oct 26, 2010, 1:28 pm
#3
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Oct 26, 2010, 6:41 pm
#4
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Oct 27, 2010, 12:44 am
#5
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My tolerance ended this morning. I am not impressed with this property.
I went to check out at 8AM and dropped my bag at the front counter after being denied the late checkout I was promised upon arrival (now it's nothing after 2PM, since "they need my room"). I am leaving on the late night CO flight, so I want to keep my bill open since I will need car service and a few other things before I leave I had five different front desk people alternately tell me that doing so was no problem, and others try to close out my bill. Then there was a rather rude conversation that I would be billed for the room even though I had nothing in the room and had tendered it back to them.
In the process, someone gave me my bill. They slipped a "donation" to UNICEF or some other charity in the middle of the first page. I never requested that. They did the same thing to a colleague. While they removed it without complaint, adding it without asking was not appropriate.
My colleague's checkout was just as complicated. He wanted to leave his bag, pay his bill and come with me to the office. They kept trying to take his back out to the car and then processing his card took forever and involved a ridiculous number of staff members. Maybe they are all training, but it's a pain to put up with.
Since moving me to another room, there has been no mention or apology for the rat incident. I have low expectations - a decent apology would have been fine - but instead I feel like the hotel would rather get rid of me as fast as possible.
Very disappointed in this property. Earning SPG points on my stays in Gurgaon was very attractive, but not if I have to put up with this.
I went to check out at 8AM and dropped my bag at the front counter after being denied the late checkout I was promised upon arrival (now it's nothing after 2PM, since "they need my room"). I am leaving on the late night CO flight, so I want to keep my bill open since I will need car service and a few other things before I leave I had five different front desk people alternately tell me that doing so was no problem, and others try to close out my bill. Then there was a rather rude conversation that I would be billed for the room even though I had nothing in the room and had tendered it back to them.
In the process, someone gave me my bill. They slipped a "donation" to UNICEF or some other charity in the middle of the first page. I never requested that. They did the same thing to a colleague. While they removed it without complaint, adding it without asking was not appropriate.
My colleague's checkout was just as complicated. He wanted to leave his bag, pay his bill and come with me to the office. They kept trying to take his back out to the car and then processing his card took forever and involved a ridiculous number of staff members. Maybe they are all training, but it's a pain to put up with.
Since moving me to another room, there has been no mention or apology for the rat incident. I have low expectations - a decent apology would have been fine - but instead I feel like the hotel would rather get rid of me as fast as possible.
Very disappointed in this property. Earning SPG points on my stays in Gurgaon was very attractive, but not if I have to put up with this.
Last edited by marklyon; Oct 27, 2010 at 12:52 am
Oct 28, 2010, 1:36 pm
#6
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It appears that either the hotel or our favorite lurker visited the thread after my last post.
When I returned from the office, I planned to run down to the gym and grab a shower, settle my bill, and then head to the airport. (This was the alternate arrangement we eventually agreed on instead of a late checkout. In the end, I didn't have to rush to get back by a certain time, so I did manage to get a few more hours in at the office.)
When I arrived, the assistant manager, Anoop, helped me with my bill and then mentioned that Daniel Muhor, the property manager, would like to speak with me about my stay. We chatted for a few minutes in the lobby. He apologized for the difficulties checking out and also the rat incident in my first room. Instead of using the gym (which would have been fine with me, even if it had been suggested as the first option when I checked in), he invited me to use an available double bed room to freshen up before my 15 hour flight. I greatly appreciated the apology. It turns out, he was previously the manager at a property in China I think I stayed at during my last trip there. Small world.
The property is working to complete construction and is also training their staff. With any luck, once they are fully open, the problems will be nonexistent.
Since many of the international flights leave very late (the CO flight to EWR leaves at 10:50 PM, some of the other flights I've taken leave at 2 AM), hopefully the hotel will work out a smoother process for people who don't want to hold a room on their last day, but who would like to change and relax a bit before flying out.
It appears the way they managed to handle this on my trip was less than optimal. They created a folio for room "9005" (which does not exist) and transferred my old charges to that bill. When it posted to SPG.com, it showed up as a single "day use" stay. I called the helpdesk, though, and was asked to send a scan of my invoice with the promise that it would be promptly corrected.
When I returned from the office, I planned to run down to the gym and grab a shower, settle my bill, and then head to the airport. (This was the alternate arrangement we eventually agreed on instead of a late checkout. In the end, I didn't have to rush to get back by a certain time, so I did manage to get a few more hours in at the office.)
When I arrived, the assistant manager, Anoop, helped me with my bill and then mentioned that Daniel Muhor, the property manager, would like to speak with me about my stay. We chatted for a few minutes in the lobby. He apologized for the difficulties checking out and also the rat incident in my first room. Instead of using the gym (which would have been fine with me, even if it had been suggested as the first option when I checked in), he invited me to use an available double bed room to freshen up before my 15 hour flight. I greatly appreciated the apology. It turns out, he was previously the manager at a property in China I think I stayed at during my last trip there. Small world.
The property is working to complete construction and is also training their staff. With any luck, once they are fully open, the problems will be nonexistent.
Since many of the international flights leave very late (the CO flight to EWR leaves at 10:50 PM, some of the other flights I've taken leave at 2 AM), hopefully the hotel will work out a smoother process for people who don't want to hold a room on their last day, but who would like to change and relax a bit before flying out.
It appears the way they managed to handle this on my trip was less than optimal. They created a folio for room "9005" (which does not exist) and transferred my old charges to that bill. When it posted to SPG.com, it showed up as a single "day use" stay. I called the helpdesk, though, and was asked to send a scan of my invoice with the promise that it would be promptly corrected.
Oct 28, 2010, 2:34 pm
#7
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thanks for the report marklyon....i expect this property to have some teething problems initially but i still feel it has a lot of potential....lets hope they can sort things out quickly....
Oct 28, 2010, 5:12 pm
#8
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How is traveling between this property and downtown area of New Delhi like? Lots of traffic? They have cash and points option during the days I need to be in Delhi, but being far away from the city is a bit of a problem... so I may pay for one-night at Maurya and use free night cert to keep the cost down and be in the city... what do you guys think?
Oct 28, 2010, 6:23 pm
#9
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Gurgaon is busy. The toll plaza is always busy as well. When we left the hotel at 7:30 or so, usually the trip to the office was very fast, since there was a reasonable amount of traffic. Some clients waited until after 8 to leave, and found it took 30-45 minutes to get to our offices (close to Ambiance Mall) once the roads jammed.
I've done the reverse commute, leaving around 7 from the Oberoi in downtown Delhi. Traffic made it a minimum of an hour-long trip. I haven't done the trip from Gurgaon to Delhi during rush hour. Part of me would like to think that traffic may not be so bad if you leave at a reasonable hour and head into town.
I've done the reverse commute, leaving around 7 from the Oberoi in downtown Delhi. Traffic made it a minimum of an hour-long trip. I haven't done the trip from Gurgaon to Delhi during rush hour. Part of me would like to think that traffic may not be so bad if you leave at a reasonable hour and head into town.
Oct 29, 2010, 1:14 am
#10
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How is traveling between this property and downtown area of New Delhi like? Lots of traffic? They have cash and points option during the days I need to be in Delhi, but being far away from the city is a bit of a problem... so I may pay for one-night at Maurya and use free night cert to keep the cost down and be in the city... what do you guys think?
Feb 26, 2011, 11:48 am
#11
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I've stayed at this property twice since it opened. I've also sent several colleagues and we held an event in the conference rooms. It really is a great property. It is still in the process of opening but more and more bits are being made operational every day. When I checked in ten days ago I asked if the suites had become operational. I was told that they were in testing mode. I volunteered to test one and was placed in the Royal Suite.
As you can tell in the pics, it really is an amazing suite. There were a few teething issues (missing pellets for the coffee machine, missing room service menu, lack of heat) which were quickly resolved. This is a great property which just keeps improving as it moves towards being fully open.
As you can tell in the pics, it really is an amazing suite. There were a few teething issues (missing pellets for the coffee machine, missing room service menu, lack of heat) which were quickly resolved. This is a great property which just keeps improving as it moves towards being fully open.
Feb 28, 2011, 12:18 am
#13
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I volunteered to test one and was placed in the Royal Suite
Mar 29, 2011, 4:46 am
#14
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Had a couple of stays there as we were in transit and did not want to drag ourselves to central delhi. Got the royal suite I guess the first time, next time a executive room. The area around the hotel is still somewhat a construction zone and the property still has teething problems (they forgot my wake-up call, room service took a long time to come, very long time to check-out, charged for wi-fi despite being plat etc.).
Pretty ok if you want to stay around Gurgaon/ close to airport, if one needs to go to central Delhi it is not an option as I spent more than 4 hours in traffic when we went to Khan market.
Pretty ok if you want to stay around Gurgaon/ close to airport, if one needs to go to central Delhi it is not an option as I spent more than 4 hours in traffic when we went to Khan market.
Jan 19, 2012, 11:18 am
#15
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The Westin Gurgaon New Delhi
Stay Period - 2010.12.3 ~ 2010.12.6
Room - Premier Room
- Very good room condition
- High-quality meals ^
- Platinum Benefit is a breakfast and Happy Hour
- Starwood Privilege Card (F&B card) is available ^
Starwood Privilege Card
The fee varies by country. Valid for 1 year
Approximately 100 photos and the reviews written in Korean
To see the reviews you need a very fast internet speeds
The Westin Gurgaon New Delhi - Premier Room
Stay Period - 2010.12.3 ~ 2010.12.6
Room - Premier Room
- Very good room condition
- High-quality meals ^
- Platinum Benefit is a breakfast and Happy Hour
- Starwood Privilege Card (F&B card) is available ^
Starwood Privilege Card
The fee varies by country. Valid for 1 year
Approximately 100 photos and the reviews written in Korean
To see the reviews you need a very fast internet speeds
The Westin Gurgaon New Delhi - Premier Room
Last edited by StationaryTraveller; Feb 10, 2012 at 1:18 pm