ITC Mughal, Agra, India [Master Thread]
Feb 13, 2012, 8:21 am
#76
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they are supposed to offer the highest speed for free to plats....the lurkers have suggested before that you should send an email to them with your stay details so that they can sort this issue out....
Mar 28, 2012, 9:38 am
#77
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I spent one night at the Mughal last week. I was upgraded to the Mughal Suite, and was very happy with my room. The shower is great, with both a huge waterfall and normal showerhead that can both operate at the same time. There was a basket of 3-4 apples in the room, and I received turndown service (it was late, probably after 9pm)
Check in/out was a mess. The desk was fully staffed, but it seemed like there was only one person who could actually process the transaction, so you had to wait for them to free up. I was not given a code for wifi, so had to call back to the front desk later to get it (which took 4-5 minutes for them to figure out what to do).
Breakfast was uninspired, things were picked over and not being replaced. We also ate lunch at the buffet and found it surprisingly tasty, even though it was dead. We had a great dinner at Peshawri. It's finger-food, so they give you a huge bib to wear. Be sure to get the Busara (?) Naan, which can feed a small army. The Dal and the leg of lamb were also memorable.
I had the same issues with high speed internet as reported above. Reported it to Lurker, who said they'd again report the continued non-compliance.
Check-out was a bit confusing. I had a room rate of 6375 INR, but they split out 500 INR for food and beverage (breakfast was included in the rate) and taxed that differently than the room rate. The initial invoice had almost no detail, but they were able to print a different version that was easier to follow. I was also charged for the slow internet, and they quickly removed that when asked.
Service at the hotel was far below the other hotels I stayed at in India (Leela Palace in Bangalore, Trident in Delhi). No attempt by the bellmen to deal with luggage other than checking it on the last day for a few hours while we went out.
Check in/out was a mess. The desk was fully staffed, but it seemed like there was only one person who could actually process the transaction, so you had to wait for them to free up. I was not given a code for wifi, so had to call back to the front desk later to get it (which took 4-5 minutes for them to figure out what to do).
Breakfast was uninspired, things were picked over and not being replaced. We also ate lunch at the buffet and found it surprisingly tasty, even though it was dead. We had a great dinner at Peshawri. It's finger-food, so they give you a huge bib to wear. Be sure to get the Busara (?) Naan, which can feed a small army. The Dal and the leg of lamb were also memorable.
I had the same issues with high speed internet as reported above. Reported it to Lurker, who said they'd again report the continued non-compliance.
Check-out was a bit confusing. I had a room rate of 6375 INR, but they split out 500 INR for food and beverage (breakfast was included in the rate) and taxed that differently than the room rate. The initial invoice had almost no detail, but they were able to print a different version that was easier to follow. I was also charged for the slow internet, and they quickly removed that when asked.
Service at the hotel was far below the other hotels I stayed at in India (Leela Palace in Bangalore, Trident in Delhi). No attempt by the bellmen to deal with luggage other than checking it on the last day for a few hours while we went out.
Jul 27, 2012, 8:45 am
#78
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I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post not...
but concerning the ITC Mugha, I've been trying to book an award night for Oct date, the weekend prior to Diwali so maybe a busy time. VIA SPG I cannot get an award night. I've called a couple of times and the best they can do is reserved a superior room at a $$$ rate.
However, when I look at other sights, like expedia, etc, I can book a room, even at expedia's "special" rate, which is a $100 USD lower than what I can get through SPG. The ppl at SPG warn me not to book with a 3rd party saying they'll end up walking me and to continue to check SPG site in case something opens up.
Any thoughts/experience with this? Any suggestions or should I give up and decide on another place to stay?
but concerning the ITC Mugha, I've been trying to book an award night for Oct date, the weekend prior to Diwali so maybe a busy time. VIA SPG I cannot get an award night. I've called a couple of times and the best they can do is reserved a superior room at a $$$ rate.
However, when I look at other sights, like expedia, etc, I can book a room, even at expedia's "special" rate, which is a $100 USD lower than what I can get through SPG. The ppl at SPG warn me not to book with a 3rd party saying they'll end up walking me and to continue to check SPG site in case something opens up.
Any thoughts/experience with this? Any suggestions or should I give up and decide on another place to stay?
Last edited by PG; Jul 27, 2012 at 9:04 am
Sep 1, 2012, 3:42 am
#80
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Oct 15, 2012, 9:42 am
#81
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Just did a one-night stay at this hotel. We were upgraded to a Mughal Suite which was quite nice. Like the other two Indian Starwoods we stayed at last week, we found a few odd juxtapositions between absolute 5-star luxury and basic, fundamental dysfunction at this hotel.
The room itself was immaculate and spacious. I mean, a visually gorgeous suite in all respects. There is a wifi router in the room itself, so we had fast reliable signal - something that even most Western hotels get painfully wrong. The shower and bathroom amenities were top-notch. Check-in for the Mughal Suites is in a small room to the right of the main lobby and was handled without delay. (We had to visit the main checkin counter first but that also had no delay.)
We had dinner at Peshawri. Honestly, the food was bland but acceptable, but nowhere near as good as some of the other meals we had in India at simple non-hotel restaurants for one-tenth the price. I mean, you go in expecting some hotel markup, but this was way over the top.
Breakfast was pretty good - perhaps because we were there a bit early so problems with crowds or unstocked buffet weren't there yet.
As for the odd juxtapositions:
- No ATM anywhere on the property. When I asked for one, the concierge said "Just go outside the hotel and turn right." So I did, walked for two blocks where I was hounded by no less then 5 different tuktuk drivers offering me everything from women to hashish to whiskey, and found no ATM. I gave up walking because of how aggressive the tuktuk guys were getting...it was getting worse the farther I got from the hotel gate.
- The main pool was mysteriously closed. (Midafternoon, sunny warm day.) No explanation, no obvious maintenance taking place on the pool, although it was rather filthy. The pool in the spa area was open, but we found it only by random luck - there was no sign at the main pool instructing guests to use the spa pool. It was equally filthy, leading me to believe that the filth isn't the reason the main pool was closed. Still, we really wanted to hang out and have a drink by the pool so we went ahead and stayed....and then had to go beg someone to bring us a drink after 20 minutes. Sort of bizarre, considering there were several other groups of guests around the pool, all having drinks, so this shouldn't have been too mysterious of a request to them.
- Upon arrival to our room, we immediately got a phone call from the concierge hard-selling tickets to an evening live show about the history of the Taj Mahal. We were sort of iffy about it but the concierge was really pitching it hard, so we said yes. It was the guy in the Mughal Suites area so I figured he wouldn't lead us astray. As it turns out, it was an incredibly cheesy, amateurish dance show a few blocks from the hotel...something a true luxury hotel should probably not endorse with the level of enthusiasm that they did, regardless of how much commission they get off of the tickets. But okay...half of the blame for this one is on us...we probably should have known that this belonged in the same category as those goofy "sight and sound" things that pop up in tourist destinations around the world.
Overall, the quality of the room itself makes this a worthwhile stay. Just eat somewhere else and decline the live show unless that's really your thing...
The room itself was immaculate and spacious. I mean, a visually gorgeous suite in all respects. There is a wifi router in the room itself, so we had fast reliable signal - something that even most Western hotels get painfully wrong. The shower and bathroom amenities were top-notch. Check-in for the Mughal Suites is in a small room to the right of the main lobby and was handled without delay. (We had to visit the main checkin counter first but that also had no delay.)
We had dinner at Peshawri. Honestly, the food was bland but acceptable, but nowhere near as good as some of the other meals we had in India at simple non-hotel restaurants for one-tenth the price. I mean, you go in expecting some hotel markup, but this was way over the top.
Breakfast was pretty good - perhaps because we were there a bit early so problems with crowds or unstocked buffet weren't there yet.
As for the odd juxtapositions:
- No ATM anywhere on the property. When I asked for one, the concierge said "Just go outside the hotel and turn right." So I did, walked for two blocks where I was hounded by no less then 5 different tuktuk drivers offering me everything from women to hashish to whiskey, and found no ATM. I gave up walking because of how aggressive the tuktuk guys were getting...it was getting worse the farther I got from the hotel gate.
- The main pool was mysteriously closed. (Midafternoon, sunny warm day.) No explanation, no obvious maintenance taking place on the pool, although it was rather filthy. The pool in the spa area was open, but we found it only by random luck - there was no sign at the main pool instructing guests to use the spa pool. It was equally filthy, leading me to believe that the filth isn't the reason the main pool was closed. Still, we really wanted to hang out and have a drink by the pool so we went ahead and stayed....and then had to go beg someone to bring us a drink after 20 minutes. Sort of bizarre, considering there were several other groups of guests around the pool, all having drinks, so this shouldn't have been too mysterious of a request to them.
- Upon arrival to our room, we immediately got a phone call from the concierge hard-selling tickets to an evening live show about the history of the Taj Mahal. We were sort of iffy about it but the concierge was really pitching it hard, so we said yes. It was the guy in the Mughal Suites area so I figured he wouldn't lead us astray. As it turns out, it was an incredibly cheesy, amateurish dance show a few blocks from the hotel...something a true luxury hotel should probably not endorse with the level of enthusiasm that they did, regardless of how much commission they get off of the tickets. But okay...half of the blame for this one is on us...we probably should have known that this belonged in the same category as those goofy "sight and sound" things that pop up in tourist destinations around the world.
Overall, the quality of the room itself makes this a worthwhile stay. Just eat somewhere else and decline the live show unless that's really your thing...
Oct 15, 2012, 10:54 am
#82
Join Date: Sep 2002
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sounds like the restaurant has gone downhill. I found it better than the more famous Bukhara at the Sheraton Maurya in Delhi (identical menus when I was there in early 2009).
Oct 13, 2013, 8:20 am
#83
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Meanwhile, we thought Peshawari was terrific, and we're very picky about food:
It's a lovely hotel with a surprisingly fabulous restaurant. The latter is mentioned elsewhere as well, but as diehard foodies we really tend to avoid hotel restaurants. In this case, doing that means you'd miss out on a really good meal, albeit a very expensive (by local standards) one.
We did try the restaurant across the street from the hotel, Pinch of Spice, and were quite unimpressed. We found nothing else walkable nearby, but didn't try all that hard for our short stay.
Notwithstanding the ITC chain's continued insistence that plats don't actually get the highest speed Internet for free, it was a very nice stay and we did end up with fast Internet for all our devices. We were upgraded to a Mughal suite with a view of a courtyard, very comfortable bed and room, private check in area. The public areas of the hotel are gorgeous, the suite was a proper suite with a door that closed off the living room.
As elsewhere in Indian luxury hotels, be prepared for X-ray of your items and wanding of your person as you enter--which you can avoid as mentioned above.
There is no lounge, but as a platinum, we got free (full) breakfast in the restaurant, a coupon for two drinks a piece at the bar for happy hour each night of our stay and an Internet coupon good for three devices at the slowest speed available. We are two people with a laptop/ipad and a phone each, so needed four devices, which we got, gratis, after some negotiation. See my post here. Drinks at the bar were excellent--try the mojito!
Breakfast was good, but doesn't open as early as they say--they claim cold dishes at 6a and hot stuff is ready by '6.15 or 6.20,' but we came down at 6a one morning prior to a full tourist day and they weren't set up yet--and didn't seem at all happy to see us that early. We had to leave at 6.30 and they still weren't fully set up--even some of the cold dishes/juices weren't out yet.
Didn't try the gym or the pool.
Service in the hotel was terrific, a minor service issue resulted in the hotel's buying us lunch at the aforementioned Peshawari restaurant, and we enjoyed it so much we went back the following day on our own dime. We used hotel cars for all our jaunts, which is a rarity for us, but the drivers were good and didn't push unwanted services. The hotel is quite close to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
I can't imagine why I'd ever come back to Agra, but if I did, I'd gladly stay here.
It's a lovely hotel with a surprisingly fabulous restaurant. The latter is mentioned elsewhere as well, but as diehard foodies we really tend to avoid hotel restaurants. In this case, doing that means you'd miss out on a really good meal, albeit a very expensive (by local standards) one.
We did try the restaurant across the street from the hotel, Pinch of Spice, and were quite unimpressed. We found nothing else walkable nearby, but didn't try all that hard for our short stay.
Notwithstanding the ITC chain's continued insistence that plats don't actually get the highest speed Internet for free, it was a very nice stay and we did end up with fast Internet for all our devices. We were upgraded to a Mughal suite with a view of a courtyard, very comfortable bed and room, private check in area. The public areas of the hotel are gorgeous, the suite was a proper suite with a door that closed off the living room.
As elsewhere in Indian luxury hotels, be prepared for X-ray of your items and wanding of your person as you enter--which you can avoid as mentioned above.
There is no lounge, but as a platinum, we got free (full) breakfast in the restaurant, a coupon for two drinks a piece at the bar for happy hour each night of our stay and an Internet coupon good for three devices at the slowest speed available. We are two people with a laptop/ipad and a phone each, so needed four devices, which we got, gratis, after some negotiation. See my post here. Drinks at the bar were excellent--try the mojito!
Breakfast was good, but doesn't open as early as they say--they claim cold dishes at 6a and hot stuff is ready by '6.15 or 6.20,' but we came down at 6a one morning prior to a full tourist day and they weren't set up yet--and didn't seem at all happy to see us that early. We had to leave at 6.30 and they still weren't fully set up--even some of the cold dishes/juices weren't out yet.
Didn't try the gym or the pool.
Service in the hotel was terrific, a minor service issue resulted in the hotel's buying us lunch at the aforementioned Peshawari restaurant, and we enjoyed it so much we went back the following day on our own dime. We used hotel cars for all our jaunts, which is a rarity for us, but the drivers were good and didn't push unwanted services. The hotel is quite close to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
I can't imagine why I'd ever come back to Agra, but if I did, I'd gladly stay here.
Sep 16, 2014, 5:54 pm
#84
Join Date: Mar 2011
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Recently had a nice stay at this hotel. I was in a Royal Mughal Suite (via SNA) and thought it was nice, albeit a tad on the dark side (few windows for natural light).
I had no complaints of internet speed and did not see any speed options when signing in with my provided coupon card. I wasn't around for breakfast hours but did take advantage of the free drink coupons provided to Plats in the evening once. The lobby bar is very nice and you can see the nightly dance performance on the stairs nearby. The evening buffet at Taj Bano was tasty and decently priced, I had no other meals in the hotel.
Overall this is a great base for visiting the Taj Mahal and other sights nearby, I would certainly recommend this hotel.
I had no complaints of internet speed and did not see any speed options when signing in with my provided coupon card. I wasn't around for breakfast hours but did take advantage of the free drink coupons provided to Plats in the evening once. The lobby bar is very nice and you can see the nightly dance performance on the stairs nearby. The evening buffet at Taj Bano was tasty and decently priced, I had no other meals in the hotel.
Overall this is a great base for visiting the Taj Mahal and other sights nearby, I would certainly recommend this hotel.
Jun 18, 2016, 12:35 pm
#85
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA - Platinum, SPG - Platinum 75
Posts: 18
Bumping this thread... Has anyone stayed here since 2014 and could offer a trip report?
I'm headed to Agra for a short stay in July, and am considering extending my stay if the resort is nice.
I'm headed to Agra for a short stay in July, and am considering extending my stay if the resort is nice.
Jun 20, 2016, 8:04 pm
#86
Join Date: Feb 2012
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Stayed a year ago. Lovely property, beautiful suite, but you need to insist to get some of the regular Plat benefits like late checkout, etc. Definitely worth a stay, since it's so cheap on points (cash rates too).
Spa and gym are excellent. Peshawri restaurant is great, but Taj Bano is nothing to write home about. Just outside the hotel is Pinch of Spice restaurant, with great food at a fraction of the cost of the hotel's restaurants.
Location-wise it's a little further from the sites than some of the other hotels, but altogether a solid ITC property and worth staying at for a couple of nights. Not sure what July weather is like, but in any case at a minimum you should stay overnight.
Spa and gym are excellent. Peshawri restaurant is great, but Taj Bano is nothing to write home about. Just outside the hotel is Pinch of Spice restaurant, with great food at a fraction of the cost of the hotel's restaurants.
Location-wise it's a little further from the sites than some of the other hotels, but altogether a solid ITC property and worth staying at for a couple of nights. Not sure what July weather is like, but in any case at a minimum you should stay overnight.
Jun 21, 2016, 12:01 am
#87
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 27
The indian restaurant pinch of spice opposite the hotel is highly recommended which offers excellent indian food at very resonable price. (30% tax and fee for restaurants in india. )
Nov 1, 2016, 3:18 am
#89
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i end up staying here a few nights every year....my last stay was about a month ago where i was upgraded to a nice 2 bedroom suite....
breakfast spread has always been good....spa is great....location is good....all in all its a really good property & treats plats well....
breakfast spread has always been good....spa is great....location is good....all in all its a really good property & treats plats well....
Jan 16, 2017, 2:07 am
#90
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
Had a recent stay on points, got upgraded to a suite. Treatment of platinum members is nice, good breakfast as others have mentioned (as plat you get happy hour, which is unlimited drinks from 7-8pm).
Property is big but didn't have time to wander it.
A very nice hotel.
BTW, across the street is Spice of India which is a good restaurant.
Property is big but didn't have time to wander it.
A very nice hotel.
BTW, across the street is Spice of India which is a good restaurant.