Hilton Chennai {IND}
May 16, 2011, 1:18 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,673
Hilton Chennai {IND}
has anyone stayed here yet????i have an overnight trip to chennai next month & am considering staying here since its close to my client's office & also 15 minutes from the airport....
Dec 19, 2011, 2:21 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, United MileagePlus Silver
Posts: 15
Hilton Chennai
I will be traveling to Chennai for 5 weeks on business. As a loyal Hilton member I was thinking about staying there, but I have heard not so great things about this property. Anyone here ever stayed there? Also I really hope HHonors Q1 promotion is a good one since I will be traveling a lot early next year.
Jul 24, 2012, 3:08 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, SPG Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, AAPlatinum
Posts: 199
Hilton Chennai: Report + Pictures
I stayed at the Hilton Chennai in early Feb 2012 while on vacation and have nothing but excellent things to say about the property. At the time of the stay, it was still very new (less than 1 year old) and all of the furnishings looked it. Service was polished but VERY formal. Upon check in, we were greeted and welcomed by name and assigned a personal concierge who took our bags and led us to our room to show us how all the lights, minibar, remotes etc worked and ensure that the room was to our liking. (it was)
With my Diamond status, we had been upgraded to a very spacious junior suite with floor to ceiling windows. The main sitting area was modern with warm wood paneling and a large flat screen tv. The minibar lived under a long counter on the wall next to the door. A selection of 3 fancy desserts along with a personal welcome note was on the coffee table, which was a lovely gesture but they assumed I was a Mr - oh well! Strangely, our concierge had a hotel digital camera and asked to take a picture of my partner and I, in the room. I'm not sure where the photos went or what they were used for, but it was a curious quirk.
The bedroom was completely separate, again floor to ceiling windows, minimalist design with indian influence (framed sari fabric). This room was about the same size as the sitting area and opened into a washroom/vanity area.
The toilet and walk in shower/tub room branched off on either side of the double sinks. Very nice finishings, white marble walled and very spacious. The tub was large enough for two but not jetted. Shower was in the same room, but a glass door kept the water from getting into the vanity area. A small flat screen tv was embedded in the wall next to the tub - nice touch!!!
Diamond lounge was open for tea & light snacks in the afternoon, more appetizers in the evening as well as beer, wine, and gin/vodka cocktails. Decent tasty selection, nice loungy large room with smaller groups of couches/chairs to sit. In the middle there was a glassed in conference room - did not see anyone use it.
I can't remember if a continental breakfast was served in the lounge but they did give us free buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant which was excellent. LOTS of variety - euro continental breakfast (tons of cheeses, fruit, yogurt, muffins, breads, museli) as well as eggs any way, indian breakfast buffet including items cooked to order (dosa). fresh fruit juices, tea, coffee, etc. Really great value.
There was a bar/lounge on the top floor as well as an infinity pool. Chairs both on the decking and in the water were available. Beautiful and quiet for the most part, depending who was up there with you. The lounge on the 3rd floor I believe was complimentary internet access if you had status.
Overall this was a really lovely property and definitely one of the top Hiltons I have stayed with. I preferred my stay here greatly to the JW Marriott in Mumbai.
With my Diamond status, we had been upgraded to a very spacious junior suite with floor to ceiling windows. The main sitting area was modern with warm wood paneling and a large flat screen tv. The minibar lived under a long counter on the wall next to the door. A selection of 3 fancy desserts along with a personal welcome note was on the coffee table, which was a lovely gesture but they assumed I was a Mr - oh well! Strangely, our concierge had a hotel digital camera and asked to take a picture of my partner and I, in the room. I'm not sure where the photos went or what they were used for, but it was a curious quirk.
The bedroom was completely separate, again floor to ceiling windows, minimalist design with indian influence (framed sari fabric). This room was about the same size as the sitting area and opened into a washroom/vanity area.
The toilet and walk in shower/tub room branched off on either side of the double sinks. Very nice finishings, white marble walled and very spacious. The tub was large enough for two but not jetted. Shower was in the same room, but a glass door kept the water from getting into the vanity area. A small flat screen tv was embedded in the wall next to the tub - nice touch!!!
Diamond lounge was open for tea & light snacks in the afternoon, more appetizers in the evening as well as beer, wine, and gin/vodka cocktails. Decent tasty selection, nice loungy large room with smaller groups of couches/chairs to sit. In the middle there was a glassed in conference room - did not see anyone use it.
I can't remember if a continental breakfast was served in the lounge but they did give us free buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant which was excellent. LOTS of variety - euro continental breakfast (tons of cheeses, fruit, yogurt, muffins, breads, museli) as well as eggs any way, indian breakfast buffet including items cooked to order (dosa). fresh fruit juices, tea, coffee, etc. Really great value.
There was a bar/lounge on the top floor as well as an infinity pool. Chairs both on the decking and in the water were available. Beautiful and quiet for the most part, depending who was up there with you. The lounge on the 3rd floor I believe was complimentary internet access if you had status.
Overall this was a really lovely property and definitely one of the top Hiltons I have stayed with. I preferred my stay here greatly to the JW Marriott in Mumbai.
Jul 24, 2012, 4:14 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,486
That is somewhat odd. I can only imagine the picture was used to assist the staff with remembering and greeting you by name during your visit.
Jan 12, 2013, 9:44 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 108
Six nights in the Hilton Chennai as HHD. Two seperate reservations: first night THANK YOU rate; remaining five nights ANY WEEKEND ANYWHERE.
Pre-arrival. I had been in contact with the concierge weeks before my arrival discussion transfers to the place I had to go in Chennai and a transfer from the train station upon arrival. This discussion was rather chaotic: the train station transfer was confirmed, but the information was a template e-mail for transfer from the airport and had the name of a different guest. It was then corrected. At the same time, I received a (presumably) automated e-mail welcoming me to the hotel and asking whether I needed a transfer. I replied that I had already been in contact with them -- no reply, but then I received the same message again (pertaining to my second reservation). So, this didn't bode well. But in the end, it turned out that this was the only negative thing I could say about the stay.
Arrival. I arrived at Chennai Central and was picked up by a hotel car (for a rather steep price of Rs. 2593 + Tax). The transfer included drinks.
Check-in. Check-in was very smooth. I had been upgraded to a Junior Suite, but would have had to pay the extra luxury tax (Rs. 600 a night). I declined and asked them to downgrade me again, so I received a regular room with EL access.
Transfers in Chennai. Their rate for the transfer within Chennai was Rs. 1606 + Tax. I knew that the regular taxi would be about Rs. 200, so I wanted to book a taxi. The concierge told me to use their transfer the first time and after that a taxi. At first I was a bit upset since I felt that they are trying to get some extra money out of me, but after a few days I understood -- the place I wanted to go to was hard to find, so they were genuinely afraid that the taxi might not find it. After I had been there one time, I could direct the taxi driver. For all other transfers (including my airport transfer on the last day), I booked a taxi via concierge and it worked like a charm.
Executive lounge. Nice EL on the 4th floor with very attentive staff. From 6pm to 8:30pm, they have cocktails and a supper buffet which I used twice. On my day of check-out, they granted me EL priviledges for the evening, so that I could have some supper before going to the airport. Very nice of them. I also used it for a business meeting during on of the days and noticed that they don't have power outlets: we needed to unplug one of the lamps to get power for the computer.
Room. The room was modern and very nice with a window between the bedroom and the bathroom that could be closed with a blind. Diamond amenity were two pears (which I didn't eat). There were two water bottles, not clearly marked as complimentary. Bathroom amenities were a strange mix: shampoo was PTR, conditioner was C&E La Source and shower gel was something I hadn't seen before.
Restaurants. I had dinner twice in the wine bar (Vintage Bank) and lunch in Vasco's once. These places feel like something in the US or Europe: if after a day in India you need a break from it, they are a nice escape.
Gym. A bit minimalistic and hardly used (24 hour access and plenty of water bottles, though).
Location. Not much of interest in the area, but with the option of arranging metered taxis that can get you anywhere in central Chennai for under Rs. 200, this is not a big deal.
Check out. They had already put the two separate bills for the two reservations together and provided me with the bill for the first stay without asking. Very professional check-out. There was a small credit card hiccup since they couldn't use the preauth for the settlement and needed to cancel the preauth separately (which they did).
Summary. Very nice hotel with a service mentality much better than at European Hiltons. I'll definitely come back next time I am in Chennai.
Pre-arrival. I had been in contact with the concierge weeks before my arrival discussion transfers to the place I had to go in Chennai and a transfer from the train station upon arrival. This discussion was rather chaotic: the train station transfer was confirmed, but the information was a template e-mail for transfer from the airport and had the name of a different guest. It was then corrected. At the same time, I received a (presumably) automated e-mail welcoming me to the hotel and asking whether I needed a transfer. I replied that I had already been in contact with them -- no reply, but then I received the same message again (pertaining to my second reservation). So, this didn't bode well. But in the end, it turned out that this was the only negative thing I could say about the stay.
Arrival. I arrived at Chennai Central and was picked up by a hotel car (for a rather steep price of Rs. 2593 + Tax). The transfer included drinks.
Check-in. Check-in was very smooth. I had been upgraded to a Junior Suite, but would have had to pay the extra luxury tax (Rs. 600 a night). I declined and asked them to downgrade me again, so I received a regular room with EL access.
Transfers in Chennai. Their rate for the transfer within Chennai was Rs. 1606 + Tax. I knew that the regular taxi would be about Rs. 200, so I wanted to book a taxi. The concierge told me to use their transfer the first time and after that a taxi. At first I was a bit upset since I felt that they are trying to get some extra money out of me, but after a few days I understood -- the place I wanted to go to was hard to find, so they were genuinely afraid that the taxi might not find it. After I had been there one time, I could direct the taxi driver. For all other transfers (including my airport transfer on the last day), I booked a taxi via concierge and it worked like a charm.
Executive lounge. Nice EL on the 4th floor with very attentive staff. From 6pm to 8:30pm, they have cocktails and a supper buffet which I used twice. On my day of check-out, they granted me EL priviledges for the evening, so that I could have some supper before going to the airport. Very nice of them. I also used it for a business meeting during on of the days and noticed that they don't have power outlets: we needed to unplug one of the lamps to get power for the computer.
Room. The room was modern and very nice with a window between the bedroom and the bathroom that could be closed with a blind. Diamond amenity were two pears (which I didn't eat). There were two water bottles, not clearly marked as complimentary. Bathroom amenities were a strange mix: shampoo was PTR, conditioner was C&E La Source and shower gel was something I hadn't seen before.
Restaurants. I had dinner twice in the wine bar (Vintage Bank) and lunch in Vasco's once. These places feel like something in the US or Europe: if after a day in India you need a break from it, they are a nice escape.
Gym. A bit minimalistic and hardly used (24 hour access and plenty of water bottles, though).
Location. Not much of interest in the area, but with the option of arranging metered taxis that can get you anywhere in central Chennai for under Rs. 200, this is not a big deal.
Check out. They had already put the two separate bills for the two reservations together and provided me with the bill for the first stay without asking. Very professional check-out. There was a small credit card hiccup since they couldn't use the preauth for the settlement and needed to cancel the preauth separately (which they did).
Summary. Very nice hotel with a service mentality much better than at European Hiltons. I'll definitely come back next time I am in Chennai.
Last edited by fptxenemit; Jan 13, 2013 at 4:42 am
Jan 13, 2013, 4:27 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: EWR
Programs: UA 1K 1.5MM
Posts: 207
The Hilton Chennai is hands down the best Hilton property I've stayed in.
Dec 30, 2017, 5:13 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,105
Currently here waiting for a transfer to the airport after a three night stay in an exec room.
The answer to anything here seems to be no, I asked on check in if there were any upgrades for golds, the answer was no because I had already used the digital check in......what a load of tosh.
I asked for an extended check out, to which the answer was no, but I could pay for it.
Due to my late departure, I asked if I could still use the exec lounge, to which the answer was surprisingly yes, but I would have to pay for food and drink....so thanks for nothing!
The rooms are ok, if a little on the small side and there is nothing around the hotel of any note.
The rooftop pool is OK, but needs a bit of love and attention....the glass around the pool looks as though I hasn’t been washed since it was installed.
It’s an OK hotel, nothing special and I would probably look elsewhere if I returned to Chennai.
The answer to anything here seems to be no, I asked on check in if there were any upgrades for golds, the answer was no because I had already used the digital check in......what a load of tosh.
I asked for an extended check out, to which the answer was no, but I could pay for it.
Due to my late departure, I asked if I could still use the exec lounge, to which the answer was surprisingly yes, but I would have to pay for food and drink....so thanks for nothing!
The rooms are ok, if a little on the small side and there is nothing around the hotel of any note.
The rooftop pool is OK, but needs a bit of love and attention....the glass around the pool looks as though I hasn’t been washed since it was installed.
It’s an OK hotel, nothing special and I would probably look elsewhere if I returned to Chennai.