J_Hawk

Has anyone had the opportunity to stay in the new CY property? I need to book my 1Q trip into Delhi soon and am trying to decide whether to give the CY a try. I typically stay at the Shang in Connaught Place but the drive to Gurgaon each day for work is fairly brutal. I've also considered the Leela Kempinski in the Ambience mall but I hate to break away from the perks that I receive from Shang or Marriott.

I'd appreciate any thoughts around the CY and its proximity to Ambience and other Gurgaon land marks.


Thanks in Advance

J_Hawk

J_Hawk

I stayed at the CY property in Gurgaon over the last few weeks.

These are the highlights:

- Very modern, clean property with all the amenities of a new, modern, full service Marriott
- The Exec Lounge had 2 50" Flat screen TV's with plenty of seating for informal discussions and/or watching a cricket match with a group
- Large, Clean, Outdoor Pool Area
- Decent Sized Gym with treadmills and Free Weights
- Nice Spa with Full Service Massage Service
- Large, indian, british and american buffet for brkfst, lunch and dinner
- Full Service Bar


In addition, the hotel is approximately a 15 minute cab ride from the downtown Gurgaon call center hub. There is not much within walking distance of this property so you need to budget a car service into your plans for commuting to work, meals and any other activities you would typically do outside the hotel.

This is a truly beautiful property where I will stay on my next trip to DEL and recommend to colleagues.

J_Hawk

TooMuchTravel73

Just booked this hotel, and my rate includes 2 way airport transfers... any idea (aside from phone) how to contact the hotel to arrange this? or does anyone have an e-mail address for the hotel?

painintheuk

Thanks for the details. I have a transfer (1 almost-night in DEL each way) and only 4 nights to plat, so I think this will be 2 of them .

I'd love to hear more experiences at this hotel, including late (>1am) arrivals and early (<2am) departures.

Thanks.

tarheelnj

Will be staying at this hotel for a week in February. Any recent experience staying there? What can I expect as a Gold member? Any chance of an upgrade? (Long time to be in a 32 sq meter room.) Thanks.

painintheuk

My stay was too short, but I agree with the comments above. As a Gold I got an upgrade. The gym was nice, the staff friendly, the buffet breakfast OK - not that great. I took a cab from the airport and the cabbie was clueless - it took over an hour (though it was fixed rate - INR400). I would stick with the hotel service.

The hotel email that I received email from was [email protected].

I also had to submit my receipts to get the stay credited.

On the return trip I decided to stay in town at the Lalit, but wasn't impressed. The location was great, but I could have just taken the Metro in for my day on the town. I would stay at the CY again, though I gather that there is a JW opening soon.

Enjoy!

Dr. PITUK

hungarianhc

I'll tell you this... I've stayed at the CY in Chennai, and I think it's awful. One of the worst CYs I have ever stayed at. I can also tell you that as a 5 year Marriott Platinum, you won't miss your perks if you go to the Leela. Do yourself a favor and stay at the Leela. It's a great place, and it's so convenient to the mall.

tarheelnj

Thanks for the advice. I've stayed there (Leela Kempinski) twice and loved it. They even had an in-house doctor that came right to my room when I requested (you don't want the details). The rate isn't that much more (7500 INR vs 6000 INR at the CY). They also gave me a good day rate once when I had a 12 hour connection from a domestic flight to the DEL-EWR late night flight.

painintheuk

I have never been to Chennai, but CY Gurgaon was far and away the best CY I've stayed in, though that is only comparing to the US and Canada. It was even better than several FS Marriotts that I've stayed in. Except for a breakfast that wasn't outstanding (for a FS Marriott), I liked it.

I also haven't stayed in the other Gurgaon properties but there is information about some of those in this forum (under airport hotels).

Thanks

Dr. PITUK

J_Hawk

The Chennai CY is much older than the Gurgaon CY, I agree that the Chennai CY is not a great hotel but it is the only Marriott family hotel in Chennai so for hardcore Marriott point hoarders it is the only choice. The Sheraton is nice in Chennai and there are several Indian-brand hotels in CHennair that are nice such as the Regency Hotel.

New Delhi/Gurgaon travelers also only have 1 choice in the Marriott family, the Gurgaon CY. It is a good hotel but it is isolated away from dining and shopping. The Leela is a great hotel attached to the Ambience mall. The mall has numerous dining, entertainment and shopping options. My company corporate rate at the Leela is double the rate that I enjoy at the Gurgaon CY so I've been staying at the CY for the last year on my New Delhi trips.

tarheelnj

I stayed at the Gurgaon CY last week. Clean, attractive hotel, with a nice executive lounge with food and alcohol (access for Golds and Plats, along with internet access included). The restaurant food (extensive buffets) was fine and the service was reasonably good across the board. Felt closer to a FS hotel rather than a typical US CY.

Only complaint was that the air conditioning was stuck at 21 degrees Celcius, and the only way to adjust the temperature was to have an engineer come in and fiddle with something in the ceiling, or just shut it manually on and off as needed.

Granted, it doesn't have anything within walking distance (like the Leela - which was twice the price, though), but there were plenty of hotel cars to drive to nearby malls (there are several) and the airport.

Security (I guess like all large India hotels) was very tight. (Bomb sniffing dogs, checking under cars with mirrors, metal detector at entrance, luggage scanning machine, etc.)

gopp

I have booked two nights at this hotel in November. I plan on contacting the hotel but wanted to get experiences from past hotel guests and had some questions--

The hotel is relatively close to the new Huda City Centre metro station. Has anyone accessed the metro from the hotel? Is the station walking distance?

Has anyone taken a taxi from the hotel to New Delhi train station? How long was the trip and how much on average would it cost? Plan on taking a daytrip to Agra from the hotel.

Thanks!

J_Hawk

I've stayed at the Gurgaon CY on multiple occasions, most recently in late July 2011. I would not recommend walking anywhere from the hotel. The area is not necessarily "bad" it is just kind of remote. There are several temporary communities in the general area for the families working on the Gurgaon construction crews. I doubt anything would happen during the day to a walker but the area is remote enough that anything is possible.

As far as taxis go, a trip to the train station would probably be less than 500-600 rupees. A hotel car would probably cost 1500+ rupees. I would suggest asking the bellhop to call a taxi for you and negotiate the fare before you leave the hotel.

The GM is an Aussie and he is a great guy. He lives in Delhi with his family so he has lots of great tips. I believe his name is Matt but I seem to have lost his business card. I would suggest that you arrange a short meeting with him when you check in to ask him for his recommendations.

If this is your 1st time in Agra, I would suggest hiring a guide before you leave the hotel. The guide can explain the architectural and functional details of the Taj that you would likely miss on a visit alone.

Enjoy the trip... J-Hawk

floyddl

I have stayed there on two occasions. The first time I caught a cab from the airport and it took forever and the cabbie had to stop and ask for directions several times. The second time I booked a fare that included transportation. The CY will email you a week or so in advance of your stay and you can respond to the email with your flight number and arrival time and they will confirm a driver to pick you up. The driver will be waiting for you as you exit customs with a card with your name and the hotel name on it. It went very smooth and the time to the hotel was about 20 minutes.

abbydancer

Hi,

I just started a new job, and apparently they are sending me to Gurgaon in September. It's a little bit scary for me.

I'm a MR gold member this year.

My boss was there earlier this year, and stayed at the Westin. One of the things he really liked about it was that they had drivers, so he was able to to and from the customer. He also used their from and to the airport, and for a sightseeing trip to the Taj Mahal.

Would the Courtyard be able to provide the same services? I'm a woman traveling alone, so I'd prefer not to take cabs. Also, I'll probably just eat in the hotel, so is the restaurant good?

Finally, I'll be arriving a couple of days early, so I'd like to visit the Taj Mahal. Could the hotel arrange a trustworthy guide?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Abby