New Delhi, The Grand

This hotel has one of the best designs and decors that I have ever seen. Space and light are used very well and the design of the bathroom was excellent.

Design and decor on their own don't make for a great 5 star hotel. What really counts is the quality and experience of the staff and the training they have received. It was clear to me that the Grand has a long way to go in terms of it's staff being able to provide the type of service that customers who are paying high rates expect.

The problems started at reception - when we arrived the receptionist had no idea of our booking despite the fact that our airline (who we booked through) had given written confirmation and a booking reference number. We were told to wait while they checked and then three different sets of managers finally agreed that they did have a booking for us. This process took an hour while we waited in reception.

We had booked on a full board basis but when we finally managed to check in we were told that no meals were included. This is despite the fact that my booking voucher showed that meals were included. We were told to wait again while they checked. After another hour they couldn't resolve this so I just called up the Airline who we had booked with in London to sort it out. Within 10 minutes after the call from London the Hotel manager eventually agreed that our meals were included. If he had just read the booking form we wouldn't have had to go through the pain. But the experience was unpleasant and made us feel as though we were freeloaders when in fact everything was paid for.

We ate at the main restaurant which looked fantastic but at the buffet I noticed that once a dish ran out it was not replaced. If you asked for that dish you were told that they hadn't got it anymore (hardly a 5 star response). This happened at lunch, dinner and breakfast the result being that there was a limited choice of food. To make matters worse one of the waiters managed to spill milk on me because he was trying to carry too many things at the same time and couldn't manage.

Checking out was very stressful - Clearly the previous manager had not told the reception staff that we had already paid in advance. So we were presented with a bill for accommodation and food. I then had to repeat the whole process of explanations to another set of staff which was not only annoying but time consuming as well.

The location of the Grand is very poor. The hotel is 30 mins from the Airport but there are no tourist facilities around it. For the same price you could stay at a more customer friendly hotel located in central Delhi such as Oberoi or Taj.

My advice to the Grand is; if you charge 5 star prices make sure your staff are able to deliver the service.

Would I stay here again - Never.