Hotel Royal Palace

The AC was broken, and the room was sweltering. It also looked nothing like the listing and needed serious maintenance. Staff were slow to respond to our complaints and didn’t seem to care. I regret staying here and would avoid it if you want a pleasant stay.

There’s no kitchen, so you have to order meals from other restaurants or go out to eat, and they don’t provide bottled water. The room itself was disappointing too, especially its size and cleanliness.

The room we eventually got was awful, with a tiny toilet, and the whole check-in experience was upsetting. I arrived around 2 a.m. after 28 hours on a train, with my wife, my mother, and a friend’s mother, and was left standing outside in the middle of the night. It was my first time in Ahmedabad, so I’d booked through OYO without knowing the area. The receptionist refused to check me in, saying the OYO tariff was too low and demanding more money. I’d already paid the full reservation charge. He then said my payment only covered a non-AC room, although OYO had clearly listed AC as available. He shouted at me, called me illiterate for not knowing his “rules of the business,” threatened me, and said he ran 14 hotels in Ahmedabad and wouldn’t give me a room. I called customer care, and an agent agreed to move me to another property. While I was speaking with them, the receptionist told me to talk to the owner. The owner suggested, “Sir na aapka na mera 200₹ har room ka badha ke de do room lelo” (Sir, let’s meet in the middle: pay me ₹200 more per room per day and take the room). After a very long discussion, we finally got a room. I’d tell people to stay in a Dharmshala instead. Please don’t stay here, even if it’s free.

The rooms are only okay, and none have windows, including the bathrooms. The hotel is in an industrial area, far from the city, which may suit industrial visits but is inconvenient for travelers. There’s no emergency exit, and the stairs are hidden, so you have to find them to use them.