OYO 703 Hotel Shahi Palace

The room itself was good, but there are no windows, so the place depends entirely on air-conditioning for ventilation. The room and lobby smelled of smoke. If you’re travelling on a budget and just need somewhere to sleep for a night or two, it could work, as long as you’re okay with poor ventilation and little service.

The location felt safe and was easy to reach, and the staff were friendly and respectful, which should make women feel comfortable. You can order food in, and both the quality and portions were good. Everything was great for such an affordable price, really good value.

The two stars are for the hotel staff, who weren’t rude. Everything else was a problem. My room was tiny for Ahmedabad, cockroaches were everywhere, basic toiletries were missing, and they still didn’t clean the room after I asked several times. Breakfast had very few choices, with nowhere to sit and eat. The washroom had no exhaust, tissues or dustbin. The shower sprayed everywhere except where it should, the basin only worked to the left, and super hot water came out even after I’d switched off the geyser. The aquarium with fish and tortoises was filthy and stank. I can’t imagine how the animals were surviving. The tortoises were being fed dry, rotten cabbage leaves or something similar, with cockroaches in it.

I went to arrange 13 rooms for a wedding function. The manager took down all my requirements and said the main manager would send plans by email and WhatsApp within a day, but three days went by with no reply. When I returned to ask, a different manager told me I’d hear back by that evening. A week later I’d booked another hotel and still hadn’t heard from him. The first manager gave me only an average response and didn’t have authority to make decisions. It’s hard to understand this kind of carelessness in the hospitality business. Keep this in mind if you book here.