OYO 26955 Asteria

For this price, I don't think it's easy to find a good hotel. The rooms are neat and clean, and everyone is helpful. Mr. Tilak and Chandershekher were especially kind, always ready to help with a smile. I stayed six nights and never saw North Indian food at breakfast, so they could add a few items to the buffet. Everything else was fine, and I'd highly recommend it.

Breakfast was better than I expected, and the staff were friendly and understanding, even though my reservation disappeared from their OYO system for no reason. The place is clean-ish, but it doesn't look as new and shiny as the pictures. My ground-floor room was right behind reception, so it got quite noisy at night and in the morning, with locals watching films on their phones, making calls, talking loudly, and cooking. By foreign standards, it probably doesn't deserve the full three stars.

The nearby Nisarg garden restaurant was a bright spot, with lovely food. The hotel's cleanliness was below standard, though: cleaning seemed superficial, and the wall corners looked like they hadn't been touched in weeks. Power cuts were a big issue, and it took a long time to start the generator. One summer morning, we waited almost two hours. They also change towels only once every two days, which surprised me since other hotels provide fresh ones daily, or even twice a day if needed. Check-in was another bad start. The manager claimed Oyo had paid them rs. 40 less, yes, just rs. 40, and was very hesitant to let us check in even though it wasn't our fault and we'd just completed an almost 24-hour journey. I had to argue that it was between them and Oyo, not us. He eventually let us check in, and I paid the rs. 40. The experience was very disappointing from the beginning.

The staff were also unpleasant. One shouted at us, and another wouldn't even answer when we complained. After booking through the OYO website, I arrived with my mother and was first given a room with a dirty bathroom, then another with a faulty AC. We had paid 1200 rupees for the room, plus 400 extra for early check-in, making 1600 rupees altogether. Later, we were told those rooms had been blocked because they weren't fit for guests. Why were we given unfit rooms in the first place? It's the worst accommodation experience of my life. I now understand why the OYO website is a pathetic place to book rooms. I hope nobody stays there. Bad place, bad staff. I cringe thinking about it.