The Fern Residency Chandigarh

At around 10 PM, after arriving in the city for a meeting the next day, I was told I couldn’t check in. I’d booked the room through a website that afternoon, around 2 PM, at a decent price. The receptionist said they didn’t deal with that site, even though their hotel was listed there and was taking bookings at that time. They then asked for an extra 1500 to let me have the room. I refused, so the platform contacted the hotel and asked what was going on. The platform arranged another hotel, Clark Inn in zirakpur, at the same price. The hotel then gave me a room at that same rate through the same website they’d said they didn’t deal with. After I checked in, about 10 minutes later they came back and said the booking was cancelled, and moved me out of the room. This was around 11 PM. I left and checked in at Clarks Inn in Zirakpur, which the platform had arranged. I paid 3500 for a room that looked worth about 2000. They charged as if they were a five-star chain, while Clarks Inn, a better hotel, was cheaper. Don’t book here if you want a peaceful stay.

The staff were very helpful, and breakfast was a great buffet of vegetarian North Indian food, with some Western items too, if I remember right. I didn’t try those. There’s an excellent restaurant on the fourth floor, plus a bar serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. It’s a nice little boutique hotel spread across several floors. It’s conveniently close to the Porsche, Merc, Audi, and Suzuki dealerships. Seeing a Porsche or two parked casually on the street makes it feel like they couldn’t care less about regular westerners, which is a nice way to start a trip to India.

My wife arrived around 10 PM after traveling alone with a fully prepaid booking, but the staff refused to let her check in. Leaving a solo woman stranded at night despite a confirmed, paid reservation is unacceptable and shows a serious lack of responsibility. The staff and owner were rude, dismissive, and intimidating instead of trying to sort it out. Their behavior raises real concerns about professionalism and how they treat guests, especially women traveling alone. It makes me question whether this hotel cares about safety or honoring bookings. Avoid it. There are better and safer options than risking your time, money, and safety here.

As a woman, I travel alone, and this was extremely disappointing and unprofessional. I had a confirmed booking that was fully paid, but when I arrived around 10 PM, they denied me a room without giving a valid reason. I was left waiting until midnight despite having paid. That’s irresponsible and raises serious concerns about guest safety and basic management. The staff showed no urgency or accountability and offered no proper solution. A confirmed reservation seems to mean nothing here. The staff were rude, and the owner had a lot of attitude. There was no scene at all. I’d caution anyone planning to stay, especially families or solo travelers arriving late. Think twice before booking, since you could be stranded despite paying in advance.