M-Palace is a lodge, not really a hotel. It has no restaurant, though there are menus and, if you order, food is brought in from nearby places. It’s in a quiet family area at Cuttack Development Authority Sector -9, with clean surroundings and plenty of parking. There aren’t any shops nearby that we could see. The outside looks good with the OYO logo, and our car made getting around easier. You can lock two-wheelers inside the gate. Bring your own food and water and don’t expect much from the staff, though one staff member was very nice. We took their number for our next booking 14 days later. The first room was surprisingly good for the price, like a 5 Star room. It had bathroom slippers, but no hangers. One receptionist said tea might be available, but another boy said they didn’t provide it, and we ended up walking 400 -500 metres for tea. We bought dinner outside. Still, the room, location, and parking made that first stay go well. The booking trouble started in June, when I reserved through the Agoda App. I arrived at 03:00 PM and the receptionist looked surprised, saying they didn’t have online reservations. After calling someone to ask whether they had started accepting them, he said they had ended their agreements with online agencies a year or more earlier because of a price issue. I contacted Agoda by phone and email, then waited. In the meantime, I booked a ground floor room directly after an unmarried couple left following 2 hours of use. Agoda confirmed a full refund after 4 hours. I got it a few days later, but the cancellation reason said CUSTOMER REQUEST. Just Pathetic Team AGODA. My friend and I were in a rush because we had an exam the next day, and we had already lost 3 precious hours. They allotted us a room for 1000 per day, and we stayed. When we called 13 days later to book for the day after that, they confirmed a room. After our exam, we got there at 1430 hrs and were told all rooms were booked. They asked us to wait 30 minutes because 3 couples had booked by the hour. By 1710 hrs, a couple had finished and we got the 2 floor room. It looked like a forensic team could have inspected what was left behind: hair on the floor and clear signs on the bed. This room was very small, with an extremely cramped bathroom. As we joked, anyone a little heavy would struggle to get out. There were no bathroom slippers this time. The balcony was 1 foot wide and 6 feet long, but only 2 feet was accessible, and it was very dirty. There were no chairs, so we asked for two. The attendant said he’d bring them once a room was vacated. We made space to study for our exam without disturbing the traces left by the people before us. The chairs finally arrived at 0915 PM. By morning, we’d spoiled all the evidence ourselves. The only good thing about that trip was that I passed the exam that day. This lodge seems to be used mostly by young couples who rent by the hour. It’s 500 to 600 for 2 hours, and there are frequent rounds; a full day is 1000. That seems to be why they prefer short stays, and those guests don’t complain because they’re focused on their own plans. If you can book a ground floor room, those are good. We had a great time on the first visit, despite the tea and food situation, but the later room was a very different experience.
