Grand President New Delhi

I spent the whole night awake, afraid to fall asleep. Around 11 PM, the bellman and someone I thought was the manager, whom I’d seen at check-in, kept trying to enter my room, saying they needed to clean it. I shouted through the door that they were not to come in under any circumstances, but they kept insisting. I saw a third man down the hallway through the peephole. It was terrifying. The hotel also had no Wi-Fi, so I made long-distance calls just to get connected and put my partner on speakerphone. This was my first trip to Delhi, probably in 2016, for some sales meetings with Nielsen. My colleague had made the reservation. After that night, I only stayed in 5-star hotels. I’m writing this now because friends are traveling to Delhi. Don’t stay here, especially if you’re female. Never again.

The owner, or whoever was the main man at the desk, was no help unless you were handing over money. My room faced the road, so it was very noisy, and there was no hot water at night. The rooms are old and dated, with a musty smell. It was bearable for a couple of nights while I waited for my tour to start, but I’m sure there are better places for a similar price.

I was there for two days for an interview, and check-in was easy. It’s easy to find and within walking distance of Karol Bagh metro station. There’s a nearby market for shopping and food, and in-room dining is available. The hotel also provides a refrigerator and a kettle with tea bags, sugar, coffee, and milk powder. It could work well for business travelers. Breakfast is a paid buffet. The room was dark and could use better lighting. The kettle was a bit dirty, and at night I couldn’t get hot water in the bathroom, which was difficult in winter. The Wi-Fi was slow, and since the smart TV relies on it, I had nothing to watch for those two days.

The rooms were the one redeeming part of my stay. I had prepaid for four days but left after just one. They said they would refund me by online transfer, but even after several complaints, the money never came. The failure to deal with my complaints and the lack of integrity made the whole experience disappointing.