Hotel Sapphire House Paharganj

I stayed here before heading back to Israel, and I wouldn’t return. The rooms and reception seemed neglected, and the employees weren’t very nice. At check-in, the clerk asked to see the reception code from my Booking.com email. Only afterward did I wonder why. I suspected he might have wanted to cancel my booking in their system or get my credit details, though my card wasn’t saved there, so he couldn’t have harmed me that way. Maybe he was trying to improve his own situation somehow. The room he first offered, on the first floor, was full of mothballs, which they use to kill insects. I got a headache after five minutes and said I couldn’t stay there. He first resisted and said they’d clean them out, then offered another room with fewer. I turned that one down too. On the third floor he showed me a room with only two mothballs, so I accepted. After he left, I picked up both pills with toilet paper and got rid of them, then aired the room and felt relieved. Casa Central nearby is much better. In general, I’d avoid this neighborhood, and maybe Delhi altogether. Of all the places I’ve visited, across over twenty countries and hundreds of cities, New Delhi is the only one I don’t want to revisit. Maybe another Delhi neighborhood, or not traveling alone or with a local, would have made the experience different. Still, I have no desire to go back under any circumstances.

The team was helpful, and the hotel itself is decent for the price. Inside is fine, though the AC didn’t work well and the bathroom could have been cleaner. It’s also close to transport and other hotels. The location is the real problem. There’s an open men’s toilet right outside, bringing an unbearable smell and pollution to an extremely unhygienic area. It’s very uncomfortable and unsuitable for families, especially women travelers. For a three-star property, it’s surprising they haven’t tried to address this serious issue by covering the toilet and providing proper facilities.

I’ve stayed at these three nearby affiliated hotels over the past 7 years, visiting every few months and usually staying 7 to 10 days. Anshuman at the front desk is excellent. The hotel owners and management are the problem. They don’t maintain the properties or provide basic amenities, and I’ve been disappointed with all three. The bathrooms are dirty, smelly, and unhygienic. The beds have bugs and terrible mattresses, and the AC is a joke, with less cooling than a cooler. The support staff are untrained and arrogant. These are third-class places to stay. They need to improve customer service, provide the basic amenities expected for each room category, train the staff, and prioritize cleaning and hygiene. I can’t recommend these properties right now.

We stayed three nights. The surroundings were nice, the rooms were clean, and the service from the authorities was very good.