Hotel Shadab Palace

We stayed five days and things were good overall. The rates seemed quite reasonable compared with nearby hotels, and the staff were cooperative. The AC gets really cold. The only problem was the bathroom buckets and mugs, which were sticky and not clean, so ask the staff to clean them before using.

I wouldn’t recommend staying here with family. This is what I experienced. The surrounding area is dirty and down a narrow lane, and taxis don’t drop you at the hotel gate. Inside, it feels more like a dormitory than a hotel. Some rooms are single occupancy with toilets outside, and those toilets smell bad all day. The rooms are tiny, with broken tiles, fans, lights, and a cupboard without a door. There’s an open dustbin and a bottle of phenyl on the horrible staircase. The lobby is barely wide enough for one person to walk through. If you leave a window open, you might find a big rat in the room. You have to ask for drinking water. When I asked, they gave me tap water in a dirty, heavily used bottle. The aquarium behind reception had dirty water too, and the fish seemed to be struggling to breathe. The fan and AC make music-like noises. The staff talk rudely, call you “BHAI LOG,” and don’t seem trained to deal professionally with customers who’ve travelled a long way. They act as if only guests make mistakes, never staff, and don’t seem to know phrases like sorry, thanks, or visit again. I can’t understand the 3/5 ratings. Maybe those reviewers were friends or connected to the place. I’m writing what I felt. Thanks.

For a single commuter like us, this is a good option. The service is good, food is available nearby, and the inside of the hotel looks nice. At 500, it’s the cheapest room I found in South Mumbai. You can’t expect much at that rate, especially when dorm beds around Mumbai cost 400 and offer no privacy. The hotel is tucked inside a narrow lane.

They put someone else in our room, then tried to charge us double because the room they wanted to move us to was nicer. When we’d had enough and decided to leave, they tried to keep our passports. The toilets are in the hallway and didn’t look clean.