The LaLiT New Delhi

The food needs better quality control. My friend and I both had upset stomachs the next morning after ordering a saag dish at 11.30 PM on March 01, 2026. My wife skipped it and was fine. The Garden of Eden cocktail I ordered at 7 PM that evening was strange and seemed to be missing ingredients, though it was great the next day when I ordered it directly at the bar. The rooms could use some TLC, especially more bathroom hooks, but the staff were phenomenal. The gym was excellent and opened early in the mornings, and breakfast had a great spread. Riyaz (Concierge) and Bimal (house cleaning) were especially friendly and helpful among an already great group of staff. The Lalit is our gold standard for five-star hotels in India, and I really enjoyed my stay.

I got a good room at this centrally located hotel, and the service was very good. They worked out a good rate for my long-term work stay. Several people made the stay especially good: at the 24/7 restaurant, assistant chef Naman Chawla had a great attitude, and Narender Pantri, the day head chef, made the best food compared with other times. Supervisor Gaurav Rawal was also helpful. On the 21st floor, Pradeep and Sunil in housekeeping had a great attitude. At the bell desk, Balakrishna and the short bald guy stood out. The management team were humble and nice too: CEO Vive Shukla, hotel manager Vineet Kapoor, and national sales head Kashif siddiqie. The stay was good overall.

The reception, security, and lobby staff were consistently polite and welcoming, which made a positive difference. The hotel is in a very convenient spot for getting around Delhi, and the building makes a strong visual impression. Still, it felt below the standard expected of a purported five-star hotel, especially in the details. The bedrooms were spacious, but cleanliness fell short. Shower finishing and maintenance looked slapdash, and the towels were worn, shabby, and discoloured. There were no bathrobes and only one pair of slippers for a couples room. Toiletries were more like an average three-star hotel than the five-star quality I expected. The ground-floor restaurant was the opposite of the front desk: staff were abrupt and came across as rude, with little basic courtesy or customer care. The food was average, not bad, but nothing memorable or exceptional for a hotel of this standard. It’s a well-located, impressive-looking hotel with good front-of-house service, but inconsistent hospitality, subpar rooms, and very average dining let it down.

The property and atmosphere are nice, but my visit to The Lalit Hotel was disappointing. Staff spoke to me rudely and unprofessionally, and their manner made it seem that guest comfort wasn’t a priority. Polite, respectful service matters most in hospitality, and I didn’t get that here. Management should focus seriously on staff training, since service is what shapes a hotel’s reputation.