Highland Hotel Ooty

We only stayed one night, and overall it was enjoyable. The rooms were lovely, the property was beautiful, and the complimentary high tea was a treat. There was a huge breakfast spread and the food was very good. Lots of guests were playing in the fun zone, so I imagine it’d be good for kids. The bathrooms looked old and could do with an update, even though they were technically clean. They also didn’t seem especially well maintained.

The morning meal was the clear trouble spot during our stay at Accord Highland Ooty. If you don’t want South Indian food, there’s only one North Indian option. Seating is split between an indoor room and an outdoor area with a lovely valley view, but outside we were often overlooked. Service was so slow that I had to go inside several times to ask for dosas, pooris, and tea. The live poori counter was meant to serve tables, but it turned into a long wait, with little senior supervision. Dosas and omelets came cold, and tea took ages because one staff member was heating it in a pan. One woman at the tea station was quite rude. High tea was a very different experience. The tea was excellent, the staff were pleasant, and we enjoyed two kinds of biscuits with a freshly made hot snack like chana or matar. The setting was lovely. The kids also had a great time in the play area. Nearly all the games and equipment worked well, and the staff member there was exceptionally helpful and courteous. The hotel itself is beautiful, well maintained, and surrounded by greenery. Our Superior Room looked decent inside, and when we asked for a table fan, staff brought one promptly. There’s no AC. Don’t count on a sweeping valley view from this room type: our window faced roadside trees and a concrete roof below. Check-in was smooth, but there’s no lift. We were placed on the second floor, so people with elderly parents or mobility needs should bear that in mind and request a ground-floor room. We had a decent stay, and the scenery, recreation spaces, and high tea were strong points. Better breakfast management and staff training would make the experience much better.

We went for North Indian dishes after a disappointing experience with the Chef Signature Prawn Peerai and Nilgiri Chicken Korma. The prawns were partly cooked and had a strong smell through the gravy, so we complained to the chef. The korma, made without coconut, didn’t seem like proper korma. Breads, butter chicken, and kebabs were much better, and fairly priced compared with other Ooty resorts. The breakfast buffet was decent too. We stayed three days and two nights in peak holiday season. The high room rates were understandable for the period, but the overall experience didn’t match what we paid. We had a second-floor room, and there’s no lift. The resort is built on a hillside, with the lawn and children’s play area far below, so getting back to our room felt like climbing 5-6 floors each time. That would be very hard for older guests and families with children. Management should consider a lift or better accessibility support. The property isn’t bad, but it felt overhyped by influencers and exaggerated online reviews. To us, it was an average resort with a good view and decent North Indian food, but comfort, access, and consistency fell short of the premium experience it claims to offer.

The lawn and outdoor space were nice, the activity area was good, the rooms were decent, and the staff were polite. Still, our three-night stay didn’t feel worth the price or the high ratings online. The food was the biggest letdown. There weren’t many choices, and most dishes we tried from the small menu were average or worse. Breakfast was better, but lunch and dinner didn’t meet expectations for a hotel in this category. At check-in, staff said milk for the baby would be free, but we later found some ₹80 milk charges on the bill. That was confusing and disappointing. Noise also made it hard to rest. A group on our floor was loud through the night, and we could hear everything inside our locked room. We complained, but nothing really improved, affecting both our sleep and comfort. There’s no lift, so carrying a baby up and down two floors repeatedly became tiring. Parking was difficult by evening, with many spaces taken by yellow board cabs and vans. We ended up using dark, sloped areas that didn’t feel very safe.