Hotel Grand Orchid

Our 13-day South India tour went smoothly at the other hotels, but Grand Orchid was the worst stay of the trip. Even with advance booking through our travel agent, we waited 45 minutes to check in because staff said they had no information from the agent. The first room was in horrible shape, with piles of garbage outside the door and no dustbin. We had to insist on changing rooms. The restaurant was full of mosquitoes and very poorly kept. The room intercom didn’t work, and the tea and coffee tray was empty, with no tea bags, sugar, or milk powder. We stayed two nights, but there were no water bottles on the second day. Breakfast was meant to run from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, but when we arrived at 8:45 AM it wasn’t ready. It was served at 9.15 AM. A helper carried our luggage at check-in, but none was available at checkout. We were told to carry six bags down from the second floor ourselves, despite traveling with senior citizen parents. That showed no empathy. A security guard also demanded ₹400 per person just to give basic information about SSD tokens for Tirumala temple, including location and timing. Charging for simple guidance is unacceptable and unethical. The hotel failed to provide basic hospitality. The service was worse than a lodge or dharmashala. I strongly don’t recommend it, especially for families and senior citizens. ⭐ Rating: 0/5

I arrived with my wife and 5-year-old child after booking through an online app two months earlier. The manager first said there was no room. When I showed the confirmed booking, he said he didn’t care and told me to contact the app’s customer care. His explanation kept changing every few minutes: first there were no rooms, then the hotel was under maintenance, then management had changed. He shouted at us, told my wife to “keep quiet,” and threatened that if he gave us a room, he wouldn’t be responsible if anything happened. My family was left stranded in Tirupati, searching for another room with a small child. The behavior was deeply disrespectful and unprofessional, and the place felt unsafe. I strongly advise avoiding it for your safety and peace of mind.

Orcella grand looks good in front, but the inside is awful. Service is the worst, the food isn’t hygienic, and the rooms aren’t cleaned properly. The rating is far too high. My advice is not to come here.

Finding a decent hotel in Tirupati feels impossible. There are so many hotels there, and I think about 50% of the hotels in Andhra are in Tirupati. Hotel names keep changing when new owners take over, so Google reviews aren’t much use, and Google Maps often doesn’t work in Tirupati or tirumala. I’d just pick a hotel near the entrance to tirumala. Better yet, book a hotel along with the 300 special darshan ticket so you can stay on the Tirumala hill within walking distance of the temple. Many A2B or Udupi restaurants have hotels attached, so try to find one for good food.