Ok, but watch our for bad AC
by TripAdvisor Member foobar42
I've stayed at the Royal Orchid Park Plaza twice - 15 nights in Nov 2007 and 10 nights in Jan 2008.
On the first stay the room I got (405) apparently had faulty AC since the air blown by it smelled of mold. After getting respiratory problems from the bad air quality and complaining about it twice they changed me to a room on the fifth floor. The air quality there was much better and I no longer had a runny nose and sore throat in the morning. On my second say the room air quality was fine as well. If your room smells bad, demand they change it.
- The currency exchange rate is better than at some other hotels. (55.3 INR for 1 EUR when mid-market rate was 57.3)
- Free Wifi, though it requires logging in and was down on a few days.
- OK breakfast buffet, included in the room price. Lunch buffet is tasty but expensive. Sunday brunch price of over 1000 rupees with a bottle of water and taxes is bordering on robbery, compared with price level elsewhere. The Chinese restaurant, Ginseng, has good service and tasty food.
- There is the open sewer flowing nearby and you can smell it occasionally if you're eating outside and wind blows from the wrong direction. It didn't usually bother me much, though.
Pleasantly Surprised - Will Use Again For Business
by TripAdvisor Member spreadsheet_spears
Booked into Royal Orchid as only hotel available due to Air Show.
Having previously been to Bangalore knew the level of hotels, however was not expecting that much.
Airport pickup was there and welcoming, ensuring I was taken to the Hotel promptly. The desk manager had my reservation and was very helpful.
As per some previous comments, felt like the bell boy was expecting a tip however explained that I only had 1,000 rupee notes and was not going to tip someone (£13) for carrying my bags 100 yards.
(Please note that I did pay him 100 rupees the following day, when I had some change and he was more grateful because I had remembered. Lesson being for the sake of just over £1, I got very attentive service for the rest of my trip!).
The room was very good, with office space including wi-fi connection, a plasma flatscreen TV and a very contemporary bathroom. Wardrobe space for more than one is limited.
The breakfasts are truly international and the one night I ordered room service, they were very prompt and the food delicious.
The rooftop infinity pool was a delight. Good view of the city, golf course etc, though pool was freezing! Poolside service very good.
Rooms were very clean and they were "turned out" every evening to ensure that they were in tip top condition.
With its proximity to the golf course, the reception also arranged for a letter of introduction to get me and some colleaguesonto the golf course, which was not the worlds best, but still worth playing, if only for the helpful comments from the caddies.
48 out, after some advice after 9 holes 39 in.
Will be going back next month, and will be returning to the Royal Orchid.
Avoid if you want to stay healthy
by TripAdvisor Member london1981
The Orchid has a pleasant roof top pool and reasonable rooms, though these are over priced even by Bangalore standards.
I caught a strain of typhoid during a 3 week stay in this hotel. This was contracted over a weekend where I ate nowhere other than the hotel restaurants/room service and then had gastronenteritis so medical staff have advised me the hotel was almost certainly the source. 2 weeks in hospital and 2 months off work make it unlikely I will ever stay here again.
Typhoid is usually contracted through the infection of food through fecal bacteria. Nearly half the members of our large group suffered food poisoning at some point during our stay. There are far better places to stay in Bangalore. Public health in the UK would have closed the premises down.
Good hospitality
by TripAdvisor Member jeruk
I have stayed at the hotel last year and the hotel & staff came across much friendlier and freshr than the last time.The best thing about the hotel are the new well furnished club rooms,the heated pool is an added advantage.Geoffrey's is good if only there were some female service staff and an international Dj? the service staff is just great.Shall definately recommend the hotel to my friends.
Good but overpriced
by TripAdvisor Member Mexican_Tourist
I stayed in the Royal Orchid for 3 weeks, the Rooms are clean, and wide, the beds are confortable and warm.
The 3 restaurants are great specially the Chineese one, the service there is awesome and the food is really good...
The only flaw is the smell outside the hotel (not a problem if you take a cab every day) and in the lobby, they try to avoid this ugly smell from the outside with some weird one, and also some mosquito repelent....
Better than average, but disappointing for the price
by TripAdvisor Member MarkReynolds
I stayed on business at the Royal Orchid hotel for a week on business during December 2007. The hotel was selected and booked by my corporate travel agent, who arranged a club room with a nightly rate of 16,800 rupees including luxury tax (approx. GBP210/USD425).
My flight arrived into Bangalore at 5.15am local time, and I was met at the airport by a hotel representative and driver, who drove us the 5 minutes to the hotel.
I stayed in a club room, which was very spacious and finished to a high standard, including: a large bathroom with separate bath and multi-jet shower (and, bizarrely, louvered French windows that opened into the living area!), a large living/working area with couch, armchair, table and chairs, work desk and a large wall-mounted flat-screen television; and a large, comfortable bed. For the business traveller, the hotel provides free wi-fi, which is helpful, but I found to be somewhat unreliable at times.
Where the hotel let itself down, however, was on service. My working schedule meant that I often didn't reach the hotel until late at night, and had to rely on room service or the mini-bar for food & refreshment. Room service was very slow (up to 45 minutes to an hour for a sandwich and a lukewarm beer) and the minibar was more frequently left unstocked than it was refilled. Speed of catering service was reflected in other areas of the hotel - there seemed to be no hurry in any of the on-site restaurants, and we frequently waited upwards of 40 minutes for short-order food orders.
Although the room rate was expensive, sundries were very reasonably priced; however, they failed to make up for the fact that, what was by Indian standards a very expensive hotel, failed to punch at its weight for the class of hotel it was.
