Miscellaneous Tips, Agra, India - Reviews and Hotel Information

When we first booked our stay at the Trident, it was called the Trident Hilton, and was (duh) a Hilton property. A few weeks after I made our reservations via hotels.com (we got a great price that way), it changed hands to the prestigious Oberoi group. It appears that Oberoi has bought Hilton out on their Indian Trident properties as part of a move to increase Oberoi's first-class (versus super deluxe luxury) hotel footprint. The Tridents are an excellent way to do this.

Speaking for a minute about prices, two things. As I say, I booked through hotels.com, and got a great deal. We paid slightly over $100 per night per room for very nice rooms. Now, my understanding is that Oberoi is now pricing these rooms for more like $160 per night - which is still a good deal for so nice of a hotel so close to the Taj Mahal area. I just wanted to clear up any pricing changes from my tip. Bottom line, you'd have to spend twice as much money in Agra to find a "better" hotel. And to tell you the truth, spending such money would really just get you "more expensive" and a little fancier. This is the place you want to stay.

The Trident itself is an oasis of peace, quiet and excellent service. It's so clean and well-maintained that it literally shines, and since so much of the hotel's public space is glass, that is a never-ending job. They're constantly cleaning glass at the Trident.

As for the peace and quiet issue, it's amazing... the hotel is literally at the edge of a very busy and noisy street, Fatehabad Road. (which is also called Taj Road) And yet, as soon as you go pass through the walls into the Trident's grounds, everything is quiet and relaxing. The decor is modern minimalist, done in hues of gold and black. There are many uses of quality marble throughout, in keeping (I guess with Agra's long history of marble work). The rooms themselves are ulta modern... excellent hot water, quality and comfortable beds, and well-functioning air conditioning. And, if you need anything and call the desk, they'll simply say "don't worry sir, we are sending a boy" and BAM - there he is in about two minutes. They'll have a heart attack if you even try to carry your own suitcases or even open a public door for yourself. These guys are all about service. You will enjoy your stay here.

One thing, during my communications directly with the hotel, I had occasion to correspond with and later meet the hotel's general manager, Mr. Vishal Barti. He was most helpful and attentive. If you choose to book with and stay at the Trident, please take a moment to say hello to Vishal. Please tell him that Peter Chamlis from Tallahassee, Florida sent you, and that I said hello. He's a very nice man. BTW, his email address is vishal.bharti@tridenthotels.com. And his other contact information is Tel: +91 562 2235000 | Facsimile : +91 562 2331812.

The Trident is an excellent value in Agra. The rooms are, even at the new Oberoi pricing scheme, incredibly comfortable. If you can, get a pool view room, which look out onto the rock garden/waterfall grounds. Very peaceful.

Speaking of pools, they have a very nice one at the Trident. There always seemed to be a bunch of Germans using it. I stopped by a few times and practiced my German with them.

There is also a business center where you can use the internet terminals for something like 200 Rs/hour. (This is maybe $4) I understand that they also have wireless throughout the hotel, but I didn't have my laptop and therefore didn't use it. I don't know if it's free or not.

There is a good restaurant. The food is well-prepared and very enjoyable... and the service. Top notch, and yet very friendly. This is a place where they wait on your hand and foot, and yet you don't mind. :) We had breakfast buffet there each day, and we enjoyed sampling some of the Indian breakfast items. They also have American and continental style items for your AM enjoyment.

There's also a bar, which serves both drinks and light snacks. One afternoon, we had a couple of beers (drinking them outside in a covered walkway near the pool). We decided to have a little snack, and we chose a real winner. It was spicy-batter fried bekti (a local fish) with a wonderful mint chutney dipping sauce. It was a perfect choice, give it a whirl if you're there.

The doorman (see photo) was such a pleasant guy, we enjoyed chatting with him on every occasion that our paths crossed.

Miscellaneous Tips, Agra

Agra Hotels

Agra Hotels