Best isn’t necessarily pricey

Well, let me admit here that I’ve been to a lot of countries and obviously I have nearly always stayed in hotels. So from Paris to Seoul, from Amsterdam to Bangkok, from London to Sydney, or from Barcelona to Kuala Lumpur… I’ve always sought the best hotel deal. And believe me the right research always leads you to the right place for you. Even if you’re searching for the best hotels in Delhi.

When I talk of the best deal I mean a hotel where safety is taken seriously, where comfort isn’t compromised, and which isn’t in the middle of nowhere. I’ll give you an example. The hotel that we opted for during our visit to Singapore was on Bencoolen Street and took pride in the service that they provided. We were in the unenviable position of testing their claim on our first night there. As we were preparing to retire after a heavy day that had travel and the initial exploration of the city converging, we entered our room to discover that the AC wasn’t working.

I rang up the reception and said, ‘The AC of our room isn’t cooling. I’m sure something isn’t right here. Can you have someone sent to look into the fault?’

Well, their service engineer came in less than five minutes and the AC pads were changed and whatever else was needed was done in less than twenty minutes. In less than half an hour we had a nicely cool room left to us! We were naturally pleased.

Let me tell you about our experience in Barcelona when we wanted a higher floor to get a better view from the balcony. The friendly person at the reception promised us the sort of change we wanted… and on day two we were asked to leave our bags packed and keys deposited as they would give us a room with a view on a higher floor. When we returned that evening, we were in for a pleasant surprise. Not only was the shifting done, we also had a complimentary invite to the hotel restaurant for a meal! So whether you’re booking a hotel room in Barcelona or you’re looking for an authenticated list of hotels in Delhi, what you’re really looking for is a place that has the potential to win your heart.

All that I am trying to say is that hotels need to be proactive on multiple fronts to win over the hearts of their clients. They need to understand that if those who stay in their rooms are happy, they will reflect a part of their joyous experience to others… we live in a world that is already just a comment or a Facebook update or a tweet or a blog post away.

I remember I was asked by a friend in Amsterdam about the best hotels in Delhi and I smilingly said, ‘We have people who are as concerned about tourist comfort and safety as those anywhere else in the world!’ I told him that booking a hotel in Delhi was not difficult and could be done online as well as there were a few web portals that had an authenticated list of hotels in Delhi.

Did I mention that best isn’t necessarily pricey? Well, if I haven’t, let me add here that this indeed is a truth that most of us who go out often, believe in. No, you do not have to empty your wallet to get the best and my travel experiences that cover almost a dozen countries can vouch for this verity.