I was travelling to Lucknow on business and had to choose a hotel. None of the international chains has a hotel there, so I was wondering where to stay, when I heard of the Park Inn hotels. This is a small, but growing, chain of hotels in India, part of the Sarovar group. I was told that they are quite nice, so I decided to give it a try.
RESERVATIONS For a country which has such a strong IT base, international call centres and online service centres, it's surprising how few of the domestic hotels can be booked online.
Thankfully, the Park Inn is one of the exceptions. There is a quick and easy system to check availability and make reservations on the Sarovar Hotels website, www.sarovarhotels.com
In common with most, if not all, hotels in India, there are two prices, one in Indian Rupees, for Indian nationals and residents, and another price one in US dollars for non-residents. The prices are fairly equitable at Rs3150 for residents, or US$70 / GB£40 for visitors.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS The entrance is off one of the less crowded, rubbish-strewn streets of Lucknow. We turned into a small driveway which led past a car park to the hotel entrance.
The exterior photo on the website gives the impression of a small, boutique hotel, so I was quite taken aback to drive up to a larger, more normal-looking hotel. The building was quite a bit larger than I had expected.
The reception area is very small; it is really seems to be a wide corridor with a desk squeezed into the middle, a couple of sofas on the right and a restaurant to the left. When I arrived there where three or four cretins sat on the sofa, watching the people arriving, whispering to each other and giggling like some moronic inmates.
The arrival process wasn't helped by having Dopey at Reception. She was polite but so slow that I almost wanted to go out, find a hotel for the night and come back in the morning when she had finished! The reservation was there, the room was ready, but she moved with the speed of a sloth overdosed on valium, stopping to answer the phone, deal with other queries, photocopy my passport. In all it took no less than fifteen minutes, by when the giggling from the corner was really starting to irk me. Finally I had the key, and was able to head up to the room.
THE ROOM In the temporary peace of my room, I cranked the A/C up and was able to chill, literally and figuratively.
In contrast to the small reception area, the room was large and impressively spacious. It was also comfortable, which is more important!
The floor was of wood and green marble. The bed was a king sized double and comfortable enough. There was a suitcase stand to one side, then a unit containing the TV, a minibar below (which had just soft drinks and chocolates), and a stand with a kettle, tea and coffee. There was also a jug of drinking water. At the far end there was also an armchair with footstool. On the desk there was a folder with some very sparse information about the hotel - very limited, and quite uninformative.
There was a little, folded card inviting guests to phone for their complimentary cookie tray. Not a bad idea, call if you want it, to avoid wastage.
The bathroom colours matched the bedroom. There was a bath with shower, a very small piece of soap and little plastic bottles of shampoo.
Overall the room was not as plush and luxurious as you would get at a five-star international chain, but it was not far short. It was comfortable, larger than expected, clean and tidy. And in the morning, an English language newspaper was slipped under the door.
FOOD AND DRINK There are two restaurants at the Park Inn. I had dinner at the rooftop restaurant, which is open during spring and autumn when the weather is suited to outdoor dining. The food was very good, plentiful and tasty, and the service was attentive.
There is an indoor restaurant, (which is convenient as otherwise you would go hungry in summer and winter!) called Pavilion which is next to reception. Breakfast is served here, and it also doubles as a bar.
The hotel also offers 24-hour room service. The prices are very good for hotels, Rs135-200 for a main course (GB£1.75 to 2.50) and cocktails from Rs95 (GB£1.25)
OTHER FACILITIES The hotel has a Business Centre, which I didn't use but it has PCs for internet access, printing, secretarial services etc.
There a Meeting Rooms for small and medium sized meetings, 10-40 people and one can take up to 100.
There are no in-house sports or fitness facilities.
MY EXPERIENCE - NOISY NEIGHBOURS My stay at the Park Inn was spoiled by noise from the corridor and other rooms during the night. From midnight, my neighbour had several visitors in his room and they kept their room door open so the loud voices and laughter poured into the corridor. I was woken a couple of times before I opened my door and called at them to kindly shut up, after which they were a bit quieter. Then, around 3am, I was woken again by some people going into the room opposite, but having a ten minute conversation and laugh in the corridor first. Again I opened my door and informed them that others were trying to sleep. They were very apologetic. Of course, all this is not the hotel's fault, but it did mean that I was rather tired the next day.
SUMMARY Overall, a pleasant hotel. The rooms are clean and well maintained, which is an important consideration in India, as well as large and quite well equipped and comfortable, and the food is good. Other than at Reception, the service was good.
The hotel is officially rated three star, but I give it seven out of ten, rounded up to four stars.
More details
Quality of Food & Drink
Good
Family Friendly
Average
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