A very fair and well judged review, as always. I admire your abilility to sit back for a time; assess your experience and then post a review. A rare approach these days but one that I truly appreciate.
My sons and I were there just a couple of weeks ago and the stay was wonderful. Friendly staff at every corner, excellent room service, restaurant options, and even a beautiful take home Kanchipuram silk scarf for being a frequent Marriott member. I found the bamboo amenities unique and the canvas laundry/shoe bags were also a nice touch.
Hi Kevin. Wow...that is quite the letdown, I must say. I have been to the Grand Chola (didn't stay there; was more for the elaborate business dinners) and the place always looked so impressive. Once we were even given a tour of the facilities and it looked great, but I guess that it has just changed with time, unfortunately. Another hotel that I was told about, which seems to blow the Grand Chola out of the water, is the Leela Palace Hotel, but it's a bit out of the way on the coast. So perhaps an option for any future trips to Chennai!
Loved your comments. I stayed at this hotel in 2017 for few times (3) and every time it was excellent. Maybe the covid era had some tolls on the staffing. Thank you for the review and the footage and looking forward to your next review.
Thank you for your honest review, especially that comment on that late night night party, which certainly would’ve kept me awake all night long. I will definitely not, repeat, not, be staying at this hotel, ever!
Great review Kevin! I noticed on one of the restaurants that the menu was accessible only on a QR code. I am an older individual and also old school. I want a printed menu! I know this is becoming the way things are being done but come on! especially at a luxury property I expect more.
I prefer the normal menus as well and will generally ask for one if the digital version makes it too difficult to order (especially if ordering multiple items). I can’t imagine there would be any (upscale) hotels that wouldn’t be able to accommodate a request like this.
The one thing I dearly miss when I travel around the US and the Europe is the service & hospitality of South Asian hotels. If that itself is so poor at the property, I guess it's a big No No for me. That "If Epcot had an India Pavilion" comment seems spot on....the India pavilion at the Dubai Expo2020 indeed looked just like this hotel's interior 😂😂😂
@dileep kumar It's the whole of South Asia and Middle East. Forget Luxury hotels, even a 3 star hotel will have a bell desk for luggage and free 24/7 room service and a concierge. And that eye roll you get when you ask for a bell desk to help with your luggage at an InterContinental in Amsterdam or Berlin says it all....
We've booked this place for 2 weeks next month and now I'm worried. Our choice was between Leela and this and we chose ITC because of how close it was to the airport (flight lands 4am) and the generally more convenient location as compared to the Leela. Leela's also on the amex fhr program, which means a free room upgrade and hotel credit - so I'm trying to move this to Leela now, especially as ITC have told us they're fully booked and won't be doing the mariott gold upgrade on the day. Thanks for doing this video!
6:35 "This room looks like what Hollywood thinks big fancy Indian Hotel rooms look like," you nailed it with this comment. I get you. At the point when your bag was lost and had accidentally been put into another Guests room l would have been saying goodbye and not waiting for the noise from a function to keep me awake most of the night. The whole experience would have tipped me over the edge, so kudos to you for still doing a fair and reasonable review 👍
The thought of paying for a hotel night and then not being able to make a video for it forces me to keep it cool except in the worst of circumstances (it did happen once, and I have a review for it coming 2 years later after I went back…).
I have stayed at many of the properties you have been to reviewing, including this one. But my experience, the decor aside, was quite different. For starts, the tower wing is the lower end of the hotel. The heritage wing has upscale rooms. Next, the rate you paid is quite high - these rooms can be had for about half of less. Third, the Marriott brand is invisible in quite a few properties globally, including in New York. And as someone very familiar with the global hospitality industry, the development and operating economics are such that it is Marriott, not ITC, that benefits from this relationship.
I was speaking specifically about the lack of Bonvoy membership branding (they display their own membership program exclusively) as compared to other Luxury Collection properties. Also at other properties, small details from the key cards, to the Wi-Fi passwords to the pillows and more are all aligned with Luxury Collection branding standards. As for who’s benefiting from the relationship I’ll agree to (strongly) disagree. Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
@@tfft when a property has dual programs, Bonvoy does not show up - it is not a Marriott-branded property. ITC has several other properties in India under similar arrangement with Marriott. As for your other points, some are valid and some not - this property is a category 3 within Marriott’s hierarchy, on par with run of the mill Residence Inns and Courtyards in the US. You go to the heritage wing of the hotel - service is very different - better than what I see in category 7 in the US and Europe. And personal bad experiences abound everywhere - you rated the Taj hotel heritage wing in Mumbai - I once had a bad experience of no hot water and I had to shower and get to a meeting - after repeat calls, they had someone take me to the Tower wing just to shower and get into a business suit for the meeting - I complained to the hotel manager that per the law if there is no hot water, they cannot charge me for the room. He saw my credentials and then quietly acknowledged, gave me credit for a day and a bottle of wine. That way he ensured I do not give a bad review.
@@chrisjohn4605 I can write another essay, as you put it, on how not to pay $230+ for a room that can be had for less than $100, or the much better heritage wing with 24x7 butler service and a significantly better experience for less than $150. I have stayed here multiple times, and in several high-end properties worldwide, and this hotel’s heritage wing is on par and the place to review. Bad karma was on full display here throughout for this reviewer.
Everyone’s experience and expectations are different, that’s fine. But I will note, this property IS a Marriott branded property. The Luxury Collection IS a brand which Marriott maintains. You are speaking as if it’s only an associated hotel, such as Design Hotels- which very loosely fall under the Bonvoy umbrella. That is not the case here though, regardless of what category the hotel is deemed for redemption, at the end of the day it is a Luxury Collection property and that should* mean something. Oh and have a little respect. The “bad karma” comment is uncalled for. I report what I see and nothing more.
but I would say the rooms are very spacious than any other hotels especially Taj and Leela ( boh looks like a museum than hotel) for that price, dont know why you felt that way but thats my opinion.
@@tfft It feels more like you were not sponsored by ITC but yeah you missed out most important detail -the IPAD functionality where you can literally access everything from fingertip which is not there in any other Hotel mentioned and also the couple friendly baththub :) but ya its your opinion though
Hi Kevin, it's been a while since you stayed somewhere not enjoyable. Still fantastic content and one to avoid. Your videos really do help me choose hotels for my travels so keep up the excellent content. Thanks, Michael.
HAHAHAHA I'm not surprised by some of these observations. Having been part of the task-force team that opened the hotel, I find it's one of the worst lay-outs, and utterly unsuited to conducting hotel-operations. Also, overlarge and empty feeling... the beige earthy tone really doesn't help matters.
Okay, just heard you out for the first time. I need to be in Chennai for a week, and was considering ITC Grand Chola and ended up booking Leela after this review!
Hi Kevin. Great content as always! You’re rapidly becoming my favorite travel content creator. I live full time in a hotel so I can relate. Just a suggestion if ever you get to Manila. Literally two of the best hotels in the world are there. Raffles and The Admiral are both nothing short of amazing. Thanks!
Damn!! you really do reply to every single comment!! respect!! very interesting review, not what i expected......I'm not much of a luxury hotel connoisseur but i had never thought that ITC would be so far behind Taj and Oberoi in terms of service quality! I've never stayed at an Oberoi property, but from my experience of Taj and ITC i had always felt that the ITC flagship hotels (the ones named after dynastys- chola, maurya, maratha, mughal etc.) were better than Taj properties. In terms of food I felt ITC was unmatched! especially their Af-Pak frontier themed restaurants (Bukhara in Delhi and Peshawar elsewhere), Bukhara in particular is an institution in Delhi and is as iconic as restaurants get. I think thats why you found Peshawar epcotesque, because all the peshawar resturaunts are based on Bukhara, which has been unchanged for close to 50 years. In terms of In room amenities ITC isn't really comparable to forest essentials of taj, forest essentials is a very premium brand in retail stores, while the ITC Di Wills brand is a generic dove/head and shoulders type brand. I would suggest you check out ITC Mughal in Agra or ITC Maurya in Delhi and especially to their resturaunt Bukhara in Delhi. They also have properties that are a step down called welcomhotels and they are decent. i recommend you check out Wildflower Hall by Oberoi in Mashobra next time you're in India, Its close to Shimla the former Imperial capital of British India in the Summer, you should go there in the winter to experience the Himalayan property in its winter wonderland glory
Wildflower Hall is on my list for sure (not sure about winter tho lol). As for Peshawar, it’s not the theme or concept that made me think it looked like Epcot, it was the dated and cheap materials that are used in the restaurant. In a luxury hotel, there’s no reason that every single one of the materials in there couldn’t be 100% authentic. But here, it was all really cheap reproductions that perhaps look okay from a far, but when up close makes it feel more like a kids themed movie set from the 90s. Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
I guess since the pandemic, many places are understaffed, even here in Europe to compensate the loss due to Covid! I myself working in the hospitality industry, working at a Good Belgian/ French restaurant here...we worked with many staff pre covid. Many people left the job to become bus drivers or other jobs. Now we work with the minimum staff, and we try our best to give the guests best of experience....but to be honest....the service would have been better if we had more staff.
Sure, but staffing situations in Europe and South Asia are very different. In India there is no shortage of people willing to work- as shown by the other properties I’ve visited on the same trip. Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Hi, I stayed here a few days ago...and couldn't agree more on the loud music that kept playing....we were able to hear it up until 2 am.😅 i guess we feel asleep then. And the part about empty corridors is another thing I can relate to. The breakfast buffet in my experience was quite good, they had a lot of options. But the breakfast box sent to you does not do justice to it at all, I wonder why...🤷
Hi kevin,Your content is appropriate and up to the mark, on the contrary i would like to suggest you to visit Itc gardenia in bengaluru and itc maratha in mumbai,both of the are luxuries and much more modern and update. Thanks :)
Sorry to see you had a bad experience at the ITC Grand Chola - which has gone through several avatars in its history. Perhaps this particular property, because it is a bit dated, it has perhaps not got the attention from the management of ITC it probably deserves. Hope you gave your observations and comments to the hotel itself ( they used to have guest comments cards available). Chola perhaps needs a complete makeover top to bottom. You perhaps may have enjoyed Taj Connemara ( another Iconic hotel in Chennai and is very close to the main thoroughfare called Anna Salai) which perhaps could have been better. Chennai has had a slew of other brands open - including Hyatt, Marriott brands and local Indian Chain - Park - which is a upscale luxury boutique also close to the US Consulate General off Anna Salai. Next trip perhaps that might be worth a try. India is a LOUD and boisterous country especially during wedding seasons so parties can go on till late and if the hotel got a good solid check out of the wedding people chances are they were giving lip service to toning things down. Wedding celebrations even in other rated hotels can be loud especially if it is outdoor and by the pool. So maybe you could check with the hotel about any wedding celebs being on the calendar before you book or check in.
I live in Saigon, the unofficial outdoor neighborhood karaoke capital of the world where it’s sung on 1.5m high speakers until 2-3am for occasions of all types. My point being, I have a very high tolerance for noise bleed, but this was the first time I could actually FEEL the music at a hotel. Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Taj Umaid Bhavan Palace- Jodhpur Taj falakanuma - Hyderabad Taj Vivanta Dal lake- Kashmir Taj Lake Palace- Udaipur Taj exotica - Havelock island (Andaman-Nicobar) The Lalit- Kashmir Khyber- Kashmir Oberoi udaivilas - Udaipur Oberoi Amarvilas- Agra (Taj Mahal View) Oberoi Sukhvilas- Chandighar ITC Royal Bengal- Kolkata Ram Bagh- Jaipur The Leela- New Delhi The Leela- Kovalam And many more but these hotels are must visit if you want the best Indian hospitality and luxurious stays.. it’s truly an experience you will never forget BTW- you should have tried food in their (Grand Chola) restaurants as itc is known for their food and the experience they provide would have somewhat changed your mind It’s not all bad You just had a bad experience
@@tfft Agreed I’m not talking about the buffet I’m talking about the other speciality restaurants like Peshawari, Avartana, Royal Vega, dakshin & other itc restaurants are one of the finest we have in India trust me
Man, I look forward to your content and perfectful timed for a lunch break here in the UK :) Was hoping for at least one saving grace in that hotel but sadly what a letdown. Really looking forward to your 787 Vistara flight :)
That's a brutal review and also combining with your Leela Palace exp, not so good reviews for 2 of the flagship 5 star properties in Chennai. Pretty much revealing about the ITC grand Chola on how good it's on the outside but the finer details are not that great. Not sure what else to recommend to you in Chennai if you were to come next time. May be try the Taj Coromandel/Connemara or go beach side to Taj Fisherman's Cove/Sheraton Grand or Intercontinental.
Good review, Kevin. Looks like that hotel didn't have much guests, atleast when you visited. Disppointing service, to say the least, coming from their supposedly flagship hotel.
Absolutely right about that entrance had me scratching my head as well. Perhaps you should have stayed at the Taj Fisherman's Cove instead, outside the city on the beach front.
My opinion: from your video this looks like a beautiful hotel. You had a bad experience with missing luggage and you booked into a lower class suite, which has, unfortunately, ruined your experience.
Sounds like you didn’t watch the full video lol. I detailed quite thoroughly all of the ways the hotel was a let down, much more than just losing my bags.
Nope, I watched the whole video, just like I do with all your other videos... As I said just my opinion, don't take it personally. Keep up the good work.
I may sound like the PR of Oberoi group (which I am not), I think one starts appreciating the Oberoi hotels more after staying at some of these other 5 star hotels. At least in India. Nah, not at all surprised at your experience and the service, or the lack of it. Good luck with the next one!
I stayed there for two weeks and food, service, staffing levels & room were excellent....however that was 10 years ago! Would concur with your Hollywood comment though. The site is massive and we wandered around one night, some of the hotel appeared unfinished/uncommisioned. Interesting to see 10 years on the decor remains the same.
Stayed at the ITC Grand Chola a few times pre-COVID. I have stayed in many hotels in Chennai and this was by far my least favorite. At breakfast on a number of occasions when I got up to go to the buffet to get seconds, by the time I got back my table was cleared and found someone else sitting there. No matter what I would do such as leaving my napkin on the chair etc, didn’t work. Tried one of the restaurants and I ordered lamb curry. Paid top price for three bones and a small piece of lamb. Another time there was some construction going on and the windows and doors were left open. That night I killed five mosquitoes. As Kevin said everything is ITC branded. Got some cookies out of the mini bar and I could see the a mouse had gotten to them before me. This is one of the few hotels (don’t know if they still have it) where a whole floor was for women only. This is a great way for women to feel safe in a place far from home. Keep up the good work Kevin.
You know Kev... You ain't far from the truth about ITC. They make it big and luxurious and then years later it's still big and loses its interior and way interior appeal. My favourite ITC was the Windsor only because it's a heritage property and for some reason i liked staying somewhere my dad used to frequent when he travelled and told me stories about. It used to be the Sheraton Windsor. But after seeing this video I feel just about everything you mentioned is correct. The lack of staff, the boring and over priced food. The please give me a call and i will get you a toothbrush which to be honest you wish you definitely can avoid. It's odd how the exterior of the hotel is so majestic and the inside of the room looks like 2 star hotels in the Gulf. Same with Itc Maratha, ITC Central and Windsor. I used to like staying due to bonvoy benefits but due to a cocky DM who refused me lounge hours on my checkout day I realised hey if I was in the ITC program top tier they would have bent over backwards to get it approved. So I Told C bye bye and now just stay where the property is actually managed by Marriott. However not to put down all ITCs since I have not stayed in all the ones associated with Bonvoy... I do think ITC Maurya needs to be blessed by your Flippity Floppities...😂
I totally understand what you mean. As I type now I’m literally at a hotel that was frequented by my father many times per year some decades ago. Luckily this one has exceeded my expectations. Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Seeing all that detail, all that "stuff", I can't imagine how they keep it clean and fresh looking. Hopefully, the cleaning staff isn't as short-handed as the rest of the staff. If I were paying top dollar for luxury accommodations, I'd expect to have people waiting on me. I also would expect peace and quiet so I could sleep!
To be totally honest, of all of the hotels I visited on this trip in India, this one surely had the least amount of "stuff" haha. Compared to the Taj Mahal Palace or The Leela Bengaluru, this hotel practically minimalist haha. Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Your observation on underwhelming service is true across ITC properties. I feel they bank too much on the great properties. There is a reason Taj and Oberoi are a cut above. Their service is impeccable.
Our stay at both ITC Maurya in Delhi and ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata was also not great. Better to stay in marriot courtyard in these cities than wasting your time and money on luxury collection hotels
Hi Kevin, great video as always, however i've noticed a lot of people mispronounce "Peshawri", the 'a' is before the 'wri', so it is pronounced (phonetically spelling it) "pesh-A-wari", you've also misspelt the name of the restaurant in your time tags. Also, Peshawri (it's actually spelt Peshawari) comes form the city Peshawar, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It isn't North Indian cuisine, it is North-Western Pakistani cuisine, which is very different from North Indian cuisine. Not sure if they served authentic Peshawari cuisine at this restaurant. Keep up the good work, you are by far my favourite travel vlogger.
Ah, my bad about the pronunciation and spelling, not sure why my brain defaulted to the other way. As for the food categorization, that one we can blame on the hotel itself, I just passed on the info the provide :) Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
I am all for critical review of this place but I felt you were a little lenient about Oberai in Bangalore compared to this. Would have liked both to be bad mouthed similarly 🤣
similar thing just happened in Bangkok, told bellman with 3 fingers held up please retrieve my 3 suitcases by the door while i was at breakfast to my horror they removed my murse with my passport etc and when i returned from breakfast had a freak out, anyway looks like the bellman took ALL of my luggage so I know the feeling! Aloha from Hawaii
Everyone has different opinions, which is ok! But I don’t think it is as bad as u put it out to be, there where a few lows, but u reviews it like a 1 star hotel, which is not fair!!! Indian hotels should never be considered lower class to western hotels!
There’s nothing wrong with one star hotels which deliver one star facilities, amenities and service. My reviews are relative and ITC quite simply is far behind its competition. Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Readers that are recommending this property, are undoubtably Marriott Bonvoy members who are either earning or spending points. That is very clear. It appears that this hotel, at one time, was very nice. Now it rests upon its laurels from the past, or the Marriott labels.
A lot of Indian hotels rent out premises for weddings … they don’t much care abt guests … rest assured the hote will not make good faith efforts to lower the music and even if they do no one is gonna listen and the hotel will never be able to force them to switch off … rule of thumb, do not go to hotels which allow weddings at venue
Your videos and reviews are generally very good. I have watched many many of them. I think you say it as you see it. Admittedly, this place is not Rambagh Palace by any stretch. But on this occasion there was an incongruence/dissonance between your commentary and the images that I couldn't reconcile. Are you sure the misplaced bags or the loud party subconsciously didn't impact on your appraisal of the other things in this property?
The loud party music certainly did, as would noise bleed at any hotel- but only related to the score of the room. The rest of the hotel feels like a Disney attraction trying to feel Indian rather than a true luxury resort in India. Thanks for watching 🩴
Hi Kevin. Recent fan and subscriber. Quick feedback - I'm seeing a lot of "stuttering" (for the lack of a better word) on your panning shots and it muddles the experience. Please look into it. Otherwise good video!
Are you sure it’s not related to the connection or buffering? I’m super OCD about panning and in my hotel videos will cut out any clip that has a less than perfectly smooth pan- it’s a pet peeve of mine. Only time I have a tolerance for it is when walking and panning at the same time (with one hand) in an airport.
@@tfft I'm not having this issue with other videos. It almost looks like the electronic stabilization trying to smooth the panning shot by slowing it and then speeding it up. So not exactly a stutter. Not sure how to explain. Maybe somebody else has noticed this? Please comment guys. (if it is a me issue, I gotta look into it ☺ )
in the hindi welcome that you give to Indian viewers, you use the word गर्मजोशी as a direct translation of "warm" (welcome), but a better word in Hindi is हार्दीक ("hearty" welcome)
Funny - where to begin - I don’t think I will bother - it is definitely a NO from me - and where are the earthlings? All left because of the drabness perhaps- and just this ….how does one put the preserves onto the croissant 🥐 I’m assuming you break off pieces and dunk it in - great review and you won’t regret buying the AirTags
Hi Kevin…. This is a gem of a review.. For most of us that had expectations based on the hype.. it was a total let down… Except for the cost, there is nothing Royal or Grand… would be an ideal place to spend the day.. a good nights sleep would probably be a big ask at this property… Having said that, please do visit Chennai again and review some of the good properties around…
When is saw the word CHOLA, I was like wait, chola? Isn’t that a female Mexican gang member?😏 Hotel exterior reminded of a movie set? And the interiors? Well a bit wedding / banquet hall on Long Island😏 It’s one of those hotels you stay for a night. Cheers!
Hmm! I was a bit surprised by the huge difference in ratings between Leela and ITC Grand Chola. While I have not stayed in these hotels in the last 2 years, I always felt that the ITC was slightly better than the Leela. I did not experience the service deficiencies that you did. ITCs tend to have amazing food - easily the best among the 5* brands in India. I agree with you about the layout of ITC Grand Chola. It can get very confusing. However, my experience was that they had too many people on staff. I can see from your pictures that they haven't taken the trouble to clean the exterior of the building in a while. But that is true for the Taj Mahal Palace as well. Minor disagreements aside, I do agree that the Oberoi Group is just that little bit better at running a hotel
Generic Interior Design totally lacking in character, warmth, adventure, focus.. but to be honest, a good interior landscape gardenener and imaginative florist could make a real positive impact here.. and maybe a few bits of overstuffed luxury pieces....
Thanks for giving us a fair revue. It dies look tacky for a 4/5 star priced hotel. They operate like the government institution…low wage staff who care less for anyone…no training. They probable recycle their foods that are not consumed.
I can't take that music when i want to rest. It is a big NO!-NO! for me!! I would give them a total score of ZERO!!! Thanks for pointing this out as a lot of Western guests would be totally put off by it too. Hopefully they are watching your review before booking a stay at this place. The hotel should operate exclusively as a wedding venue!! That way they can blast the music as loud as possible. i also HATE being LIED to!! To tell you that they were going to take care of the NOISE issue and then do nothing at all, is irritating as heck, to put it midly! i have noticed from your reviews of exclusive hotels in India, that if the hotel is in the wedding business as well, it is good reason to skip the hotel altogether!! Apparently they value some guests over others, and i certainly don't need to be treated that way. There are lots of hotels out there. These reviews are very important as noise is a big issue for Western guests. Just looking at the pictures of the hotel on the net does not clue you into the nightmare hotel stay that it really is! One should NOT have to hear ANY NOISE at ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT!!
Honestly saddened by the upkeep of the property…your reviews are honest…so this one surely must have had a bad taste on your experience as it really shows the empty and under staffed property.
Yes and one of the things that struck me the most was the simple lack of acknowledgement of the guest. Walking past any member of staff that didn’t make eye contact, slow their pace and greet you would be unthinkable at an Oberoi or Taj, but here, it’s just the norm.
