Le Meridien Delhi is probably the best suited Starwood location for sight-seeing in New Delhi. If, however, you are here for business, it may not be so practical. We arrived late in the night from Europe at the airport, but a driver was faithfully there holding a sign waiting for us. He quickly loaded us into a comfortable Toyota Camry and we took off for the hotel. En route, we were offered cold drinks and wet towels to refresh ourselves. (The pick-up service cost about US $28 each way, which in my mind is a bit exorbitant for India!)

A bellman greeted us on arrival and whisked into the hotel where we were kindly greeted by the check-in staff. They had everything prepared, so check-in time was very efficient. There was no Platinum recognition other than one remark made by one of the check-in staff and the key holder. I had read online that upgrades and service amenities for Platinum members was inconsistent, so I was happy to find out we at least had been upgraded!

We were taken straight up to our room, a one bedroom suite. There was a nice sitting area with a large flat-screen TV and a separate bathroom. The bedroom had its own bathroom and another large screen TV. I liked the design of the hotel room -- very artsy modern with blue lights, dark leathers and rich wood. Clearly, the hotel had recently gone under a major renovation. Once they had left us alone, we went straight to bed.

In the morning, after a shower that couldn't seem to make up its mind whether it wanted to be hot or cold, we went up to the 20th floor to visit the Royal Club lounge. The breakfast spread was more than acceptable. They also serve afternoon tea and evening drinks, although we were never there for these. Service in the lounge was spotty, however, and it was difficult to get staff attention for clean-up, etc. We also had some service issues on check-out. During our stay we avoided the restaurants.

Overall, it was a good stay, but didn't blow me away with 5-star service or anything. The Shangri-La is right across the street and may be another good choice for touristic purposes. But the other Starwoods are just not as well-located for sight-seeing as this one.

Review submitted by flywithme.

Posted at October 28, 2007 8:54 AM