Indore’s marketing claim to fame is “India’s cleanest city”. To be fair, there isn’t much to do in Indore and you really won’t need more than a couple days to do whatever you want. I stayed for 3 nights at the Indore Marriott and was very pleasantly surprised.
The Indore Marriott is about a 15 minute drive (possibly longer with traffic) from the main “downtown” area of Indore. The hotel is beautiful and staffed by an exceptional group of people who are eager to please. The staff really go out of their way to make you feel welcome and special.
Check in
Check in was easy and a little surprising to say the least. As I arrived, a young woman greeted me with a cold drink. Before I even made it to the check in desk, she started right away and asked for my name to look up the reservation to let the front desk agent know. As soon as I gave her my name, she said “oh, thank you so much for being a platinum member!” To be honest that really caught be off guard because not only did this person take the time to look at who was checking in to the hotel but even knew who I was before I walked in. I was immediately impressed.
At check in, I was met by Mayank and he apologized profusely for my room not being ready. To be fair, I arrived around 1:30pm so I wasn’t really expecting my room to be ready so it wasn’t that big of a deal. I honestly didn’t mind having a few minutes to get some work done so it really didn’t bother me. The reason he gave me was one I’d never heard before though. He said “as a platinum member, we want to upgrade you to the executive suite but we have another guest in that suite right now who asked for a late check out so the room isn’t ready.” Mind BLOWN!
I could only smile as they offered me a table to eat lunch in one of the restaurants but I said I would gladly just sit in a corner and get some work done. Instead they took me up to the lounge and as we were walking, I was asked if I’d like a regular vacant room instead. I said that wouldn’t be necessary and that this was more than helpful.
After working for about an hour in the lounge, I was notified that my room was ready and the same woman who greeted me at the door came up to escort me to my room. She again apologized for the delay (is it really a delay if they’re upgrading you?) and said since I’d been waiting they decided to put me in the presidential suite instead. Seriously? I don’t know if it’s possible to be constantly impressed and surprised but they certainly accomplished it.
Presidential Suite
Let me say that this has never happened and as a solo traveler, all I really need is a bed, desk, and bathroom. Everything else is icing on the cake. Well this was A LOT of extra icing. The suite itself ran the entire width of the hotel and was easily the size of 3 or 4 rooms together.
There was the obligatory bar, dining table, massive couch, office desk, and guest bathroom. Then there was the bedroom itself with the seating area, bed, walk in closet, and massive bathroom. Impressive indeed.
I can actually see this being a really great space to host a party or a function since there is so much space but it is a bit much for one person. If you really want to hear about a first world problem, it’s that it was a bit of a walk from the bedroom to the desk where I had all my power cords and laptop plugged in. Yes, life is tough 😉
Waiting for me on the dining room table was a welcome amenity of chocolates, a cupcake, and a refreshing fruit juice (guava flavored I think). Along with a welcome note, this was clearly thought out and the hotel really outdid themselves.
Executive Lounge
The lounge is open all day but unlike other properties, it didn’t have a breakfast spread and only had an evening tasting and cocktails. It really didn’t matter but it would have been nice to have some fruit to grab on the go. I went in my last morning to grab some fruit before I left for the airport but realized there was nothing there.
That said, I did go to have food in the evening and the staff again was wonderful. Mayank was there both nights to see how my day was and the staff there was really great. I’m the type of person who likes to grab a water or soda and not bother anyone with something stupid if I’m capable of doing it myself. However, the staff insisted on bring me the soda and pouring it in a glass for me. I told them it wasn’t necessary and then they said that they’d be more than happy to do it.
I got a chance to speak with a few of the staff there and it was interesting to hear their stories for being there. One thing I noticed is that they were all very young. I think because of this, they were still learning the ropes from hospitality, anticipating guest needs, to making drinks. You could see them taking pride and care in making drinks. One of the staff was making a sangria for one of the guests and the care put into cutting the fruit was impressive especially for something most people won’t notice. The lounge also had a special cocktail every night which I assume was their way of learning different drinks and practicing how to make them. If the fruit slice garnish wasn’t right, they’d cut it again. Impressive stuff.
Final Thoughts
My stay at the Indore Marriott was too short. I wish I could have stayed longer. To be fair, I wish there were more to do in Indore that would allow for a longer stay. However, all credit to the staff. I don’t know who is in charge of preparing the staff daily, but they deserve a lot of credit. They were so helpful and eager to please that it was refreshing in a way. Let’s face it, if you’re paying the price of a luxury hotel brand, your expectation level goes up. Having left the comforts of the St. Regis in Mumbai earlier that day, the Indore Marriott lived up to and in some ways surpassed the level of service at the St. Regis. If you’re going to Indore, check out the Marriott. You won’t be disappointed.