Umaria. This non descript place in Madhya Pradesh beckoned us and thankfully we had Google (Maps) to help us plan how to get there. Some friendly tips and few bookings later, we were on a flight from Mumbai to Nagpur from where we would make the road journey to Umaria the next day. Needing a hotel in Nagpur for the two night halt on way to and from Umaria, we zeroed in on Pride Hotel located a stone's throw away from Nagpur airport. Other option was Sun n Sand Hotel which is located further away but people insisted Pride is the best. So Pride it was for us too.
We had asked for airport pick-up which was a very chaotic affair. There was a person at arrival hall holding a placard with our names but the car was nowhere to be seen. After sometime, a battered Indica transported us to the hotel half a kilometer away. Not the best way to start our trip but we were hopeful. Check-in was smooth. The smiling staff gave us a lowdown on hotel facilities and showed us to our road-facing room. The room was comfortable and provided all basic facilities including a newly renovated bathroom. The room overall lacked character and cleanliness. Whilst it was clean on the face of it, a closer inspection revealed dust and grime. We asked reception for a wake-up call at 3 a.m. and turned in early for the night. Annoyingly, the phone rang at 11 p.m. asking us if we had indeed asked for a 3 a.m. wake up call! What was the staff thinking by calling hotel guests to reconfirm at such a late hour? Anyhow, the wake up call never came and thank god for our own mobile alarms, we were up and ready at 4 a.m. We had booked a car and chauffeur through the hotel's travel desk and thankfully, the chauffeur was waiting for us at the lobby. On an aside, we were on the road for 26 hours and returned next day only at 6 a.m. and have only good things to say about the car service. It is not an easy task to drive 900 odd kilometers in 20+ hours on good and bad roads and we were thankful for having an experienced hand at the wheel. Once back at Pride, we put the Do-Not-Disturb sign at the door and crashed out of sheer exhaustion. And just as we drifted into deep slumber, my husband's mobile phone rang. And it was from the hotel's housekeeping team asking when can they clean the room since Do-Not-Disturb sign is there! We were livid. Clearly the hotel staff has not been trained to understand what a DND means. How can guests' mobile numbers be shared liberally with staff and that too for such purposes!
Once awake, we decided we were better off staying outside the hotel than inside. Part of the Incredible India experience is that whoever steps out from a hotel is taken to be a tourist. We had auto rickshaws queuing up to take us to the closest mall for INR 200. I used my haggling skills and we were at the mall in INR 40. So tourists beware. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. The food at Pride is quite decent. On our first day, we had ordered room service for an early dinner since we had to start our 370 kilometer one-way journey to Umaria at 4 a.m. The dinner portion was large and we left quite a bit of the Palak Paneer and Daal Makhani unfinished. On our final evening, we had dinner at the rooftop Indian restaurant Puran da Dhaba where a live band belted out Hindi numbers. The singers were terrible, the food was good and we got to taste a local vineyard's wine which was not too bad.
We had an early check-out so did not get to try the Pride breakfast at all. The check-out process was slow with one of the staff just disappearing with our credit card. After some confusion, it was all sorted out and we finally left the hotel. Clearly, Pride Hotel is not geared to service high end tourists and business travellers. But then Nagpur is not a tourist hot-spot or a big business centre. I find it hard to believe the hotel is considered 5 star. A 4 star rating would be more appropriate given the poor service standards, lack of maintenance in common areas and practically zero sound proofing (there was a college party in the hotel ball room and we could hear the blasting music till our 4th floor room). Next time I am in Nagpur, I'll firstly try to keep it even shorter than this two day trip. Secondly, I would definitely look for other options but might end up at Pride again for the TINA factor. There Is No Alternative. And that is a very bad reason for a hotel to be getting business.
We had asked for airport pick-up which was a very chaotic affair. There was a person at arrival hall holding a placard with our names but the car was nowhere to be seen. After sometime, a battered Indica transported us to the hotel half a kilometer away. Not the best way to start our trip but we were hopeful. Check-in was smooth. The smiling staff gave us a lowdown on hotel facilities and showed us to our road-facing room. The room was comfortable and provided all basic facilities including a newly renovated bathroom. The room overall lacked character and cleanliness. Whilst it was clean on the face of it, a closer inspection revealed dust and grime. We asked reception for a wake-up call at 3 a.m. and turned in early for the night. Annoyingly, the phone rang at 11 p.m. asking us if we had indeed asked for a 3 a.m. wake up call! What was the staff thinking by calling hotel guests to reconfirm at such a late hour? Anyhow, the wake up call never came and thank god for our own mobile alarms, we were up and ready at 4 a.m. We had booked a car and chauffeur through the hotel's travel desk and thankfully, the chauffeur was waiting for us at the lobby. On an aside, we were on the road for 26 hours and returned next day only at 6 a.m. and have only good things to say about the car service. It is not an easy task to drive 900 odd kilometers in 20+ hours on good and bad roads and we were thankful for having an experienced hand at the wheel. Once back at Pride, we put the Do-Not-Disturb sign at the door and crashed out of sheer exhaustion. And just as we drifted into deep slumber, my husband's mobile phone rang. And it was from the hotel's housekeeping team asking when can they clean the room since Do-Not-Disturb sign is there! We were livid. Clearly the hotel staff has not been trained to understand what a DND means. How can guests' mobile numbers be shared liberally with staff and that too for such purposes!
Once awake, we decided we were better off staying outside the hotel than inside. Part of the Incredible India experience is that whoever steps out from a hotel is taken to be a tourist. We had auto rickshaws queuing up to take us to the closest mall for INR 200. I used my haggling skills and we were at the mall in INR 40. So tourists beware. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. The food at Pride is quite decent. On our first day, we had ordered room service for an early dinner since we had to start our 370 kilometer one-way journey to Umaria at 4 a.m. The dinner portion was large and we left quite a bit of the Palak Paneer and Daal Makhani unfinished. On our final evening, we had dinner at the rooftop Indian restaurant Puran da Dhaba where a live band belted out Hindi numbers. The singers were terrible, the food was good and we got to taste a local vineyard's wine which was not too bad.
We had an early check-out so did not get to try the Pride breakfast at all. The check-out process was slow with one of the staff just disappearing with our credit card. After some confusion, it was all sorted out and we finally left the hotel. Clearly, Pride Hotel is not geared to service high end tourists and business travellers. But then Nagpur is not a tourist hot-spot or a big business centre. I find it hard to believe the hotel is considered 5 star. A 4 star rating would be more appropriate given the poor service standards, lack of maintenance in common areas and practically zero sound proofing (there was a college party in the hotel ball room and we could hear the blasting music till our 4th floor room). Next time I am in Nagpur, I'll firstly try to keep it even shorter than this two day trip. Secondly, I would definitely look for other options but might end up at Pride again for the TINA factor. There Is No Alternative. And that is a very bad reason for a hotel to be getting business.
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