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The Imperial

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Rick
Rick
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Probably the Best Hotel in India

  • June 19, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by koshkha from Northampton, United Kingdom
Probably the Best Hotel in India

The Imperial is one of the world's greatest hotels. You don't have to say 'The Imperial Hotel, Delhi' any more than you'd have to call Raffles 'the Raffles Hotel, Singapore'. The Imperial was the first of the almost legendary 'Four Maidens of the East' - the Strand Hotel in Rangoon, Raffles in Singapore and the Great Eastern and Oriental in Calcutta are the other three.

About 6 years ago we took a tour round Rajasthan with a group of strangers who soon became good friends. When we returned to Delhi in search of a bit of luxury and a slap-up dinner after two weeks of incessant 'rice and daal' we booked the 'Spice Route' restaurant at the Imperial and loved the restaurant so much that going to stay at the Imperial went onto my 'must do before I die' list. The opportunity came when we booked a trip to Ladakh in June 2006 – a time of year when nobody wants to be in Delhi and the hotel prices are correspondingly competitive.

There are many great reasons to stay at the imperial – here are just a few:

1. Location
The Imperial is located on Janpath just one block out from Connaught Place which is the hub of New Delhi for shopping, eating and getting around. It's just across the road from the giant government crafts store - The Central Cottage Industries Emporium - where anyone who wants an easy stress free shopping experience can load up on all their presents and goodies or for the slightly more adventurous there's a host of smaller craft shops between the hotel and Connaught Place that are well worth a look. Finally everybody knows exactly where the Imperial is - no taxi driver will ever get lost looking for it.

2. Peace and Quiet
There's no denying it, Delhi is a noisy place. If you aren't careful you can find that your hotel is on a road junction with vehicles 'horning' (yep, that really is the correct local term!) each other all day and all night or you may also find that your lovely quiet hotel is next door to a major building site. The joy of the Imperial is that its eight acre garden site enables the hotel to be set back slightly from the road. So even though you are slap-bang at the heart of things, it's remarkably quiet.

3. History and Tradition
Although it was only built in 1931 just 20 years after New Delhi became the capital of India, The Imperial is steeped in history. It was the venue for the negotiations between Indian independence activists and the British 'rulers'. When you stay there you are rubbing shoulders with the ghosts of some of history's greatest men like Jawaharlal Nehru, MK Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten.
We paid $220 (approx £120) for one night at The Imperial. This rate was for an 'Imperial Room' (the smallest and least expensive option) and included breakfast and airport transfers on arrival and departure. A very average international standard hotel would have cost only £10-20 less so I believe the extra was well worth it.

~Arriving at the Airport~
On leaving the airport a gentleman from the hotel was waiting in a prominent place with a name board. He took our luggage trolley and lead us to an air-conditioned car and came back to the hotel with us and the driver. Once in the car we were offered bottles of chilled water and subjected to some light 'banter'. When I mentioned that we'd eaten there before, he asked if we'd like him to book us a reservation for that evening. So by the time we got to the hotel about half an hour after pick up, we were all sorted for dinner.

~Arriving at the Hotel~
As you turn onto the driveway two security guards step out of a booth and check the underside of the vehicle with long handled mirrors. You then drive up to the entrance passing through the colonnade of 24 tall, elegant palm trees before stopping under the entrance cover. Flunkies in turbans and smart uniforms open the car doors and take your luggage. The greeter walked us into the reception hall and over to the desk where checkout was completed quickly and without fuss.

~First Impressions~
As you enter the hotel the reception is on the left and the bell-desk and luggage storage is on the right. Comfy seating and newspapers are laid out in a sitting area ahead and to the right. The lobby also has a Chanel store – the first and only one in the whole of India at that time.

~The Walk Through~
After check in we were 'walked' to our room by a lady from reception. As we went she explained all the places we passed on the way - the name of each restaurant or bar, what sort of food they served and so on. Most of the restaurants and bars lie off the same corridor so it's really easy to find your way around. She also pointed out how to get to the garden and the swimming pool. We went up one floor, along some nicely decorated and carpeted corridors until we came to our room on the end of the corridor - Room 141. At this point I took a deep breath and held it whilst she opened the door

~The Room~
We had booked the lowest grade of room so I was really pleased by how lovely it was. The door opened onto a room with a high ceiling. The floor was cool marble and all the furnishings were in matching red-brown wood.

The room had all the facilities you'd expect such as a minibar, a tea and coffee tray, a desk with telephone and lamp, a TV in a cabinet, a suitcase stand, a tall wardrobe and a six foot wide bed with pale peach and white quilted cover.

Our windows looked out over the gardens and because we were in the last room on the corridor our bathroom also had natural light.

The bathroom had separate bath and shower, a toilet, a nice vanity unit and some lovely Fragonard toiletries. My only warning would be to watch out for the marble floors with are lethally slippery when wet. Bathrobes and slippers were supplied.

~So you are there, what next?~
We'd flown in overnight so we were tired. My husband went straight to sleep, the bear got control of the TV controller, the newspaper and the pillow and I went for a shower followed by a nap. I roused the snoring beast (husband, not bear) and reminded him we were paying too much to spend all day sleeping and we set off to explore before dinner. We strolled around the corridors checking out the prints and paintings, peeked into the grand ballroom and admired the frescos and headed out into the garden. As Brits it's important that we check that the lawns had been correctly mowed to Wimbledon standards and to sit on a bench to watch the flowers grow. We had a peek at the beautiful swimming pool, checked out the king palms and generally just mooched about. Despite being in the heart of Delhi, it was a calm and pleasant place to just stroll around.

~Eating and Drinking~
Due to the constraints of word count, eating at the Imperial will be a separate review but all I'll say for now is that there's plenty of choice – from the exquisite Spice Route with its hand painted murals, through the French influenced 1911 Brasserie, the Italian San Gimignano, the Daniell's tavern which serves Indian thalis and the atrium where you can get snacks and afternoon tea. There's even a small bakery shop but it was closed when we were there and of course you can get room service but it would be a shame not to try out the restaurants.

~So,would I recommend it?~
Do you need to ask? Really?
I would absolutely recommend it - if you can't afford to stay, go for dinner. If you can't afford dinner, just go and have a coffee in the Atrium and soak up the atmosphere. Don't forget to use the loos - they are gorgeous. So long as you aren't too scruffy, smelly and unkempt, it's very unlikely that any tourist would be turned away. Just stroll on in and have a good look.

From journal From the Sublime to the Ridiculous - Delhi Hotels

Editor Pick

Imperial Hotel

  • October 23, 2003
  • Rated 5 of 5 by JenLara from New York City, New York
Imperial Hotel

The Imperial Hotel in Delhi is one of a kind. The accommodations were so posh we almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. This is literally old, IMPERIAL Delhi as it must have once been: massive crystal chandeliers above sparkling marble floors, huge glossy mahogany tables topped with exotic floral arrangements, men and women dressed in regal Indian garb waiting on you hand and foot.

The rooms were amazing -- I was upgraded to a suite, and my four-room complex had a Bang & Olufsen flat-screen TV, Jacuzzi tub, huge sitting area with a fresh fruit basket every day, and views of the plush gardens.

A sumptuous buffet breakfast was served each morning in a beautiful dining room with a sunny terrace overlooking the grounds. And a swimming pool was available if we wanted it, but I never took advantage -- believe it or not, it was actually too hot to be outside, even IN a swimming pool!

All in all, very much worth the US$160 per night, but only stay at the Imperial Hotel if you want or need truly 5-star service and accommodations. You won't get any of the real Delhi here.

From journal Delhi, India: Exotic, Colorful, Fascinating & HOT!

Imperial Hotel (*****)

  • April 19, 2001
  • Rated 2 of 5 by Rick from Amsterdam, North-Holland, Netherlands
The hotel was a tad run down according to western standards. On the other hands, it was top a class hotel compared to Indian standards.
The pool is nice to cool yourself from the heat.

From journal A passage to India

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