The Grand Imperial — Hotel in Agra

Front Desk spoiled the fun right at the onset. Nobody received us at the reception door, neither the doorman bothered to call anybody to receive when found us at the door. Front desk employee didn't ask for any preference regarding room or food while checking in. He did not bother to explain room facilities either. Simply took us to a "Deluxe" room with cracked floor, without carpet and a very evident smell of cigarettes smoke on entering. When asked to show another room, the same person who was at the reception desk and took us to the room, simply refused. No explanation given.

The asked to change towels and send hand towels, he could act after 30 minutes, after calling room service twice.

After 30 minutes, we were again at the reception to head out to visit the Taj. Same front desk attendant, busy with data entry, casually nodded to me without looking at us, when asked about visit timings. When asked about the entry gate at the Taj, which would have proper parking, the person simply said "go to east gate", and simply switched attention to that silly data entry. When I tried to confirm the same, mentioning that we are already late for the visit, no response came from this person. And, we faced what I had feared most. Police stopped us well before reaching the gate, with instructions that there's no parking at the east gate. We were stranded for 40 minutes before I called hotel back and reported about the false info given by the front desk attendant. Finally we could reach West gate parking after stranding for 1 hr. I had lost my patience with the hotel and it's service by then.

We came back to hotel by 8 pm. By 9:30 pm, we wanted to head out for dinner, and found exit gate of hotel closed. Reception with glass doors was directly opposite to our car at 20 feet distance where we waited for 10 minutes to have gates opened, but neither gatekeeper not reception employee came for help. We had to finally take entry gate to exit hotel.

Next morning, room service called at 10:25 am informing that breakfast will close by 10:30 am. Another example of hospitality of the staff. Reached dining by 10:45 am only to find everything closed. Could get only tea and toast. On insisting, could get an omlette for 3 of us. Another failure on the hospitality front.

By 11:45 am, same reception employee called our on room phone. He was back to his worse behaviour. He had called to warn that EXTRA charge will be applied after 12 pm, and it's better if we vacate by 12 pm sharp. Mind that, my booking had late check-out facility. But that didn't stop reception employee from warning us. To top that, the moment I put the phone down, there was a room attendant at the door ready to carry our luggage. This was the final nail in the coffin.

I confronted that employee at the reception and gave him earful on hospitality and quality of service.

I vow never to step in that hotel again and would suggest the same to anybody planning to book...

The Grand Imperial is a great heritage property for wedding & haldi ceremonies. I spent a day there in Feb 2022 to attend a haldi + wedding ceremony and can give you reviews based on my experiences as per below.

Rooms: They have two types of room. One row is of small rooms(comparatively) and one is for bigger ones on all the floors. All of them have a sitting setup(royal) for ladies with mirror for makeup etc. and a cupboard with locker + LED TV. The only concern is dim lights as all these rooms are having royal/heritage interiors, you'll get only fancy yellow lights that too not so bright and low in numbers in compare of the room sizes! Beds are solid wood poster style and comfortable in both type of rooms. a) Deluxe Room - These rooms are smaller comparatively which is suffiecient for two and their bathroom doesn't have bath tubs and they are not pool facing. b) Super Deluxe Room - They are bigger but with a king size double bed and a large floor size, sofa, big bathroom with bath tub and these rooms are pool facing. These rooms have special names like "Emperor Ashoka".

Bathroom: Includes western commode, two toothbrush packets with a toothpaste, shower cap, soap, comb and a royal style wash basin. Plus bath tubs only in Super deluxe rooms.

Lawn/Garden: Only sufficient for 150-200 people. So, they do only starters & wedding stage there and dining/main course on the other side(around swimming pool)!

Swimming Pool: Best for the haldi function/ceremony, great decoration on the pool sides, it was clean and after haldi event/photos we had great fun in the pool. Also, there is a gumbad/circular structure behind the pool, which was used for Vivah/7 phere etc. in late night till morning! The same pool side area was used for the main course/dining at night in parallel to the starters on the other side(lawn side) to divide the crowd. The only concern is for families with kids (hard to keep them away from the 4 feet deep pool).

Parking: Almost 10-12 cars can easily park without any block. And with blocks it can park 15-20 cars approx!

Others: Lifts are good, front lift gives you great view through glass on the back! Room service was good and helpful. Food was good enough. Bar is also available next to the...

Hotel Grand Imperial is a fantastic hotel that offers a wide variety of amenities and services. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, with all the modern conveniences you could need. The staff is friendly and attentive, and the service is top-notch.

One of the standout features of Hotel Grand Imperial is the swimming pool. The pool is large and offers stunning views of the city. It's the perfect place to relax and unwind after a long day of sightseeing or business meetings. The hotel also has an excellent fitness center, with state-of-the-art equipment and plenty of space to work out.

In addition to the amenities, Hotel Grand Imperial also has an excellent restaurant. The breakfast buffet is delicious, with a wide variety of dishes to choose from. The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner, with a menu that features both local and international cuisine. The food is always fresh and delicious, and the service is excellent.

Overall, Hotel a grand imperial is a fantastic hotel that is definitely worth a visit. The rooms are comfortable, the amenities are excellent, and the service is top-notch. Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, Hotel Grand Imperial is the...