Vivanta Bengaluru, Residency Road — Hotel in Bengaluru

Edited after staying for over 12 days: I have to say I had a completely different experience after checking out and checking back in to the gateway. While my first experience wasn't great (see original review below) my second stint was completely different. The staff were attentive and the service was really good. The wonderful Samata and her team (Ather especially) absolutely went the extra mile to provide an exceptional experience, especially after hearing that my first impression hadn't been great.

Jiva spa at the hotel was fantastic. Wonderful relaxing massage in a beautiful, serene spa environment- highly recommend taking one of their therapies at the end of a long day when you'd like to unwind.

Another notable mention would be the chef who at breakfast really paid special attention to any dietary concerns I had as well as taking the time to check that everything was good and taking on board any feedback that I shared.

The location is fantastic as mentioned in my original review and its less than 30 seconds walk to some lovely restaurants, bars and shops in the centre of the city. Metro access and general ease of transport great.

My overall experience was really good and while I still adore the Taj on MG Road, I can now say that I have no concerns recommending the Gateway as well. I look forward to my next stay.

Original review: I usually stay at the vivanta by Taj on MG Road which is very close by. This is my second time staying at the gateway hotel and I have to say the service doesn't compare at all to the vivanta. The service here is ok but you definitely don't see any of that incredible service, desire to go the extra mile etc that you experience at the other Taj. The location is excellent though and you're a 5 min walk from the famous brigade road so that's redeeming. I was first put in a room with a funky smell which overlooked a terrace of some random bar where the security guard/worker could stare right into my room. They thankfully changed it was I was a bit disappointed that they'd put me there to begin with and I had to move all my stuff to another room. If you can spend a bit of extra money, go stay at the Taj MG Road where Nazim and the team there will treat you...

My husband and I have spent the past 14 days here at the Taj Vivanta Residency road, as part of the mandatory facility quarantine on return from overseas travel.

I must acknowledge the warmth, hospitality and care at every touch point. My memory may fail me on some names/touch points - pardon me for that.

Our experience began at the Bengaluru airport itself, with a seamless transfer to the hotel. The processes in place ensured that all our details, including passport scan, were transferred wireless to the hotel even before our arrival. Contrary to what I'd read on face group posts of evacuation experiences, we did not have to lift a finger to either load or unload our heavy baggage from the transport bus.

The adherence to protocol in ensuring sanitization of baggage on arrival and the seamless transition to our rooms is commendable. The Operations manager, Ms Samata Danday ably assisted by her team at the front desk (Tanushree and Chandrasekar from accounts are names I recollect) ensured that we settled into our rooms without even collecting a dime from us.

It was a joy to hear Sudheer Kumar's energetic greetings three times a day, whenever he rang the bell to signal our food arrival on the table kept outside (it truly was contact less service). He was our one face to face contact with the world outside our room. The daily calls from Chef Arun were what we looked forward to. No request was too big for him and his team, even as they adapted to special dietary requirements and ensured a daily supply of nutritious and tasty food. Back end, I'm sure the F&B manager, Mr Presenjith was working with them to ensure a seamless service.

Mr Stephen and team, particularly Kushal, did an admirable job of housekeeping. Including a surprise room clean up on a birthday spent in quarantine.

I'm sure there are many working behind the scenes, without whom the front staffers are unable to perform. Accounts, and I'm sure the electrical and plumbing team were working in tandem too. Kudos to them.

My thanks to the entire team at Vivanta for making our experience so comfortable. Hope to meet you in...

Let me preface this by saying that it's not the first time I've stayed in a Taj property. There are certain expectations one holds (even with the Vivanta chain) with the Taj brand - and my stay at Vivanta, Residency Road was not upto the Taj standards.

I stayed at the hotel for a good 15-20 days for a work trip. The check in experience was - strange. Everyone was made to sign a digital form on iPad. Strange because I'd ideally avoid touching these surfaces during the pandemic.

The room was double occupancy. Despite that, the room cleaning staff would only place 'one' bath towel. Not sure why. I was bewildered because this happened atleast 8-10 times during the stay. The staff also skimped out on replacing the toiletries. We were left with a dozen bottles of conditioner and maybe 1/2 a bottle of shower gel on the last day.

Some of the rooms are really old. The lighting - very poor and dull. The rooms also have a paper thin wall. Next to our room there's a service door. I've seen the hotel staff enter and exit this door amd bang it in the process. Sometimes even in the middle of the night. It does not help when there are folks traveling with pets. Confined in a room, these pets just scream/bark all the time. Day and night.

The elevator buttons (at least on the third floor) don't work. One has to actually press it a bunch of times. The elevators themselves have doors that often don't close OR close partly and then open up again.

While the breakfast was alright, there is a dearth of staff. Everything is delayed. Tables are cleaned up late. I have, in fact, on more than one occasion, sat in the corner of a table for 2 because the staff was taking too long to clean it.

Not a good experience by any stretch of imagination. I did not order any food so cannot really comment on that but the 20 days I stayed were really, really bad. As someone who travels fairly frequently for work, there are Oyo Rooms that are far better than Vivanta,...