Southern Star Mysore — Hotel in Karnataka

This is a 5-star property located in the heart of Mysore, promises luxury and comfort but unfortunately fails to deliver on the most basic aspect of hospitality—courteous and efficient service. Based on my recent stay from March 21 to March 23, 2025, the experience was riddled with disappointments, primarily due to the unprofessional and rude behavior of the staff. Here’s a detailed account of my stay:

Arrival and Check-In Upon arrival, we were allocated our rooms promptly. However, there was no assistance provided for our luggage. While we didn’t mind carrying it ourselves, this lack of basic service is surprising for a 5-star property. A warm welcome and assistance with luggage are standard expectations at hotels of this caliber, but they were glaringly absent.

In-Room Dining Service The inefficiency of the staff became even more evident during our stay. Each time we called for water bottles through in-room dining, it took an average of five to six follow-up calls before they were delivered. Even then, the delivery took a minimum of two hours. Such delays are unacceptable and reflect poorly on the hotel’s ability to cater to its guests’ needs promptly.

Checkout Experience The checkout process was by far the most frustrating part of our stay. After leaving our luggage at the hotel for an hour while we had lunch, we returned to collect it only to face unnecessary chaos. Misplacing our luggage tag added to the stress, but we had a photo of it as proof. When we needed ₹100 in cash urgently to pay for a local auto, I approached the front desk manager requesting to exchange cash via digital payment. Shockingly, he denied having cash and directed me to the bellboy.

The bellboy’s behavior was appalling. Not only did he ignore my requests initially, but he also rudely reprimanded us for losing the luggage tag. Adding insult to injury, he prioritized chatting with a foreign guest over assisting us, leaving us anxious about missing our train. Even after resolving the matter and retrieving our luggage, his arrogant demeanor persisted—he refused to acknowledge our thanks or even lift his head when we bid him goodbye.

Poolside Incident The one time we used the swimming pool turned into another unpleasant encounter. I wore nylon beachwear suitable for swimming but was rudely stopped by a staff member distributing towels by the poolside. He insisted I wear sports swimwear and refused entry until I complied. While enforcing dress codes is understandable, his tone and approach were unnecessarily harsh and unprofessional. I ended up ordering a swimsuit online just to access the pool—a situation that could have been handled with far more tact and politeness.

Final Thoughts:- Southern Star Mysore’s infrastructure and facilities may meet 5-star standards, but its service quality falls woefully short. The staff’s rude behavior, lack of professionalism, and inefficiency overshadowed any positives during our stay. Hospitality is about creating memorable experiences for guests through warmth and attentiveness—qualities that were sorely missing here.

I cannot recommend Southern Star Mysore based on my experience. For travelers seeking a truly luxurious and hospitable stay in Mysore, there are likely better options available that value their guests' time...

Don't opt for breakfast on rush days! *

In my review, instead of providing my opinion i will just provide my observations and leave it upto you to form an opinion.

Reaching the hotel Location is great Easily accessible by bus from the airport. Just get down at maharani college and it is 1 block from there Hotel looks good from the outside

Checkin Checkin went smoothly Receptionist didn't smile even once while checking us in Ignored some of the questions we asked

Room They gave us a smoking room which reeks of smoke. We decided to not change as we were tired No towels in the room Coffee mugs were stained TV not functional Quite spacious 3 pins in electrical sockets was good Stains on the curtains and floor overall cleanliness left lot to be desired Once we requested the towels the provided ones had stains and again cleanliness was not that good -AC worked well Housekeeping When we asked for extra water bottles the person promptly provided us more with a smile When we requested for coffee sachets housekeeping again delivered with a smile

Breakfast (Rush day and non rush day, totally opposite experiences) We stayed for 2 days, first day was part of the long weekend and was a rush day. Second day was a weekday and there were few guests. Below things apply only for the first day, second day everything was perfect and just the opposite of my observations below on day 1. On the weekday, tables were perfectly laid out, full buffet spread was available and hot, manager was super helpful welcoming and courteous. We were offered a lot of live items apart from the buffet like dosa, poori, rava idli etc. Tea on non rush day was good as well. Staff, setting and food everything was perfect in my opinion on the non rush day Overcrowded. When we reached there was no place to sit Most of the tables were littered with dirty plates Buffet spread had empty containers and items that were not replenished Half the items weren't available Spent 5 minutes finding someone who can help us identify and clean a table Tables were cleaned superficially and we got a dingy feeling only 3 staff members and 1 cook for feeding so many folks in an overcrowded room provided tea was reheated one and we just left it there as it tasted pathetic -Muffins and donuts were not tasty idli and sambhar was good

Swimming pool and garden area

Swimming pool had Clean water and looked well maintained. We didn't go swimming Lots of plants in the garden and very big area Felt a sense of calm in the area and my wife enjoyed the variety of plants

My suggestion would be to book...

This is a long one, but if you are considering making a decision about whether to stay, don’t hesitate, just book it!

We’ve been here as family, on two occasions: once during Christmas in 2022 and the other recently in the last week of May 2024. My observations are put here as brief as possible There is something special about the property. The location is great, that’s perhaps the biggest highlight. But, in addition there is feeling of warmth from the way ‘most’ staff attend to you. The food and the price it is available, makes it a great deal. Don’t miss the buffets, if you are one for good spreads. The rooms are super comfortable. They have been upgraded since our last visit. Though the sliding cupboard was a bit of a challenge, as I nearly jammed my fingers on a couple of occasions. Everything else was top notch. This is a place for family. Don’t think twice if you have young ones or children accompanying you. We found the staff well trained in attending to the special needs of young children.

Suggestions I used the gym on both occasions, and this time, the gym was unmanned. There were times I had to ask for fresh towels and bottles of water. Further, there was a child playing in the gym, with the equipment. I reported this, for the safety concern of the child. A security guard walks in after about 10 minutes and the guy lamely tells the child not to play and that was it. He continued to surf on the elliptical trainer. In addition, extend the gym time to about 10 pm. 8 pm is unbelievably short.

I tried the shower at about 5:30 am as I had a meeting to get to early. But there was no water coming forth. I felt I was back in Bangalore. Include a reward program, as I would definitely come back again and would be happy if my loyalty to the brand received some reward. Swimming wear for everyone. There were people jumping in without proper gear. Such a waste of a really good pool.

Special mention Arpita, at the gardenia, went out of her way to arrange a table for us, despite the place being packed on a busy Thursday night. We had a similar experience, when watching the FIFA 22 on the lawns, the staff went out of their way to arrange a table for us, despite being fully packed. Such a an amazing place I tell you. Wish...