Udai Kothi — Hotel in Rajasthan

One of the worst experiences I've had at a hotel and I'm not exaggerating at all. I stayed here last week for 2 days. We booked the rooms online and paid 50% advance for them. Upon arrival, we were allotted the most basic Oyo type looking room when we had a booking for the deluxe double room. After arguing for 45 minutes, we were allotted a slightly better room (which was still not the room we had originally booked). We let it pass and checked in. The next day, in the afternoon, there was no water in any of the bathrooms. We were told that there is an issue with the tanks and it will be resolved soon. Fast forward to 1 a.m. at night and we still had no water. We had to go use the washrooms of the nearby restaurants. We simply asked the management to refund us our booking amount so we can check out and go somewhere else. After a lot of arguments they said that they will refund the amount back first thing in the morning. The next morning at the time of our checkout we asked for the refund and they completely denied it by saying that the water issue was solved when in fact it was solved somewhere around 5 a.m in the morning when it didn't matter at all. Our whole previous day of the booking we spent without any water in the washrooms and it was the worst experience ever. We had to argue for the refund for another hour at the checkout time where other guests staying there were also present with multiple issues of their own with the management. Finally they agreed to refund 25% of the booking amount and we had to just accept it because we didn't have the whole day to stand and fight there. During these arguments their management and staff had the worst behaviour possible and it seemed like they didn't care at all about the guests. During our stay, the services provided were not good, if you're driving your own car, it's next to impossible to reach the hotel by car during the day time because the roads are very narrow and there's a lot of traffic, so you have to park your vehicle 800m from the property and then walk your way. There are much better hotels in Udaipur and I would not recommend anyone to stay at this hotel even if they're getting the stay...

I checked all the reviews here before booking this place, and most of them turned out to be true. Here are the good points - The hotel truly is well maintained, and is a treat in the night when the place is lit up. We booked the garden suite which was very neat and has an authentic feel to it. However, if you're looking for a more modern place to stay, this isn't for you. I really liked the traditional palace design for the suite room. The staff working there are really helpful, especially the uncle and aunty who own the spa. They were kind and courteous, overall being very good hosts - helping us out with touristy things in Udaipur. The other staff there also helped us get a 2-wheeler to move around the city. The location of the place is very good, just like any other place near lake Pichola. Bonus - the front desk folks were kind enough to hold onto our luggage for a few hours after our checkout when we had some time to kill before the checkin of the next hotel.

The Bad points - The breakfast buffet was not good. I would rate it 5/10 especially considering the standard of food of Baro Masi (the rooftop restaurant on top of Udai Kothi). The front desk staff was a bit cold towards us initially. Only after we booked a private boating with them (which we had planned to anyways) did we see some hospitality. The water in the bathroom was lukewarm at best, though they had promised hot water. This was not too much of a problem since we went early February when the weather was a bit warm, but this definitely irritated many guests.

Overall it would still rate it 4/5 since the negatives were not impactful enough in a bad way. We have good memories of the...

Overall, our stay at Udai Kothi in Udaipur was quite pleasant. The haweli itself boasted a beautiful and charming ambiance. We reached Udaipur at 6 am and called 7 times for early check-in however we were left unanswered. Out of exhaustion, we reached this place, and we were welcomed by a friendly staff member who offered us early check-in and a free premium room upgrade. That was sweet! The haweli was a great spot for photography as it had all the flavors of Udaipur.

However, we did have one disappointing experience with a staff member during our photo shoot. They didn't allow us to open a halfly closed door that was obstructing the camera frame, which was quite frustrating. I opened the door and informed the reception guy that we'll close this in 2 minutes max. However, in a few seconds the guy closed the door stating "Owner aagaya hai, Chillayega" I think the owner is rude or whatever" It would have been helpful if they had been more accommodating to our needs and found an alternative solution for us. (I I wanted to attach a lot of pics of this property. However, I have marked and added only the door picture due to the rude experience).

Nevertheless, aside from this incident, the rest of our stay was enjoyable. The rooms were comfortable and well-maintained, and the overall atmosphere of the haweli was enchanting. We appreciated the various amenities and services provided.

In the future, we hope that the staff at Udai Kothi would prioritize guest needs and be more flexible, especially for situations like photo shoots. Remember: this is social media era! With a little more attention to customer service, the haweli would undoubtedly be a top-notch destination...