Celeste by Mindescapes — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

We were 57 ladies and gentlemen, alumni of a local residential school , who had gathered in Ooty for our reunion in mid October . A buffet lunch on one of the afternoons was scheduled at the Celeste MindEscapes. Everything from the menu, the assurance of the exclusive use of the main restaurant, the time that we would arrive and leave was all fixed in early June and confirmed frequently with Dipali Sikand the owner, and Amitabho and Priyanka, the managerial staff assigned as the point of contact at Mindescapes. But what was in store for us on the day of the lunch was something different and appalling to say the least. The major portion of the main restaurant which was supposed to be reserved for us was occupied by other guests, which incidentally included the owner of the establishment herself. We were left fending for space and had to stand in small groups on the corridors leading to the kitchen, the bar and the outside balconies. The food which should have been laid out as a buffet in the main restaurant was stuffed into a plating area which could hardly hold about 8 to10 people. To make matters even worse was the fact that the food was not ready at the appointed time but was served to us little by little. So we ended up eating in batches. What hurt the most was the fact that the owner was right in there in her establishment, eating in the place reserved for us and chose not to deal with our inconveniences in spite of being spoken to and told that MindEscapes was going back on the commitment and assurance given to us. Some business owners probably think that their establishments are doing well and therefore need not worry about their customers. Establishments such as this cater only to the floating tourist population and so the inflow continues despite the business being run with least attention paid to values in sincerity and integrity. Is it possible that in the hospitality industry driven by customers, an event booked with certain binding commitments are simply tossed to the wind on the conveniences and fancies of the owner or someone acting with or without her knowledge ? What is their accountability to the blot on the capabilities of the organisers who planned this event at this location ? This is totally unacceptable, a guest is a guest, a commitment is a commitment and that thick line of relationship should not have been backstabbed as it happened in MindEscapes. The management of Celeste Mindescapes should feel ashamed of the terrible experience we had to experience at the restaurant. Yes, the only positive in this bad experience was Priyanka who was assigned to us, who did her tasks most pleasantly and cheerfully despite all the above complaints she had to deal with. It is unlikely any of the 57 in our group will patronise this establishment again. In response to the owner's reply : We came with the specific purpose of having lunch in the restaurant. We never asked for space in the bar. Why then didn't you shift your guests to the bar and give us the exclusivity to have our lunch as a group and as assured and promised. Three fourth of the restaurant was occupied by others and not us. Kindly do not circumvent the lapses committed and try justify your action , putting the onus on the weather Gods !!! This is an ideal case study for a hospitality management program on how badly a crisis can be managed by an incompetent team of people who lack the managerial finesse...

I was one of the unfortunate 57 that visited your restaurant that misty fateful afternoon last month. While I am always ready to write a good review, I hate the unpleasant task of writing a negative one and instead choose not to visit the place again. But in this case, write I must. I am writing because while I was dismayed by the treatment meted out to us, I am appalled by your response to the reviews of that afternoon. I have studied many of the reviews posted by other customers over the past, as well as your responses and I see a pattern here. I believe that on that miserable October afternoon you were overbooked. Despite confirming our program in June, 60 of us were confined to an area that could barely seat 40. To make matters worse, you had chosen to accept reservations in the alfresco area, even though rain was forecast. Restaurants that have a significant portion of their tables outdoors take a number of proactive steps to handle bad weather. But wishing that the rain does not come is not one of them. Your responses to the poor reviews by your customers borders on the condescending behind a veneer of customer care. In fact, I am amused that you seek to abrogate to yourself the well being of the Nilgiris and its people by suggesting that negative reviews of your establishment on Google will adversely impact them. If you can, take care of your customers and happy customers will ensure their well being. If you don’t, your customers will still take care of the Nilgiris and its people by moving their...

This is my 2nd timw stay here. Location: 5/5.....the best place in entire niligiris...the valley view is heavenly...the balcony in the room is wide enough and super cool

Ambience: 4/5

Staff behaviour: 4.5/5....very friendly and courteous staff

Things that need improvement: FOOD: 1/5 Celeste/Nirvana restaurant are available whoch serve veg, non-veg multicuisines and alcohol drinks as well. The staff in the restaurant are critically low, not friendly. Food taste is horrible no matter what u eat. Earlier there used to be an exclusive veg restaurant for those wanting veg. Now that veg restaurant is closed. In room dining is also provided but again the experience is below average. Now the prices of the food are absurdly high and not worthy. Avoid this restaurant as much as possible but the problem is there are no good restaurants nearby particularly if ur a vegetarian.

Small things like having tissues in rooms are overlooked by house keeping. Maintenance of the property also needs to be improved.

Overall i strongly recommend sraying here if u r looking for a luxurious stay in ooty. Particularly the balcony alone justifies the price we pay. Rooms are also good. Washroom is good and 24*7 hot water with in room geyser is available. Balcony view blinds are all automatic which adds to the ambience.

I stayed in two rooms (Azure &...