India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [74]
Warning: As a general rule of thumb, government-run properties are best avoided throughout the country.
BARGAINING In India, even hotel rates are up for a bit of hard-core bargaining. If you’re thin-skinned, bargain online (many hotels offer Internet-only discounts); alternatively, show up and stay tough—when you hear the rate quoted, brazenly pretend to walk out; there’s no shame in India in turning back and accepting the rate. You’ll also be surprised to find that luxury hotels in cities can often be had at midrange prices, simply because room occupancy is low. Always ask about daily specials, and call and check prices: In this book we generally provide the published (official) “rack” rate for accommodations, but most business and large luxury hotels have now gone over to the “rate of the day” or “best available rate” system which means that you should always investigate actual prices of places that have taken your fancy—even if they appear beyond your reach, the actual rate may be substantially lower.
In remote areas, small towns, and villages, and many places in Goa and the Himalayan foothills, you can find good (basic but clean) budget accommodations at unbelievable prices. The same cannot generally be said of the major cities, where a cheap, dingy hotel may expose you to bedbugs and despair; stick to the budget recommendations in this book.
Note: Prices in a number of the hotel listings throughout the book are stated in U.S. dollars or, increasingly, in euros—this is, in fact, the way hotels targeting foreign markets quote their rates.
Tip: All over India, floors are marked and understood differently from many in the U.S. First floor is the floor above the ground level, second floor is the floor above that, and so on. The ground floor or lobby level is just that.
Of Hotels & Taxes
Almost every hotel in India will quote a rate to which an additional luxury tax is added; this varies from state to state. This tax applies to all luxury hotels, or the moment the room price goes above a certain level (which depends on the state, and sometimes the city). Restaurant and hotel bills get a different tax, and alcohol and other luxuries get a different set of taxes all together. Some states such as Tamil Nadu add an astronomical 73.5% tax to imported liquor; as a rule, locally produced alcohol is taxed less than foreign imports. Always check whether the tax has been included in the rate you’ve been quoted and, if it hasn’t, exactly how much it is.
SURFING FOR HOTELS
In addition to the online travel booking sites Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Hotwire, you can book hotels through Hotels.com; Quikbook (www.quikbook.com); and Travelaxe (www.travelaxe.com).
Many budget and moderate hotel websites (where indeed they do have them) are poorly maintained, which means you may come across tariffs and information dating as far back as the previous decade. Smaller hotels change e-mail service providers almost as often as they change sheets. For basic information on about 3,000 listed hotels in India, the website for the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (www.fhrai.com) can be a useful if undiscriminating resource.
You’ll also come up against a plethora of accommodations booking services that presume to be direct representatives of the hotel you’re searching for, but that actually hike up the lowest available tariff considerably, which may leave you feeling ripped off before you even bed down. Always compare the website rate with the cheapest rate offered directly by the hotel before making a reservation. On the upside, several hotel networks offer unbelievable Internet discounts that simply can’t be ignored.
For access to some truly wonderful “Hip Hideaways and Boutique Hotels,” check out the offerings at i-escape.com, which gives detailed reviews (and booking facilities) for many of India’s most stylish hotels, retreats,