It was my first trip after things became normal. So I wanted it to be a great one. Once the dates were finalised, I started searching for a good hotel. And the criteria for a good hotel were: inside the city, close to the mall or eateries and a renowned one.
Along with these criteria, I had one coupon in my mind. As a shareholder of IHCL, I received 25% off coupon on my stay with the Taj group of hotels. Now the task was to find a Taj hotel which fit my budget with that coupon code. I checked the rates of a few and found out that with the coupon code, Taj Amritsar fits into my budget.
And in this way, Amritsar became the destination of my first trip after things became normal.
Change of room after booking
While booking the room, I didn’t realise that I was booking a twin bedroom. I simply booked the room after reading the first couple of lines.
On this trip, I was travelling along with my wife and my one-year-old. So, a twin bedroom was the first sign of a disastrous trip. After reading the mail, when I called Taj, they were like, “Okay sir the king-size bedroom is available, we will allot you that.” In just a couple of minutes, over a phone call, the type of bed in my room was changed without any extra charge. Mark my words, most of the hotels (even the big names or renowned brands) in this country will either not entertain your request at all or will do that only if you are willing to pay an extra charge.
My family members have had horrible experiences in this matter with some of the renowned hotels. So when I made that mistake I was ready to pay extra but Taj changed my room in a couple of minutes over a phone call. I didn’t believe it. Thus, I actually called them again 15 days before my flight to confirm that they have changed the room. And they confirmed that my room has king size bed.
I gave them a 5-star rating in my head as soon as I hung up the call after confirmation.
Experience of Taj Swarna
I checked in around 4 p.m. and the staff was warm, welcoming and cooperative. The check-in was hassle-free and easy. Along with the key, I was informed about the amenities and their timings. I didn’t use the amenities on day one as I was tired of travelling. The next morning I woke up early and headed for the breakfast first. The breakfast was world-class. There were dishes from around the globe and the live counter was soul-satisfying. Keeping the customers in kind, there was a good mix of Indian and foreign dishes.
After breakfast, I went for the pool session. And the pool was big enough to spend some quality time. There were different pools for adults and children and both of them were well maintained.
In the evening, I used the gym and did some cardio there. The gym also was equipped with the latest equipment. Apart from that, there is a sauna along with a steam bath. Games like chess, carom and fuse ball can be found near the terrace garden. Talking about the gardens, there are enough gardens for an evening stroll and for some fun with kids. The bar is attached to one of the gardens. And there are almost all types of banquets to conduct various types of events.
Honestly, I spent as much time in the hotel as I spent outside because you need time to experience all the above-mentioned amenities. Not only me, but my one-year-old also loved spending time in the hotel.
Tantrums of my son
Talking about my son, he donned the naughtiest version of himself in the hotel. From dialling random numbers to playing with lights, he made the room his playground. Apart from that, he splashed in the pool and had a blast on the shacks around it. During breakfast, he threw the spoons around and staff provided the fresh fork and spoon multiple times. Moreover, it was a signal for the staff to keep salt and pepper away from him. If that was not enough then he made sure that he was the loudest in the lobby crawling around tirelessly.
The hotel staff took all of his tantrums into their stride with a big smile on their face. I thank them for that from the bottom of my heart.
Extra Hours
On the day of checkout, my flight was late in the evening. And we (me and my wife) knew that it won’t be easy to move around with our one-year-old. The only way out was extra hours of stay. Thus, we requested it a day before. The receptionist said that if the room is available then we will definitely let you stay, enquire about it after breakfast. I enquired as per that conversation and the receptionist informed me that you can stay for 3 extra hours. I didn’t mind paying extra charges for that but when I checked out, they didn’t charge even a single penny for extra hours. And that gesture made me Taj’s loyal customer. Let me know in the comments how many hotels in this country will let you stay for extra hours without charging a single penny.
So this was my first Taj experience. Since I have come back from the trip, I am recommending Taj to everyone and anyone around. There is a reason Taj was awarded World’s Strongest Hotel Brand in 2022. Whenever an Indian like me hear the word ‘Taj hotel’, there is an image, a perception in the mind of great service and during my stay, they lived up to that perception.
I would like to thank the whole staff of Taj Swarna from the bottom of my heart for making my trip memorable.
