[Hotel Review] - Howard Plaza Agra, Agra, India (13 - 15 Jun 11)

Location

The location of this hotel is great, it is near to the south gate of Taj Mahal and has several eateries around the area. It is located in a quiet area of Agra.

Hardware

The room is rather aged and has definitely seen better days, with furnitures and designs that seemed to be done in the 80s. One will be greeted by a small corridor that extends into the bedroom as one enters the room. The room design, despite aged, gives one a cosy feel. There is a small furniture that allows one to stow their luggage at the end of the corridor. The centrepiece of the bedroom is the king size bed. The  sleep quality of the bed is fair, though not that ideal, the bed still does its basic function of providing guests a well deserved rest. The design of the bed looked rather old, and has 2 side tables.  Opposite the Bed is the CRT TV, which only shows local channels. The TV is housed on top of the mini bar fridge. There are coffee and tea provided. However unlike other hotels, there is a little note that reminds guests that there is an amount of 40 Rupees chargeable should there is a need for refill these amenities that are usually provided free in some other hotels. 

Bedroom 

At the window is located at the far end of the room, covered by thick red curtains. In front of the window, one can find the study table tucked on one side of the room. The placement of the table faces the door, which is a great way of placing the furniture. On the other side of the room, one can find a couple of armchairs and a small coffee table, facing the TV. These chairs are placed in a direction that faces the TV, which is rather ideal for guests who prefers to sit and watch the TV.

The recreation area in the room

To the left of the main, one would find the wardrobe. The storage space in the wardrobe is fairly sufficient for 2 persons to store their clothings. Perhaps due to the age of the room, the wardrobe has a foul smell and the door is hard to open and close. There is also a small safe hidden in the wardrobe. To the right of the main door is where the bathroom is located. The bathroom has a rather small bathtub sufficient for one person to soak in. The Bathtub seemed dirty with brownish stains in the room I was assigned. The shower head is located with the bath tub. In front of the bathtub is where one will find the toilet bowl. The bathroom has a single sink for guests to do some wash up. 

Bathroom

Throughout my 2 nights stay in this hotel, there are a total of 4 blackouts. The internet does not come free and is rather pricey.

Heartware

The service in the hotel is almost non-existence. It felt as if the staffs are not interested in providing hospital service and just go about doing their job. Requests are being handled in a sluggish manner and it takes them forever to respond to a request. The check in process was a breeze, mainly due to the staff not wanting to engage with guests.  Overall in terms of service, the hotel seemed lacking.

Overall

The aged hotel is tucked in a quiet area of Agra, which allows guests to ply the area without much disturbances. Rooms looked aged, screaming a need to do a facelift. The bed provided guests with decent sleep quality. Guest service is lacklustre and seemed non-existent. The only plus point about the hotel is its close proximity to Taj Mahal, otherwise there is nothing great about staying in this hotel.