[adam_carsis]

HI,
I was wondering which of the guide books are the most current.
Lonley Planet, lets go, ect...
Which one is the most accurate as far as hotel prices today?
any good suggestions?

[mahmud]

As far as I found, LP is the best.

[eater]

Originally Posted by mahmud

As far as I found, LP is the best.

Is that LP 2005? Or is there a newer edition ?

Txs, mahmud,

[robotvoice]

in my experience it seems that prices can fluctuate a lot based on season, such as in mussoorie where prices were usually listed in the lobby but since i was there off season the price was as low as 10 percent of the posted price! other factors may be involved too, like the hotel may "play by ear" and base there price on what they think you are willing to spend. for instance in kolkata i was filling out the paperwork for a room i had agreed on for rs250 when another customer came and was shown a smaller room than mine for 350.
and of course almost everything can be haggled in india.
therefore i would not expect any of the guides to be 100 percent acurate, but any of them should be fine for a ballpark idea. i used lonely planet on my trip which seemed to be pretty acurate, and if i was quoted higher i would use the listed price as leverage for bargaining. also there are often many options that are not listed. my method of operation in a new city would be to find a room first, and then have a look around without having to lug my backpack around. i also developed the theory that having a backpack on makes you look more desperate, and therefore to be quoted a higher price. who knows if it's true.

[Sama]

I can tell you don't believe what Rough Guide tells you about a hotel!

[Nick-H]

Things change after publication.

Like the price! According to many once a hotel gets in a guide book it thinks it can put its prices up.

One criteria for a guidebook is to choose one that does a volume for the part of India you are visiting. eg a South India book is a lot lighter to carry around than one that covers the whole country. ---but I'm just lazy!

[jw46]

Originally Posted by eater

Is that LP 2005? Or is there a newer edition ?

Txs, mahmud,

They are only guides, out of date before they are printed...

Ya still have to do your homework.. contact the hotels...

[TimMakins]

Of course guidebooks are out of date. A researcher may go to India during the winter season to do his research. That research has then got to be sent back to head-office by April, to be edited and formatted so that the new book can be published in September. So even with guidebooks that publish yearly updates, the information in them is at generally 6-10 months old.

Another thing - just because a new edition is published, it does not mean that EVERY item in the book is new. If a company has not got sufficient researchers, it is hard for them to go to every town in every state in India.

Another thing - which I keep mentioning from time to time here on IM - researchers are not perfect, and will miss many details whilst they are working. New hotels open all the time: how are they supposed to find them all. Getting information takes time. Finding out about new hotels is often a matter of luck.

For the traveller - these new hotels are often better, cheaper, cleaner, and better value than the ones in the guidebook. Some hotels that have been in the major books for a while (particularly Lonely Planet) have a habit of 'resting on their laurels' once the masses start flocking in, and letting their standards slip. Therefore, it is in the traveller's best interest to use the guidebook listings as a 'guide' only, and spend a bit of time walking around yourself: who knows but that you may find a wonderful place to stay, and enjoy yourself a lot.

I have also found that in India particularly, there are often many hotels in the bottom end of the market that never get a mention. The guidebooks split their listings into price-bands; there is never room to list all the cheapest hotels - many are excellent bargains in India.

With so much information available on the internet and in the yearly guidebooks these days, many travellers are starting to fall into the trap of wanting everything handed to them on a plate. A recent series of threads started here by an English honeymoon couple have brought this to mind for me: they wanted to know everything from what time every train ran to how wide the seats are. What's wrong with just going and being adventurous any more?!?! To my mind, the guidebooks are there to tell you about the major places and sites of a country - these kind of places stay the same for years, and don't change much. A map may need updating as new roads are built etc, but forts and temples don't move. If, in addition, the guidebooks talk about shops, restaurants, hotels etc, that should be regarded as a bonus, not a necessity. Travelling through India with a 5-year old guidebook should still be enjoyable.

Which is the best: my preference is for Footprint, Rough Guide, and Lonely Planet, in that order.

Tim in Ireland
Has done some researching for Footprint in the past

[thirdreel]

Good post, TimMakins. Perhaps I overuse the word "moxie" when talking about India travel, but I must say it helps to have some moxie, to not panic when everything's not planned out, when everything doesn't happen the exact way the guidebook said it would. If the guidebook says that meals at a particular restaurant average 60 rupees, and you go there and meals cost 100 rupees, then either pay 100 rupees for a meal, or don't.

Having a guidebook is helpful to have easy access to local maps, a brief overview of different neighborhoods, and suggestions for sights and activities. They won't always help you know wheter Hotel A in Paharganj is better than Hotel B next door. However, they can certainly help you understand how, in general, hotels in Paharganj are different from hotels in Connaught Place.

Most of all, a guidebook won't make or break your trip. It's just a book. Your trip will be made by the adventures you have, not how well you've read about them beforehand. My suggestion: if you can look at the guidebooks side-by-side, look at the local maps of the places you intend to go, and pick the one with the most detailed local maps.

[globetrotter09]

Originally Posted by adam_carsis

HI,
I was wondering which of the guide books are the most current.
Lonley Planet, lets go, ect...
Which one is the most accurate as far as hotel prices today?
any good suggestions?

Lonely Planet books are really great because they are detailed and deals with lots of different issues. But they are mostly written from a western way of thinking and they can be a bit judgemental.

What i reccomend to anyone is to read the newest and updated websites. Some of them give neutral and daily updated info. I always use www.topworld.com when i plan a trip. They have general info and they have these top 10 lists that are really fascinating.

[mahmud]

Originally Posted by eater

Is that LP 2005? Or is there a newer edition ?

Txs, mahmud,

During my last visit, I used LP 2005. The information as almot nearer to the actual.

[haji]

I totally agree with TimMakins, an old guidebook is still usefull and a new edition often does not worth the money. I find LP excellent because of the maps and city plan and because the logic way to show important things and details, but ridicolous when it tries to report bus, taxi or rikshaw fee, also quite poor about archeology and art. Last time I went to Rajasthan I had Footprint 2005 Rajasthan : my God, even road and city names were wrong ! And in the Bundi hotel section (page 182) is mentioned an hotel in Jhalawar...150 km away. A good help indeed !

[pantelis]

Lonely Planet is the best although it is 2005 edition.Also, be aware that even a todays guide most hotels` telephones change regularly!!

[New-South-Welshman]

I was recommended Rough Guide because I'm more into more 4 star hotels. It's worked great for me. I use a guide book to give me the basics, and India Mike for specifics.

[haritha]

None is completely correct. Do not need a current one.Have one and use it for the first night. Then trust yoru senses you will enjoy india. Even if some leaflets are offered to you on the streets Do not always say NO THANK YOU . Pick it have a look at it later . Some times you may head to nicer places. ALways use this forum -- lot of good info as well as the travel blogs