"Operations at Uppals Orchid temporarily suspended", er, um?

missalg

I'm looking into going for a luxury spot near Delhi airport for my last day, and Uppals Orchid looked interesting...but when I go to the website, I get the above message. Anybody have a clue whether this would be just a temporary Internet glitch thingy or has there been some trouble at the hotel?

(I'm open for other suggestions as well...I'll be flying in from Ladakh @6:50AM and flying out to Paris @ 0:40AM the next morning, so really I guess I need a day room...)

KABAARY

Yes, I went and checked the site and saw the same message too..strange ! Anyway, the food there sucks.

Radisson is the next closest to the airport in that tariff bracket (I'm ignoring Centaur which is awful)....have kababs in their "The Great Kabab Factory" restaurant.

puchoo

given the vagueness..i would advise Radisson....its not a bad place at all and is infact slightly closer to the airport as well than Uppals by about 10 odd minutes..

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shashank.aggarwal

Last Time I heard, Uppal's Orchid was closed for renovations..

Besides Radisson Trident Hilton would be a good option, if you do not mind a 15-20 minutes drive...

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puchoo

The Trident (Hilton) is about a 15 minute drive from the international airport down the expressway towards Gurgaon..its just post the toll collection and is also , as Shashank has mentioned, a good option.

You can also look towards Delhi - Dhaula Kaun to be specific which houses a taj and Maurya...

shashank.aggarwal

Which is the Oberoi one there ? I am only aware about Taj and Maurya Sheraton..!! What the heck, I am sure these are the only two there...

puchoo

My mistake....not Oberoi's..Maurya...

missalg

Thank you all! Renovations would make sense...it's just a rather ominous message on the website.

I'll look into all the options mentioned; of course, I'll have to gather up my courage to pay that much for a hotel, but I think it would be nice for the last day as recovery/preparation for the flight back. Hey, it's only money, right?

puchoo

I second that....nothing like a bit of indulgence every once in a while...!!!

phillip

I was staying at this Hotel when the operations were suspended.

2nd day of a week long trip, got back to the hotel around 9pm to find the place in semi darkness, lots of security people. Was escorted (politely) to my room, asked to pack and then driven to "alternative" accomodation.

Apparently the Uppals has been in infringement of "building regulations" for some time. I'm told by locals that they were served with a demolition order several years ago and that according to formal records, the hotel had actually been demolished a long while ago.

I wonder whether the new airport expansion has something to do with the current position.

Shame though, as I found it a pleasent hotel, nice and convenient for the Airport. Hope they can find a way to start trading agaib soon.

Tapestry

Maybe it has to do with the recent upsurge in activity by the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) and their crackdowns on "illegal" properties, or properties that violate one law or another. The MCD has been quite active as of late in south Delhi and have been coming around in force shutting places down. Maybe Uppal's Orchid has fallen behind on their bribes to the MCD, which makes the MCD very cranky.

jyotirmoy

With Supreme court coming down heavily on MCD the bribing is not working any more.

Tapestry

That's actually completely true. The last time they came around in the colony where I work they came in this mob of 12 MCD staff and four police and shut down anything and everything. They even went through and evacuated people from their homes, which they were not doing before. They came to the house of my business partner and said, "You cannot live in the basement. You have one hour to evacuate your home. We are sealing it." It was pretty awful. They even sealed the basement WITHIN a single family house that had rehabilitation equipment in it for the son who had just been in a car accident. They were really ruthless and illogical this time around.

So you're right, the bribes are not working anymore. However, it does NOT stop the lower-level staff from continuing to come around to collect the bribes that had been set up on a monthly schedule before the present period of terror.

missalg

Thanks for the live and on the spot update! A bit of drama is connected with the message the website posts, then. Pity, if it was as nice as it looked in some pictures, that it couldn't be run appropriately.