wanted guesthouse / budget hotel

jerseyjoe

For the period Oct 15 through Oct 22 I need a budget hotel or guest house in Delhi, prefer near rail station or Connaught. MUST be clean, quiet, aircon, internet.

Suggestions please? Web links or email address welcome.

Chintuthewhizkid

I will be in Delhi for a couple of days this month and plan to stay here.. http://www.asianguesthouse.com/

looks good on the web, at least...

jerseyjoe

Their web site is very amatuerish and not at all re-assuring. I hope they know a lot more about hospitality than they do about web site design.

But, given that you will be there shortly, I would be interested to hear your experience.

Thanks for your reply . . . and still seeking response from those who have recent experience with a place to stay . . . or avoid.

Chintuthewhizkid

Website not bad for a family run enterprise....anyways..

Chk out the hotels section here on Indiamike for more Delhi listings...

kidsan

imho, i'm not sure that you can judge indian hotels by their websites

this question of delhi hotels is probably the most asked question on here, so i'm sure you'll find loads of info if you do a search...good luck

jerseyjoe

Respectfully, you can judge at least one aspect of an Indian hotel - or any business in the world - by its web site. That's one purpose of a web site and that judgement is what web surfers do by the millions every hour of the day.

A well-organized and handsome web site may not inform on how clean, safe, quiet or satisfying any hotel or guesthouse actually is. The worst flea trap can be mis-represented. It can give a false impression of goodness. But a bad web site is a warning as clear as a shabby reception area.

A guesthouse or hotel is a business. It requires organization, dedication and professionalism. It requires an understanding and respect for a guest's needs, which include well-organized and clearly-presented information. If management is not skilled in creating its web site, it is essential that a professional be hired to do it.

If a business is unwilling or - perhaps for financial reasons - unable, to hire a professional to do what they cannot do properly themselves, that is a signal of how they may be providing other aspects of the hospitality.

So, Chintuthewhizkid, while I still am interested in hearing about what you see during your visit, I already have an impression that needs to be changed before I would stay there.

Meanwhile, I'm still looking for a clean, safe, quiet, budget guesthose in Delhi. Anyone?

Casey

Many of the good budget guesthouses do not have websites. The Master Paying Guesthouse, which rates number one on www.tripadvisor.com, rates higher than the $300.00 a night places, has a very amature website, but is one of the best places I have ever stayed.

jerseyjoe

Casey,

Thank you for that advice. Unfortunately, the owner of that establishment responded a few days ago that they are fully booked. However, he has made me a generous offer of hospitality upon my arrival to get me settled and to advise me on finding an alternative. That is impressive and consistent with all the good things I've read about them.

While their web site is not perfect, it is at least organized in way that shows some knowledge of the medium and an appreciation of how visitors use it. To that extent I am satisfied that they have given thought to it.

Still looking for something available for my dates (Oct 15 through the 22nd).

Nick-H

Indian appreciation of the web is still very young, and might seem somewhat immature to the Western eye.

It seems like an amazing site to me! OK, the colours are fairly awful (to the western eye...) and there are far, far too many words, but I'd say, top marks for effort! It is obvious that this guy and his family want their businesses to have a web presence and have made a good start. And, wonder of wonders! No Flash

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jerseyjoe

The immaturity could be cured simply by reaching out to a professional. Looking at a few hundred Indian hotel and tourism web sites in the past month establishes for me that there is no shortage of talented help - and few (maybe two) used flash (hallelujah!!).

Looking at the subject web site in particular, whoever did the pages has some pretensions to expertise as evidenced by the disabled right-click (for what good purpose?). That amateurism is easily defeated, revealing in the page code that they were clever enough to include snips from CodeLifter.com to detect and restrict the most popular browser types.

But the faults of the web site at issue are not simply the colors or the annoying attempt at interference. They are far more fundamental.

To start with, the site is designed in high resolution. For the non-techies reading this thread, that means that a visitor whose monitor is configured to a common setting of what some call "low res" must scroll to the right to see everything. Show me a single major Internet success story (including Indiamike) that makes that mistake. It's a simple error that professionals avoid easily. But it's very annoying to users who encounter it.

Then there are the centered text and page layouts that the left / right scroll renders even more difficult to read.

The navigational menu at the top requires a visitor to return to the top of the page simply to move around. It would be so much easier and more user-friendly to put the menu on the left - or at least replicate it at the bottom of each page. Even better would be to use something like DHTML to cause a left-side menu move up and down the page for constant availability.

I'm still curious to hear about that experience of the first user who suggested this property after he completes his visit. I've not ruled out Asian Guest House. I'm just not impressed with their professionalism. More information might change that.

More immediately, I'm still hoping to see postings by informed independent parties who have experience with other accommodations.

cyberhippie

Try the Star Palace guest house, It's listed here on the Hotels section it qualifies in all the areas you quoted!!

johnrxx99

Thanks for that - love the website! Very detailed.

I've heard Yatri Guest House is very good, has a private garden and rs1500 but non ac I think.

mercedes10

JerseyJoe - have you been to India before? Do you know what you're letting yourself in for? ;-) I'm a little worried by your attitude. If you expect things in India to work like they do at home then chances are you're going to be frustrated and disappointed. India is wonderful, but you have to be able to accept her the way she is. Things will not always go to plan, and service will often not be what you expect. Try not to go there with pre-conceptions of how things need to be. You can't judge India on the same criteria you do at home! Like many people said, some of the best hotels/guesthouses have no web presence or a poor one. Just because a hotel pays a professional to make a great website for them doesn't mean the accommodation/service/hospitality will live up to it. I often find myself disappointed after booking something I've seen online as it rarely looks anything like the web images.

Good luck and have a great stay! Sorry I can't help with recommening anywhere, but I don't think you'd like the places I stayed!

kidsan

i have to say that this is precisely what i was thinking joe

luckyindia

As I read all the discussion and your views, I would like to inform you that 1st night in Delhi, if your flight comes late in the night,please book an expensive and recognised hotel by Lonely Planet guide book, just for one night. I am sure you could get a good deal.

In this way you can escape your self from hotel and travel agents mafias, who is now after reading your requirement,waiting for you.

The next day you check out from this expensive hotel and check personally each and every guest houses and cheap hotel by your self,which is mostly and only recommended by this forum members. I am sure you will find a sincere and honest recommendations.