Where to stay in Paharganj...

sgx

Hey delhiwala,

I'm thinking of staying in HCYP in December for 2 nights. I've seen a fair few reviews from past customers, but they all seem kind of old... so are essentially useless.

Did you manage to get any new photo's as yet? And in your opinion, what's it like as a mid priced hotel right now...??

Thanks!

delhiwala

No Dear ! The latest photos that I have were taken on that day when I made the post that you are referring to.

It's a good & clean place and situated in a relatively less crowded area of Paharganj, although rooms are smallish (as you can see from the pics also).

__________________
Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

oorvashe

Hi delhiwala, I checked the arya tourist lodge and they have quoted 1400 ( 200 discount on 1400) for a Ac double room. Should I book the room.

delhiwala

No !

I know someone who stayed for Rs. 800 in AC double room at 4th floor (which is recently renovated). Bargain and bring it down.....

alok_bhatia_1982

hey buddy , if looking for some eco- hotels then you can check out Karol bagh as well coz there are a good no of Eco hotels as well.

r_shum2

If the hotel quotes higher rate at reply email, shall I bargin over email or confirm the booking first and negotiate when check-in?

machadinha

I think bargaining by email or telephone can always be tried, but obviously doesn't give you much of a bargaining position (best done in the flesh, with the power to walk away then & there). It wouldn't leave me feeling more confident of that room being kept for me either.

Agreeing in advance on a price then bargaining on arrival I'd personally consider a no-no, and I wouldn't expect it to get you very far either. The keepers might react with justified indignation rather, or just plain tell you to b*gger off. They may well not be all that desperate for your patronship to lose all sense of pride.

(Contrary to what many tourists seem to think, bargaining isn't mandatory over everything, and it's quite possible to well and truly tick otherwise perfectly honest and decent people off by doing it the wrong way or at the wrong times. So a room or in a certain segment at least can conceivably be haggled over as long as you keep it friendly,* but not by agreeing to one thing first, then changing your mind later, over a room they've presumably kept for you and could otherwise have rented out no less. That is just considered to be deceit the world over.)

* With rooms and provided you show up there yourself, I'd usually find it goes something like this: You ask what are the room prices. They state the price, say perhaps Rs. 700, which is out of my personal league, and you tell them so. More often than not, they'll then go, So what budget are you thinking of. This is your time to maybe bring it back to Rs. 500 or so. If they're low on customers, they'll accept. Since in this case I know I can't come up with a reasonable counter-bid, I'll just tell them so, and not even try, although I'll state my budget (around the Rs. 350 mark rather). They might still go for it (not likely with these price differences), or otherwise just say Sorry we can't go that low (again indicating you could have met them halfway), and they'll normally be perfectly happy to then point you on to a few places that may be in your league.

It should ideally all, and with any bargaining, be done in good spirits. If either party gets truly aggravated in the process, you're doing something wrong, and/or had better drop that transaction altogether (or stop worrying about every other Paisa).

ps Note in all of this, many places if reserving ahead will expect some sort of upfront payment, in which case you could hopefully count on actually having that room reserved for you, and any bargaining thereafter being out of the question you'd think.

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

r_shum2

Thanks for your advice.