confused! hotels and guesthouses tariffs

Hello to all
I'm leaving for India in a week with my other half.

We're starting from Tamil Nadu and accending all the way to Ragastan and Delhi where we're flying home from. 2 months all in all.

I know now that it was a mistake of mine to plan our budget basing on tariffs in LP and also in this site, but this was what I did. So, I thought that we'd manage to find clean double rooms, with A/C and in-suit bathroom or shower (nothing special, no TV, no room service, no balconies, views etc) for 500-600 rupees.
But now, when I'm actually receiving quotations from hotels, or looking for recent reviews I see that the prices are much higher. For example Green Woods Beach Resort which mentioned in indiamike and in LP as BUDGET place ask 950 roopes miminum for A/C double!

Shall I expect these rates everywhere? Should I bargain?

I'd appreciate your help.

Info gets out of date very quickly, but there ae some definite upsides to this at the moment.

Firstly, India is quiet this season and most hotels are nowhere near as full as usual, so haggle away - you can virtually always (except late at night or if this is the only accom in town!) get a better price by turning up and haggling.

Also, anyone with a web presence is either going to be expensive in the first place, or raises their prices for advanced bookings.

So if I were you, apart from a hotel on arrival after the international flight, I wouldn't book anywhere in advance. I'm always too tired to haggle well after a long flight!!

The new edition of LP comes out in September, and the preparation, checking of tariffs etc. probably has been going for 6 months now. So if you count at least 6 months before the last edition came out (I think 2 years back) then yes, there will be increases in tariffs since the rates put in LP. I found this years ago - every place I went to had an increased tariff to the one mentioned in LP. However, if you find where you are going is very off-season now do a bit of bargaining as you go, telephone ahead rather than book over the internet.

Most of the hotels charge based on availability. Also even if they do not provide service, many of them add a service charge of 12% or have it in fineprint somewhere.
Internet charges will be the maximum charges applicable , not advisable to book unless you are booking the star hotels.
For hotels in the range 500/600 its best to go to the hotels check the rooms ,cleanliness ,safety and then book it.

I have a feeling that lesser known hotels start over-charging as soon as their name first appears in the Lonely Planet. They might be mis-using the publicity gained!

A bit of good news - today the Government of India has announced a 2% cut in service tax. Do remember to ask for that discount as well.

Indizen
This 2% cut when does it start? i will be there from tomorrow so might be good tip.

Over the last three years I have seen prices in most hotels and guesthouses more than double. India is not as cheap as it used to be.

Also I have just come back from four weeks in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and it has not felt "quiet" as there have been plenty of tourists around.

Please bear these points in mind:

1)Tariffs are often negotiable. In other words .... HAGGLE. If you feel that the quoted price really IS too high, then pull a sour face and say that it is a lot of money, and then ask for their "best price". After that you can see the room, ask for further reductions on any grounds that you feel justified for. In the end make them an offer.

2) the more time you have to explore the local area, the more chance you will have of finding good quality accomodation at a reasonable price. Ask around, go looking, negotiate prices. Varkala in Kerala is a prime example for this, because there are still some great bargains to be had there.

3) Some areas are a lot cheaper than others. For example I think Madurai is relatively expensive, whilst nearby Rameshwarem is very cheap. Therefore your wallett will need to be a bit flexible.

Thanks a lot to everyone who replied.

Then I have couple of questions more :

1) what's reasonable price for a modest but clean double room with A/C and privet bathroom? Again, nothing fancy? If someone can suggest and approximate price range for big cities like Mumbai and Delhi and also for small ones, it'll be great.

2) while huggling, how much can I possibly expect them to reduce?

3) Are March-April considered low season?

You can get that sort of room in the YHA Delhi for 1000 rupees. Paharganj can give you something for slightly less, but IMHO not such a great area to be.
Yes, March - April is low season except around Easter time and Holi when some people go travelling (less in Holi than Easter which is a slightly longer holiday) - it's also getting hotter down on the plains. It's going to be the start of high season up in the hill stations however.
Experiences differ widely re haggling - you may get 100 rupees cheaper, you may get a bit more.

This sounds like an excellent deal to me. If you want really cheap, you need to stay at a place that is not a "beach resort" and does not have A/C. Indian hotels are not as cheap as they were a decade ago, but getting the amenities you want for 500-600 rupees isn't going to happen. Also bear in mind that states like Tamil Nadu impose luxury taxes on certain types of hotels, so places like beach resorts are always going to be relatively more expensive than a backalley backpackers' dive.

Also, cities are much more expensive, so be prepared to pay more. You are looking at what India considers 3-star accommodation. If you want cheaper, you need to look at 2-star (which can be pretty bad). At 3 stars, you are getting (usually) a professionally run hotel, even if it has only modest amenities. At 2 stars and below, you are really stepping out of the hospitality industry.

So if 3 stars (air conditioning, private bath, flush toilet) is what you are looking for, prices in the 1,000 rupee range are reasonable.

Hi Merchant. Thank you for bringing me some crude facts of life
The thing is that I'm comparing prices not to what they were a decade ago, but only couple of years ago and it's strange that a place which in 2006-2007 charged 500 ruppes per night charges today 950. BTW, it's only called "Beach Resourt" but in fact it's a budget guesthouse in Mamallapuram which isn't really situated on the beach and isn't really "resourt" according to people who stayed there. It's supposed to be very mediocre place. This is why I was taken aback by their quote.

Well, now at least I know what to expect. Won't book anything ahead and on line, will haggle, will seriously consider fan instead of A/C (reasonable thing in March?) and hope to enjoy anyway.

Thank you all again.