The Orient Taj Hotel in Agra was a surprise for me as I hadn't originally expected to stay there.  The hotel had been booked as part of a tour package and I was fully expecting to be billeted at the Clarks Shiraz, a rather less grand establishment.  The hotel was built and opened as the Orient Taj, but as of October 1st, 2011, the hotel is known as the Wyndham Grand Agra.  

Arrival and Reception

Upon entering the reception hall, I was immeditely struck by the dimensions of the place.  If expense had been spared anywhere in the lobby, it was hard to tell, so encrusted with gold leaf was the shimmering marble.  Chairs, plush sofas and ottomans everywhere abounded with their overstuffed invitation to rest and enjoy the great bounty of the place.  So I rested as the local representative of the tour company fussed over arrangements on my behalf at the reception desk.  Documents were proffered for me to sign in my chair rather than at the desk itself- a nice touch as I was also enjoying the cool drink they had brought on a gleaming silver tray.  Almost all the right signals were firing at first impression.  

The lobby is perhaps the most fully realized part of the dream here.  Cool white and gray marble has been carved and gilded to create the palatial atmosphere so carefully desired by the builder.  The ceiling soars above to a dome and lantern which do indeed recall the magnificence of the nearby Taj Mahal.  

I was soon led away by a coterie of bellmen and front desk staff who escorted me off to my room in one of the many "blocks" of guest rooms.  The rooms are built in groups around various courtyards, thus creating a less monotonous effect than if they had been built in a single grouping.  

Room

My room was on the first floor in a block at the far end of the huge swimming pool.  Most rooms are effectively corner rooms because of the novel floorplan of the hotel.  This is a good thing.  An unfortunate decision was made, however, to limit access to the rooms, thus there are no French windows or really even large windows of any kind.  The roms, however grandiose, feel hermetically sealed.  It was almost a pity to gaze into the pool and gardens from my windows knowing that I would have to wend my way through a circuitous path in order to get there.  On to the room itself.  

The first thing I noticed, aside from the orante furnishing scheme, was that there was altogether too much furniture in the still relatively small room.  Little expense had been spared, it's true.  The marble floors shone with polish and the bed was agreeably plush and comfortable.  The two overstuffed chairs, though, were too big for the space and were, well...frumpy.  Other details were quite agreeable, from the plaster paneling on the walls, high ceilings and beautifully crafted iron and stained glass chandeliers and lamps.  It was as though they had tried to get as much of everything into each room as possible.  Overstuffed is not always a good thing.   Still, the manager from Reception followed up about ten minutes after I had been in the room to see if everything was satisfactory. There was also a nice welcome gift of fruit, cookies and bottled water.  If only the power had stayed on, it would have been  much better indeed. To their credit, the power outage lasted perhaps half an hour and all was restored, but this could be annoying with the temperature in the nineties (f).  I soon set out to explore my temporary domain.   

Bath

Willfully small, but fitted out with much marble and gold taps, the bath tried to be luxurious, but the hot water was sporadic.  I elected to shower in the spa instead.  Fortunately, the gods of hot water chose to favor me on later visits.  I know this isn't Kansas anymore, but hot water is basic. If you can't get that right, all of the marble in the world isn't going to compensate.  They did have nice toiletries though.  

Dining

There are several restaurants here, some of which were not open during my visit.  To be fair, there were perhaps thirty guests in the hotel at the time of my visit- this in a hotel of 160 rooms, some of which had yet to be completed.  I still felt nearly alone in the vast halls glittering with gold leaf.  To make up for it, I went to the attractive little bar on the mezzanine above the lobby.  Surely there would be someone else here. There was no one.  The bartender and the concierge seemed to want to make up for this and chatted with me amiably.  The staff here are nothing if not eager to please.  

Dinner was taken alone in the cafe/restaurant on the other side of the mezzanine from the bar.  While the curried lamb and lentil soup were undeniably good, it was disconcerting to be in such a vast space all alone except for the clicking of footsteps on the marble floors.  Not wanting to hang around an empty lobby or bar, I decided to visit the beautiful pool area again. 

Breakfast each morning was taken in the very handsome restaurant across the courtyard.  Designed with bold stripes of cream and russet colored marble, the skylit room also featured an enormous chandelier which sent shafts of colored light throughout the room.  The breakfast buffet was bountiful and well executed.  I was able to have their splendid version of dal, or a sort of vegetable soup served with nan as well as all sorts of eggs and fruit.  If you happened not to find whatever you liked, the chef on hand would happily produce it for you.  There were also a few more guests about in the breakfast room, lending it a more cheerful air than the  gloomy grandeur at other times of the day. 

Pool

The swimming pool was one of the best attributes of the place- especially in the sweltering heat of August.  Its free form went lazily through the well kept gardens and nearly taunted me from the air conditioned comfort of my room.  There was even a swim-up bar inside the pool, though no bartender was at hand to dispense drinks.  I was able to order through room service and they were quickly there with cold drinks.  My only companions were a fairly dyspeptic British family who managed to complain about their visit to Agra at every opportunity.  I soon tired of listening to them and was glad when they departed.  I spied them in the breakfast room the following morning and they were still at it.  Why go to India if you are going to do nothing more than complain?  

Spa

It appeared that the finishing touches hadn't yet been applied to the spa at the time of my visit. The whirlpool tub offered the hope of pleasant relaxation, but I soon found that it was a big plastic tub with only mildly strong jets.  I soon tired of it and went to the steam room instead.  This was much better and proved to be revitalizing after a dusty four hour car ride from Delhi.  I believe that there was a surcharge to use the spa- perhaps the equivalent of $15.00- not exactly welcome, but I have seen worse.   There was a room full of exercise equipment, but I gave it a wide berth, preferring to get my exercise in the pool instead.  

Gardens

It is worth noting that the hotel has been laid out around an elaborately landscaped courtyard with plashing fountains and exotic flora.  Each room block has its own courtyard as well, making the whole a formally laid out composition.  Only the last block of suites at the end had yet to be completed, leaving a mournful profile of an unfinished dome as testimony to possible future glory.  

Service

As I mentioned above, the staff here were really trying very hard to  make my stay as comfortable as possible. I couldn't walk two steps in the lobby without running into a serried rank of attendants waiting for my command. This can be good, but it can also be unnerving. 

On the whole, I give them good marks for their enthusiastic wish to help, but I cannot give them effusive praise for what, in the end, is not a five-star product.  They would very much like for it to be one, and maybe someday they will get there, but there have been too many corners cut here and there in construction.  Jarring bits of inconsistency at every level from the air conditioning to room service trays which stayed in place for two days running.  This is not the stuff of a five star hotel and they must know it.  If they do not, they surely need to know.  

Cost

The hotel was paid for as part of a package tour, so I can only guess what my travel agent actually paid for the room.  On average, the rooms go for $130.00 for a standard, $149 for a deluxe room and up to about $300.00 or so for a suite.  The rack rates listed are higher.  Book through a consolidator and expect to pay a bit less.  Of further interest is that a full breakfast is included in most rate plans.  

Overall

Perhaps the hotel will attain the heights it is attempting to scale.  The hotel is not in league with the neighboring Amarvilas, but it is far ahead of many of its rivals in Agra- at least in terms of amenities and its general appearance. Time will tell if they are able to surmount the difficulties of exacting service in what is still a new property.  For the moment, it is a good deal, so if you don't want to pay the insane rates next door, give this one a try.



Orient Taj Hotel

7th Mile Stone
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Recommended: Yes