Ashish Tiwari

Review of Taj Samudra hotel colombo

No matter where you are from Opulence is the first...

No matter where you are from Opulence is the first though that comes to your mind when you hear the word Taj. Especially if you are from India the birthplace of both Taj - the monument and Taj - the chain of hotels. This was a 9 day stay (2 days are still left) and what could have been a brilliant business stay left much to be desired due to many events,that eventually have now formed a not so good experience. Listing down a few -
1. Had a blinding headache few days back and I called the guest relations desk for some kind of medicine. The gentleman at the other end informed that they don t keep medicines and can t help me. I insisted and he forwarded my call to duty manager who probably wasn t at his seat as the call was unanswered. I disconnected and dialed again to be informed again that we don t keep medicine on my request he transferred my call to the concierge and I asked for a bell-boy to be sent to get me an over the counter medicine. He said no but on my insistence he said he will check with duty manager and call me back. I waited for 20 minutes for his call back and then dragged myself out of the bed to go to the reception. Met duty manager Jerome and he wasnt aware of the issue as no one has spoken to him. I went back to my room with my aching head and saddened heart. I did get the medicine but the taste of the experience was much bitter than the medicine, believe me.
2. I confess that coffee is the integral part of my breakfast. I usually order a cup of coffee as soon as I enter the restaurant so that by the time I have stacked my plate and am back to my seat I wouldn t have to wait too long for my cup of sin. I repeated my routine 2 days back but unfortunately didn t get my coffee even after waiting for 10 minutes. I could see the girl who took my order serving tables in front of me but my coffee eluded me. I decided to cry for help, another server came to me and I told her that my breakfast was about to get over and I still haven t got the coffee. She smiled and promised that I shall have my coffee. May be it wasn t my day as I waited furthermore but my coffee never came. I finished my breakfast and noticed the server prancing from table to table oblivious to my request and her promise. As I had a meeting to go to so I accepted my fate and left the restaurant without my beloved coffee.
3. Yesterday I came back late from work and knew that there was an early morning meeting the next day and therefore wanted to tuck in early to catch up on my beauty sleep. I decided to order Paneer Tikka (cottage cheese), lady on the phone told me that it would take 30 minutes. So my schedule was all laid out in my mind catch up on my emails for 30 minutes, enjoy my paneer tikka for next 15 minutes and then got to sleep. With renewed enthusiasm I started replying to my mails and didn t realize that even after 45 minutes the bell to my room never rang and my paneer tikka never came. I called up the same number and enquired the whereabouts of my dinner only to be left stunned by her question in return Did you order anything sir? My promised land was taken away from me and my mouth was opening and closing. She said sorry that she forgot to place my order and will ensure that I get the dish served asap. I was at a complete loss of words and I kept the receiver down. My paneer did come after 15 minutes along with a manager who apologized profusely but maybe I was too tired and worried about getting up early for my meeting as I was already late that I didn t hear them. I thanked them and they left.
Experience is nothing but the sum total of the aftertaste of all transactions both good and bad. And here I am still trying to recover. I have such a respect for Taj hotels that despite of these negatives I won t compare them with other hotels of Colombo in this public forum but someone needs to take stock of these things and ensure that it remains the insignia of love, warmth,beauty and unmatched hospitality.