INSIDE Radisson Hotel Agra. The Most Authentic Review Ever

On one morning in February, content writers from Safari India drove down to Agra on a mission to not just visit the majestic Taj Mahal one more time but to do a review of the hotel they had chosen to stay in. They went INSIDE The Radisson Hotel Agra.

The review had to be built on three pillars. It had to be Unbiased, Unfiltered and Real. This is the guiding principle of the INSIDE series on Safari India. Secrecy was critical and the writer of this review was not part of the visiting team. This has been written based on first person account of the team based on a template which has been duly filled in and verified.

The team reached the hotel slightly early, giving them time to study the location and the security paraphernalia prior to entering the hotel. The entry to the hotel can get a wee bit confusing since you are not sure which service lane entry to take. The car was checked as per regular hotel norms and the staff was efficient in helping unload the baggage and assisting the team. 

While the bell desk team took the luggage for the scan, our team moved towards the security frisking and hand baggage check. But to their surprise, no personal security check was done. We think this is a security lapse on the part of the hotel. 

The front desk was courteous. Getting the keys took 5 minutes, but the rooms were not ready. But that's because the team reached early so the wait of about 30 minutes was our own doing. The hotel did their best to get the rooms ready fast. The room numbers were 228 and 230. 

Both rooms were near the elevator, and that was welcome and refreshing since the team was tired after a reasonably long journey. At first glance, the rooms looked a tad small in size, given that the hotel was in a holiday destination and not in Mumbai or Bengaluru, where expensive real estate means frugal room sizes. The overall freshness and hygiene were a tad below par. 

The team unpacked, and to the hotel's credit, the cupboards were ample, and unpacking was a breeze. We felt the rooms could do with a spruce up, and the hotel staff's justification that this is The Radisson and not Radisson Blu (benchmarked a notch higher in premiums) does not cut ice.

The first shocker was the single-seater couch in Room 230 (photo below). Notice the large shoe mark on the right side of the sitting area. Had we not been reviewing the hotel, we would have asked for a full refund and checked out immediately just for this. This level of poor hygiene is not even expected in a budget hotel or a small city hotel. 

The room facilities were satisfactory. The Wi-Fi connected quickly, and the internet speed was good. The console to control the lights was easy to use, though the tea/coffee tray could have had more options. The washroom had a different story to tell.

The amenities in the washroom were perhaps from a local supplier, and the overall cleanliness was just about average. The second shocker were the towels. They were torn at the edges and far from being pristine white (photo below). You would probably use such towels for dusting your house, having lived their lives as towels. It's just not expected from a five-star hotel.

Having washed their hands (using their own towels, which they were carrying, thankfully), it was time to order room service. Ordering was a breeze, complete with QR code-driven menus, and the food came bang on time. 20 minutes, as suggested by the room service team. The food was good, and the food tray was on expected lines. While on food, the review team did try the food at the restaurant, only to be served plates which were stinking, which had to be changed twice. Another big disappointment. Breakfast the following day was average, but the team did wish that there was a little personalised attention, which we are so used to in hotels in the same category.

Back in the room, two sets of requests were made to housekeeping. The first was for some tea bags promptly delivered in under 5 minutes. Pretty impressive. Another set of towels was asked for, too, but these needed a follow-up call since none arrived for 20 minutes. It's a different matter that we never intended to use the towels, given their condition! This was done just for the review.

The other hotel facilities were satisfactory: the swimming pool, the business centre, the gymnasium, and the parking area (since many people drive down to Agra as well). But truth be told, our review team did not use the pool or the gym; they just walked by them.

Checking out of the hotel was a breeze. Billing was efficient, and the service was good. The team was done in under 5 minutes.

Having been INSIDE Radisson Hotel Agra, here's what the scores looked like:

In conclusion, Radisson Hotel Agra was just about average. In our detailed score, we arrived at an average score of 3.13 for the hotel. In our classification, this qualifies as a MAYBE hotel, translating into staying there only if better options are not available or you get a super low price!

Disclaimer: The INSIDE series on Safari India is done by mystery guests from Safari India. Our team books the hotel and reviews the room, service and facilities. Every review is backed by video and photo evidence, some of which is presented in the content we create. The objective of INSIDE is to inform our readers on what to expect from hotels, airlines, and airports, allowing them to make informed decisions. Our team pays the full price for the stay and the facilities used. The hotel, airline or airport has no prior information on when the review is done.