Dodhia Haveli

The only reason I’ve given my stay at Dodhia Haveli 3 stars is because the stunning building oozes historical charm and grandeur and the rooms are furnished to perfection. However, from the moment that I arrived, I was met with multiple problems and confrontations that should never have been allowed to occur. Firstly, since I was travelling with my mother, I had requested that an extra bed be put in the room. This request was never accepted or rejected, and when I arrived I asked again. A mattress was put on the floor in the room and hastily covered in sheets, and after this cursory solution, we were informed that we would have to pay half the night’s rate for this mattress on top of the standard price. It was very unprofessional to make us aware of this fact after it was too late to change our minds — had we known extra fees would be incurred we would’ve made do with the double bed. Then the manager respectfully asked us to vacate the room for 30 minutes so that a guest could use it for a zoom meeting. Though we were tired — it was the last night of our trip — we gave our consent as long as the room was cleaned thoroughly. When we were given back our room, despite the manager’s assurances that it would be returned in a state of cleanliness, we found hair in the sink, someone’s wet underpants next to the sink, dried up toothpaste in the designated toothbrush glass, and a heap of plastic bottles in the bin. I accept that mistakes can be made but when I spoke to the relevant member of staff, instead of being apologetic, he responded with exasperation and a sense of bitterness. Then we were told that the card machine wasn’t working and that we would need to go out of our way on our last night to take out money in order to settle the bill. Again, in and of itself this isn’t an unreasonable ask, but in the wider context of the evening it struck us as being a bit below the belt, especially because it was expressed as an order rather than as a courteous request. We took out money and then found that our room was still dirty. After all of this the hotel still wanted to charge us the full, additional (and arguably absurd) price for the extra “bed”, even though we weren’t going to make use of the free breakfast due to timings. We managed to negotiate a somewhat fair compromise after a lengthy and conflictual argument. All in all, I would still possibly recommend Dodhia Haveli as the building and aesthetic quality of the property is quite spectacular, but I would urge the staff and management to effect a number of changes as the service we received was really unacceptable. If these changes are made, then I have little doubt that this guesthouse / hotel can capitalise on the beautiful architectural heritage that has been bequeathed to its owner…

Upon arriving I was barraded on the phone by the new management to cancel on expida and pay in person. I had already paid online and could not cancel, he was super rude and kept badgering me. He said it was the old management's ******* account and when I told him I wasn't going to pay cash until my card was reimbursed he yelled at me. Put a really bad taste in my mouth at the start of the stay. Luckly, the two housekeepers made the stay so worth while. They are so sweet and helpful! The food was home cooked and fantastic. Narian was able to tell us about tours of the Old City and was ready to help with whatever we needed. The place itself is incredible! The open terrace was beautiful and the room was even more so. It was also very clean!!