30 Oct Review of Hotel Vits, Pune

Located right next to the Balewadi stadium, Hotel Vits, Pune could serve as an ideal choice of accommodation for sporting events. But, if only, they could maintain the service and standards expected from a 5-star hotel.

The hotel lacks basic facilities like an emergency first aid kit, doctor-on-call, power back up (not even for emergency lights) etc.
At Check-in, we had requested for a room on the higher floor with a good view and the reception staff agreed to accommodate our request. Instead we were given a room on the 1st floor with a view of the garbage dump. On making the same request again, were given another room with exactly the same view. After a long wait, we were finally shifted to a room with a decent view in the evening. What was most upsetting was that if they did not have a room, they should have been honest and informed us about the unavailability instead of treating us so shabbily.
The front desk staff is inattentive, unwelcoming and couldn’t care less.
In the name of business centre, there is only 1 computer in the lobby and that too with no UPS. In case of power failure, which is quite frequent, it shuts down without warning. So if you are performing any important task like booking an air ticket, and there is a power failure, you lose all transaction data and have to restart the whole process.
There is a bar in the lobby that plays the worst selection of Hindi love songs from the 80’s or 90’s. Their only restaurant, “Atrium”, serves buffet as well as A la carte, but don’t bother ordering from the menu since they will not prepare the dish you ordered. Instead, they will bring something similar looking from the buffet. The staff is clueless most times and placing your order itself will alone take 15 minutes since he will go back and forth to check with the chef for every item you order. We had also ordered drinks with our food order. The server accepted the order but came back 10 mins later to tell us that the bar staff wasn’t available and the drinks could not be served. Requested him to check again if they could somehow manage to make 1 particular drink because I really wanted to try it out but he insisted that they would not be able to make it. 5 mins later he comes back to ask if I would like to order it, and that he would ask his senior to make it. Firstly, I was surprised that the bar staff wasn’t available at 8 pm and that too in a restaurant which had a separate bar counter. Secondly, even if they didn’t have the usual barman, they should have had a replacement staff ready and stationed at the bar. Isn’t that what rostering and staffing is all about. Thirdly, the server should have known about the bar not being operational and not taken our order for drinks in the first place. The whole yes-no-yes-no game was extremely annoying. For dinner, we decided not to go in for buffet and instead ordered from the menu. Not only was our order mixed up but clearly they had just picked up something from the buffet and simply dumped it in front of us. Request for a change led him to take the dish away but leave the phulkas on the table only for them to get cold and dry. He took them away when we pointed this out and later brought them back hot but brittle.
I don’t know what gives the restaurants a right to include service charge in the bill when service is so bad.
Wi-fi connectivity is erratic and keeps getting disconnected frequently. We were given a password, which we were assured was for the duration of our entire stay, which was 3 days, but it expired just after 24 hrs. On complaining to the reception, they admitted they had given us one which was valid for 24 hrs only. Makes one wonder whether they don’t actually know what they are doing or don’t care.
The Spa and Swimming Pool both are just for namesake. Access to both is through a rickety bridge. The swimming pool is dirty and almost in ruins. The spa is a further 2 flight of stairs down and the approach makes it look like you are entering the interior-most section in (something like a boiler room or engineering unit) the back office of the hotel – dark, dingy and smelly. Both spa and swimming pool are in urgent need of immediate repair.
The lawns and landscape also need maintenance and the grass in the gardens is overgrown.
On the last day, our sleep was disturbed because of a loud noise of scampering and clicking from inside one of the cupboards. Probably a rat!
At check-out, we were presented with a bill for services that we had already paid for and settled a few hours ago. Upon questioning, the front office person, he insisted that these payments were due and that the bill was not settled. When we argued that we had already paid and showed him the bill receipt and credit card charge slip that was given to us earlier, only then he called up his colleague to check and finally agreed that the bill had been settled.
Staff is uncaring and inattentive. Disappointed with such service from a hotel that claims to be a five star.

The hotel did call me after reading my comments in the comment card that I had filled up at check-out, but there wasn’t much they could say or do, as my vacation was already spoilt.
Overall, I would not recommend this hotel to anybody.