The best accommodations North India

Budget & Tips

The major tourist centers offer a vast choice of hotels, with something to suit every budget and taste. The prices quoted are for a double room in high season. But they should be treated with caution. India is no exception to the worldwide inflation trend. Generally speaking, the cleanliness of budget hotels has improved, especially in establishments catering mainly to foreign tourists. The abundance of hotels guarantees healthy competition, which keeps prices down. However, the introduction of a federal tax to supplement the local tax in 2017 is driving up prices for the end consumer, particularly in luxury establishments. The tax is 28% for rooms priced over Rs. 7,500, 18% for rooms priced between Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 7,500, and 12% for rooms priced between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 2,500 per night. Most establishments display prices exclusive of tax, in order to remain attractive.

Some small towns are singularly lacking in hotel and tourist infrastructure, as is the case in the major pilgrimage centers (Dwarka, Mathura, Haridwar...) where Indians come for the day or sleep in dharamsalas, basic hostels for pilgrims.

To be booked

We advise you to book a room in the city of your arrival before your departure. In addition, you will be asked for the address and telephone number of your accommodation at the airport when you go through immigration. If you wish to stay in Delhi, it is best to book a hotel in advance.

What's very local

Gratuities. Large and medium-sized hotels include a tax in their prices, which appears on the bill and corresponds to the usual 10% service charge. In smaller places, where this tax is not included, it is customary to leave a few rupees as a tip, which does not have to be calculated on the bill. Generally, doormen and bellboys expect a little something ranging from 10 to 50 Rs. Money in general and tips in particular have the virtue of speeding up most processes and getting you regarded with a certain amount of respect. Baksheesh is more a way of ensuring the quality of an employee's service than a way of thanking him or her for a service rendered. If this system annoys you, take comfort in the fact that it's not as much of a "tourist trap" as you might think: Indians themselves abide by this habit and always give a small tip. Without a tip, you'll probably have to deal with grumpy, depressed doormen/drivers/guides... Having said that, let's not forget that most of the people who serve you here live mainly on bread and water, as we'd say back home (here, it's more like rice), and that your contribution will be greatly appreciated, without ever impoverishing you. Also, try to reward the drivers, guides and hotel staff who have gone out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. In Indian society, where the baksheesh system is omnipresent, tipping is seen as an attempt to redistribute wealth to the lowest rungs of society.

Many Indians don't hesitate to share a double room with the rest of the family or with friends. They often cram in 4 or 5 people, in order to limit expenses. However, this practice is rarely tolerated by hoteliers when it comes to foreign tourists. When you arrive at the hotel, you'll be asked to fill in a register with your name, address, length of stay and passport number. The hotelier is required to make a copy of your passport and complete an online form, C-Form.

For food lovers

Mid-range hotels often offer breakfast, usually an Indian breakfast with a few continental options (eggs, toast, jam, fruit, cakes). Savory dishes and vegetarian curries, as well as South Indian specialties such as idlys and dosas, are among the breakfast favourites of Indians.

The larger hotels offer full and varied buffets of excellent quality.

Smokers

Smoking is prohibited in establishments open to the public. In Delhi and Gangtok in Sikkim, even outdoor smoking is forbidden.

Tourist traps

Theauto-rickshaw drivers waiting for you outside train stations may try to convince you that the hotel you want to go to is closed, fully booked, burnt down... to take you somewhere else. Of course, this is not true. The hotel they want to take you to pays them a commission. Tell them you have a reservation to cut them off.

In some cities where there is a shortage of hotels, or during festival periods when all the hotels in the city are fully booked, your hotel may not have "received" your reservation. In reality, the hotel may have given your room to a higher bidder, or it may wish to increase the price of your night's stay, sometimes recklessly. When you make your reservation, ask for written confirmation of the dates, rate and inclusions. The day before your arrival, reconfirm your arrival and specify your arrival time.

Some readers have noted a wide disparity between the rates given in our guide and those charged locally. While most hotels in the "Luxury" and "Comfort or Charm" categories have their rates posted on their websites, this is not the case for those in the "Good and Cheap" category. Despite a scrupulous on-site survey, it's important to know that smaller establishments charge prices "à la tête du client". The price of a room will vary according to the hotel's occupancy rate, the season, the mood of the owner or the amount of the last electricity bill. We do our utmost to give you fair prices, as communicated by the hotelier, but nothing prevents him from multiplying his rates by 2 or even 3 according to his whim. We regret this lack of honesty and do our utmost to make hoteliers understand the importance of providing reliable rates.