In [1]:
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import re

from matplotlib import pyplot as plt
from matplotlib import style
from matplotlib import dates as mdates
import seaborn as sns
from wordcloud import WordCloud

from stop_words import get_stop_words
from collections import Counter
from textblob import TextBlob

Importing data

In [2]:
obe_df = pd.read_csv("D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\The_Oberoi_Mumbai_V2.csv").drop_duplicates()
taj_df = pd.read_csv("D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\taj_mahal_palace_mumbai_V2.csv").drop_duplicates()

combined = [obe_df, taj_df]

Cleaning/feature extraction

In [3]:
for df in combined:
    df.rename(columns={'contributions': 'user_contributions'}, inplace=True)
    df['review_date'] = pd.to_datetime(df['review_date'])
    df['user_rating'] = df['user_rating']/10
    df['is_satisfied'] = 0
    df['review_length'] = df['review_body'].str.len()
    df.loc[df['user_rating'] > 3, 'is_satisfied'] = 1
    
    df['trip_type'] = df['trip_type'].str.split(' ').str[-1]
    
    df['user_city'], df['user_country'] = df['user_location'].str.split(',').str[0].str.strip(), df['user_location'].str.split(',').str[1].str.strip()
    df.loc[df['user_location'].str.contains(',') == False, 'user_country'] = df['user_city']
    
    df['is_domestic'] = 0
    df.loc[df['user_country'] == 'India', 'is_domestic'] = 1
    df.loc[df['user_country'].isna(), 'is_domestic'] = -1
    df.sort_values('review_date', ascending=False, inplace=True)
    df.reset_index(inplace=True, drop=True)
    df.drop(['Unnamed: 0', 'user_location'], axis=1, inplace=True)
    df.set_index('review_date', inplace=True)
    
main_df = taj_df.append(obe_df)
In [4]:
main_df.head()
Out[4]:
hotel_name review_body user_contributions helpful_vote user_rating trip_type is_satisfied review_length user_city user_country is_domestic
review_date
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Staying at the Taj is as good as hotel travel ... 13 3 5.0 couple 1 933 San Francisco California 0
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai I stayed in Mumbai for six nights in a 3 star ... 1 0 5.0 solo 1 367 Melbourne Australia 0
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Lovely experience. Beautiful interiors - retai... 1 0 5.0 family 1 247 NaN NaN -1
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Experiencing this fantastic classic hotel is a... 3 0 5.0 friends 1 230 Hamburg Germany 0
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Stayed here for 9 nights. Check-in was little ... 18 4 5.0 business 1 814 NaN NaN -1

Combined Hotels EDA

In [5]:
def plot_per_month(df):
    
    month = df[df.index > '2017'].copy()
    month['is_post'] = 1
    month = month.resample('M').sum().dropna()
    
    plt.subplot(211)
    month['is_post'].plot(figsize=(8, 6), color='k')
    plt.ylabel('Reviews', fontsize=14)
    plt.title('Reviews posted per month', fontsize=14)
    plt.grid(b=True, which='major', color='b', linestyle='--')
    plt.grid(b=True, which='minor', color='b', linestyle='--')
    
    plt.subplot(212)
    month['helpful_vote'].plot(figsize=(8, 6), color='g')
    plt.xlabel('Timeline', fontsize=14)
    plt.ylabel('Helpful Votes', fontsize=14)
    plt.title('Impact per Month', fontsize=14)
    plt.grid(b=True, which='major', color='b', linestyle='--')
    plt.grid(b=True, which='minor', color='b', linestyle='--')
    plt.tight_layout()
    plt.show()
    
plot_per_month(main_df)

Top Contributors by Country

In [6]:
main_df['user_country'].value_counts().head()
Out[6]:
India                   1446
United Kingdom          1363
Australia                291
United Arab Emirates     162
New York                 149
Name: user_country, dtype: int64

Top Contributors by Indian City

In [7]:
main_df[main_df['user_country']=='India']['user_city'].value_counts().head()
Out[7]:
Mumbai                535
New Delhi             191
Pune                   70
Bengaluru              70
Gurugram (Gurgaon)     34
Name: user_city, dtype: int64
In [85]:
def plot_client_count(df, savefig=None):

    plt.figure(figsize=(12, 7))
    
    plt.subplot(121)
    x = ['Foreign National', 'Indian', 'Unknown']
    y = np.array(df['is_domestic'].value_counts())

    plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

    for a,b in zip(x, y):
        plt.text(a, b + 17, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

    plt.title('Domestic vs International clients', fontsize=16)
    plt.xlabel('Clientele', fontsize=14)
    plt.ylabel('count', fontsize=14)
    
    plt.subplot(122)
    x = df['trip_type'].value_counts().index
    y = np.array(df['trip_type'].value_counts())
        
    plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)
    
    for a,b in zip(x, y):
        plt.text(a, b + 17, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

    plt.title('Trip Type', fontsize=16)
    
    plt.tight_layout()
    if savefig:
        plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\{savefig}.jpg", dpi=300)
    plt.show()
    
plot_client_count(main_df)
In [73]:
main_df['review_length'].describe()
Out[73]:
count    7440.000000
mean      626.936559
std       598.514974
min        51.000000
25%       272.000000
50%       425.000000
75%       757.000000
max      9856.000000
Name: review_length, dtype: float64
In [74]:
plt.figure(figsize=(6, 8))

plt.subplot(121)
main_df['review_length'].plot(kind='box')
plt.title('Distribution of Review Length')
plt.ylabel('Char Length', fontsize=12)

plt.subplot(122)
main_df['review_length'].plot(kind='box', logy=True)
plt.ylabel('Log(Char Length)', fontsize=12)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()

After removing outliers:

In [75]:
plt.figure(figsize=(8, 6))
value1, value2 = main_df['review_length'].quantile([0, 0.99])

main_df[(main_df['review_length'] > value1) & (main_df['review_length'] < value2)]['review_length'].hist(color='k')
pct = len(main_df[(main_df['review_length'] > value1) & (main_df['review_length'] < value2)])/len(main_df)

plt.xlabel('Length of Review', fontsize=12)
plt.ylabel('Frequency of Reviews', fontsize=12)
plt.title('Review length Distribution Plot', fontsize=14)
plt.show()

print(f"This histogram contains {round(pct*100, 2)} percent of our data")
This histogram contains 98.98 percent of our data

Looks like it's typical for users to post reviews with character length 1000 or less. We'll analyse a few outliers (above 2000 characters).

Taj EDA

In [12]:
taj_df.head()
Out[12]:
hotel_name review_body user_contributions helpful_vote user_rating trip_type is_satisfied review_length user_city user_country is_domestic
review_date
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Staying at the Taj is as good as hotel travel ... 13 3 5.0 couple 1 933 San Francisco California 0
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai I stayed in Mumbai for six nights in a 3 star ... 1 0 5.0 solo 1 367 Melbourne Australia 0
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Lovely experience. Beautiful interiors - retai... 1 0 5.0 family 1 247 NaN NaN -1
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Experiencing this fantastic classic hotel is a... 3 0 5.0 friends 1 230 Hamburg Germany 0
2019-03-02 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai Stayed here for 9 nights. Check-in was little ... 18 4 5.0 business 1 814 NaN NaN -1
In [13]:
plot_per_month(taj_df)
In [76]:
def plot_user_ratings(df, savefig=None):
    """
    Count of user ratings
    """

    plt.figure(figsize=(8, 6))

    x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
    y = [len(df[df['user_rating'] == 1]), len(df[df['user_rating'] == 2]), 
          len(df[df['user_rating'] == 3]), len(df[df['user_rating'] == 4]), len(df[df['user_rating'] == 5])]

    plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

    for a,b in zip(x, y):
        plt.text(a - 0.1, b + 20, str(b), fontsize=12)

    plt.title('User Ratings', fontsize=16)
    plt.xlabel('Rating', fontsize=14)
    plt.ylabel('count', fontsize=14)
    if savefig:
        plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\{savefig}.jpg", dpi=300)
    plt.show()
    
plot_user_ratings(taj_df)
In [77]:
def plot_is_satisfied(df, savefig=None):
    print("We've assumed all users who have rated the hotel above 3 (out of 5) are satisfied.")
    plt.figure(figsize=(12, 8))

    plt.subplot(121)
    x = ['Satisfied', 'Not Satisfied']
    y = [len(df[df['is_satisfied'] == 1]), len(df[df['is_satisfied'] == 0])]

    plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

    for a,b in zip(x, y):
        plt.text(a, b + 20, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

    plt.ylabel('Count', fontsize=14)
    plt.title("Satisfied vs Not Satisfied")
    
    plt.subplot(122)
    not_sat = df[df['is_satisfied'] == 0]
    x = not_sat['trip_type'].value_counts().index
    y = (np.array(not_sat['trip_type'].value_counts())/np.array(df['trip_type'].value_counts()))*100
    y = np.round(y, 2)
    plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)
    
    for a,b in zip(x, y):
        plt.text(a, b + 0.05, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')
    
    plt.ylabel("%ge of Total Client-Base", fontsize=14)
    plt.title('Percentage of Client-Base Dissatisfied', fontsize=16)
    
    plt.tight_layout()
    if savefig:
        plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\{savefig}.jpg", dpi=300)
    plt.show()

plot_is_satisfied(taj_df)
We've assumed all users who have rated the hotel above 3 (out of 5) are satisfied.
In [101]:
plot_client_count(taj_df, savefig='dom_vs_int_taj')

International Guests

In [87]:
guest = taj_df[taj_df['is_domestic'] == 0]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('International Guests Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge)', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\int_pct_taj.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()

Domestic Guests - Including Mumbai

In [88]:
guest = taj_df[taj_df['is_domestic'] == 1]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('Indian Guests Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge) including Host City', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\dom_pct_taj.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()

Domestic Guests - Excluding Mumbai

In [89]:
guest = taj_df[(taj_df['is_domestic'] == 1) & (taj_df['user_city'] != 'Mumbai')]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('Indian Guests Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge) excluding Host City', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\dom_pct_taj2.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()

Guests from Mumbai

In [90]:
guest = taj_df[(taj_df['user_city'] == 'Mumbai')]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('Guests from Host City Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge)', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\idom_pct_taj3.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()
In [99]:
def create_wordcloud(df, col, savefig=None):
    # Create the wordcloud object
    
    stop = get_stop_words('en') + ['hotel', 'can', 'will', 'us', 'went', 'taj']
    wordcloud = WordCloud(width=1600, height=800, stopwords=stop, min_font_size=6, background_color='white').generate(' '.join(df[col].fillna('')))

    # Display the generated image:
    plt.figure( figsize=(20,10) )
    plt.imshow(wordcloud, interpolation='bilinear')
    plt.axis("off")
    plt.margins(x=0, y=0)
    plt.tight_layout(pad=0)
    if savefig:
        plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\{savefig}.jpg", dpi=300)
    plt.show()
    
create_wordcloud(df=taj_df, col='review_body')
In [20]:
def clean_review(text):
    for ch in ['\\','`','*','_','{','}','[',']','(',')','>','#','+','-','.','!','$','\'', ',', '"']:
        if ch in text:
            text = text.replace(ch, '')
    
    return text.lower()

def analyze_sentiment(text):
    analysis = TextBlob(text)
    
    if analysis.sentiment.polarity > 0:
        return 1
    
    elif analysis.sentiment.polarity == 0:
        return 0
    
    else:
        return -1
    
In [21]:
taj_df['sentiment'] = taj_df['review_body'].apply(lambda row: analyze_sentiment(clean_review(row)))
In [22]:
def plot_corr(df):
    plt.figure(figsize=(12, 8))
    sns.heatmap(df.corr(), annot=True, cmap="YlGnBu")
    plt.show()
    
plot_corr(taj_df)

1) There's good correlation between people who contribute frequently and tendency of their review being helpful.

2) As expected, there's a slight positive correlation between user_ratings, satisfaction and sentiment.

Reviews with negative sentiment but good rating (4, 5):

These are reviews that may go overlooked because they are masked by a good rating, or are mislabeled false positives.

In [23]:
def get_neg_reviews(df, sentiment=-1, satisfied=0):
    bad_reviews = df[(df['sentiment'] == sentiment) & (df['is_satisfied'] == satisfied)].sort_index(ascending=False)

    for review, rating, date, impact, t_type, loc in zip(bad_reviews['review_body'], bad_reviews['user_rating'], bad_reviews.index, bad_reviews['helpful_vote'], bad_reviews['trip_type'], bad_reviews['user_country']):
        print(f"\n--Review--\n\nDate Posted: {date}\nRating: {rating}\nTrip Type: {t_type}\nImpact: {impact}\nUser Country: {loc}\n\n{review}\n")
        
get_neg_reviews(taj_df, -1, 1)
--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-02-18 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 0
User Country: United Kingdom

THe Taj Mahal Palace was a dream and most of it was fulfilled by its location, its rooms - or suites in our case - and the cleanliness and fabulous bed linen. However, we were greatly disappointed wtih the slow and inefficient service at breakfast.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-01-29 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 0
User Country: India

Staying at the Taj was a dream.Had booked the tower with the city view with a request for the gateway view which is chargeable which Booking apps do not show.Upgraded to taj palace but room location wasn’t great.The room, service, staff was brilliant.Breakfast buffet was a disappointment as there is waiting & the buffet spread is just like any hotel or maybe less , also staff here not very welcoming.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-01-25 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 74
User Country: greece

We Had lunch in the Indian restaurant Masala Kraft, service was slow but food was excellent, lovely setting next to the swimming pool. Unfortunately wifi is not available unless you are staying the hotel which is disappointing.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-01-07 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 55
User Country: New York

They will kill you with kindness. And after numerous stays I can tell you they are for real. TipsGet a harbor view roomThere’s little difference between the tower wing and the palace wingHang out in the lobby and at the pool. If you’re in the palace the smaller breakfast at the pool is funGreat gym. Massage. Yoga. Know that this is no bargain. But they won’t fail you.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-08-27 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 2
User Country: nan

3 hours wait to get a table for dinner and discourteous staff at evening tea lounge. Overall not a good experience. Compared to same service brands in Mumbai, the hospitality seemed to be suffering from delusion of grandeur! The only plus point being is location and hype.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-06-11 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 28
User Country: Australia

It is always a please to stay at this hotel. Everything is impeccable.The staffThe roomsThe foodThe serviceThis time we stayed during the Christmas period (we were a little sad being away from family during this time) and loved the choir singing Christmas carols. And looking around the hotel I could say that all the other international travellers did also.Well done Taj!!!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-04-22 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 0
User Country: nan

the yard with ..the pool make a point ,calm place inside a crowded ....oh god the bathroom.....inside lobby the sculpture and space designs made me just feel beauty of the world..in fact i didnt got room there but i walked along lobby and by getting permit ion i could visit inside yard and bathroom..it was short time but worthless


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-04-02 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 1
User Country: nan

The hotel is 100% luxury and a total escape from the outside world .We can not fault the hotel or the staff . The only part of the hotel system we were disappointed in was the booking staff that were not interested in explaining the hotels position truthfully .


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-03-06 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 22
User Country: AMSTERDAM

I stayed here before, compared to my last stay this time it was crazy busy at the hotel!Of course because of the landmark status of this hotel there are a lot of none guest wandering around the lobby and restaurant just to take pictures.If you want a relaxed quiet stay, avoid the lobby area.Great cocktails in the bar (but expensive)


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-11-06 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 24
User Country: Caras-Severin

After a long trip from south India ,to stay in this hotel on the front of Gate of India becomes dream.Excellent services for all, tasty food, no quantities limits, they upgrade us ,because we use to stay in Taj Hotels, with a four room suite with dedicate buttler, and a lot of other small attentions.Congrats to this management


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-07-30 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 0
User Country: United Kingdom

Arrival and departure was fast and efficient. Wet area was nice and clean. But when I tried to fill my bath tub, there was a gush of dirty and rusty water from the tap. Quiet shocking. Didn't expect that at the TAJ.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-07-27 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 0
User Country: Spain

I expected 1st class service and was surprised that I received even better Nothing to fault and will certainly recommend this to all friends and clients Cannot speak highly enough of the well trained informative staff. One small annoyance was that my 24 yr old daughter could not enter the bar as the minimum was 25 yrs old. A stupid rule


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-07-11 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 9
User Country: nan

I have visited hotel café at 10 pm in night. We ordered for a pair of cold coffee, as it was lowest among the list. The taste was worst and it cost almost 400 bucks per coffee including GST and 170 rs per water bottle. Though the price tag is high, tge ambiance suits the price. You feel so enthu in that ambiance. Best part is you can take selfies and also put on your timeline, they won't stop you... 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-06-20 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 37
User Country: India

Dropped in to meet a friend and waited at the reception. While waiting there for him to come down, I took in the surroundings and was amazed by the Splendour. Must check in someday to experience the hospitality. 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-04-16 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 2
User Country: Luxembourg

The Staff and the Service was impeccable. We stayed here to celebrate my mom's birthday, and everyone went above and beyond to celebrate her day. They even blew up balloons for her!Coming from Luxembourg, I was unable to reach the hotel by phone due to a wrong landline listed on their website. I did bring this to the Hotel's attention and they were extremely gracious about it.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-04-15 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 0
User Country: United Kingdom

Difficult to fault this hotel which sets the standard - inside and outside India. It combines excellence of amenity with dignity and warmth of atmosphere - thanks largely to staff selection and training which is unparalleled anywhere.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-03-18 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: nan
Impact: 20
User Country: Monaco

Even if you don't stay in the hotel, at least go there for drinks or for lunch. The architecture, ambiance and serviceall cannot be beat. It is only of the glories of India - and no one visiting Mumbai should leave the city without at least a brief visit.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-02-04 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 2
User Country: New York

Only negative was a box breakfast given to us because we were leaving before the normal breakfast hour Otherwise all aspects of the sty were exceelent but they should have offered to pay for breakfast at their 24 hour estauarant


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-01-29 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 0
User Country: United Kingdom

Words cannot describe the wonders of this hotel. and the dedication of the staff .From arriving to leaving everything was fantastic .As it was our Anniversary they upgraded our club room to a suite and decorated it with balloons and flowers . Don't hesitate at all to book this hotel .Trust me you will not be disappointed.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-12-03 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 0
User Country: New Zealand

A restful, luxurious, and vaguely embarassed getaway from the bustle of Mumbai but still close to all you need. Sitting in the courtyard is like sitting in a James Bond movie. Watch out though for the bill at checkout.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-11-28 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 0
User Country: nan

Arrived at the hotel real late at night and stayed for just about 12 hours at the hotel. although the hotel was on 100 percent occupancy the next day i was given a late check out option.Check in was done real quick check out was a little delayed but that i guess was because of the demonetization issue! but overall a comfortable stay!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-11-13 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 6
User Country: Canada

The staff at the Taj were always so friendly and accommodating. The room was always well cared for (above my expectations). I happened to fall ill upon my arrival and the genuine concern and care I received put my mind at ease. There is a Starbucks just behind the Taj as well.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-08-21 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 0
User Country: India

Execellent Hospitality and ambience. Except from the sky lounge service it was so bad that they were diverting us to go to shamiana down stairs. That was the only bad experience for us rest are excellent especially amritha's service was extraordinary.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-08-09 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 0
User Country: United States

No matter what, you get treated like royalty in this hotel. That doesnt happen easily. Behind the scene is a complex network of individuals hard at work, making sure they are catering to every whim and fancy. I left feeling refreshed and energized.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-07-12 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 0
User Country: nan

I stayed at the Taj Palace wing during my trip. The service, cleanliness, professionalism was beyond compare. They are head-and-shoulders above other major 5 star hotels I stayed and dined at during my trip. I have recommended this hotel to my friends already :)


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-02-01 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 21
User Country: Foster City

We were on transit through Bombay and decided to stay here. Had too much of an expectation from this place but alas there were some goof ups.We were a little early and hence decided to checkin and leave our baggage behind and go out. We returned back quite a bit after the usual time of 3PM but alas there was some kind of hand-off issue and hence we needed to re-chedked in and wait for a room.I was expecting that a hotel of this cadre would have sound proof rooms. We could hear all the revelry and noise from the room way past midnight.Security in the hotel is not how I expect in a 5 star. Any guest can go in and out in the residential floors which I found a little disconcerting.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-01-18 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 11
User Country: United Kingdom

The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai is a landmark hotel. It is a signature Taj Hotel. Whilst I have stayed there numerous times in different kinds of rooms, this time I was put up in Grand Luxury Room in the Palace wing. I was disappointed with the size and the interior decor of the room... The room was small... As I was expecting the same sort of room in the palace wing when I stayed there 6 month ago. That room was absolutely magnanimous! Unfortunately cockroaches slipped out of the toilet sink and they took it up very seriously and changed me to another room which was as good.However this time the grand luxury room on the 6th floor of the palace wing was rather small, and the bathroom was tiny! The room itself did not have a proper desk, chair or mirrors, as would be expected at the Taj.I would recommend this place only if I were to stay in the Palace wing in the rooms facing the sea or on lower floors. Unfortunately it it difficult to say which rooms would be allocated to you when you are booking. This is not quite a problem in other Taj properties in Mumbai as they are all new. One has to give it to the Taj palace for being such a landmark though. I only wish my room this time matched the price I paid. I did not feel 'luxurious' at all.Also be weary of where you wish to travel in Mumbai. I was visiting for events in the evening on all 4 days - it took me about 2 hours in a car to get to places in North Mumbai like Andheri and Powai. The journey and traffic were atrocious. If you are likely not to visit North Mumbai, which in fact has my favorite Taj - The Taj, Land's End, then The Taj remains the best. With regards to the rooms in tower block, I am afraid I cannot comment on the recent state but about 10 years ago they were dilapidated. One of the guests who I made friends with was in the tower and was not particularly impressed.In summary, be mindful of which room you are booking and where in Mumbai do you want to go.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-01-17 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 0
User Country: India

not satisfied with the room reservation system. I have requested for sea facing room or pool facing room but they allocate me the tower side room from where only the tall tower wall was visible nothing else there was only the tower building next to our window


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-12-30 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 10
User Country: nan

Spent 3 nights here.Excellent location and view.Staff are polite.Stayed in room 707,abit outdated bathroom - hope that's gonna be upgraded as well. In dining was sumptuous.Will definitely stay there again.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-11-25 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 2
User Country: India

Will recommend this property ...Only missing is a Jacuzzi in health club. Otherwise the hotel has the heritage charm bulit in and off course the TATA ensigna all over. A 100 year old hotel which maintains its looks and services... Will stay again


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-05-30 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 32
User Country: South Africa

said to be the tear on the face of the world. its more like a huge pearl. especially at sunset. its totally surreal. you have to wait a while to get the "princess Diana" photo but it's worth it. A bit scary trying to enter the dome. A small doorway and about a thousand people squeezing through it (all at the same time). but once inside it was worth the crush. The "guides" show you the stones set into the walls with a little torch then expect a tip. but that's India. I highly recommend the Taj Mahal but Agra the city is dirty and dangerous. don't stay too long!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-05-29 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 2
User Country: nan

The iconic Taj Hotel has always been on my list of places to stay. It did not disappoint, from the time we arrived to the time we left for the airport, I was unable to fault the service offered to us. The ambience, the décor, the staff, the food, the room and the amenities were luxurious and welcoming in the heat and hussle of Mumbai. Add it to your list of places to stay and you won't be disappointed.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-05-12 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 18
User Country: India

Stay: If you dont get the rooms with sea facing or gateway facing view then it is not worth paying the price. I got a room which had horrible view of actually nothing. Apart from the view, the rooms are at par with other 5 star hotels so nothing extraordinary. Last time i visited i got an upgrade and upgraded rooms are much better.Business conference facility:The conference room was actually worst experience. The room was large and the projector and screen were not adequate. There was so much glare and shine coming that it was extremely difficult to view the screen. Additionally there is outside noise from the road (since our conference was on first floor road facing).Also the hotel had wedding on one of the days and it becomes extremely challenging for other guests with so many people at weddings, noise etc.The air-conditioning in the business room was extremely cold and in spite of repeated requests nothing was being done.Food:The food was fairly ok. Probably since we had business meeting so it was customized with limited options. The taste and variety was satisfactory. We didn't try any of their restaurants. Overall it is legacy hotel with heritage and history, so if you are looking for that then it is worth. Compared to other 5 star hotels, it was nothing extraordinary.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-02-12 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 0
User Country: India

The overall structure makes u feel you are 100 yrs back as an ancient Indian with the honor of entering into the Maharajah palace, with a sea view in the back. the lighting in the dark lights up the brightness in you..forgetting your worries


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-01-27 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 13
User Country: India

recently stayed there n one of their suites for a friends wedding and i wuz shocked to see the size of the suite and the facilities . Huge bungalow like duplex. almost 40 people were inside at one time partying .


--Review--

Date Posted: 2014-09-24 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 35
User Country: london england

Do buy/google the BBC2 series of 'Hotel India' which is about this hotel. It is inexplicable: how do explain bliss? I was just reading recent trip advisor reviews of this hotel and generally, everyone loves it but there is one issue which 'management' need to address urgently: the not free internet. Please dont reply saying 'we working on it, it's been outsourched, etc'. heard that line at least a year ago! hey man, i was at a basic parisian two star hotel recently and internet was free. but i don't go to india to do my emails, so i forgive that one but it's a significant downer. the only reason i mentioned this as my review would have been too gushing...you have not lived unless you have been to 'hotel india'!!!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-12-17 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 66
User Country: United Kingdom

My friends and I chose the Taj Mahal Palace as our FINAL indulgence for a stay in India.Were we Disappointed? Not at all!Were we Spoiled? Absolutely!The experience from start to finish was pure indulgence. Granted it is not cheap but the pure quality, decor, ambiance and service is unparalleled.We stayed for 2 nights and I assure you it is well worth it!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-12-17 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 66
User Country: United Kingdom

My friends and I chose the Taj Mahal Palace as our FINAL indulgence for a stay in India.Were we Disappointed? Not at all!Were we Spoiled? Absolutely!The experience from start to finish was pure indulgence. Granted it is not cheap but the pure quality, decor, ambiance and service is unparalleled.We stayed for 2 nights and I assure you it is well worth it!

Reviews with bad sentiment and bad rating (3 and below):

In [24]:
get_neg_reviews(taj_df)
--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-02-26 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 10
User Country: United Kingdom

I dont usually review places I've stayed, but this requires a review...Since I booked the Taj in Dec 2018, the team at Taj have made error after error after error.Here are some of them:Extremely poor internal communication and high staff turnover - lead to some monumental cock ups that that will never be put right - essentially, they ruined my proposal to my now Fiancee Booked the palace, got the tower... when asked about this, they claim to have 'upgraded' us into a cheaper room.Cleanliness is appalling, theres rubble on the bathroom floor... i wouldn't expect this from Tra velodge, let alone one of the most prestigious brands in the world.All in all 2 out of 5 would be generous. Do yourselves a favour, save the money and book somewhere that will care.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-02-15 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 175
User Country: United Kingdom

Over any weekend the hotel is besieged by backpackers clutching to their water bottles, sight seers and photo opportunists.The local secret with taxi drivers is to just pop in the ground floor and use the public toilet there.Good advice, but not for the residents paying the bill.Be aware the hotel will charge you for the days you booked, not just for the days you stayed.It is an unethical, and in Europe quite illegal, racket, to make as much money as possible.Guests only learn of this rule when they paid a deposit and receive a booking form, and there it is cleverly hidden further down the page.A disgusting policy!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-02-13 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 112
User Country: Georgia

Staying here is inconvenient and not a luxury feel. It is a great, great building but administratively it is living in the past. Check in - they run you around / Check out is an ordeal (its easier to check out at any other hotel I have ever stayed in), WiFi is extremely hard to work, room housekeeping is inconsistent, and room amenities have been cut (from past stays). Sad to see it fading. AFTER I checked out they charged my credit card for a meal which was not mine - never had that happen before in a lifetime of travel!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-02-11 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 33
User Country: United Kingdom

We found the rooms a bit tired and the staff professional but disinterested. Restaurants the same. We stayed because it is a Mumbai institution, but it’s better to go for a visit (combine with the Gateway of India) and stay somewhere better. Transport-wise it’s not efficient for the city as it’s at at the base of the Colaba peninsula, so you add travelling time for journeys to and from the hotel.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-01-25 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 1
User Country: nan

Loudest hotel I have ever stayed in - sleep impossible except between 2am and 6am only. Why on earth would you put people in rooms in stair hall that echoes and amplifies the nightly party that happens at the base of the stair? Terrible - all the historic charm in the world cannot make up for the unholy racket that prevents any rest.Not recommended if you plan on actually sleeping.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-01-15 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 1
User Country: Texas

Great disappointed at The Taj Mahal Mumbai after staying with The Taj Udaipur, The Taj Amritsar, The Taj Chandigarh. Whether it was hospitality, service, concierge they all do not stand par with the name. Very average. One's presence any where in the hotel is not acknowledge by the hotel staff, you get lost in the local crowd. Missing hostess at the restaurants, long wait for the phones to answer was a very common feature. Certainly not a five star service by any standards.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2019-01-07 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: nan
Impact: 52
User Country: United Kingdom

The palace part is small and you have to go to the tower for all the restaurants it is open to the public which means it’s very busy long queues for the rest rooms lounges full very small revolving door into the hotel no driveway so it’s mad trying to get in and out the food not great and the staff not as friendly as you would have thought I would not stay there again as the pool was small, and freezing cold they want you to use the tower reception so why charge to stay in the palace then very disappointed with the hotel 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-11-19 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 0
User Country: California

My husband and I stayed at the Taj Palace Hotel in early November. I would give five stars for the location, the room, and the service from the housekeeping staff. I would also give 5 stars for general cleanliness. I would give three stars for how I, in particular, was treated. I am US citizen of Indian descent as is my husband. What I experienced was disappointing to say the least. The hotel has a very international set, so I was surprised to learn that when they encounter a couple like us, the male partner is greeted and asked how things are but the female is not. When the chef comes to the table and asks how dinner is, the male partner is addressed and I am not even acknowledged as being present. This was not true of the light skinned Europeans or Americans. So Taj hotel, here is a tip: even if you don't care about treating all folks equally (didn't Gandhiji say you should though?) you must care about your bottom line, and the fact of the matter is, women of all nationalities are often footing half if not all of the bill. For US female citizens of Indian descent, save your money and stay somewhere cheaper, or don't travel to India unless you have to for business. Too bad, now I remember why it has been so long since I have been to India.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-07-09 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 2
User Country: nan

Your cuctomer have to make a aed currency to charge a cutomer.Not in rupees.Why i am saying beacsue before i am booking i already told that i will pay in online in aed currency.But from account your restervations india currency also charge it not good.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-06-03 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 6
User Country: nan

I went to the hotel for lunch. Before i enter the restaurant, i did ask whether they serve ala carte or no. They say yes. I order some juice and a pizza since most of the food are not available during lunch because they focus on buffet only. It's ok i try to understand. I come with my friends. They also order some of the food that available. When we finish, we ask for separate bill/receipt. Suddenly the waiter, his nama is Rajendra, show his angry face and say this is iconic hotel, it's hard for them to make a separate bill. I explain that we nees separate bill because we need to claim to our company. This is the procedure. Then he just shake his head and go. He purposedly delaying prepare the bill. We wait for 20 minute and he give the bill and at the same time showing really annoying face likes he hate us. I can't believe this. I went to all 5 star hotel for dinner and lunch, we need have such experience. Is it because this hotel is the most iconic and the waiter can act like a boss. Is it because we wear a casual dress and that's the reason he treat us like that? I'm very disappointed. I'm your tourist. You should't serve us like that. Seriously very unacceptable. I recommend for those who decide to come here, better wear formal suit, they will treat you well i think. Sigh!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-05-06 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 19
User Country: nan

I booked this hotel for family dinner on 24/04/2018...it was prior booking for 9.30pm but I got the table @ 10.15pm shockingly the table linens were not cleaned..table & leftovers from prior customer was cleared only after I requested it..never had such experience from 5* hotel.The table attendant was extra ordinarily Rude,When I asked him to suggest for Soup & Starters his response was "Anything from the menu you may order"..,He spilled while serving & wasn't apologetic about it...To end our nightmare any further I decided to cut short the dinner & went to another hotel for the main course & better/ pleasing experience.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-03-31 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 3
User Country: Canada

With respect to location and a historical perspective this is the place to stay.However, our room was extremely disappointing in that the humidity and musty odorWas terrible. Our clothes in the closet were damp and it was quite unpleasant.When this was addressed to the staff, one assured us that the cleaning staff would freshen it up, ultimately we were told that it was simply a very old hotel and nothing could be done....I again mentioned this upon checkout only to be told I should have complained and they would have given us another room???


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-02-17 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 7
User Country: India

Dear Mr. Taljinder, we have been trying to contact you for past several days. Your staff Mr. Sasawat, Mr. Siddharth and one of your waiting staff at Soulk were extremely rude to me & my family. This is not the Taj we know of. Extremely rude and disrespectful. Just because you take a pre-authorization at time of check-in, it doesn't give you the right to treat guests in a rude manner. I am sure you would have CCTV footage of the Soulk and then from outside our room, where your staff argued with us for 2 hours.They truly spoilt our entire stay. I would never ever recommend Taj to anyone else. We eventually left your hotel in midnight, disgusted and in shock by the manner in which your staff treated us.Post our stay, we have tried to reach out to multiple people in your hotel, but no one has really called us to sort this out.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-02-16 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 4
User Country: nan

I visited this hotel about 3 years ago and had an amazing stay!This time everything seemed very different, possibly due to new management as discussing with other guests that have used the hotel for years, they felt exactly the same and said all the hotel is now solely focused on charging EXTORTIONATE PRICES!The booking process was very confused and the price was approximately 30% more than the online confirmation, due to taxes and other fees. I queried this on arrival and was told it would be looked into in case a mistake had been made. I also asked if breakfast was included and was told again they would look into it and let me know - I HEARD NOTHING BACK until checkout when they had no record of my queries and concerns.I had an embarrassing problem in the restaurant also where I was just asked to enter my pin to pay for a meal without a bill or even getting the price.There were so many issues with my stay here I would not recommend this hotel even though it looks lovely.The main issue is the rude and aggressive nature of the staff and management when anything is queried! DISGUSTING SERVICE when it’s supposed to be a top quality hotel!!!!!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-02-03 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 2
User Country: nan

My wife, 2 kids & I checked into Taj Mahal Palace hotel at 5pm on Sat, Jan 20th. We were celebrating 15th wedding anniversary. We had a terribly bad experience at dinner at Soulk. We brought this to attention of Mr. Saswat, the Duty Manager at the Hotel at that time. My wife and I had a long argument from 11pm-1am with both Mr. Sasawat and the Food & Beverage manager. We were disgusted by their behavior and my wife, I, 2 kids left the hotel at 1am. This is not the way to behave with any family or customer. We have stayed at Taj properties across India/US and this is not what we expect from Taj. I would request you to sincerely probe the full incident, esp. behavior of Mr. Saswat, beverage manager, and the person who attended to us at Soulk. Instead of having a great 15th anniversary, we were so shocked/disappointed by your staff behavior, that my wife & i carried our sleeping kids back home instead of continuing to stay the night at Taj. We were still charged the INR 34K for the stay. More than the money, this was a terrible, terrible experience.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-01-27 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 3
User Country: nan

The place is beloved by our whole family. Recently when my extended family arrived from the states, we went to Shalimar. Our experience was very poor. Firstly Mr Arun at the security check was absolutely rude specially to our grandmother who needs help walking too. Then came the poor service at Shalimar. In spite of the manager coming at the end apologizing for the poor service and accepting that the waiter was new, it's not something you expect at Taj. Sad to know that a heritage is gonna loose its glory soon. 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-01-26 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 413
User Country: London

.I’ve reviewed The Taj before and sadly I see very little improvement. The security procedures from the overzealous security is a bore and has ruined the aesthetic of the hotel. The replacement Taj Club uninspiring and dull with petty regulations. And compared to other hotels I’ve travelled to in India there’s far too much “no, you cannot do that” - “not, that’s not possible” from the staff at this hotel. The word “No” should never be used, there’s better ways to convey what you need to say even if it is a negative.But what really turned my stomach, from a hotel that uses the tag line “Strive for Excellence”, is the filthy stained uniforms worn by the staff at The Sea Lounge at breakfast. You would not accept it in a fast food joint, and it’s shocking to witness in a 5 star hotel. Not only can you see the food stains, but you can see where their hands have stained the pockets to their trousers or the sides of their kurtas , etc. This does not happen over the course of one mornings work, this is ingrained dirt which I witnessed every day. The shame is with the Taj Hotel Group for not implementing high standards of cleanliness and presentation..


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-01-26 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 22
User Country: nan

Mr arun who is the secirity incharge during the entry at the resort is amazingly and surprisingly rude. We had our grandmother who can barely walk and she took her phone in her hand hrough the security channel and this Mr Arun said or rather yelled I told you 3 time leave the phone in the basket and made a old women pass by the security channel again just to satisfy his ego. What a brat. A lover for taj is truly dissapointed due to this behaviour and sworn to never return to taj until they apolized to my grandmother. Terrible & unexpected behaviour. 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-01-12 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 60
User Country: chandigarh

I stayed with my family on 29th checked in and 31st we checked out. I booked my stay in the palace wing. The staff at this palace property is not at all pleasing. Hospitality is missing, staff unprofessional. Amarinder escorted us to our room. I requested him to let me know about heritage walk at the palace, I was informed that there is no vacancy for that day, tomorrow it may be possible as there was limited hearing machines. Next day none responded, if there is shortage then the management can arrange heritage walk twice or what ever the solution. Over all ignoring attitude. The staff is passing each day with burden.They are 'dealing with customers' and 'not attending to guests'.I wish to message Mr Rattan Tata, and challenged him to stay here without disclosing his where abouts, and he can taste this bitter pill.I have stayed at Lake palace udaipur, flak Numa, umaid Bhawan, but I claim that there is nothing palatial at taj mahal property. Sheer wastage of holidays at Taj mahal palace mumbai. 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-01-12 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 103
User Country: India

Recently had this terrible experience at the Taj Mahal Palace wherein we were denied entry at the gate. The guy (who claimed to be the manager., but we were sure he was not) created a major ruckus giving us silly excuses.If the coffee shop was full we could have waited at the lobby but this was not acceptable. Why do we need to plead to get into a Hotel? On knowing that we are Inner Circle members the other folks came up and apologized for this person's behavior.While exiting the chief of security sincerely apologized for the entire incident., but the damage was done. It was a mentally agonizing moment us.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-12-27 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 4
User Country: Georgia

Maybe when you buy into a brand such as Taj, the service quality you hope for this luxury hotel. Dining at the Shamiana restaurant, you encounter staff that don't know the menu, don't know the differences between food and beverage items, and become overly aggressive. I went there for breakfast and lunch, and they don't notify the guest ahead of time that you might have to wait 15 t0 25 min for your breakfast table. Most of the staff there don't want to help if though they are manning the buffet. The manager, Rahul also is quite pretentious. The lunch was served cold, and when you mention that to them, the waiter gets angry. The workers all seem miserable that they have to be there. Bad service overall. Opt for the Sea Lounge instead.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-10-28 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 61
User Country: United Kingdom

There is veneer of personalization at this place, but everything is impersonal from the greeting at the door to the checkout. When you check-in they asked us to take a seat and wait, while several hotel employees whizzed past looking busy. They finally came about to checking us in without any apologies about the delay. Several others were waiting as well. With so many employees scurrying around in the lobby you can't but wonder: what do they all do, if the service is so moderate (it's not poor, but it's not exceptional either). The day we were leaving, we were going to check out at 9 am and at 7 am our doorbell rang and it was the minibar guy who said he had to check the minibar before we left. I guess it's his job - but speaks poorly of hotel management. Will find another alternative next time in Mumbai.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-10-11 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 9
User Country: Belgium

stayed 2 nights for business. inside the palace wing feels like a haven away from crazy city. facilities look old. service mediocre. too many limitations. any request that deviates from standard is not possible, whereas in a hotel like this the extraordinary should be possible. big miscommunication as rgards a second reservation. let's se how that will be handled. 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-09-02 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 9
User Country: Kenya

For a five star hotel I left feeling as if I had something in the back of my throat!! the food was awful. I don't mind paying if I am getting good food, I was expecting something extraordinary for the rating, but got some quite mediocre.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-08-29 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 29
User Country: CA

I am booked at the Taj to arrive this Sunday night, and my experience so far has been frustrating to be polite. In attempting to take advantage of a lower rate they cancelled my room reservation and it took repeated email to get them to reinstate the reservation. Then, they said they have no record of an airport pickup, despite my forwarding back the email they sent confirming the arrangements. Now I've sent them a final email asking them to confirm the room and the car and have received no response. I had to do all of this by email as their website does not permit a guest to access or change an existing reservation, and their app is really just a mobile version of the website so of no help.I am concerned that if they can't handle simple items before a guest's arrival, can they provide luxury service once the guest is there? I stay at luxury properties around the world and this has been disappointing to say the least.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-08-05 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 205
User Country: Monaco

Unsafe and dirty.This is exactly the false 5 stars hotel to avoid.Plenty of people, all polite but we arrive at 1 o'clock morning and the room was not ready with the extra bed for my children.I use the exit stairs to see if the security was good enough and it took them more than 5 minutes to find me. In 5 minutes, a lots of bad things can happen.On the morning breakfast, at 7 o'clock, half of the employés who serve you have dirty Cloth , jacket and pans.The bath room was also dirty, and they agree with me, it was their mistake.A lots of apologizes, but the bill to pay stay the same, never meet the 5 stars hotel expectations.Then if you want a real palace, if you want a real 5 stars hotel, you should find a other hotel. Plenty of them who are better than this one, who live on his heritage...


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-07-20 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 2
User Country: United Kingdom

Unfortunately I didn't have the stay I was expected. I understand that as its the quiet season its the optimum time for the hotel to complete maintenance work but you would expect them to close that section of the hotel so it didn't interrupt peoples stay. I was in a room next to the lifts were maintenance was taking place that weekend therefore the whole time while i'm my room i was able to hear banging and drilling etc. Not the relaxing stay I was hoping for. This continued until 7.30pm and then started again the following morning around 9am. As the point of my stay was to relax in a luxury hotel after a stressful few weeks this was not what I wanted.I was woken up for chocolates and a guide book to be delivered at 9.45pm...I felt that was quite late to disturb someone unexpectedly.The worst part though was waking up in the morning to notice a tiny bug in my bed crawling across the sheets. I had also arranged a late check out for 2pm and three times i was disturbed by housekeeping trying to get in my room after 12 o'clock to the point where i decided to check out early and go elsewhere until I needed to go to the airport. On checking out it was clearly stated on my invoice that my checkout time was 2pm.The actual hotel is beautiful but unfortunately the experience didn't match up to what i was expecting.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-06-10 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 2
User Country: nan

Writing this review from my hotel room. We had plans to extend our stay but not after this experience. I am very disappointed with some staff handling the cars at the entrance and the duty manager at the front desk. I found them to be arrogant and not interested.They also do not maintain a complain register and hence handed me a blank sheet of paper to address my grievences without asking me my room number because he hardly cared about my complain. Very poor Taj Mahal Palace hotel. 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-06-04 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 11
User Country: Pretoria

I did not enjoy my time here. The Glorious setting, historical location and glossy menus did nothing for me when the service was genuinely sad. I almost felt as though I was resented as being a guest despite staying in the Palace section in a suite. Butler service did not help me at all. I was very disappointed


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-04-26 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 3
User Country: Cyprus

we have checked in at 11 and without informing me for an early check in fee they charged me one addtitional night. despite the fact that my resevation was for one night they chsrged 2 nights. upon arrival they didnot informed us that we will face a fee or even worst a full day charge


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-04-21 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 57
User Country: Oman

I checked in with four overseas guests in to two rooms in January 2017. The check in too late with most unhelpful staff. we asked for two interconnecting rooms, that we were not provided with. Bath room accessories were lacking, with no responsible person addressing the issues. Delayed news paper service to the rooms in the morning. Though too many staff run around, not much of quality service when needed. Quality of food not up to the mark. Over all, it is disappointing and not worth.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-03-26 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 1
User Country: Turkey

TI have stayed here 10 years ago but the hotel service , the entrance to the palace wing and everything became very very bad. The people working only for tip and they almost force you to give a tip. My agency did a surprise in my suite for my birthday .. before even I enter and see the surprise the bell boy told me that they did a surprise etc ruined everything in order to get a tip, when I did not gave him a tip he send 3 different people asking for tip SHAME FULL


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-03-25 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 205
User Country: California

Hotel charged us for a hotel transfer that was never used based on a quote requested and not confirmed.When confronted with this the hotel duty manager was rude and abrupt.Stay at the Oberoi where they don't steal money from their clients.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-03-14 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: nan
Impact: 5
User Country: nan

 I had called the Chinese restaurant at the hotel, for a booking for 4, The booking was done 25 days prior itself, the only request was for a sea view table, I was been denied for the same, I thought there might be some cover charge for the same, for which he said no, I offered to pay 600$ nz from my credit card as an to get reserved, for which I was been denied again, the man was rude to me over the phone, I was never given a reason why they couldn't get me a table. It was dream to dine at taj palace with my parents as I was coming down from nz after two years, I work as an asst. f&b manager at VR lake resort rotorua, New Zealand, the guy did not make any sense for the denial, I am a from Mumbai, been trained at taj president Mumbai for culinary, always desired to dine at taj palace. The man was looking for a reference of for an influential name to get me the table as he asked whom do I want to book the table for, I explained a family of 4, he lost his interest over the booking. Seems like a wish to visit this amazing hotel can never happen. I believe in equality, Indians are known for their hospitality I did not see any Very disappointed 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-02-22 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 0
User Country: nan

Unfortunately i was disappointed with the service and quality received at the Taj, I have stayed there before many times and i wish the standard were kept, but my overall experience this has made me regret staying there again.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-02-18 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 9
User Country: nan

ive never written a bad review on any place, activities or restaurant. I am extremely sad that I have to write one. I don't think I have ever been that badly treated. We ask for a later check out and agreed with the reception desk on a price and a time. Somehow the hotel staff had a different time in mind and decided us to charge us for the full amount. Realising their mistake, they started bargaining!!! and didn't want to go back to the original price. I just don't understand how it ever happens.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2017-01-31 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 4
User Country: United Kingdom

They forgot to send us a car to the airport although we have sent them the flight detailsWhen we arrived they did not welcome us like they do to everyone us ( Indian tradition) & we told the manager he said we don't do that anymore! Although i saw it in my face that they do the welcoming!!!!!!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-12-29 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 10
User Country: United Kingdom

We spent hours trying to book from the UK . The reservations team are inefficient and ineffectual.On arrival, nothing seemed to have been booked or details retained. We queued for breakfast, queued for evening cocktails, the hotel has the feel of a pricey holiday camp. We could not have been made to feel less special. It was the final leg of our 2 week trip - and the Taj was our worst stay by quite a margin. The Duty Manager called our room at 10.30pm to tell us that we had exceeded our credit card deposit limit, and that we needed to pay for the remaining bill - even though we were nowhere close to exceeding our credit limit and they had the credit card details in any event. The sole exception to this catalogue of ineptitude and disappointment was the restaurant manager of the Golden Dragon who treated us all like royalty, found us a table and looked after my husband who was very unwell. HE should be the kite mark for Taj staff training standards. However, if you like to be treated as if part of one huge coach party, then this is the place for you. We have since received a non-sequitous response with a desultory apology from Management which has only cemented our decision never to return.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-12-14 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 5
User Country: nan

I'm a member of Taj inner circle. Despite having platinum status with the Marriott, I started staying at the Taj for 2 reasons 1) After the hotel suffered following the attacks in Bombay, I thought it was important to support a historic property like Taj hotel 2) out of immense respect for the brand that Ratan Tata represented.In Aug 2016, I made plans to stay at the Taj Mahal palace in Bombay and had the most distressing experience. I was asked to pay ~ 1200 INR extra per night because I had a family member staying with me. In the last 4-5 years that I stayed at the Tak, including last year in several different cities, I always has a family member stay with me, without extra cost. During a typical stay, I end up spending 500-1000USD on top of room charges. However, I didn't want to pay extra to have a companion stay with me, never happened at the Taj or Marriott. As a matter of principle I refused.The duty manager (Retika Kanwar) and GM didn't care for innercircle membership, that we travelled all the way from the airport after a long flight and will have to make other arrangements. Customer service was non-existent. They were highly transactional and completely lacked the attitude that defines hospitality industry. The duty mgr smiled and said "no problem"!! When we said we will find other hotel. To top it off, they had the audacity to charge me for 1-night which I'm disputing with my card issuer. It was a horrible horrible experience at Taj. Hugely disappointing given that I chose them over western brands. Clearly the staff didn't care what happened to customers. We went to JW juju and were upgraded to a ocean facing suite.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-11-19 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 13
User Country: South Africa

We stayed in the Old part of the Taj Palace a few years back, but this year we stayed in the Tower. Although it has a fantastic view it was disappointing because it is just like any other hotel. The old part


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-10-31 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 0
User Country: India

The hotel has excellent hospitality and staff but highly disappointed with my room positioning. I was upgraded without being informed to taj palace heritage wing wherein the room positioning was disappointing with no access to windows and no view absolutely. Highly Disappointed!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-10-15 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 80
User Country: nan

My last stay here was awful. Dirty dried rings of food and drink on tables, torn towel in bathroom, insects on plate in restaurant - twice, dirty cups, broken chair in room, filthy balcony, filthy water coming out of the shower, dirty glasses, intermitant hot water, black particles spitting out of the aircon onto the food, you name what can go wrong we experienced it here. I would never stay at Taj again. We left early and went to Oberoi. Have stayed at Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai before and gave it 5* because the staff were incredible, so on the ball and so polished, but it's really gone down hill since then. Heartbreaking as this was my favourite hotel in India until now.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-09-21 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 2
User Country: India

Overall Experience was not good at all. Understanding brand "TAJ" my expectation was very high. I had asked to use upgrade suite vouchers. However I was denied for upgradation stating my booking is not more than 5 nights. TIC platinum desk had to call for making necessary follow-ups with hotel to upgrade the suite. By the time I receive upgraded suite, have already lost 3-4 hours. Duty manager offered to extend my stay as a part of compensation, however that was not convenient to me. I asked to compensate the same with lunch –meal expenses, however I was told that is not possible. Another very bad experience I had during Dinner. My expectation was Buffet dinner. However Shamiyana restaurants does not have Buffet dinner. I felt 3 core set dinner was false marketing completely. TIC desk has booked table for us from 8.30pm (Do have written confirmation). However I had to wait for 20-30 minutes to get the table for only 3 people. Quality of food was same as normal local restaurants in Mumbai. No luxuries of “TAJ” reflected in same. Overall not at all a pleasant experience, all the expectation of luxuries of Taj was ruined away. Apart from the luxuries ambiance, I will not recommend anyone to visit palace mahel for food & services.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-09-13 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 1
User Country: India

I am currently on a business trip in India with three other business associates. We are visiting seven cities in 3 weeks. We scheduled several hotel stays in Taj Hotel properties as they came highly recommended. Our first stay at the Taj Krishna in Hyderabad, was very enjoyable and the staff was extremely helpful. Out next visit was to be at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. Due to a business need, two of our team needed to cancel their stay with short notice. We tried to contact them to cancel the two nights and ask for some concession on the late penalties due to the number of nights we would be at their properties. When I contacted Taj Mahol Palace I asked for the duty manager and the reservation team would not connect me to him to work through the request, I sat on hold several times for extended periods (on international cell phone calls). Twice I was cut off and had to call back, When I finally spoke with a duty manager, he promised to see what he could do and call me back in 15 minutes. An hour and fifteen minutes later I had to call him back. I was again placed on extended holds and was shuffled through several people even though I asked for him by name. When I finally got him on the phone, he promised to call me back in five minutes. Now over twenty-four hours later, I have still not heard back, and ahve not even received a confirmation that the rooms have been cancelled. I sent an email request last night and copied their corporate leadership including two operations SVPs and the COO. We have hotel stays scheduled with them in Bangalore and Mumbai with some stays including weekends. It seems like their reputation for service does not extend to exception situations, and for the price of two nights, they are willing to throw away 12 additional night of business. I can tell you that our stays at the Oberoi properties have been outstanding where the staff and management not only meet all expectations but they try to anticipate your needs and provide services proactively. I am cancelling additional stays at all Taj properties for my company for this visit and all future visits. They don't have a problem accepting your money but don't have enough business sense to realize a bad business decision and correct it, nor does their leadership care enough about their clients to attempt to contact a customer to rectify a bad situation.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-09-09 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 0
User Country: India

Pillow were smelly and uncomfortable. Dinner Buffet was given in the package and given Rs. 2500/-, and any dish was not less than 1300/-. Room given in the tower was very small. I suggest people going for luxury should not opt for this Hotel.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-08-25 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: nan
Impact: 15
User Country: Birmingham

I was very excited about staying at this Hotel. However, having stayed three nights I was very disappointed with several factors - mainly the service, disorganised breakfast and the quality of the rooms (damp). This in an overrated Hotel save your money and go to a highly recommened Hotel " The Leela Palace" especially Udaipur. 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-08-02 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 3
User Country: Saudi Arabia

Building is suffering from extreme dampness and dry and wet rot. Not good for your young children or even adults who have any sort of breathing disorder. Building should be condemned on health and safety grounds alone.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-07-25 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 181
User Country: The Netherlands

After a day full of business meetings, I went to have a drink in the bar. Talked for a few minutes to a gentleman there, who left. Later I wanted to leave, was presented the bill, and the drinks of that other gentleman were charged on my bill. I explained that it wasn't my responsibility to pay for his drinks. I was interrogated for half an hour by bar staff: "don't you know him?" "What is your reason for being here?" "You should pay for all drinks!" Etc. Etc. I was treated as a criminal. After half an hour, I was told I could pay for my drink, but my day was ruined, and the next few days I felt terrible! Never in my life I have been treated so rudely. Every time I think back of this, it makes me feel very angry. Horrible experience.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-07-17 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: friends
Impact: 7
User Country: France

No warning from desk that a wedding was celebrated on saturday nightResult : vibrations all night long, until 5:30amI go to palace for details and luxury experience but my room was not prepared in the evening.It was a disappointed experience...


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-02-28 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 52
User Country: canada

I was in this hotel for eight nights at the end Feb 2016. My room was without a window. There are a big post in my bathroom and it was hard to move around nor to shave as the light is not enough. Very expensive for the service you get. I payed 275 CAN $ per night.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-02-16 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 1
User Country: United Kingdom

The service was not good at all. The hotel must make a big effort to retrain all their staff. Check in at the hotel was OK but they did not explain the facilites available, for example breakfast time, location of various restaurants, wifi availability. Worst of all, we were in a room on 19th floor and suddenly there was non-stop banging from the room next door and was explained that this should stop at 2.30pm because of some refurbishment but the banging lasted all day! We could have been offered a room on a different floor but nothing doing....


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-01-30 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 2
User Country: Australia

service was good and so was breakfast but found the roo,, slightlly disappointing, smaller than expected also main areas quite crowded (queue at breakfast or difficult to seat in the main hall) lifts not very fast keys was demagnitized 1 time also


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-01-12 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 0
User Country: India

I am frequent resident of Taj but this stay at Taj was not upto my expectation. We usually prefer Taj because the kind of hospitality and homeliness we feel in Taj properties is incomparable to any other hotel, may it be oberoi or sheraton or Shangrila etc. But this time right from the entry point i.e. reception to checking out of hotel, the warmth and hospitality which usually present in Taj's staff was completely missing. Waiting at reception for check-in without any proper response, long queue for breakfast, asking chargeability for water bottles in addition to 2 bottles of 500 ml, asking for toiletries again and again, same repetitive menu in shamiana restaurant fix two soups, three vegetable limited variety of desert are some of the examples which pressed us to think that we are in a 5 star hotel (forget about Taj) or in a local three star hotel. This was really disappointing and never expecting from Taj.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-01-06 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 6
User Country: India

Horrible food, Lazy service, treated like just any other person without any sense of the luxury. Restaurant service at Shamiana was horrible. Souk is most of the times closed. New year event at the Ball Room was pathetic with zero service and overcrowded without any planning and arrangements.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-12-23 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 34
User Country: United States

Taj Mahal Palace has absolutely beautiful common areas and generally good staff. However, the room was very small and dated. Our "king" bed was two twins pushed together, with separate sheeting on the two. The room and bathroom were small. The shower lacked a proper plastic curtain, which meant either flooding the room or angling the water awkwardly at the side wall. Wifi was slow. Overall, not worth the hype and cost.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-12-19 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 17
User Country: United Kingdom

Had a terrible experience at the Taj. We booked in Jan 15 expecting great service for our honeymoon. The hotel lost our booking, we had to chase them and chase them. Then they tried to charge us the maximum rate but but us in a lesser room. On arrival the room was so dirty I had to ask for pieces of furniture to be changed. They didn't put any of the special request I asked for, simple things, in the room. Then the bath filled with what looked like sewage to me, although the hotel promised that it wasn't. Which made me worry about what we showered in. My partner has been ill, ill since! All in all they ruined the start of our honeymoon.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-12-09 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 5
User Country: India

I will never return to Taj Mumbai. In spite of settling bill upon departure, I have received a call saying that, my bill was outstanding. I need to sent my bank statement as a proof to verify that, I have paid my bill. Very disappointed with service quality.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-11-29 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 5
User Country: Israel

Brought my company VP and the head of several European companies here for meetings in Mumbai. I invited everyone for drinks at the hotel bar, but we were refused service because my VP was wearing sandals. We were all in collared shirts, jackets and slacks (no shorts) and the sandals in questions were fashionable leather ones, not flip-flops. Humiliated doesn;t begin to describe how I felt when I had to make other plans and take everyone out of the hotel for drinks.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-06-05 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 34
User Country: nan

We were newlywed staying at Taj Mahal palace The billing staff could have handled the situation in a much better way. Me n my wife were hurt and disappointed Very poor service n inconsiderate staffWe ordered dinner in the room and paid for it in the room itself, the room service happily accepted the bill amount and left. The next morning We had the worst checkout, the staff claimed we had to pay for the dinner, I explained that I had already paid. The billing staff refused to believe me and we had to wait till they contacted the room service person, the staff at the billing was curt and made us wait 45 min to complete the billing. It was very unpleasant for both of us. The billing staff could have handled the situation in a much better way. Me n my wife were hurt and disappointed.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-04-29 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 18
User Country: India

It was disappointing to witness that guests weren't allowed to visit me. While I visit Bombay once every month, this was the first time I stayed at your hotel and rest assured, I shall not repeat the mistake. Disappointing to witness a premium property having such a policy. It was a humiliating experience for myself and my guests.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-04-15 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 4
User Country: england

We are currently guests at the Taj Palace and am very disappointed that at 5pm in the afternoon the swimming pool is closed for maintenance. After a day of shopping and wondering around Mumbai all we want to do is chill out at the pool and have a swim to cool off. Very disappointed that this is not available to us. Otherwise, so far excellent service and very nice breakfast in the Sea Lounge.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-03-21 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 31
User Country: Cardiff

Service average,had to ask for a lot of things,cold food,missed requests,staff like robots,check in bad,watched the BBC documentary and was craving for the stars of the show but didn't find them. Have to compliment the tour guide Viren,very refreshing!Only wish all the staff were staff like him,passion and drive,he makes the Taj experience...bland & bored staff disappointing. Please don't forget the service standards,wonderful building and location


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-03-08 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 32
User Country: Singapore

I stayed at the Tower wing for 3 months back in 2009. Never understood what the hype is all about for this place. Rooms are small and due for major refurbishment; stale smell everywhere. Only commendable thing is the service here which I would give 5 star. Then again, wouldn't you expect good service from a supposedly "6-star" establishment??


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-02-13 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 40
User Country: New York

We stayed in the Presidential Suite the night of our grand wedding a few years ago. Woke up in the middle of the night to find cockroaches all over the bathroom floor. Called downstairs twice and about 20 minutes later (3:30am) a young gentleman came to "spray the bathroom". That's it. Dead roaches, no follow up, no apologies upon check-out. No allowance for a late check-out, either. I am a Hilton Diamond, Starwood Platinum, and Marriott Rewards member...have never seen or witnessed anything like this. Will not return to Taj Mumbai for another stay.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2014-11-11 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 21
User Country: India

I was so so excited to stay here.... But All it gone in a vain. Good property but a expensive room. But rooms were small dont expect to get a big room and ok ok avg. room.I was welcome at reception with smile and garland and was shown the room but after that who are you they hell don't care...... I was there for 2 days but real sorry to say no call or no nothing to take feedback who I am doing. Even at checkout no one cared to ask how was your stay.Yes there preference and priority are only and only foreigners or NRI.I had given a written feedback form and email also on service and bad experience I had but hell they dont care.So if you want to see fake smile bad small and expensive room stay there and I assure you wont be cared.A real turndown by TAJ MAHAL MUMBAI.I always stay in TAJ whenever and where ever possible but this stay was real bad.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2014-09-11 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: couple
Impact: 103
User Country: United Kingdom

My fiancé and I had finished our 3 month trip across India and decided to finish in style with a meal at the Taj Palace. We had a few drinks in the bar and asked if it was possible to book a table in the Souk restaurant later that evening. The gentleman we spoke to said it was possible but we should go immediately because they were vey busy that evening. We headed to the restaurant as advised and it was completely empty. We were shown to our table by a very friendly lady who worked at the front of house. There were waiters rushing around setting the things up and 5 minutes later no one had given us a menu or asked if we wanted a drink. I called someone over and requested a menu and we were once again left waiting for over 5 minutes. Sensing our frustration the lady at the front of house came back into the restaurant and asked if I was Ok I mentioned I would like to order some drinks. She called someone over and apologised. I can only think the restaurant hadn't been fully open when we arrived as the service was non existent. The helpful lady hovered around keeping a close eye on things and as soon as I looked up she came over took our order. There was clearly some issue with front of house and the waiting staff.By the time the food arrived a good 40 minutes had passed and by then there was only two other tables occupied. In that time we ordered another round of drinks and only my drink arrived. My lamb dish was tasteless and completely under seasoned, if in fact it had been seasoned at all. My partners dish was very average and nothing to write home about. I decided not to eat my dish, it was that poor. I sat there with my glass empty waiting for my partner to finish her dish. We admired the view and sensing my upset my partner decided to leave her dish and we cut our loses and said we would go back to a restaurant called Dum Pukht which we ate at when we first arrived in Mumbai some 6 months earlier.I requested the bill and asked them to take off my dish as I hadn't eaten it and they offered to re cook the dish again for me or replace it which I declined. When the bill arrived they had taken off my dish but charged us for the glass of wine that never arrived. Then to really top off a terrible meal I was left waiting for ten minutes before I had to request the return of my card.Upon my return to the UK I sent an email explaining what happened and expressed my disappointment. I was emailed back by Santosh Shetty apologising and wanting to put things right. They requested further details so they could investigate. I took the time to reply in full and never heard anything back. Talk about add insult to injury. I dare say my experience was an isolated incident because judging by the other reviews the majority of people have a great time. I am really disappointed with Santosh Shetty what with them being senior management and their attitude towards the incident. Its disgraceful someone in such a high position treats customers this way, especially after the terrible meal we had.We didn't manage to book a table Dum Pukht so we ended up eating very tasty kebabs on plastic stools in a back street of Colaba. It wasn't the last night we had hoped for but we still left India with a smile on our face.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2014-08-03 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: nan
Impact: 9
User Country: nan

The rooms were consumed and very old with very bad smell and worse view.. it smells like urine.. back in my county such a hotel will Not even take 2 stars only... we spook to the manager about the smell who only sent a cleaner to clean the room and put a device that did nothing actually .. that 3 days was horable that no one cloud sleep and we all ran to our agency to rescadule our flight back to my country... they were not cooperative with us as they didn't even offer us to change the room moreover we ask them to change the room but all what we get was a machine that did nothing..i will never get back to taj and i don't recommend that hotel to any one who expect a 5 stars hotel 


--Review--

Date Posted: 2014-02-18 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 12
User Country: Hawaii

I do a rez. Confirmed pending credit card. I send. No response. I ask. Hotel says person I sent info to is different person. send again. what? who's the different person? Send my credit card info to all of India? Something's very wrong here


--Review--

Date Posted: 2014-02-18 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 12
User Country: Hawaii

I do a rez. Confirmed pending credit card. I send. No response. I ask. Hotel says person I sent info to is different person. send again. what? who's the different person? Send my credit card info to all of India? Something's very wrong here


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-11-22 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 21
User Country: India

We are have checked in the hotel on 20th of November 2013.We Have given Room No Called 567 at fifth floor at palace wings. The welcome wasn't good.But all foreigners especially the whites are Welcomed Well with Garlands.Even we booked the suite room at palace wing.Staffs here are Horrible.They want to help only whites not Indians or White.We went to an Restaurant at Taj called Masala kraft we have pre booked the table for us from the room and again we have reconfirmed the table with the palace reception before we stepped into the restaurant.But when we stepped in the concierge named Hemalatha asked us to go out of the restaurant and wait us for other 20 minutes.Even though the tables are free.We asked the Valuable reasons for that but she refused to tell that.Then we have give an complaint with Duty Manager .Then he arranged for us the table over there.After this issue happened they made our dinner complimentary which is not fare because they want hide the bad factors about TAJ. My only suggestion is please dont step into any of TAJ hotels in India since they respects only Whites.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-11-22 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 21
User Country: India

We are have checked in the hotel on 20th of November 2013.We Have given Room No Called 567 at fifth floor at palace wings. The welcome wasn't good.But all foreigners especially the whites are Welcomed Well with Garlands.Even we booked the suite room at palace wing.Staffs here are Horrible.They want to help only whites not Indians or White.We went to an Restaurant at Taj called Masala kraft we have pre booked the table for us from the room and again we have reconfirmed the table with the palace reception before we stepped into the restaurant.But when we stepped in the concierge named Hemalatha asked us to go out of the restaurant and wait us for other 20 minutes.Even though the tables are free.We asked the Valuable reasons for that but she refused to tell that.Then we have give an complaint with Duty Manager .Then he arranged for us the table over there.After this issue happened they made our dinner complimentary which is not fare because they want hide the bad factors about TAJ. My only suggestion is please dont step into any of TAJ hotels in India since they respects only Whites.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-09-17 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 214
User Country: Germany

I spent three nights in a Deluxe King Room (which is not the cheapest room type). I was really shocked by the poor quality of the hotel in all aspects. Just have a look on the pics I added and you will know why. I really wonder how such a bad hotel can obtain such good reviews as there are much better hotels in Mumbai. People seem to be blinded by the name of the hotel. I don't know about the room in the Palace Wing - but if you stay in the Tower Wing don't expect much more than in a 2 star hotel and be prepared to treated as a backpacker.THE FEW PROS ARE:- location- breakfast is not bad- older staff at breakfast very friendly (but younger staff not trained and rude)- swimming pool- room service was efficientBUT THERE ARE SO MANY CONS:- security problem: they scan you at the entrance, but everyone can walk in and even use all lifts. There is no card needed to operate lifts. So people (terrorists?) from outside walk in the floors where the rooms are and may harass you- check in unfriendly and very cold, lacking charme- staff is generally very arrogant. They should learn not to judge about people and their social status by their appearance. Really ridiculous how you get treated if you look like a tourist and not like a Bollywood actor.- airport transfer almost 5.000 Rupees which is a pure rip off (the good taxis with AC at the stand outside the hotel charge you not more than 800 Rupees!)- Wifi not complimentary even you pay hundred of USD per nightROOMS ARE SHOCKING:- even on 17th floor you can't sleep (street noise 24/7) because windows don't close properly and are not sound proofed- walls between rooms are paper-thin, no problem to follow all conversations in other rooms- empty toiletries have not been replaced- towels old and always dirty, full of stains!- glasses and mugs not clean- shocking hygienic conditions in bathroom: filth, crime and mould everywhere (see pics, the toilet seat is a disaster)- bathroom fittings dating from the 70's and never cleaned properly- disgusting sticky shower curtain- broken tilings- stains and dirt everywhere on the carpets- for all the rest: just see my pics. I am bored of writing much more about this terrible hotdl.By the way, the best came at check out: Of course they asked us "how was your stay?". I replied "just average if at all". Their reaction was only to say "ok". Unbelievable, how can a hotel that claims to be Leading hotel of the World be so unprofessional????I would never go there again, it is just a ridiculous bad hotel that takes advantage of guests who want to stay in that once probably glamourous house.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-09-17 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: solo
Impact: 214
User Country: Germany

I spent three nights in a Deluxe King Room (which is not the cheapest room type). I was really shocked by the poor quality of the hotel in all aspects. Just have a look on the pics I added and you will know why. I really wonder how such a bad hotel can obtain such good reviews as there are much better hotels in Mumbai. People seem to be blinded by the name of the hotel. I don't know about the room in the Palace Wing - but if you stay in the Tower Wing don't expect much more than in a 2 star hotel and be prepared to treated as a backpacker.THE FEW PROS ARE:- location- breakfast is not bad- older staff at breakfast very friendly (but younger staff not trained and rude)- swimming pool- room service was efficientBUT THERE ARE SO MANY CONS:- security problem: they scan you at the entrance, but everyone can walk in and even use all lifts. There is no card needed to operate lifts. So people (terrorists?) from outside walk in the floors where the rooms are and may harass you- check in unfriendly and very cold, lacking charme- staff is generally very arrogant. They should learn not to judge about people and their social status by their appearance. Really ridiculous how you get treated if you look like a tourist and not like a Bollywood actor.- airport transfer almost 5.000 Rupees which is a pure rip off (the good taxis with AC at the stand outside the hotel charge you not more than 800 Rupees!)- Wifi not complimentary even you pay hundred of USD per nightROOMS ARE SHOCKING:- even on 17th floor you can't sleep (street noise 24/7) because windows don't close properly and are not sound proofed- walls between rooms are paper-thin, no problem to follow all conversations in other rooms- empty toiletries have not been replaced- towels old and always dirty, full of stains!- glasses and mugs not clean- shocking hygienic conditions in bathroom: filth, crime and mould everywhere (see pics, the toilet seat is a disaster)- bathroom fittings dating from the 70's and never cleaned properly- disgusting sticky shower curtain- broken tilings- stains and dirt everywhere on the carpets- for all the rest: just see my pics. I am bored of writing much more about this terrible hotdl.By the way, the best came at check out: Of course they asked us "how was your stay?". I replied "just average if at all". Their reaction was only to say "ok". Unbelievable, how can a hotel that claims to be Leading hotel of the World be so unprofessional????I would never go there again, it is just a ridiculous bad hotel that takes advantage of guests who want to stay in that once probably glamourous house.

Oberoi EDA

In [25]:
obe_df.head()
Out[25]:
hotel_name review_body user_contributions helpful_vote user_rating trip_type is_satisfied review_length user_city user_country is_domestic
review_date
2019-03-03 The Oberoi, Mumbai Very comfortable hotel.excellent service and h... 2 0 5.0 business 1 331 NaN NaN -1
2019-03-01 The Oberoi, Mumbai wonderful location. u wont be able to find a b... 4 0 5.0 couple 1 252 Ahmedabad India 1
2019-03-01 The Oberoi, Mumbai Exceptional stay in fabulous location at Narim... 1 0 5.0 couple 1 306 NaN NaN -1
2019-03-01 The Oberoi, Mumbai I can't say enough about how incredible our st... 3 1 5.0 couple 1 773 NaN NaN -1
2019-02-27 The Oberoi, Mumbai Great location with super staff at every level... 184 92 5.0 couple 1 499 Tel Aviv Israel 0
In [29]:
plot_per_month(obe_df)
In [92]:
plot_user_ratings(obe_df, savefig='oberoi_ratings')
In [103]:
plot_client_count(obe_df, savefig='dom_vs_int_oberoi')
In [94]:
plot_is_satisfied(obe_df, 'satisfaction_oberoi')
We've assumed all users who have rated the hotel above 3 (out of 5) are satisfied.

International Guests

In [95]:
guest = obe_df[obe_df['is_domestic'] == 0]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('International Guests Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge)', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\int_pct_oberoi.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()

Domestic Guests - Including Mumbai

In [96]:
guest = obe_df[obe_df['is_domestic'] == 1]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('Indian Guests Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge) including Host City', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\int_pct_oberoi2.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()

Domestic Guests - Excluding Mumbai

In [97]:
guest = obe_df[(obe_df['is_domestic'] == 1) & (obe_df['user_city'] != 'Mumbai')]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('Indian Guests Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge) excluding Host City', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\int_pct_oberoi3.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()

Guests from Mumbai

In [98]:
guest = obe_df[(obe_df['user_city'] == 'Mumbai')]

plt.figure(figsize=(10, 8))
x = guest['trip_type'].value_counts().index
y = np.array(guest['trip_type'].value_counts())/len(guest)*100
y = np.round(y, 2)

plt.bar(x, y, color='k', width=0.3)

for a,b in zip(x, y):
    plt.text(a, b + 0.5, str(b), fontsize=12, horizontalalignment='center')

plt.title('Guests from Host City Segregated by Trip Type (in %ge)', fontsize=16)

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\dom_pct_oberoi3.jpg", dpi=300)
plt.show()
In [100]:
create_wordcloud(obe_df, 'review_body', savefig='oberoi_cloud')
In [31]:
obe_df['sentiment'] = obe_df['review_body'].apply(lambda row: analyze_sentiment(clean_review(row)))
In [32]:
plot_corr(obe_df)

Reviews with negative sentiment but good rating (4, 5):

These are reviews that may go overlooked because they are masked by a good rating, or are mislabeled false positives.

In [33]:
get_neg_reviews(obe_df, -1, 1)
--Review--

Date Posted: 2018-07-26 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 0
User Country: nan

Having spent a good number of days over the past few decades at The Oberoi Mumbai I can only say the exemplary standards of service are an industry benchmark that very few hotels worldwide can claim to have achieved.The Gold standard in personalised service and attention to detail.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-03-22 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 1
User Country: India

I may be a little late to post my review but my recent visit to the other oberoi hotel in Gurgaon made me compare the service . I was on a nights stay somewhere in Jan I guess in oberoi mumbai and was met by the front desk manager . When I mentioned that how come Internet was chargeable she mentioned she'll get it included and I felt grateful as it felt like petty thing. But the very next day i was being charged for it .when I informed the cashier that the front desk manager Behnaz had promised . Since she was around at the reception area I recognized her immediately and pointed at her, he went to check with her but instead she came charging at me saying she never offered me any free internet which I felt below my dignity to argue with a lady at her position of being the front desk manager and heading a department. I just paid and left. However at Gurgaon recently where I stayed a simple assistant said he will take care of the Internet charge and kept his promise. Same company but a difference in service quality .


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-11-29 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 122
User Country: Illinois

Service as always was excellent at a recent visit to Mumbai. That being said the rooms were a bit tired and could use updating. They could also reduce the amount of "stuff" they put on the tables and the like......there were brochures, menus, calendars, just crazy. Room size was relatively small as well.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2015-10-20 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 4
User Country: India

Everything is good about the hotel...Staff, service, pricing, value for money.The only thing bad or rather worst is the curd rice. I have never had such pathetic curd rice ever in my life. A road side food joints in any village can prepare better.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-12-02 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 6
User Country: Manikata

This is by far a premium hotel from collection upon arrival at Mumbai, a necessary evil after traveling for close to 20 hours right up to staff service.... the works. On the high side but worth every penny


--Review--

Date Posted: 2013-09-04 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 58
User Country: London

We are seasoned travellers and have stayed in 5 star properties all over the world but we have never experienced exceptional service like we did at The Oberoi, Mumbai. We stayed there for 3 nights and wished that our stay never ends as the genuineness of the staff is unparalleled. No doubt that all Oberoi hotels set an exemplary standard but, somehow, The Oberoi, Mumbai goes a step further and we cannot really see how it could be any better.Everyone knows that there are two places to stay in Mumbai - if you are debating to stay at either the Taj Mahal Palace or The Oberoi, go for The Oberoi and you will not be disappointed. Despite a few minor niggles, we would never stay anywhere else in Mumbai.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2012-12-30 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: family
Impact: 18
User Country: South Africa

This is my fifth visit to India and in all those times I have only stayed at the oberoi in Mumbai? It's virtually on the beach and the staff are so accommodating. I will definitely recommend this hotel since I've had such memorable experiences. My only complaint is the Internet being so expensive and that they have no availability for an extra bed. My parents are currently on holiday at this hotel I hope they will show them the same hospitality they have shown me.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2012-11-06 00:00:00
Rating: 5.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 12
User Country: United Kingdom

Stayed on business over the last few days. I've stayed all over the world in all sorts of hotels and this is right up there. The staff in particlaur derserve a specail mention, nothing was too much trouble for them. I would recomend this hotel to anyone.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2011-12-20 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 18
User Country: mumbai

i was on a business trip in mumbai and during one of my halts my host had booked this hotel oberoi for us.Hence we had no choice but to stay at the hotel.The entrance lobby has 2 levels.Lower and upper lobby. The upper lobby has sitting waiting arrangement, wherein you could have a cup of coffee/juice with a buddy, at either of the restaurants.Overall, the rooms overlooking the lobby internally and the business centre buildings externally, were rationale enough to live for a few days.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2011-11-20 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: nan
Impact: 109
User Country: Grytviken

I have been there at the end of October, the room Was fantastic, the service was great, as was the breakfast. The only disappointing point was the Italian restaurant where the dessert I had was poor (and the coffee was simply… bad).


--Review--

Date Posted: 2011-09-12 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 10
User Country: gurgaon

these days its difficult to set 5 star properties apart from each other.. the only thing one can probably set them apart on are the dining options within the hotel and this is where oberoi beats them all hands down... its location, being bang in the middle of the business district, is the distinct advantage and the hotel has sure down everything to tap on this.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2011-04-29 00:00:00
Rating: 4.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 48
User Country: Singapore

I've been staying at the Trident next door over the last 2 years. The renovation is well done, but bathroom layout a bit awkward, closet is tiny and tight. They should have followed the Sukhothai. The lobby is rightfully reserved.At the end of the day, I've always found Oberoi service too haughty for my taste. I prefer the staff at the Trident and the Trident room layout.Am sure, looking at all these reviews, the Oberoi will do without me!

Reviews with bad sentiment and bad rating (3 and below):

In [34]:
get_neg_reviews(obe_df)
--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-11-13 00:00:00
Rating: 2.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 1
User Country: Malaysia

Ridiculously overpriced hotel , the basic needs are not available in the room .The reception staff are not “listening” to the guest , poor communications within your front office units.Creates confusions during check out .


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-04-28 00:00:00
Rating: 1.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 29
User Country: Singapore

Rooms are old and small. The walls are so thin and very noisy. Almost impossible to get away from that "slamming of the doors". Worst is when you complain about the noise, no one can help or is willing to help. Shower is super small and very old. There are much better and newer choices in Mumbai for the same price. Avoid!


--Review--

Date Posted: 2016-02-17 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 62
User Country: Israel

This is the worst 5 star hotel I've stayed in India and worse than some of the 4 star hotels. The location is ok. The room is small, the pool is tiny, service is limited and breakfast buffet is the poor. The entrance to the hotel lobby is via elevator. Free Internet is for 30 minute/day.


--Review--

Date Posted: 2010-10-30 00:00:00
Rating: 3.0
Trip Type: business
Impact: 294
User Country: India

First of all I would like to tell those who have already booked at this hotel not to use a taxi from airport to hotel as taxis are NOT allowed inside due to security reasons. I landed at Mumbai on a delayed flight from Delhi around 8 pm and another 1 hour drive from domestic airport to hotel, quite tired. At airport a representative of hotel assisted me in getting a "cool taxi" as none other mode of transportation was readily available. However, to my horror when I reached hotel the security denied me entry as I was traveling in a taxi! The driver was literally hooted by the guards. I felt like an unwanted gatecrasher rather than a guest. When I refused to leave the taxi a few guys came in and allowed entry after a wait of almost 20 minutes at the gate. Later I checked into a room where I found a BIG mosquito merrily flying around. Fortunately the bell boy was still around and he called reception to change room for me. I felt so terribly disturbed that I could not finish off my work that night. I don't really have anything else to say about this property. terrible experience indeed!

In [35]:
# obe_df.to_excel("D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\The_Oberoi_Mumbai.xlsx")
# taj_df.to_excel("D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\taj_mahal_palace_mumbai.xlsx")
# main_df.to_excel("D:\\DataSets\\trip_advisor\\combined.xlsx")