The Taj Deccan may not enjoy the classiest of interiors. You will find various pieces of kitsch littered around the property: charging horses at the courtyard, hurried paintings on the walls and odd baubles at corners. But the one thing that makes this middle-budget hotel stand out is its service.

Food, whether ordered at the table or to the room, was brought quickly. Special dishes not on the menu were offered. Side dishes were brought over from another hotel restaurant. Complimentary fruits were offered in the room without asking. Tables were cleared between plates quietly, at the right moment.

The laundry turnaround was quick when I needed it. A noise that needed fixing was done quickly.

But perhaps the reason for my gush is a small gesture from one member of the staff. I needed a couple of copies of a backdated newspaper. There was only one in their stock. A frontdesk guy brought me the other one from his home. Small help, big relief.

I have stayed in most Taj hotels but my experience in this one was the best. I was surprised to find that the general manager and the executive chef were always around---omnipresent I should say,rather unusual for a star hotel. Problems,if any and however small, were promptly solved.Room service is excellent and the staff very courteous. The front office/duty managers are excellent.Wi Fi is great.

I stayed here for a couple of nights on a business trip and was impressed with the lobby entrance which has an understated richness to it, understated that is untill you see the 30ft high plaster wall mural of stampeding horses above the lobby restaurant and the coy carp pool. It sounds ridiculous but it all works very nicely. At lobby level there are three restaurants, all of which are decent. The main buffet/breakfast area which is comfortable and sits below aforementioned stampeding horses, an Indian restaurant which is very pleasant and an asian fusion/sushi place which is also pretty good. The bar at the back is light and breezy which contrasts with the dark wood of the bar itself giving it a pleasing club like feel. Outside is are some pleasant grounds and a decent sized swimming pool. There is a tennis court and a gym as well if that takes your fancy.

One of the things I love about this place is that it is almost totally anonymous. It hides behind tall walls and shrubbery so it can barely be seen from the road unlike its neighbour the Taj Krishna, which parades itself like a cheap tart above Banjara. (to be fair I rather like the Krishna too but that is another review, I once met a lovely pair of Liverpudlian singers in the bar there....). So the Deccan is a place for the kind of person who doesnt need to shout their presence, understated and calming.

Now the downside - the rooms are rubbish. They are quite big and they are clean which is kind of the bare minimum. Otherwise they are in need of some serious updating. CRT tv which flickers, dodgy bathroom fittings, dated furniture and light switches which make no sense at all.

The sevice is typically Taj, excellent, and it is much better value than its upmarket sister hotel but it does need a little love and attention. On the other hand I would definitely stay here again and the location is great too. I would have given it five dots were it not for the room and I almost gave it three but thought that too mean.

Taj deccan is one really nice property out here in hyderabad. Its offerings were mesmerising right from check in to check out. The staff is really nice and co-operative. Tried the buffet lunch and dinner and mind you they were really nice and the take away fragrances of hyderabad "Biryani" was really mouth watering. Rooms were nice and the overall ambiance of the hotel was nice. Nice jestures such as early morining wake up call to catch flight was nice.....