Ista is true class. it is a very nice hotel with nice restaurants u should stay here if u come to bangalore. Though some metro work is going in front of it it is nice place to stay. nice rooms to sleep in. Very close to the Lido mall and also a multiplex very close. Close to the business district of bangalore like MG road and also to the shopping. A must stay place in bangalore.

My husband & I stayed at Ista for 8 days in April 2008 while on a business trip in Bangalore. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, even more so as we weren’t footing the bill. Usually on our holidays we stay in budget accommodation to cut costs, so we were really spoiled when this hotel was chosen for us. It was complete luxury!

The building looked to be in good condition, if not new. The doorman was cheerful and always gave us a traditional greeting when entering or leaving. The staff at the front desk was helpful on check in and later in our stay provided us with maps & directions, exchanged our money at a fair rate and also arranged for a car & driver for a day trip we’d planned.

The décor of the hotel was modern and fresh. Our room was on the tenth floor with fantastic views of the Ulsoor Lake & surrounds. Though the room was small, it had everything we needed, and the size of the window did a lot to make the space feel comfortable. The bed was very generous in size as well as being comfy. The air conditioning worked well. The flat screen TV offered lots of channels. The bathroom while small had a large walk in shower. It was modern and spotlessly clean. Complimentary bottled water was replenished daily, though purchasing bottled water was very very cheap in town (we paid 30c AU for a 1.5 litre bottle). Just make sure the seal hasn’t been broken on any bottles you purchase. Considering how hot it was in April we drank plenty of water during our stay. There were complimentary newspapers daily too.

Our stay included buffet breakfast daily on level 3, by the gorgeous pool. They offered traditional Indian foods as well as western foods, omelets, toast, doughnuts, cakes, muffins and fresh juices. We tried most things on the menu and could fault nothing. All staff were very professional and attentive.

The hotel is within walking distance to MG Road, I suppose the main road of Bangalore. It’s hard to keep your bearings in a town like this, with all the traffic, buses, rickshaws, bikes, cars, pedestrians & cows (not to mention the constant honking), so it was good to have such a major road nearby. Also close by (next door to the hotel) was a newly built shopping centre, cinema, food court & restaurants, which we attended a few times. The local shopkeepers in the centre were friendly and love talking about Australia and cricket. One claimed to be David Boon’s cousin! The Chinese restaurant in the complex served up dumplings as good as we’ve tasted, a real surprise seeing we were in Southern India.

We did have room service a couple of times during our visit so we could stay in & watch the IPL Cricket in our room. The food was fresh and very tasty. The curry was more powerful than I’m used to, but hey, this is India!

The hotel has a small gym room, though I didn’t use it. We did have a swim in the beautiful pool late one night. The pool is surrounded by palm trees and other exotic plants. With the soft lighting and gorgeous landscaping we really enjoyed a relaxing swim. The pool was clean and very well maintained.

We had a fantastic stay at Ista and highly recommend it.

Though the entrance to the hotel is little obscure due to the ongoing Bangalore Metro construction, once you entre the hotel perimeter you are in a different world.......
A well done reception area with pleasent hotel staff.
Very good resturants on the 3rd floor.
Good security for the guests as anyone not having hotel room card can't go beyond 3rd floor.
The rooms are spacious and well done.

The negatives where the hotel should improve:
- very poor cellphone reception in the rooms
- pool side resturant on the 3rd floor is not weel lit (difficult to read even the menu)

Overall experience - Very Good.

beautiful hotel at heart of the city and great price.