It was a great experience. Leela always delivers the best and this time too. We had dinner at Jamavar restaurant. It was a traditional Indian restaurant with live cooking going on. We opted for Ala Carte options as advised by a wonderful person Subal who served us and keep us felt home with his unique charm. They had a commendable collections of White and Red wine both. Overall it was a 5 star experience put together by the team making our evening even more memorable when Pammi surprised us by a birthday cake with gesture and generous warmth, as she heard us speak about the occasion at the table among each other. True attention to detail.

The Leela Palace in Chennai is an absolute excellent hotel, and what really sets it apart from other luxury hotels is the amazing and hospitable staff at the property! My parents, my brother, and myself visited Chennai in February 2020, and we stayed at the hotel for the first time. Our whole stay there was amazing, and every hotel staff member is friendly, courteous, and will go out of their way to solve any issues, or help a hotel guest. There are numerous times during our stay when the hotel staff would go above and beyond to make an arrangement or get information for me. The whole hotel property is excellent, and the rooms are very luxurious and absolutely like actually staying in a palace. And honestly for the prices of rooms being less than $100 a night, it will seem like such a great value compared to five star hotels in other parts of the world, including the U.S. The property itself is always remarkably clean and kept in amazing condition, and the Spectra restaurant serves absolute amazing food there. Before our trip, many people in the U.S. recommended the Leela Palace and said it was one of the best hotels they have ever stayed at, and I definitely have to agree with this statement. The whole experience at the Leela was top notch and they really set a separate bar above other luxury hotels. For example, Murali, the concierge at the Leela, and Rabina, one of the front desk associates, went out of their way to locate and contact a nearby tailor for my Mom that they recommended, which was an excellent recommendation based on not only skill but price as well. They even followed up with my Mom when they saw her the next day to make sure she was able to find the location and it was what she was looking for, and they remembered exact details of what she needed. Another example would be Aditya and Arun from the Spectra restaurant, who would make sure to take great care of my parents every day when we would arrive early in the morning for breakfast, and would make sure that every need of theirs was met. Aditya would take care of my parents almost like they were his own, and he would take great pride in helping us, which is so appreciated and makes a lasting impression on a hotel guest as well. These are just several of the many exemplary staff at this hotel. I highly recommend the Leela Palace Chennai, and I can definitely state that this hotel is among the best in the world, not only for its luxurious property itself and decor, but really also for the staff who work there every day to make sure your stay is memorable.

Generally friendly, welcoming and impressive hotel with many good points but a few weaknesses. Pros —— Large quiet pool, comfortable loungers, good shade and very helpful pool / towel staff (e.g. Chandra). Efficient housekeeping (and nice that they ask on the first day when the best time to clean would be - suspect this is individual initiative rather than policy). Everywhere was clean. Decent size rooms. Cons —— Shambolic breakfast service with too many people who had no clue. They have some bizarre system where staff will only do their assigned narrow role. Never ask the person who takes you to your table for tea / coffee (it’s not her job and will be met with a scowl). Never ask the person who clears your plate for anything else (it’s not their job and you won’t get it, they just clear). Once you work out who to ask you then have a 50:50 chance they remember properly and it’ll take ages. Best option is to DIY. Room furniture looking worn with some stains and frayed fabric. Be careful the T&Cs of any offer they propose. We were given a 2-1 drinks voucher which we showed to the Library staff when we ordered drinks. Then told when we came to pay that it wasn’t valid on those drinks. We expressed our concern but it was too much hard work to get it resolved.