The Leela Palace New Delhi

It was an amazing service by Them and Ankit and incredible food - the best pizza ever!

My wife and I chose The Leela Palace New Delhi to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, expecting an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, the evening that mattered most became the biggest disappointment of our stay. The biggest letdown was Jamavar. The problems started even before dinner. I had personally made a reservation earlier that day, but when we arrived, the restaurant had no record of it. Within minutes of being seated, we overheard guests at the neighbouring table angrily walking out after waiting almost an hour for their food. We considered leaving too, but decided to trust the restaurant. Unfortunately, we were wrong. The service was painfully slow from the beginning. No one explained the menu or courses. I requested bread with my soup, finished the entire bowl, and even after nearly 20 minutes there was still no bread. I informed Mr. Arshjot, the restaurant manager, but there was no urgency, ownership or meaningful recovery. For someone managing one of Delhi’s most renowned restaurants, I expected far better. As the situation worsened, Mr. Ajay Kumar, Director of Food & Beverage, stepped in. He made very big promises and assured me he would personally ensure the rest of our anniversary dinner would be flawless. Unfortunately, his actions never matched his words. After those assurances, the service actually became worse. Neither Mr. Ajay Kumar nor Mr. Arshjot was available when things continued to go wrong, and the staff attending our table had no idea what had been discussed. The final straw was dessert. We waited nearly 15 minutes after finishing our main course. Nobody came. We finally decided to leave. As we were walking out, a staff member casually informed us that our desserts were on the way. By then, it was simply too late. Our anniversary dinner ended in frustration instead of celebration. Breakfast the following morning wasn’t much better. While Mr. Ankit did his best despite it being a busy Sunday, I once again overheard another guest saying that despite staying at The Leela multiple times, this would be their last visit because of the service. Hearing two different guests express similar frustration during one stay says a lot. The overall atmosphere also felt very different from what one expects at a luxury hotel. Except for a handful of people, the staff didn’t seem particularly warm, welcoming or happy. That said, a few people truly deserve appreciation. Mr. Sumit Anand, Front Office Manager, was unquestionably the silver lining of our stay. He was my first point of contact before arrival and consistently delivered on every promise he made. He arranged our room upgrade, Royal Club access, anniversary decorations, cake and thoughtful amenities. More importantly, he patiently listened to every concern and genuinely tried to recover our experience. He is a man whose actions speak louder than words and, in my opinion, represents the kind of leadership this hotel needs. The Royal Club Lounge was exceptional. Soumya runs it brilliantly, remembered our preferences and even arranged an anniversary cake. Sankalp crafted outstanding cocktails and thoughtfully prepared special drinks for my wife, who had a sore throat. They delivered the personalised hospitality that one expects from The Leela Palace. Before checkout, I also met Mr. Atul Tiwari as Ms. Preeti Makhija was unavailable. Unfortunately, the interaction felt brief and somewhat disinterested. In complete contrast, Mr. Sumit Anand patiently listened, empathised and took ownership wherever he could. The difference in leadership was impossible to miss. Ironically, the only reason we chose The Leela Palace New Delhi was because of the extraordinary experience we had at The Leela Palace Jaipur, where we were so impressed that we extended our stay by two additional nights. Sadly, this property fell far below that benchmark. Our fifth anniversary should have been remembered for the celebration. Instead, it will be remembered for Jamavar, poor leadership, unfulfilled promises and an experience that simply did not live up to the reputation of The Leela Palace.

Late review but nevertheless worth writing- Last month I stayed at The Leela Palace New Delhi to celebrate my mother’s birthday, and it turned out to be a truly memorable experience. I love staying at luxury hotels and have stayed at many wonderful properties over the years. In my opinion, The Leela Palace is one of the most beautiful hotels in Delhi. The architecture, interiors and overall ambience are simply stunning. Although there was a booking hiccup before our arrival, I really appreciate how personally Ms. Preeti Makhija, the General Manager, stepped in to resolve everything. She arranged a suite upgrade and completely turned the experience around. Her handwritten note for my family was a thoughtful gesture. We were also offered an early check-in at around 11 AM, which gave us more time to enjoy the property. The suite was beautiful, with an elegant layout, a lovely balcony, and a luxurious bathroom. We genuinely enjoyed spending time in it. The Royal Club Lounge was the highlight of our stay. The ambience is stunning, but what makes it truly special is the team. A heartfelt thank you to Somya from lounge, who made my mother’s birthday celebration so memorable with her warmth and attention to detail. I would also like to thank Divya, Soyo, Ankit, Sankalp, Rohit and Grace, who consistently made us feel welcome. The butler service was equally exceptional. Our butler executive- Saqib was amazing and looked after every detail, and I would also like to thank Aryaman, Shivank, Riya, Manq, Kaushik, Rohit and Jaskirat for making the birthday celebration so special. My thanks also to Sani from Guest Relations and Sudeshna at the Front Desk for their hospitality. The BMW airport transfers were seamless, the rooftop pool was a favourite for my mother, and I also enjoyed the gym and the evening cultural performances. The food at the Royal Club Lounge was excellent, although a little more variety would make it even better. One thing I absolutely loved was The Leela fragrance. From the lobby to the room amenities, especially the body lotion, everything smelled incredible and has become one of my favourite memories of the stay. A few suggestions that could make the experience even better: * A little more personalization for suite guests or special occasions would make celebrations even more memorable. * If dietary preferences are shared before arrival, it would be great if the welcome amenities reflected them. Our family doesn’t consume eggs or mushrooms, but our welcome platter had to be replaced. * Housekeeping, especially the evening turndown service, has room for improvement. It felt quite basic and lacked any thoughtful touches; even the basic things like placing a water bottle on bedside, removing the hair dryer, re racking the books etc were missing. When I was leaving suite to go for checkout- I was asked by housekeeping whether I had consumed anything from the minibar or should they check once- this was quite unwarranted and disrespectful. These were minor observations and did not take away from what was otherwise a wonderful stay. This was my first stay at a Leela property, but certainly not my last. Thank you once again to Ms. Preeti Makhija and the entire team for making my mother’s birthday so special. I will be back soon!

*Amazing service by Qube team!* Celebrated my wife’s Birthday Eve at Qube and the team made it perfect. Special mention to Shobit and Muskaan — so attentive, warm, and super helpful in curating meal options for our group of all ages from 12 to 80. They made sure everyone had something they loved. The food was great, but their customer-focused service is what made the night truly fabulous. Highly recommend Qube!

This hotel is possibly the nicest I’ve ever stayed in, in the 20+ countries I have visited. The staff are excellent and attentive, the room and common spaces are beautifully decorated, spacious, and comfortable, and the food is fantastic. I would stay here again instantly. Emli in the lounge has been particularly lovely to me. As a solo western female, I have felt safe, protected, and cared for.