The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur

⭐⭐⭐☆☆ A breathtaking property that unfortunately fell short of the Oberoi hospitality I have always admired I deliberately chose The Oberoi Udaivilas as the final hotel of our Rajasthan trip because I have always held the Oberoi brand in the highest regard. Having stayed multiple times at The Oberoi Sukhvilas, as well as Wildflower Hall and The Oberoi Cecil, I have always been amazed by the impeccable hospitality and the lengths to which the staff go to create memorable experiences. I was genuinely looking forward to ending our family celebration here, especially as we were celebrating my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary. There is no denying that Udaivilas is one of the most beautiful hotels in India. The property is spectacular, immaculately maintained, incredibly vast, and every view feels like a postcard. Arriving directly by boat from Taj Lake Palace was beautiful in itself, but unfortunately, that was where the experience began to lose its magic. Despite informing the hotel well in advance of our exact arrival time and that we would be arriving by boat through multiple emails and messages to the front office team, there was no one ready to receive us. There wasn’t even a fan at the jetty despite the extremely hot and humid weather. We waited around 10–15 minutes before a single buggy arrived, which had to accommodate another arriving family as well, resulting in everyone sitting shoulder-to-shoulder. It wasn’t the wait itself that disappointed me—it was that the arrival lacked the seamlessness one expects from an Oberoi experience. The check-in continued in a similar manner. Guests arriving after us were checked in before us, and we eventually received our room only around 2:40 PM. To the team’s credit, they acknowledged the delay and offered us a late checkout. During this time, Ms. Nairwita Basu, Front Office Manager, and the General Manager personally came over to check on us, which I genuinely appreciated. However, upon entering the room, I noticed that the extra bed for the third occupant had already been laid out despite my having specifically requested—multiple times over email and again during check-in—that it should only be set up at night when we requested it. While minor individually, these small details accumulated and unfortunately affected the overall first impression, especially on such an important family occasion. Throughout the stay, the hospitality felt unusually rushed and, at times, confused. I completely understand the hotel was operating at extremely high occupancy, but luxury hospitality is tested precisely during such periods. Guests choose and pay a premium for Oberoi because of its consistently exceptional service, regardless of occupancy levels. This was the first time I have ever felt that the Oberoi standard was noticeably missing. One of the highlights of our stay was Ms. Vaishnavi Desai, who graciously took us on a guided tour of the property after check-in. Since our room was delayed and Udaivilas is such a vast estate, I requested to be shown around, and she happily spent nearly one and a half hours taking us through the resort, its beautiful gardens, heritage structures, and sharing fascinating stories about the property’s history. She was warm, knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely passionate about the hotel. She was one of the few team members who truly stood out and went out of her way to make our experience better. I had specifically requested to attend the morning yoga session, and Ms. Vaishnavi Desai assured me she would let us know the venue, as it changes daily between the Yoga Pavilion and an indoor location. I reminded 3-4 members of the team throughout the evening as well during different times. Unfortunately, I only received a late-night message from vaishnavi saying the venue would instead be decided the following morning. By morning, no message ever arrived, and eventually I gave up on attending altogether. In the evening, we visited the Promenade Bar, which was excellent. The setting, drinks, and atmosphere overlooking the property made for a wonderful experience. Dinner at Chandni was where my biggest disappointment came. The venue itself is absolutely spectacular, especially with the live cultural performance and beautiful ambience. Unfortunately, the food and service simply didn’t match the setting. The starters, particularly the pizza, were surprisingly poor and felt far below the standard one expects at this level. The main course was only average. More disappointing, however, was the service. Every request required repeated follow-ups, often involving waits of 15 minutes or more. Even something as simple as switching on the menu light took an unusually long time. Once we had finished our meal, we waited nearly half an hour simply for someone to clear the table, take our dessert order, bring finger bowls or refreshments, and present the bill. Despite repeatedly looking around to get someone’s attention, no one came. Eventually, I walked over myself and informed the staff that I would not continue waiting and requested the bill be sent to my room instead. The team apologised sincerely, but by then the experience had already been spoiled. Later that evening, I noticed the hotel beautifully celebrating another guest’s birthday near the Candle Room staircase with decorations and arrangements. While I understand every celebration is handled differently and hotels have their own policies, I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. Despite informing the hotel well in advance that we were celebrating my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, apart from a small pastry placed in the room, there was no personalised acknowledgement. It wasn’t an expectation, but after the series of earlier disappointments, it added to the feeling that our special occasion hadn’t quite received the attention we had hoped for. The property at night is absolutely magical and perhaps even more beautiful after sunset. The following morning, breakfast was genuinely very good. The quality of the food was excellent and certainly much stronger than dinner. Service, however, still felt hurried and somewhat uncoordinated. One of the team members did apologise for the previous night’s dinner experience, but still so many sorry’s can’t compensate a bad experience Just before checkout, another small inconvenience occurred when our room keys stopped working around noon. The nearby house phones were also not functioning, and after searching for several minutes, a housekeeping associate kindly helped us access the room and reactivate the key cards. As we were checking out, Ms. Vaishnavi Desai came to meet us in the lobby and sincerely apologised, explaining that she had only just arrived at the hotel and had actually been trying to arrange a private yoga session for us after learning we had missed the scheduled session. It was a genuinely thoughtful gesture and reflected the kind of personalised hospitality I have always associated with Oberoi. Although it would have been better if it was arranged during morning and not after i checkout There is absolutely no question that The Oberoi Udaivilas is one of the most breathtaking hotels in the world. The architecture, gardens, pools, views and overall setting are extraordinary. However, what has always distinguished Oberoi for me has been its legendary hospitality—and sadly, this was the first time that aspect fell noticeably short. Having stayed several times at Oberoi Sukhvilas, Wildflower Hall and The Oberoi Cecil, and having also stayed at Taj Lake Palace and RAAS Jodhpur during the same trip, I found Udaivilas to be the weakest service experience despite being the property I was most excited about visiting.

Wonderful stay and special thanks to Akash Rana in housekeeping !! He really handled the issues very professionally. Would love to go there again.

One of the best hotel in India. Ultra luxury hotel with best trained staff, delicious food and a feeling of calmness which cannot be described in words.

This is probably one of the best, if not the best hotels that I have ever stayed in, anywhere in the world. The property is simply gorgeous, staff are extremely courteous and professional. Even the General Manager of the property is constantly walking around the site, ensuring that everything is perfect. Communication amongst the staff is at another level. They keep themselves informed of the likes and need of each guest on the property. Even the security guard at the door, greets you by your surname. It felt like we were living in our own home, with our own staff. This is certainly a model property that other hotels should aspire to emulate. My wife and I enjoyed our stay here and looking forward to our next time.

Superb service and team. Helped my give surprise to my family and we enjoyed a lot. Truly a 7star hotel From to to bottom, all the team members are very humble