Due to our previous experience at the Conrad in Singapore, we chose to end our trip in India at the Conrad in Bangalore. A luxury hotel in India’s hip tech city – that seemed like the perfect way to end our trip.
The Conrad is generally a more expensive segment, but in this article I will explain how we booked this hotel relatively inexpensively and what we got in return.
Conrad booking through Hilton Honors
I am Diamond Member at Hilton Honors program and this gave us several options to book the Conrad in Bangalore. We could do this through Hilton itself, where we had the option to redeem points for discounts, but we could also book the hotel through an Impresario.
We have done this before in Istanbul and this has a number of advantages. The downside is that you cannot use points for discounts.
We chose to book the hotel through an Impresario. The reason is that this provided the necessary extra benefits over our Diamond status. For instance, we got:
- €100 hotel credit, to spend on the spa, food or drinks;
- Extra Hilton points with our booking;
- A room upgrade;
- Free breakfast.
As a Diamond member, you receive free breakfast as well as a room upgrade as standard. Still, this was the reason I chose Impressario. You can read why below.
CURIOUS WHAT AN IMPRESSARIO BOOKING IS? FEEL FREE TO ASK IN THE COMMENTS.
Advantages
Where to start…
- New hotel (2 years old and relatively unoccupied due to the pandemic);
- Clean and modern;
- Access to the executive lounge (Diamond member), where you can have breakfast until 10:30, tea (and delicious chocolates) between 15:00 and 17:00 and drinks and a small snack from 18:00 to 20:00.
- In between, you can also just pop into the lounge, perfect for working.
- The hotel is beautifully decorated and features several nooks where you can relax, read a book or work.
- Lovely large pool, perfect for taking a swim;
- Spacious gym and spa with neat showers;
- Fantastic breakfast;
- Fast Wi-Fi.
Cons
If I had to mention a downside, it would be the lighting in the suite was not ideal. The bathroom was fairly dark, and the system you use to turn the lights on and off is not very intuitive.
The room at the Conrad Bangalore
As I wrote above, we booked our stay through an impresario (an option that is slightly more expensive) and already had diamond status. This gave us an upgrade to the suite!
Because a picture says more than 1,000 words, I’d like to give you an impression of how lucky we were with this upgrade
Location Conrad Bangalore
The Conrad Bangalore is practically on MG Road and half an hour’s walk from Church Street. Right in front of the Conrad is Ulsoor Lake, resulting in great views from our suite and from the lounge.
Bangalore is a big city, so getting around on foot can be difficult. A tuktuk or taxi (they are easy to find) will get you where you want to be in no time.
Hilton Conrad breakfast
Breakfast was as you would expect at the Conrad. Very extensive, fine service and the chefs are ready to prepare something delicious for you. Besides the buffet, you can get daily changing dishes, order fresh coconut and the choice for drinks is very extensive: from lassi to milkshakes to green juices, they never take no for an answer.
Fancy a coffee to-go? That’s no problem either.
Remote working in Bangalore
We had access to the executive lounge, where you can go all day to work. If you don’t have access to the lounge, the hotel offers several seating areas where you can seclude yourself to work. The Wi-Fi here is reliable, with speeds around 30 Mbps.
Cost Conrad Bangalore
Through the Hilton website, you can book the Conrad in Bangalore for 150€ per night (Nov 2023). This is for the standard room and depends on the period and/or holidays.
We booked the Deluxe King Room for three nights and paid €615. That works out to 205 euros per night. We got the following in return:
- €100 free to spend at the hotel;
- €160 credit for our next stay;
- Upgrade to the suite, which normally costs €275 per night;
- Free breakfast (useful if you are a Gold member).
