Of all the trips on my bucket list, the one that I was really thrilled about most was my visit to incredible India, which I have looked forward to for a very long time. India has been on top of my list of countries that I wanted to see because of its exceptionally mesmerizing culture and architectural diversity which are being manifested in their temples, mosques, monuments, mahal, palaces, and the ruins of its ancient history.
Going to a less popular destination in India, like the bustling city of Vadodara in Gujarat, is very challenging because of some projected limitations in touring and perhaps even the boarding and lodging. Every time I make my itinerary, however, the hotel where I will be staying is always the last to be plotted and is always the most important part of the trip. I gathered all the places I wanted to see and looked for a hotel within the center of my destinations and it was such a blessing to find a 3-star hotel along with one of the most important streets in Baroda. It was like finding a diamond in the rough! Behold, the Effotel by Sayaji.
I booked a Premium Deluxe Room through the hotel's official webpage 3 days before my flight. Confirmation was quick as I received the email in just a few minutes showing my reserved room and the ₹10,855.26 ($145) charge for 3 nights which includes ₹1,880.26 ($25) tax and service charge. My request for an airport transfer was also confirmed along with a notification for a deposit equivalent to a one-night stay. One thing that I might have overlooked is the 12:00 pm check-in time. My estimated time of arrival to Vadodara is at 6 am and I should've advised them of an early check-in which I wasn't able to.
I arrived in Vadodara on 18 August at 6:20 am (see: From Manila to Vadodara - My Trip to Incredible India!) and the hotel's shuttle service was already waiting for me at the Arrival Area as soon as I got there. Effotel by Sayaji is just a 10-minute drive from the airport and while I was still enjoying the scenic views from the car window, the chauffeur suddenly interrupted my daydreaming and admiration as he signaled that we are approaching the hotel entrance. He quickly got off the car and he picked up my luggage at the compartment as the hotel doorman greeted me with a very warm welcome while he opened the glass door at the entrance gate.
I approached the front desk where two reception officers await. They weren't very cordial when I handed them over my passport but I felt the sincerity when they paid attention to how tired I looked. I told them I had a 16-hour flight with 2 connecting flights and I only had 4 hours of sleep at the airport. I am aware that the check-in time is 5 hours to go so I was supposed to ask the reception officers to let me stay and wait at the lobby couches. But before I could even speak, they were already handing me over my keycard for my room at 411. I was really surprised and I thanked them wholeheartedly for allowing me to check-in early without additional charges.
I pulled out ₹3,000 from my wallet for the supposed security deposit but I was also told that it's no longer necessary. I wanted to ask why but the reception officer started to provide me information about the wifi password, the schedule of the buffet breakfast, and other usual hotel policies. In my disbelief, I just shook my head and smiled when I was asked if I had any further questions.
Almost instantaneously, one of the bellhops appeared from behind and started pulling my luggage signaling me to walk with him to the lift. There are two lifts but at that time, only one was functioning so he led me to the second door and waited for the elevator cab that seems to be descending from their on-site restaurant located on the building's rooftop. Buffet breakfast is still ongoing, however, the packaged meal for my stay is effective on the following day.
The lift opened full of hotel guests who just had a sumptuous meal and they seem to be en route to a group tour. When the elevator cab was emptied, the bellhop led the way in and pressed the button for me. He brought me to my room and helped me opened the door and as he was about to leave, I pulled out a $5 bill from my pocket but I was surprised that he sheepishly declined to accept it. He told me that the hotel has a no-tipping policy and that they are not allowed to take any from hotel guests.
As soon as I got in, I was in awe right away. I think the 20m² room is spacious enough for a solo traveler like me. A narrow hallway from the door is the first space to welcome guests with large mirrors on the wall making the room a lot bigger than its actual size. The whole floor is in full carpet and the airconditioner is quick in cooling the entire room.
On the right side is a folding tray stand for room service and a cushioned stool sits right next to another long mirror on the wall. It leads to the closet box above the mini-refrigerator which is already cold at that time. It's either a guest has just checked out or perhaps the room was really prepared for my early check-in. Most of the hotel rooms that I got into in the past don't have a readily cold fridge as it was probably just got plugged in when the guest has already arrived on the premises.
The queen-size bed is kind of huge for a solo traveler like me but I really liked the linens that were used as I'm not really fond of theme-colored or floral-patterned duvets. The bed is somehow too plain as there is no quilt or coverlet that is wrapped on top of the duvet and it's also unusual for me to see a hotel bed that has no headboard. It somehow makes it a little uncomfortable watching television at night but layering up all the pillows did the trick.
The flat-screen television is cool but it stood there like a white elephant in my entire stay. It has hundreds of channels but all the shows are in Hindi (or probably in 21 other languages of India) and it was a bit difficult to find a channel that will stir up my interest. At the corner of the room are a desk and an ergonomic chair, which are very nifty to be used on business trips and the like. A tray with an electric kettle perfectly sits on the desk, with the usual complimentary hot beverages to turbo-boost your mornings upon waking up. On a separate tray right next to the bed are a pair of bottled water which is being replenished every day, one of the best things that I liked in my stay because I don't have to find a convenience store nearby to buy one.
Every time I go on a trip, the bathroom is always the most important room that's on my watch list to set the seal of my satisfaction with my stay in the hotel and they didn't fail in this aspect. The room is half-cylindrical shaped with fully-tiled walls and while its lighting is an integral piece of the puzzle in the bathroom design, it also entirely changes the mood of the space.
Complete with its essential facilities and accessorized with chic dispensers and storage, what I liked most is its overhead shower with its strong water pressure albeit causing it to splash everywhere since the glass barrier is too narrow to cover the adjacent toilet bowl. The most essential complimentary bathroom items are neatly placed in a tray right next to the sink and are being replenished every day by the room attendant.
My most favorite part of every room in all hotels that I get into is its city view because it's where I usually spend most of my time in the morning upon waking up as I sit on an available couch while sipping coffee. My room's view is a little disappointing, however, because it's not the most welcoming that I've ever expected. There is at least a thick grove beside the old, dilapidated building outside my window which is a relaxing view to stare at to destress from a tiring day outside.
And best of all (I really saved this for last), Effotel by Sayaji's Kala Ghoda Restaurant is what I really enjoyed the most. If there is one thing that I truly miss that much, and probably one of the biggest reasons why I would want to come back to India, is the diverse, fragrant, eclectic, spicy, rich, and flavorful Indian cuisine that I have tasted right on the hotel's restaurant at the 7th floor. The staff is all friendly, approachable, and genuinely accommodating. Some of the busboys are struggling to express themselves in fluent English but no language barrier can hinder them from going an extra mile in serving you at their best.
Both my meals for breakfast and dinner were from Kala Ghoda Restaurant and there was nothing I ingested that I didn't like (see: 10 Best Indian Foods You Shouldn't Miss in Vadodara, India). Breakfast is served from 6:00 am to 10:00 am in a grandiose buffet counter on the 7th floor and my dinner is served right at the hotel room through room service from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Dinner is always served on time by different courteous and sheepish-looking food servers who always come back to give me back my change even if I tell them to keep it. They always exceed my expectations every single night they serve my meal and probably, that sets the mood in making me enjoy the mouthwatering food even more.
The 5 basic requirements in my checklist to satisfy my stay in a hotel are the following:
1. Location - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I may not be a local of the third-largest city in Gujarat, but knowing that the hotel is situated in the Kala Ghoda Circle, I could say that I have stayed in a great location which served me all that I am looking for in a place. Effotel by Sayaji is considerably just a stone's throw away from some of the best tourist spots in Vadodara (see: Top 5 Tourist Destinations I Visited in Vadodara, India) aside from the fact that it's just 10 minutes away from Vadodara Airport. At the start of my tour in the city, however, I found other hotels probably more accessible and closer to the places that I really want to go to. The place is not that bad, although I've seen better ones.
2. Comfort and Cleanliness - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The India that I have known from the films, documentaries, books, and today's vlogs describes the country as the dirtiest, filthiest, and most unhygienic country in the whole world. I grew up believing such kind of stereotyping which preempted my expectation of Vadodara as a polluted and unsanitary place. Effotel by Sayaji broke that cliché as it has shown just the flipside of what I expected it to be. The hotel has one of the most comfortable and cleanest rooms I have stayed in and there was nothing that caught my attention that I would complain about. Outside the hotel and on the streets is a different story...
3. Customer Service - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Studies show that the most difficult people to satisfy one company's customer service are the people who work (or worked) in the customer service industry. With extensive working experience in customer service, I am guilty of this. In fact, I find myself too meticulous, demanding, and hard to please when it comes to services I believe I am entitled to which should be commensurate to what I paid for. Effotel by Sayaji did nothing that I wouldn't really like and in fact, their customer service is more than I have expected. The front desk officers were all warm and good-natured that it wasn't difficult to ask for anything that I want to know. They gave good advice on better places to go than the ones I want to see and honest opinions on which I will enjoy more.
4. Safety and Security - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
There have been some hotels that I have stayed in the past where I had apprehensions before going to sleep at night. As paranoid as I was, I would usually wedge a chair (or an ironing table) under the doorknob to secure the door over the course of the night. For some reason, this kind of fear and paranoia didn't build up in me which is probably due to the friendly nature and environment that welcomed me on the first day. I feel so safe and secure that I always sleep like a baby at night. And again, outside the hotel and on the streets is a different story...
5. Amenities - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Undoubtedly, Effotel by Sayaji has a lot of amenities and facilities that it can offer although I may be able to enjoy only the ones that I am in dire need of during my stay in the hotel. Some of which are its fast and reliable wifi connection, free buffet breakfast, round-the-clock room service, daily housekeeping, and a cozy hotel lobby. But the one that got me really impressed most is their airport transfer service that wiped all my worries away, picking me up from the hotel on-time and sending me off early per my request. The chauffeurs are both congenial as they patiently provide me all the information I ask and they tried hard to put up with the inquisitive and overly-prying me.
OVERALL RATING - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Five stars rating is an underestimation, Effotel Hotel Vadodara deserves a constellation of stars. They exceeded my expectation on everything that a hotel has to offer to make a guest's stay comfortable. Special shoutout to Aniket Pasmus, the room attendant assigned to my room, who greets me namaste every day unfailingly, wearing the best smile which brightens my day, and makes sure my room is at its best whenever I come back home at night. The food is incredible and scrumptious, and everyone in Kala Ghoda restaurant, including the waiters who served my food in my room, are all unbelievably accommodating. And best of all, two thumbs up to the people at the front desk, who made my stay an unforgettable one, by giving me my room earlier than my check-in time, arranging my airport service, and giving me the best info I needed to go around town. Effotel Hotel Vadodara is not just a hotel, it's a second home. It's where I will always come back to stay whenever I visit Vadodara.
