Courtyard by Marriott Mahabaleshwar

My wife and I planned to travel last Saturday but couldn't because of a sudden death in the family. The reservation team, especially Vikas Thakre, was very unhelpful when we requested to extend the reservation or get a partial refund. They refused us harshly. When we asked for the email of a senior staff member, they gave us an incorrect one that bounced back. This was very careless and terrible customer service.

The food did not meet the standards one would expect from a Courtyard Marriott. Fried snacks were oily, there was no farsaan served with misal, and paratha came without curd. This is not typical of Marriott. I've visited Marriott hotels across India, but I've never experienced such poor service before.

Very let down by this stay. The hotel looks nothing like the pictures. Many parts are closed off or covered up, with ongoing construction and maintenance, making the whole place feel neglected. Our room had basic issues, like the electricity and phone cutting out repeatedly because of a faulty or loose key-card connection. We wasted nearly 3 hours trying to fix this. Overall, the hotel and experience do not match the high price. For a Marriott/Courtyard, the upkeep and service were well below what we expected. The hotel needs major improvements before it can charge such premium rates.

Lovely place

We reserved a villa with a private pool at Courtyard by Marriott, Mahabaleshwar, to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. This was among the priciest room options available, costing us about ₹40,000 for the stay. The photos advertised a stunning valley view, a private pool, and a small garden in front of the villa. However, the room assigned to us had a deck instead of a garden. This deck faced a nearby mountain trekking path that was very close, with people frequently walking and chatting along it, offering no privacy on the deck. I even noticed strangers taking photos of our deck from the opposite mountain. We asked for a room change right away, but the management delayed addressing the issue, citing late check-outs until 7:30 PM. This is not something guests should face, especially after paying such a high price. The biggest letdown was that despite paying ₹40,000 for a private-pool villa, we hardly used the outdoor space due to the total lack of privacy. The room did not provide the experience or privacy shown in the booking pictures. For such a premium property and room type, this was a very disappointing stay. We had expected much more from Courtyard by Marriott.