Raj Comfort Inn

First off, Raj Comfort Inn tries to pass off as an RCI-owned hotel with a logo similar to that of the globally-renowned tourism giant, and the letters RCI stamped above the hotel name. While you are pleasantly taken aback thinking Raj Comfort Inn is indeed owned by RCI, the hotel unfolds itself as you make your way inside. The lobby is rather simple with its drab furniture and ambience, and is a bird's eye view of how the hotel would look like in its entirety.

The building is a 4-floored one with 60 rooms. They are averagely-furnished - some with king-size beds, and the lesser-priced ones with queen-size ones. All the rooms are wi-fi enabled. The bathrooms are rather smelly, even though they are clean with normal bath fittings like shower and faucets. No bathtubs or minibars, but there are TVs in all rooms. And there's 24-hour room service.

The hotel is conveniently located in a prime area (Paradise Circle) bustling with traffic snafus and small businesses, and so the prices are a tad high, with an executive double occupancy costing Rs. 3,000 a day (in March 2008). This may not be skyhigh, but for the quality of rooms that the hotel has, it may be deemed unreasonable.

It would appear everything around here is an imposture, with even the restaurant Chilly's sitting right next to the front desk trying to look like the popular American sports bar and grill Chili's, even its world-famous logo copied. While the contraband desi version of Chilly's may not sell pasta and beer, it surely is gaining ground as a middle-order multicuisine joint doing swift business by the hour.

Raj Comfort Inn is a simple hotel, with okay rooms - not great, not bad, somewhere between mediocrity and feel-good - and a popular attached restaurant. And just so you know, it turned out RCI is short for Raj Comfort Inn!