- Via.com had booked us in Radisson Blu at Haridwar for 3rd June 2022. That property no longer belongs to Radisson Blu- when we enquired, the management had changed and consequently the name changed to Yashail Hotel. But Via.com had misled us to believe that this was Radisson Blu- a reputed brand. When we looked up Yashail Hotel Reviews, they were really bad- March to May 2022, guests had given very poor reviews/ratings on trip advisor.com for this hotel.
The reason I even engaged Via.com for this trip is so I can get the best hotels for my family- but what happened was that they did not do any research to find out how the hotel was before blocking it for us. And I had to pay a hefty price to block the rooms which went completely down the drain.
I was compelled to look for other options and booked our family on Ganga Laheri - we had to pay the cost but the stay was simply wonderful. The property was right on the Ganges.
Even if Radisson Blu was genuinely blocked for us, even then, it was not the best choice. B'cos it was 15 kms away from Har Ki Pauri and the Ganges. It would not have been possible for us to spend so much time on the shores of Ganges as we did, staying in Ganga Laheri.
Haridwar and Rishikesh was extremely hot during our visit. The temperature was at least 10 degrees more than Chennai. As a travel agent, Via.com should have brought it to our notice- I was travelling with 2 senior citizens and 4 Americans. We found it very difficult to do sight seeing all 3 days. If Via.com gave us a heads up, we may have chosen other vacation spots for travel.
Every time we set out in the tempo traveler, we were caught in very bad traffic jams in Haridwar, Rishikesh and Mussoorie. There were so many tourists that the roads could not handle. For example,
a. Delhi Haridwar distance is about 200 kms, but we took 9 hours to reach Haridwar. We did stop for lunch -even then, it was late since the traffic was extremely high.
b. Haridwar to Rishikesh- the distance was 25 kms. We left at 11.30 am and reached the Rishikesh hotel at 3 pm.
Again, As a travel agent, Via.com could have given us a heads up that the 3 towns will be very very crowded- we would have changed our plans.
As a travel agent, Via.com should think of alternatives, suggest them to us and collect information and share it with us as if they were travelling with their family. Isn't that why we are paying them the extra money?
All in all, a very disappointing trip and unfortunately a very expensive one too. We would have had a much better time at a much lesser cost if I had made the research myself and booked the tickets myself.
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.
