Welcomheritage Ferrnhills Royale Palace

30 Apr'24

01 May'24

1 room, 2 guests

Welcomheritage Ferrnhills Royale Palace

West Mere, Tamil Nadu | Tue, 30 Apr - Wed, 01 May | 1 Room, 2 Adults

General

Amenities

Rules

About

Reviews

Location

Rooms

₹14,790

₹8,282

/ night + ₹2,130 tax

Welcomheritage Ferrnhills Royale Palace

Name: Sterling Ooty Fern Hill
Address: Fern Hill

5-star Hotel · West Mere, Ooty

3.5/5

(196 reviews)

Cancellation till check-in available

With ClearChoice Max powered by Cleartrip

Free breakfast on select plans

Some plans include free breakfast

Amenities

Kitchenette

Housekeeping services

Laundry

Bell staff/porter

Parking

Doctor on call available

Property rules

Check-in: After 12:00 PM, Check-out: 12:00 PM

Cancellation till check-in available, with ClearChoice Max

Unmarried couples NOT allowed

About property

WelcomHeritage Fernhills Royal Palace spread over 50 acres of state with sprawling Greenwood, was the residence of quondam king of Mysore. Built in 1844, the palace resembles a Swiss chalet, and is superbly finished with Burmese teak and features a magnificent ballroom with a high vaulted ornamental Papier-mâché ceiling. The lobby of the palace has beautiful artifacts and handmade paintings of all the yesteryear rulers. Interestingly, all the rooms of the palace are addressed as suites due to its opulence and grandeur. Standing against the beautiful Nilgiri Hills, enveloped with the tea gardens and cardamom plantation, the palace was once stamping ground for the British elites. To escape the scorching summers of South India, high rank Britishers undertook Fernhills as their retreat. This quaint scenery of Ooty was widely enjoyed by the Indian and British nonpareils. It also once served as the earliest club hotels during the times of British Raj. Although India is free from the shackles of colonialism, Ooty has still preserved its ethereal beauty with a whisper of charming English influence. The majestic “Queen of Hills” is one of the most popular tourist destinations of India. With the wide expanse of hills and serenity, tourists visit Ooty for either a family vacation, romantic getaway or simply a weekend of relaxation, there’s something for everyone. Submitting to the mesmerising beauty of the Nilgiri Mountains whilst sipping freshly brewed tea or exploring the bustling town or simply riding the the Nilgiri Toy train, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ooty will win you over. Even after two-centuries of its existence WelcomHeritage Fernhills Royal still entices its guests with beauty, heritage, history, and glamour.

See all 79 photos

₹8,282

+ ₹2,130 tax

/ night

₹14,790

44% off

No cost EMI from ₹3,471

Breakfast included

Location

West Mere, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, 643006

Ratings & reviews

3.5/5

(196 reviews)

Location

Rooms

Service

Value

Hygiene

A disconcerting stay in truly grand surroundings

4/5

bobohagan on Mar 17, 2024

The Fernhills Royal Palace is a genuine heritage hotel, and we loved it; the building itself, surroundings, furniture and fittings are truly grand, almost regal. It is not tired or outdated - it's just old of course, and in fact most of the furniture in common areas has been recently tastefully re-upholstered in keeping with the age of the palace. Staying for four nights during the shoulder season however was a disconcerting experience. The 'executive suite' we booked turned out to comprise a huge bedroom, enormous ensuite bathroom and large ante-room/lounge. Indeed, most of the rooms/suites seemed similarly generously proportioned (and lovely) but the hotel had hardly any guests during the midweek, so the centrepiece grand ballroom (including both lounge and dining room) felt like the Marie Celeste. Moreover this had a dramatic impact on the food that could be offered. With only a handful of guests, the management could not provide a buffet either for breakfast or dinner, so the a la carte dinner menu was limited and sadly the breakfast was almost non-existent, with hardly anything fresh available. The dining room staff are also poorly trained, so there is no warm welcome to be had there. The hotel has undoubtedly had some considerable investment to address some of the problems evident from past reviews, but it now needs to lower the price of rooms, especially for midweek stays (as a 'loss leader'), until it can restore a consistently high daily occupancy rate, and meanwhile train staff to be ready for the hotel to be busy. If this can be achieved, the Fernhill Royal Palace could become one of the premier destinations in this busy tourist region.

4/5

suzieb2016 on Feb 11, 2024

Staying here was like stepping back in time. We stayed for 2 nights on our trip to Ooty. The hotel is from a bygone era , you really get an insight of this with all the photographs of the Royal Family when they stayed here back in the day. The property has got all its original features but is desperately in need of some love and attention to preserve it. We had no complaints about our room - large and airy , with a little sitting area and big bathroom. All the furniture was in keeping with period of the property. We found it to be very clean but because there is some dampness in the bathroom there are some marks on the ceiling. The food was very good , we had dinner one night and just a simple breakfast is as our choice, but there seemed to be a good choice for others. The few staff were very friendly and helpful. They were trying so hard to give good service but we could tell they were under a little pressure from other not so satisfied and demanding guests. I actually felt quite sorry for them. If you decide to stay here do not expect modern luxury of chain hotels and try to keep an open mind. We think you will probably forget some of the modern hotels you will stay in , but like us you will never forget your stay here ! I would say to the owners of this hotel you have great staff but you need to make some investment in your property before it’s too late. It could be an absolute gem and the star of Ooty.

1/5

TrishLinton on Feb 06, 2024

Should have read the reviews before going - joke. Shame because the location is beautiful. Thought I would have a drink in the garden, but they do not serve alcohol? Although the bar is full of alcohol? . I was offered beer - it’s being a not alcohol? I was told they’d run out 🤪. I was told I could have teal coffee only to be you told they had no tea, so I opted for coffee. I came back with tea as they found some 😳. 300 rp for a very average lukewarm tea. Was very glad I wasn’t staying here at 12000 rp a night!

1/5

David V on Jan 19, 2024

This hotel should have everything going for it. The location is great and from a distance the building looks lovely. However Faulty Towers would rate a 5* in comparison!! The hotel does not have sufficient staff, and although well meaning they lacked training. The food was good but service terrible. Tables were left dirty from the previous meal, food never matched what was ordered. The building needs significant structural work. The rooms smell of damp and our bathroom ceiling was crumbling away. They have a fully stocked bar but no drinks licence...so you have to bring your own. The welcome was cold and impersonal and lacked the "heritage" expectations. All in all not a great place to stay. And based on what we paid there are far better hotels in Ooty for much less. I very rarely give such a negative review but want people to be aware before booking. will put this one down to posterity.

1/5

MitMatK on Oct 26, 2023

How should I begin - " A celebration of mediocrity". We started off on the wrong foot from the moment we landed at this property. We were "greeted" at the so called reception / lobby area (which is almost the size of my attic) by a man dressed like a pallbearer who found it extremely difficult to smile or show any warmth but rather stare back at you! When I was asked for an ID, which I readily gave, he proceeded to take a photo of it despite my repeated protests! From then on things started to go downhill very swiftly. We were not offered any welcome drinks / refreshments (mind you this is a heritage palace) which is standard across all properties of this stature. My first thoughts of the palace per se is not one of awe. The bulding though majestic is in a fragile condition with parts of it appearing to crumble. The interiors are cold and damp with a musty smell. However the old photographs from a bygone era that line the walls and the woodwork does render it a regal tone. We were taken (I won't use the word ushered) into the Kotada suite which in itself is quite nice and well appointed in the old fashion way but definitely cold & damp due to the lack of modern insulation. The man at the reception also told us that hot water will be "available" in the room from 6am to 10am and 6pm to 10pm only - now how's that for a place tagged a luxury palace?!! It seems they want to conserve the diesel in the generator - quite strange!! Anyhow we spent the rest of the day outside sigtseeing and only returned back to the hotel later at night. There was one warmer in the room which was wholly inadequate for a room of that size - but we got through the night somehow. The real disaster unfolded next day at breakfast. That is when I realized what a shambolic operation they really are. The entire place is run by complete amateurs with absolutely no clue what hospitality is about. The breakfast spread looked like a complete pig sty with bread slices on the floor, curry strewn on the table cloth and everything in complete and utter disarray. Most of the food counters did not even have any food in it. There was no labelling as to what dish was kept on the buffet table. The table we sat was filthy with food stains and no cutlery. Then about the waiters - there were two of them running helter skelter without a clue as to what was going on. Our food was served cold and in the most unhygenic way possible. The waiters were literally shouting out orders to someone standing near the kitchen. My son almost threw up after drinking the so called pineapple juice. This was simply the most disgusting and discourteous breakfast experience I've ever encountered in a hotel. The Ananda Bhavan near by would have done a better job at treating their guests. By this time I had made up my mind and I was prepared to leave. We had one more night left to stay but enough was enough I immediately asked to prepare the bill for check-out. Normally I don't type out such an elaborate review about a rotten experience but I want the management to get a proper wake-up call and realize that they are cheating their guests about this whole luxuary palace experience thing - it is nothing short of shambolic!! I paid a pretty penny to book this place via the WelcomITC call centre thinking this to be an ITC hotels property (which they advertise as) but my understanding is they only manage marketing and the hotel is run by the Wadiyar group. This in itself is cheating the customer since we don't realize the property is run by someone else. So in a nut-shell if you are booking this property thinking you're gonna get the Udaivilas or Falaknuma experience - my God you are in for a rude shock. This place goes directly to my black listed hotels list - without a doubt. Unless they revamp the whole place and bring in a lean professional management, this place will continue to earn rotten reviews. P.S - I met the hotel manager Mr Parasuram, just as I was leaving and had to give him a piece of my mind. He listened politely and sympathized but that does not change the ground reality.