Read some reviews shortly before going and after we had booked and paid for 8 nights and had a bit of a panic. We had found ourselves caught up in the Ashok chain sell off, which meant that hotels booked months before, and confirmed in writing, uncontactable, avan with the help of the Indian Tourist Office in London. So had to find alternatives for 5 weeks, 2 with our daughter and our 2 grandchildren. On arrival, the staff were friendly, helpful and efficient. The Heritage room was huge and very comfortable, yes it was dated, but it was clean, the carpet had obviously been shampooed prior to our arrival. It was serviced very well on a daily basis. The Coffee Shop served very good food, both to order and a very varied buffet. The staff were very attentive and courteous. We made several trips by car and found the Avis booking facility in the Hotel very helpful and reliable. There was a florist and gift shop in the Hotel, both very good, also a large swimming pool which although not used but us, looked to be maintained in excellent order. The only facility that did not come up to standard was the "Beauty Parlour". This is in need of renovation, redecoration with special attention to a good clean of the room and equipment and with staff training also an issue. Th e facility is privately run, but obviously reflects on the hotel. The location of the Hotel is very central with good shopping close by (The amazing Spencer Plaza walking distance). Given more time, we could probably have found a smarter, less expensive hotel. However, we certainly did not find anywhere we stayed , (some were far more expensive and luxurious,) where we were better looked after and left feeling that we had made new friends, If re-visiting Chennai, we would use this hotel again. again. Two fussy 67 year olds.

I stayed at the beginning of the month with my family and was given a room . We went in , dropped our luggage and my wife walked into the bathroom and saw a nice sprint from a cockroach - we asked a change of room. This was done promptly. The problem is not just the bathroom - The whole hotel is just tired, rooms are shabby. The linen/beds/walls - everything looks decades old and badly needs refurbishment. I would be o.k.. with that too, provided the charges were reasonable - but a double room starts at approx. $120.00 per night and it is certainly not that kind of material. On a positive note, it's location is good for some clients, it has a coffee shop, bakery, pool, travel agent, beauty parlour in house - BUT again they are all tired, dusty and old. So very poor value overall - I would stay there again only if it were half price. There are far better hotels in chennai for this money.

This was our last night in India, and the surliness of the staff was a real shock! The girl at the front desk was unbelievably rude, and the rest of the line staff at the reception/public areas were no better. Surly is the only word for it. We went up to our room, expecting a mediocre room, but it was dirty, dusty and the bathroom was filthy, with a cracked sink and hair in the bathtub. After a 15-hour drive to get here this was not what we were looking for. The only saving graces were the restaurant staff (the restaurant featuring a very 1970s menu - quite fun to navigate!) and the man at the Avis rentacar desk. Give this place a miss - it's in bad need of a refurbishment and a personality replacement. And it wasn't cheap either!

It is a good hotel to stay. Spacious rooms and modern bathrooms with good food.

We stayed at a number of hotels in Mumbai and Southern India. Aside from the Residency Towers, we also stayed at the Ambassador Pallava in Chennai. We stayed at the former because our friend's wedding reception was taking place there; we found the latter through our guide book. The Ambassador Pallava was dated and paled in comparison to the Residency Towers. I especially cant stand dated bathrooms as they often just look like dirty bathrooms. Yet the Ambassador Pallava more expensive than the Residency Towers. They did have free internet access on the lobby level (2 computers and wireless access for those with their own computers) and a sports centre (although we didnt try it out). The staff was quite helpful in accomodating our dietary needs (we had to go on a special diet prescribed by the doctor after unsurprisingly suffering stomach upsets in India).