We spent a long weekend at Highland recently. Chose Accord by chance browsing through TA. Here is my view on Accord and hope it helps you plan your Ooty trip better.
1) It’s a property which is little off the main town. Arguably, not many good hotels either are within walking distance of the town (aka Charring Cross) so travelers would anyways be prepared to stay a bit away from the town. It’s well connected through smooth roads to the town and bang at the junction of Doda Betta, which is a big draw for everyone. So, locationally this is not a disadvantage, rather a good plus (we walked upto Doda Betta from the Hotel :)).
2) The Hotel has some great valley views from their room and also the reception / foyer / lawns. Spectacular sunrises are complimentary. Insist for a Valley view room and you have taken care of your holiday.
3) Neat rooms, smart lights, flat TVs, good bathrooms (with tubs and showers), decent bed, a writing table, a lazy couch, tea coffee maker in the room and good sized room as well. So, a good show on the rooms as well.
4) There is a playing ground at the back (super mountain views again), with provisions for bonfire and outdoor games, a room with indoor options like carom / chess, some comic books for children. A huge reception area which has enough sit-outs (this also doubles up as evening entertainment zone as the hotel team plans a fun evening every day). Plenty of parking too for all kinds of cars!
5) Very friendly and supportive staff, 24X7 – witnessed firsthand. All sorts of requests from playing cards to toothpicks were welcome and quickly attended to.
The property packs in a punch overall as an awesome value for money. Here are some points which they may need to think about –
1) The Wi-Fi at the room is slow. It’s complimentary but only picks up speed at the reception.
2) We had to haggle / bargain a bit on music and bonfire. Didn’t quite like that when it happened, but was a pleasurable experience after that was over.
3) The food was average, though it picked up a lot of quality the next night (and we thanked Chef Thomas for that). The buffet spread was small (very limited desserts option) and on the predictable side. They could do well with a bit more energy around the food.
Overall, nice place and a good discovery for me (this was my 8th Ooty trip). I would recommend it to everyone. Read the pros and cons and decide.
Room Tip: Insist for a valley view room
