Sterling Kodai Lake

Service was superb such warm hospitality. Best hotel for family staying

Recommended

“False marketing” are the first words that come to mind after visiting this property. If you’re expecting a five-star experience, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. Having stayed at several five-star hotels before, I can confidently say that this property barely reaches 3.5 stars on a good day. From the start, the check-in process was a mess. We were greeted by inexperienced staff—essentially trainees—who weren’t even aware of our booking. One of them didn’t even know what “high tea” meant. When the actual staff arrived, they were neither welcoming nor warm. It felt like we were inconveniencing them rather than being valued guests. To make matters worse, they didn’t have anyone available to guide us to our room, so they sent a security guard instead of room service staff—an obvious sign of poor organization and professionalism. The issues didn’t stop there. The kitchen staff was not informed of our dietary preferences, showing a complete lack of communication and regard for guests. And then came the real nightmare—the room. Supposedly one of their best, it had: • A broken door handle (which we had to request to be fixed) • No heater • A microwave that started emitting fumes when turned on • No basic amenities (no dental kit, shaving kit, or room slippers) • Unusable WiFi for the first several hours • Three televisions, none of which were smart TVs or iPhone-compatible, with only limited basic free channels Calling the reception for help was another test of patience. They would answer but take hours to actually resolve issues. After escalating our concerns to the head of housekeeping, we expected quick solutions, but only a handful of problems were addressed—after we spent five hours trying to get things sorted ourselves. The property also lacks efficient transport. Their electric golf carts take forever to arrive, and the reception staff often fails to inform the drivers about pickup requests. I had to walk multiple times to personally ask a driver to pick up my parents. It’s unbelievable that they operate an entire resort with just two electric carts. That said, I do want to highlight a few positives. The rooms, while not five-star worthy, are pretty good for a 3.5-star property. However, if you’re looking for true luxury, save your money and book The Carlton or The Tamara in Kodaikanal instead. Ironically, we spoke with several guests during our stay and at the airport on our way back home - almost all had undergone through the same experience. Disappointed. Despite the overall subpar experience, I must commend Captain Amit Kumar from the kitchen staff. He was one of the very few who genuinely cared about guests. Even though the kitchen appeared understaffed, Amit went above and beyond to make each guest’s experience as personalized as possible. The food itself was quite good. Unfortunately, great food and one exceptional staff member weren’t enough to salvage what was otherwise a frustrating and disappointing stay.

Stay was extremely good... Stqffs was so accommodating and good caring . Location climqte amenities was good We enjoyed alot ...... Everything was so comfortable and hospitality was good qnd caring..... Thanks for all supportive staffs

The stay was really awesome . Staffs very so polite and kind . Special thanks to Jothi , safi , velu and all the other staffs . Heartfelt special thanks to Nagaraj who was soo kind and even helped us with activities. Thankyou sterling looking forward to more stay with you :)

Comfortable stay. Amazing views. Very good food and ambience. Must stay if you’re visiting here. The staff is very cooperative and great food for Jains too. Loved the stay would love to visit again hopefully in February. Thankyou sterling