Hotel Packages for Indian Defence Officers

Special Hotel Rates for Indian Defence Officers

Hotels On April 21, 2015 159 Comments

[Disclaimer: The information given below is an attempt to simply pass the facts to the intended audience…nothing more. The author is not affiliated with any hotel or travel agency or such. The post can be made more accurate by your contribution. Therefore, any negative comments on this will simply be deleted so as to avoid an online slugfest]

Officers of the Indian defence forces viz. Army, Navy and Air Force have it tough, whether it is physical exertion, mental stress, postings at difficult locations or assignments. Till few years ago, whenever the officers travelled on temporary duty or short assignment, they stayed in shabby guestrooms (sometimes shared) or some even stayed with their acquaintances.

It was only from 2011 onwards that few hotel chains started offering concessions / discounted packages to the officers. This initiative was indeed appreciated by all officers. In the United States, almost all hotel chains and resorts offer discounted rates to serving and retired military personnel – yes even for the personnel other than officer rank.

In this post, I have listed hotels at different places in India that offer special hotel rates for Indian Defence Officers. Please note that I have included only 4 and 5-Star properties. If you are a defence officer and would like to add (or even delete) hotels, just fill in the comment form and I will keep updating the list. If you are a hotel representative and would like to add your property, you are welcome too!

The base package is of course room + breakfast. However, almost all of them offer room + breakfast + one major meal. Some go the whole hog by offering all meals, airport transfers, free wifi, ltd pieces of laundry and more. You should check and compare with the hotels before booking with them. Yes, do check with online hotel aggregators like http://trivago.in, http://tripadvisor.in etc to do a quick comparison. In most cases, you will get a better value (note I did not say, better price) with the military discount. If you are a big family requiring multiple rooms, or have a limited budget or are on a foreign vacation, hotel aggregators are the way to go.

So here is the list in alphabetical order of cities.

Almost all of these hotels offer breakfast inclusive rates, some offer AP (American Plan i.e. package includes Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) or MAP (Modified American Plan i.e. package includes Breakfast & one major meal – Lunch or Dinner). In addition, if the officer is on duty, some hotels also provide additional facilities like pick-up & drop, ironing / laundry, free wi-fi etc. You may like to check with the concerned property about the availability and rates / packages.

And yes, please do carry your military ID for your own good – the hotels have right to refuse accommodation if you don’t prove your identity.

Do you want to add / update a property if you have been to those, just let me know in the comments and I will do the needful, which implies that this list will keep changing.

Please do share it with your friends from Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

1. Capt Alok Tyagi
  
  It an honour fr the Armed Forces by the Hotels who hv given recognition in the form of discounts to them.
2. kumar vikram
  
  Please keep me updated
3. KC Misra
  
  What about veterans?
  - wizard
    
    Sir,
    
    It depends on the hotel chain policies. I have confirmation from some Gateway as well as certain Vivanta (both Taj properties) that even veterans can avail this facility. This implies that all Taj hotels provide this to veterans as well.
    - Grnemeralds
      
      Just called up taj vivanta goa , they are declining to offer any discounts for defence personnel and have informed me that they offer discounts only to individuals working for the ministry of external affairs .
      27th February , 2.30 pm .
  - Suresh Rao
    
    Keep me posted
4. Dushyant
  
  Delhi – Taj Vivanta Dwarka, Lemon tree premier. Kolkata- ITC Sonar, The Park,the pride, Oberoi &HHI. Bangalore- Lemon tree premier & the pride.
  PS- entire chain of Taj, Oberoi,Lemon tree, ITC, Pride, Novotel to be included as they offer special rates to the defense personnel.
  - wizard
    
    Hello Dushyant,
    Thanks for the info. I have been trying to contact all hotel chains through the email addresses listed, however only a handful confirmed. Therefore, I have listed them, as well as those which ,y acquaintances have stayed in. I will include based on officers’ experiences…
  - Devinder Singh
    
    Pls update me too…
  - rajesh
    
    what discount are they offering pl,
5. vasudev k
  
  The Tata group as always on the forefront. Their assistance to their employees at the Taj in Mumbai post the terror strike is absolutely mindblowing.
  - wizard
    
    Indeed. Kudos to the Tata group for this gesture. On the other hand, in my post I have also mentioned that as a policy all hotel chains in the US and some in West European nations provide this facility to their military personnel.
6. vijay kumar
  
  I am serving defence junior commissioned officer. Can I avail SPL discounts in the hotels listed above. Jai hind
  - wizard
    
    I cannot confirm this aspect of availability of discounted rates for JCOs. However, best is to contact the hotel and ask them. I have found everyone to be helpful…
7. Lt Colonel Narinder Singh
  
  I live in Puna where; Vivanta by #TajBlueDiamond used to give 20% discount till 2 years ago.
  They have stopped now.
  Siting the new policy in which ONLY serving officers can avail of the discount.
  
  Sun n Sand at Bund Garden Road, give a 30% discount on all meals and accommodation to serving and retired Armed Force Personnel.
  - wizard
    
    Good to know that, sir. But I need more empirical data to confirm that hotels indeed do NOT allow veterans this facility. I have confirmation from two hotels about extending discounts to veterans…
    - vipin menon
      
      Please check if the discount is on rack/published rate. If so it is no use. The hotel aggregaters offer better discount and points that can be used towards future booking. Makemytrip and Hotels.com offers are pretty good . By virtue of my Taj membership, I had two room vouchers with 50% discount but when checked they said it is on Published rate. Same room and same time frame I found on Hotel aggregators cheaper by 15-20% below the 50% discount. Some of these hotels fool us by this so called discount. The discount should be on the rate offered by Hotel aggregators and not on published rates.
      
      Also, please take up the case of discount by airlines. Vistara and Air Asia do not give any discount other airlines do give some discount on basic fare sometime that is 100 to 1500 rupees, not worth it. Air India/Indian Airline discount again is on published rate which after discount is still higher than Airlines aggregators (Makemytrip, Cleartrip etc)rates.
8. anything in agra????
  
  any hotels in agra who offfer the same?
  - Mandira singh
    
    There is the Agra Jaypee palace that offers the Defence package. Pls cot act Mandira Singh on 9717009652
9. Anita
  
  The Lily in Guwhati my hubby stayed tgere here for a month when he was on TD Quite good with food and services
  - wizard
    
    Thanks for the info. I will list it as well.
  - Commandet Dipak Das
    
    Where is this hotel Lily in Guwahati?? I am visiting Guwahati for a week end December n looking for decent accommodation
10. RD Hemraj
  
  Lemontree Aerocity Delhi refused this saying that don’t have the rates were not available due to peak season recently.
  - wizard
    
    Of course it is subject to availability of rooms
11. MAJOR MK NAYAK
  
  sir, when i try to book the hotel,its showing the actual price and not the subsidized ratelist. I want to book for hotel in Pune from 1 Dec to 2Dec in SUN n SAND,and its showing the actual price of that hotel. Is there any code to apply for to get the discount? Please explain
  - wizard
    
    Hello,
    For all these hotels, you need to contact them directly via phone or email. Once you contact them, they will revert back with an email confirmation of the same. E.g. Marriott accepts bookings through their phone (different numbers for different hotel locations ) and Taj through email as well as phone.
    - MAJOR MK NAYAK
      
      Thanks a ton…
12. Junaid
  
  Park Plaza at Jodhpur offers rooms at authorized rates when on TD
  - wizard
    
    Thanks, will add to the list…keep them coming!
13. medhavi magu
  
  Hyatt regency Ahmedabad, Hyatt regency Mumbai and Hyatt Ahmedabad, also provides discounted rates to govt. Officials
  - wizard
    
    Thanks, will add these as well…
14. aman
  
  Leoni hotel in shameeepet area , hyderabad offers discount for the same
15. Faran Siddiqui
  
  Guys try book a hotel online from sites like agoda TripAdvisor hotel IQ stayzilla . etc the rates most of the time rates are dirt cheap and cancellation just costs you almost nothing like agoda charges you a $ only if you cancel the booking by a date given by them which is 4-5 days before dt of occupancy or will charge for first night if cancelled after that. The bookings are confirmed be it peak or non peak seasons. Best part is you may compare prices facilities etc at a place ,most suited for faujis.
  - wizard
    
    Hotel booking aggregators like agoda.com etc are the way to go for places where these facilities are not available, or if you require additional rooms, or if one has a smaller budget, and of course at places abroad. My ebook explains this aspect as well as other options like bed & breakfast, apartments etc. (Note that the ebook is for everyone I.e. the general population of India which includes faujis)
16. Suman Godara
  
  Please keep me updated.
17. raman
  
  I would like to know if they give discount to the defense widows too??
18. Faruq Khan
  
  My appreciation and gratitude for this endeavour. However, I have a few queries
  1. Are the dependants also extended the courtesy of discounts?
  2. Are these discounts all encompassing or are these restricted to certain facilities only?
  3. Is it available on leave only or on official TD also?
  4. Generally how early should the booking be made and what documents are required to be presented on arrival?
  Regards of the day
  - wizard
    
    Thanks for the kind words.
    1. When dependants accompany you, yes. Charges for extra bed and meals may be applicable.
    2. The base package offered by everyone is room + breakfast. Some offer one or two more meals (lunch, dinner), while others go the whole hog offering free wifi, airport transfer, 2 pints (!) beer and Ltd laundry.
    3. On official TD,most certainly yes. Most of them have offered while on leave as well. All subject to room availability.
    4. Booking dates depend on the popularity of the place as well as the hotel…but don’t wait for last minute. You may be asked to prove your service identity. In addition, they will photocopy your PAN card / passport / Aadhar card or such for self and dependants. In case of kids, have never seen anyone insisting on their identity, although we carry the school ID, just in case.
19. Suresh Rao
  
  Thanks for your information Pl keep me updated
20. Renuka nath
  
  My hubby is a serving officer with IAF. we hv been to agra and stayed in 2 hotels there. Yamuna view and clarks chiraz. Both offer 50% discount on accomodation and 30% on food and drinks to defense personnel nd family. There are many hotels giving ths gestures. Plz check with trident as well. And add it yo ur list.
  renuka
  - wizard
    
    Thank you for the contribution. I will certainly add it to the list.
  - Ajay Chandele
    
    These hotels are on defence land and are obliged to give discount. Stn Hq Agra can be contacted, if required
    - wizard
      
      What?? No!! None of them can be permitted to build their hotels on defence land! And no one is obliged to give discounts to anyone. It is a kind gesture and we must respect it as such…
21. Tarun
  
  plzz keep me updated..thank you..
22. Lt Col Rajiv Pandit ( Veteran )
  
  Worthy effort. Need confirmation on the amount of discount ( is it fixed or variable ) and applicability to veterans. Is there any in Andaman,Nicobar also ?
  - wizard
    
    Thank you, sir. The discounted rates vary per hotel, especially when one is on leave…Some of the hotels who I checked with, do offer discounted rates for veterans as well but in some the reservations personnel were clueless at best.
23. Col SS Aujla (Retd)
  
  please keep me updated
24. Akash
  
  Please add:
  1. Courtyard by Mariott, Ahmedabad
  Please delete
  1. Trident at Bandra Kurla Complex….. Only Nariman Point property offers.
  - Mrs Abha Gore
    
    Also please add Courtyard Marriott Mumbai on andheri kurla Road. They offer bed, b’fast and one major meal to defence personnel even on leave. In fact they were gracious enough not to charge us extra for an extra bed for our kids aged 10,and 5.
25. col vk Rai
  
  Please add Marriott secunderabad/ Hyderabad. Sayaji at Indore too offer to officers spl package as per authorization
  - wizard
    
    Thank you for the contribution. I will certainly add it to the list.
26. Jaswinder
  
  Dear sir,
  Delhi….Welcome hotel Dwarka
  Bhopal…..Marriot…
  Jaipur…..Marriot
  Kolkata…..Hotel Hindustan International
  - Jaswinder
    
    Dear sir,
    Delhi….Welcome hotel Dwarka
    Bhopal…..Marriot…
    Jaipur…..Marriot
    Kolkata…..Hotel Hindustan International
    I’ve stayed in the above hotels at Army rates.
    In addition, as mentioned above, ITC Sonar Kolkata also offers package. In fact HHI Kolkata offers all three meals, Wifi, n laundry…
    - wizard
      
      Thank you for the contribution. I will certainly add it to the list.
      - ararvind
        
        can i get more hotels tie up with indian army in goa
      - Wg Cdr V8jay
        
        Raddison blue Guwahati
27. Slt Sourabh
  
  Does taj group offer discounted rates to navy officers also ?
  - wizard
    
    Yep, Navy and Air Force as well.
28. Brigadier Arobindo Mitra (Retired)
  
  The following can be added for Kolkata:
  
  1. The Grand Hotel
  2. The Great Eastern Hotel
  3. ITC Sonar Bangla
29. Anand Khandelwal
  
  Vizag – ITC FORTUNE SREEKANYA
  ITC GRAND BAY
  TAJ GATEWAY
  FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON
  
  Kochi – CASINO HOTEL
  
  All these hotels give rooms at TD entitled rates. But please remember that the rates in all these four n five star hotels are generally valid for entitlements of Lt Cols n above n equivalents. Maj n below may need to stay on twin sharing or may not get a room at all.
  - wizard
    
    Thanks, I will update. Also appreciate the addl info!
30. Anand Khandelwal
  
  Kochi – meridien and taj Malabar also
  - wizard
    
    Thanks, I will update the list
31. Shishir kumar
  
  Request include The Avenue Reagent, kochi (near cochin shipyard), MG road
  - wizard
    
    Will do so. Thanks for your contribution.
32. Amit
  
  A very good initiative indeed…. But I have a slightly different take on the issue. There r very few hotels who are genuinely offering concessional rates/discounts. Mostly they are aware of the latest TD rates and give the same as per the rank. Eg Rs 4500 + 450 for Lt Cols and equivalent. At the cost of sounding cynical I will assert that most of these hotels are just trying to increase their occupancy. If you contact them during peak seasons they will not offer any discount but charge you the actual rate. Also, premium properties like Taj Palace Delhi etc only offer rates applicable to Brigs n above. So they are all here for profit. However, the brighter side is we can avail such rates whenever it is low occupancy time and a few offers are really good. Please correct me if I am wrong.
  - wizard
    
    Indeed, they do exist for profit and would like to boost their occupancy rates. Continuing with the thought, they may like to spin this as a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)…fair enough. But then this post neither glorifies their (hotels) actions, nor implies that they have a selfish motive…it is just an information post – nothing more, nothing less. On the other hand, I even received comments on why we deserve this (or in one really negative comment why we don’t!!). I just deleted these comments, simply because I don’t intend to let some trolls hijack the blog’s true intention which is to provide facts and information to people interested in travelling. I hope I have been able to point my point of view.
33. Kushwant
  
  Pl add Indana & Ajit Bhawan at Jodhpur. Also Rajwada fort, Bry’s Fort , Rangmahal & Gorbandh at Jaisalmer.
  - wizard
    
    Thanks, will do so…
34. jango singh
  
  Sir do the offrs who have gone on PMR given this facility
  - wizard
    
    Well, a veteran is a veteran, whether PMR or not. Hence, if the hotel extends the facility to veterans, I don’t see any reason why they should ask for anything more…
35. Harjot
  
  Dear sir,
  Please add 4 point by Sheraton , 5 star Pune ,
  Hotel move and pick, Bangalore 5 star to the list. I have stayed there previously and they provide discounted rates for defense personnel
36. Piyush
  
  Pls keep me updated..
37. Choudhary
  
  Are the discounted rates applicable for coast officers also?
  - wizard
    
    If you mention that you are a defence officer, then it will be applicable to you too…
38. Warlord
  
  Hotel Royal Orchid in Bengaluru extends the discount as well. Personal experience. You might want to add it!
  Cheers and thanks for the brilliant info.
  - wizard
    
    Thanks for the info! I will add it.
39. Jitender singla
  
  In Recent past IAF bargained the same offer with HOTEL JAHAN NUMA PALACE BHOPAL, very good HERITAGE HOTEL 4 STAR.
40. Jitender singla
  
  Taj vivanta sector 21 dwarka delhi. About 500 meters from sector 21 airport metro station. Feed back from the officersame who stayed is good.
41. DS Gill
  
  Great info and my gratitude because most of us struggle to get a get hotel . I am a Retd Air Force Officer and hold Taj group Inner Circle membership . In Oct 2015 we stayed at Taj Vivanta , Goa. They do have discount for serving / Retd defence forces officers . They went a step further by upgrading our room to a suite . The service was great. I think a direct contact with front office of a hotel will be more useful.
42. Wg Cdr V Mehta
  
  Pls high light that most of the airlines in India are now offering a 50% discount on domestic airfares to veterans also. I was pleasantly surprised to avail this discount when I flew to Pune and back, with my wife, in June 15 by Indigo. Spouse too gets the discount.
43. Nondita
  
  Are these discounts applicable to widows of retired officers?
44. Ajhoy Koul
  
  Hi, I would like to dispell this feel good factor that these discounted rates are for defence officers only. Any govt official on duty is being offered this facility. As brought out earlier, this is all subject to availability. Generally one has to personally contact the reservation desk and the offer is quoted to you. If accepted a mail to same is also sent subsequently. With good negotiation skills all meals with WiFi and limited laundry is accepted by most hotels. In fact if spouse is travelling along with a very miniscule amount they accommodate the lady as well. I am conveying this based on my recent experiences in Delhi and Hyderabad.
  
  Admin request you to delete Taj Banjara. That bloody hotel stinks.
45. Wg Cdr Anurag Gupta
  
  Excellent efforts. I requested my brother owned travel company – The Columbus Asia , to work out single point booking for Defence Offrs, it could’nt be materialized till date, hope soon. Grateful to you for compiling the info. Any one planning Thailand/ Singapore/ HongKong, may like to check http://www.thecolumbusasia.com , let them know you’re from Army, AF, Navy for the best deal.
46. Col k c verma
  
  Any hotel at Dehradun offering such discount
  - wizard
    
    I am not sure…although if someone can confirm, I will add it to the list
    - Harshdeep Gehlot
      
      Hotel Etlantis near IMA do offer such discounts on TD but i am not sure about Offr on leave.
    - Nidhi
      
      Hi,
      
      i just wanted to reconfirm, does this discount is applicable for EX-SERVICE MAN as well, or just the one who are currently serving.
      
      Thanks..
      - wizard
        
        Many of them do extend this facility to veterans. It’s best to check with the required hotel directly.
47. Karan
  
  Sir Any good hotel in GOA OFFER discounted rates as taj has refused saying it doesn’t provide discounted rates for goa
48. Sqn Ldr Ravi Wankhede
  
  Is the concession valid for the Armed Forces Veterans (Retired) and their families?
  - wizard
    
    Many of them do extend this facility to veterans – best to check with the hotel directly.
49. Sunit
  
  Chanakya BNR heritage hotel In Puri, Odisha also has MOU with Armed forces in discounted rates. Copy of MOU can be forwarded if required.
  - wizard
    
    Added, thank you!
50. Harshdeep Gehlot
  
  Good Compilation thanks for the info

Agra (Uttar Pradesh)

Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

Bangalore (Karnataka)

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)

Calicut (Kerala)

Chandigarh

Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)

Coonoor (near Wellington, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu)

Delhi

Goa

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)

Hyderabad (Telangana)

Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

Jaipur (Rajasthan)

Jammu (J & K)

Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

Kochi (Kerala)

Kolkata (West Bengal)

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)

Madurai (Tamil Nadu)

Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Mysore (Karnataka)

Nashik (Maharashtra)

Pune (Maharashtra)

Puri (Orissa)

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)

Trivandrum (Kerala)

Vadodara (Gujarat)

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

Varkala (Kerala)

Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)

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