[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.
Agra (Uttar Pradesh)
Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
The Gateway Hotel, Ummed
Courtyard by Marriott
Lemontree
Fortune Landmark
Fortune Park
Bangalore (Karnataka)
Vivanta by Taj, MG Road
Vivanta by Taj, Whitefield
Vivanta by Taj, Yeshwantpur
The Gateway Hotel, Residency Road
The Park
Hotel Royal Orchid
Mövenpick Hotel & Spa
Lemontree
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)
Calicut (Kerala)
Chandigarh
Taj, Chandigarh
JW Marriott, Chandigarh (offers 40 % discount)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
Vivanta by Taj, Connemara
Taj Clubhouse
Taj Coromandel
The Park
Courtyard Marriott
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)
Vivanta by Taj, Surya
Le Meridien
Coonoor (near Wellington, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu)
Delhi
JW Marriott, Aerocity
Lemontree (RedFox), Aerocity
Taj Palace Hotel
Vivanta by Taj, Ambassador
Vivanta by Taj, Dwarka
The Park
ITC Welcomhotel, Dwarka
Pride Plaza, Aerocity
Piccadily
Goa
Vivanta by Taj, Panaji
The Park
Fortune Regina
Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)
Usha Kiran Palace (Taj property)
Hyderabad (Telangana)
Taj Krishna
Taj Deccan
Taj Banjara
Vivanta by Taj, Begumpet
The Park
Hyderabad Marriott
Lemontree
Fortune
Indore (Madhya Pradesh)
Radisson Blu
Sayaji Hotel
Red Maple
Lemontree
Jaipur (Rajasthan)
Jaimahal Palace (Taj property)
Jaipur Marriott
Lemontree
Fortune
Jammu (J & K)
Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
Vivanta by Taj, Hari Mahal
The Gateway Hotel
Kochi (Kerala)
The Gateway Hotel, Marine Drive, Ernakulam
Kochi Marriott
Crowne Plaza
Trident
Kolkata (West Bengal)
Taj Bengal, Alipore
Hotel Hindustan International
ITC Sonar
The Park
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)
Madurai (Tamil Nadu)
Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Trident Bandra-Kurla Complex
Trident, Nariman Point
Vivanta by Taj, President
The Park, Navi Mumbai
Mysore (Karnataka)
Nashik (Maharashtra)
Pune (Maharashtra)
Vivanta by Taj, Blue Diamond
Four Points by Sheraton
Sun & Sand
Fortune
Lemontree
Puri (Orissa)
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)
Trivandrum (Kerala)
Vivanta by Taj, Trivandrum
Fortune
Vadodara (Gujarat)
The Gateway Hotel, Akota Gardens
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)
Varkala (Kerala)
The Gateway Hotel, Janardhanapuram
Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
The Park
Novotel, Varun Beach
Four Points by Sheraton
Best Western Ramachandra (3-Star)
Hotel Daspalla (3-Star)
Hotel Fortune Inn (3-Star)
ITC WelcomHotel Grand Bay (3-Star)
Jukasotel (3-Star)
Hotel Palm Beach
Royal Fort (3-Star)
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.