The Oberoi New Delhi Hotel Review

We stayed at The Oberoi New Delhi for four nights at the start of a 2-week trip to India. Assuming that the rest of Delhi was going to be a very intense experience, we proactively sought out a hotel that would serve as an oasis. The Oberoi New Delhi was perfect for that.

Keep reading to hear what it’s like to stay at The Oberoi New Delhi.

About This Post and Related Posts

This post reviews The Oberoi New Delhi, the first of five hotels we stayed at over the course of two weeks in India. Other hotel reviews can be found here:

NOTE: None of these hotels were comped, and we paid for all of these stays in full. This post is not sponsored and we do not receive affiliate income from any of these hotels.

Booking The Oberoi New Delhi

We originally booked a refundable rate at The Oberoi New Delhi via booking.com for 119,180 INR (about $1445) for four nights. After getting the Amex Platinum, we rebooked via Amex Travel for $1,558 (about $390 per night). Obviously this immediately looks like a bad idea. Why rebook just to spend $113 more?

For starters, The Oberoi New Delhi is part of the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, which comes with the following perks for Amex Platinum cardholders:

Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
Daily breakfast for two people
Guaranteed 4 PM late check-out
Noon check-in, when available
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Experience credit, such as a spa or food and beverage credit

The Experience Credit at this particular hotel was good for dinner for two (excluding alcohol). The hotel automatically applied it to one of our dinners, a value of about $41.

Altogether these perks are probably worth the $113 difference, but there was one more thing. We had just a few weeks (before the end of the calendar year) to use the Amex Platinum annual $200 Fine Hotel & Resorts credit and no plans for new bookings. So between that credit and the $41 dinner, we easily netted $128 via this rebooking. (We also have an entire post just on how we the Fine Hotel & Resorts credit specifically.)

We booked a “Luxury” room and were upgraded to a “Premier” room, a value of about $25 per night. Although, the extra 18 square meters felt much more valuable than that with a sleeping toddler in the room.

Hotels booked via Amex Travel earn 5X Membership Rewards points on the Amex Platinum, so we earned around 7800 points.

Getting from the Airport to The Oberoi New Delhi

The Oberoi is in New Delhi, south of India Gate and just west of Humayun’s Tomb. It is about a 30 minute drive from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), and it is not easily accessible via public transportation.

Taxis and Uber are available at the Delhi Airport, which is the cheapest way to get to the hotel. However, arranging a car service is much more relaxing if you can spring for the up-charge. We booked a car service through the hotel by emailing their concierge team (concierge.TOND@oberoihotels.com). It cost about $60 USD including taxes (5500 INR + 18% taxes).

The Delhi airport is not known for its speediness. We flew Air India Business Class from Dubai to Delhi, which got us a “priority” queue at passport control. Even with that, it took us almost 2 hours to get through. It was so nice to clear customs and immediately meet our driver who took our bags and drove us right to the hotel.

The Oberoi has their own fleet of cars and drivers. The car was cool and clean when we got in, and there were several bottles of water waiting for us. Our driver was delightful and navigated the dense city traffic with ease.

When we were about 10 minutes away from our hotel, we realized that we left our laptop on the plane. The driver pulled over and helped us figure out what to do. He made a call to the hotel representative at the airport, who spoke Hindi and immediately tried to track it down for us. He also explained the situation to the front desk staff so they could follow up. Unfortunately the laptop was never recovered, but I blame that on Air India and believe that The Oberoi did all that they could.

Arrival and Check-in at The Oberoi

When our car pulled up to the gates of the hotel, we were stopped for a brief security check before our driver took us to the door. As soon as we pulled up, we were greeted by the most friendly hotel staff.

Before I could even get out of the car and around to the other side, a staff member already opened the door and was helping our 2-year-old out of their car seat. They were so incredibly kind and picking up a toddler guest is totally normal in India. This was our first stop in India, though, and our toddler had not yet adjusted to the friendliness of strangers. They were terrified and immediately melted down into tears.

We had to pass through another brief security check before we could enter the lobby. The bellhop took our bags and put them through a scanner, while we quickly passed through a metal detector.

As soon as we entered the lobby, we were treated to a traditional welcome ceremony. We each received a marigold garland to wear around our neck and were offered a bindi — a dot of red on our forehand. This would have all been lovely had it not been for the screaming toddler. They typically go through the check-in process at one of the desks in the lobby, but they offered to do this for us in our room.

The woman who came up with us was delightful. She showed us to our room, checked our passports, and completed all of our check-in paperwork while our toddler relaxed and explored the new room. She even brought a toy puzzle for them and had macaroons sent to the room with their name on the plate in chocolate. Needless to say, they recovered quickly.

The Premier Room at The Oberoi New Delhi

We stayed in a Premier Room at The Oberoi New Delhi. It was a large, comfortable, and perfect for our family of three.

Just inside the door was a large walk-in closet. It had the essentials like hangers, ironing board and iron, and a safe, but also a cotton robe and shoe cleaning tools. I loved this closet because it had so much luggage storage. It was so nice to keep all of our things laid out and easily accessible in here, while keeping the rest of the room clear.

To the other side of the door was a seating area with a small couch, coffee table, and chair. With a toddler, it’s so nice to have a space like this to hang out after they go to sleep early.

In the middle of the room was a divinely cozy King size bed, with large night stands on either side. Each night stand hand one outlet (type D) and a USB port. One of the night stands also had the butler call button and a tablet (more on both of those later). Also placed near the bed were slippers and bags for laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing. (We did get laundry done here. It was expensive — like, $6 a shirt expensive — but came back perfectly folded.)

Beyond the bed was a lounge chair and desk. The desk was decorated with fresh flowers and had another chair and extra charging space. Beside that was the bar cart which included a Nespresso coffee and tea station, a few salty and sweet snacks, a few mini bottles of liquor, and a mini fridge with hard and soft drinks (for purchase). Complimentary bottled water was also provided here, and around the room.

Next was the large bathroom. There were private stalls for the toilet and standing shower, plus a separate standalone tub. There were two sinks in front of a large, lit mirror, which was also decorated with fresh flowers. Bath products were Forest Essentials and other bath amenities were provided, including dental kits, loofahs, shower caps, and cotton swabs/balls.

Our room had a lovely view of the terrace and fountain (not to be confused with the pool). The windows were large and took up the entire wall. There was a blackout blinds as well as light drapes and a full curtain, which made the room pretty dark, even for naps midday.

Speaking of naps, we requested a crib for our 2-year-old. They brought us a Pack ‘n Play, which was made up with sheets and a pillow. When they brought the crib, they also brought us a pack of baby bath soaps. I’ve never seen that a hotel before, but it was such a nice touch.

Service at The Oberoi

I wasn’t surprised that The Oberoi New Delhi had good service. The Oberoi brand often ranks among the very best in the world, so of course they do. However, I was surprised that their level of service had such a swift and significant impact on me.

After a few nights at the Oberoi, I was convinced that I would proactively seek out this hotel brand in any future situation — and we did! We changed our hotel plans in Udaipur just days before we arrived so we could be back in the loving arms of The Oberoi.

One thing we loved about The Oberoi is that they do not accept individual tips. Instead, you can leave one tip in a sealed envelope for the staff at checkout. When we stopped feeling pressure to tip at every social interaction, we started to appreciate the service so much more. It felt more authentic and less transactional. And guess what? We probably tipped even more than we otherwise would have and it was just more comfortable for everyone. Win, win.

While we couldn’t tip people directly, we could leave a note with our tip that thanked individuals who went above and beyond. I believe there is some sort of recognition system for this because a few people did go out of their way to tell us our their names. I like that, though.

We saw the same people everyday, which I’m sure is intentional — though I do feel like they must work a lot. The same front desk agents greeted us every time we came and went. The servers at the restaurant knew our kid by name, would often stop by our table with a small toy or free dessert. By our second visit, the pool staff knew our favorite chairs and our toddler’s favorite floaties. It truly felt like home.

The hotel also had 24-hour butler service. With the press of a button, someone would quickly arrive at our door to assist with any question or request. We called the butler a few times, including once to request a hair dryer which was missing from our room. He was so shocked that the hair dryer wasn’t in my room and apologized profusely. Management even called our room a few hours later (annoyly at 9:30 PM while my kid was sleeping) to make sure I got it and asked if I needed anything else.

Otherwise, we rarely needed to call the butler because we also had a tablet where we could specifically request actions and services. With the tablet, we could request housekeeping, clear a meal trolly or refill our coffee selection with the push of a button.

Restaurants & Bars at The Oberoi New Delhi

I’m pretty sure we ate every single meal in Delhi at The Oberoi. It’s not safe to drink tap water in India, and that’s why so many travelers get stomach sicknesses when they go there. We erred on the side of extreme caution and only ate cooked foods prepared at our hotel. For the most part, we also skipped ice and fresh fruit juices as well.

Fortunately, The Oberoi has great food and we were always able to find a table and a meal that was toddler approved.

For breakfast, we always ordered room service. The breakfast menu was on a paper card, which we placed on our door handle each night. We had to pick a specific delivery time, which was a 15 minute window. Our order was at our door at the exact start of our arrival window every single morning.

For lunch at dinner, we ate at the main restaurant, 360°. It was overall a nice restaurant, but it was perfectly family friendly during our early meal times. They had highchairs and a kids menu, which was perfect for us. The menu was deep and included a variety of cuisines, including delicious India food (duh).

There were two other fancier restaurants (Indian and Chinese), which we didn’t dine at, and a quick-service cafe. The cafe was fine, and I did have a coffee there one afternoon. It’s kind of buried in the basement though, so not the best ambiance. You can also order food at the pool, on the terrace, or to your room.

The hotel has two bars, including a cozy lobby bar and a swanky rooftop bar and terrace. I visited the terrace by myself one evening. The view was lovely but the experience was a bit awkward. (They were very adamant that I not sit at the bar. I’m not sure if that was because I was a solo female or if people in general don’t sit at the bar in India. I did get my drink for free though because I had to wait a few extra minutes.)

Pools & Fitness Center

The Oberoi New Delhi has a whole spa area that includes a fitness center, full-service spa, indoor pool and outdoor pool, plus steam room and sauna in the locker rooms.

The fitness center is nice with a handful of cardio machines, free weights, and yoga equipment. We went a few times and it was always empty. There’s a fridge with bottled water, plus fresh fruit and clean towels. The fitness center looks out to the terrace and fountain, which is a nice view but also has fish-bowl vibes. Anyone walking around in the area can easily see you working out.

You can access the pool area by going through the gym or the spa. In either case, you’ll pass the indoor pool first. It’s a nice tranquil pool with dim spa lighting, but it is small — about the size of two swim lanes.

The changing rooms were also over here and were also really nice. There was a steam room and sauna, private shower stalls, lockers, and a full vanity area with hair dryers, combs, towels, lotions, etc. Robes and sandals were also available.

At the back of the indoor pool was the door to the outdoor pool. There was a pool attendant who would check you in and then set up your seat for you. That included laying out the towels and then bringing a tray with bottled waters, sunscreen, and a bit of fresh fruit.

We spent a lot of time at the outdoor pool. It was heated, but still chilly in February. It was all the same depth (about 4 feet) and had stair entry. They had floaties available by request, which my kid loved. This was really our first foray into hotel pools. Once our little one learned that floaties were a thing that hotels had, they never stopped asking for them.

The Oberoi New Delhi Location

The location of your hotel matters somewhat in Delhi, but not as much as it matters in other cities. That’s because Delhi is extremely un-walkable. For example, the hotel is basically right across the street from Humayun’s tomb, but it would still take more than 20 minutes to walk there. Even just getting out of the hotel property is awkward on foot.

Delhi does have a Metro, but it isn’t particularly robust and does not go to all the major attractions. Unless you’re staying right off a Metro stop and only going to places on the Metro, you’re likely going to be taking cars anyway. So a difference in location is really just going to mean a few extra minutes in the car one way or another.

Once you accept that you’re going to take cars everywhere, The Oberoi is a perfect central location. We grouped our activities by location and hired a driver to take us from place to place. We basically spent one day in Old Delhi, one day in New Delhi, and one day at further sites. (Our full route is mapped out in our 3-day Delhi itinerary.)

The Oberoi Delhi has their own fleet of cars, so we booked our car service through the hotel. They offer rates by the mile, kilometer, or hour. A driver for 4-hours cost 5,000 INR (about $60 USD), which is what we booked for each day.

We went the car service route because we were traveling with a toddler who needed a car seat. We had to bring our own car seat to install in the car, but then we could leave it in the same car as we explored different sites. The alternative would have been to take taxis and then carry the car seat with us or go without one; neither of which were good options.

If you didn’t have a child in a car seat, booking a car service is a luxury but isn’t exactly necessary. You could just as easily take a taxi, rideshare or tuk tuk for much cheaper.

Is the Oberoi New Delhi worth it?

The Oberoi is not a cheap hotel. It’s one of the nicest hotels in Delhi and in the world. The property is a stunning oasis, the service is some of the best in the world, and the amenities on the property will make you never want to leave. But is that worth $400 a night? My short answer? Yes. And here’s why.

If you’re a tourist in Delhi — particularly a western tourist — you will need an oasis.

Delhi is an incredible city, but it’s also extremely intense. Physically, it’s loud, chaotic, and shockingly beautiful. It’s also emotionally intense. We can’t talk about staying in a luxury hotel and ignore the fact that most of Delhi’s population is living in extreme poverty. The sights, sounds and experiences we had in Delhi was unlike any major city we’ve ever been to.

We absolutely loved Delhi, but that was because we had the privilege to experience it in bits and pieces. It’s easy to appreciate the noise of a city when you can sleep at night far from it. We spent each morning in the throws of the city and every afternoon relaxing pool side.

I think this balance is so incredibly important to be able to give this city the attention it deserves. Without that, it would be so easy to burn yourself out. It would be so easy to let this city defeat you.

I’ve never felt more strongly that staying at a nicely hotel is actually essential to a positive experience, but I just feel like you need that in Delhi. Now, I would never suggest anyone go in debt over a hotel. Absolutely not. But if it’s a matter of going now and staying somewhere cheaper or saving up for another year and staying at The Oberoi, I’d choose the later.

I know this is a privileged experience and take to have. I know that. But I also know that Delhi deserves your fullest attention, and in order to give it that, you need a respite. The Oberoi is that respite.

Closing Thoughts on The Oberoi New Delhi

The Oberoi New Delhi was a hotel that felt family. Like good parents, they gave us the tools and support we needed, and then pushed us out of the nest. And at the end of a long day, they were a soft place to land.

We loved our time at The Oberoi New Delhi. In fact, we loved it so much that we went on to stay at two more Oberoi locations around India, including The Oberoi Amarvilas (Agra) and The Oberoi Udaivilas (Udaipur). The Oberoi New Delhi remained our favorite though. The quality, service and beauty of this hotel made for one of best hotel experiences we’ve ever had.

During our first visit to India, we stuck to the Golden Triangle and Udaipur. There is so much more of this country that we need to explore, and we’re confident that will bring us back to Delhi. And when it does, we fully expect to make our way back to loving arms of The Oberoi New Delhi.