Raya's Grand

My recent stay for 26 to 28 January 2025 is a ended mixed feelings and disappointment. I regularly stay in Rayas grand for past 15 years being chai of hotels by Rayas group located nearby in a central Kumbakonam. I rate this hotel 6/10 rating and one of few good hotels available around. The quality of service varies seasonally depending on the demand and occupancy. Lost time few years back in lean season it's service was disappointing. The hotel stopped complimentary breakfast but continue to charge same tarrif told by their staffs. The rating of 3 star is rediculous, in a premium double bed room the intercom did not work, there no coffee/tea makers provide in the room as the restaurant operate up to 9:30 to 10:30 pm only and there is no coffee shop or any eateries for midnight arrivals. The bathroom are water logged and there is no guidance to operating showers. Streaming Hot water is a great hazard with out any labeling. Blanket provided is not washes with hairs of other privious occupancy. Hope management will look into rectify lapses.

The hotel is a convenient hub to make short trips within Kumbakonam or holy places within a 50 Kms distance. It has a nice view of the Mahamagam Tank - a sacred pond. If you are planning to drive to Kumbakonam, then you will find their basement parking lot convenient. They have a dormitory for your driver too. The only inconvenience in staying in the old town is that you need to navigate through a maze of narrow roads, police barricades and diversions. My suggestion is that once you reach the hotel, use the local autorikshaws for city travel. It is bang in the middle of the city and every cab and auto driver knows it. The doorman was helpful in hailing an auto for us. The rooms and bathrooms are very clean, and there is running cold and hot (sizzling hot!) water. We were three so they supplied an extra cot (for a reasonable fee). My only disappointment was that the pillows were too thick. I later learnt that they have lighter pillows but you need to ask for it, because most customers seem to like heavy pillows. The staff were attentive and helpful. They have an attached restaurant (called Rice & Spice).Technically it is an independent entity, but if you tell the waiter in advance he would tag the bill to your room number. The restaurant serves both South Indian and North Indian dishes of high quality.

We stayed 3 nights at Raya's Grand in the third week of Jul 24 and can say it is one of the best hotel stays in that part of Tamil Nadu. The suite room (and another adjacent room that we occupied) was top class and super clean. The service levels were too good and the staff members (at the front desk, the cleaning staff as well the ones that served us tasty coffee at 5.30 am every morning) were very attentive and passionate in what they do. The sleep quality was very good and so were the aircons. We always like the ceiling fan in the washroom (this seems a standard fare at all the Raya's hotels in Kumbakonam) and hot water was available throughout. Their all vegetarian restaurant Rice & Spice served great food and we ended up having almost all our meals in there. The sambar and accompanying chutneys were superb and so were the dosas, idiyappam, idlies and the afternoon meals. Thanks to Raya's Grand, we had a good time relaxing after a hectic temple tour each day. We visited Raya Silks (walking distance from the hotel) and bought few very good sarees. The staff members at Raya Silks were very knowledgeable and great.

Excellent service and good stay experience in Kumbakonam. An affordable and fit for purpose rooms, and the hotel is right in front of the Mahamaham tank. The hotel could also arrange for private cabs for visit to near by temples. I didn’t like the food from Rice & Spice restaurant, but otherwise all was good.

One of the finest experience overall ! Rooms are really big with good ambiance. Though their tariff does not come with complimentary breakfast, there is a restaurant attached to the hotel on the ground floor, which provides high quality multi cuisine menu. Service standards of the hotel are also excellent and incredibly quick. FO executives Rajesh and Senthil stood out with their warm attitude and willingness to help at all times. Given the proximity to the market place (about 500m walk), the stay at RG was all the more a joyful experience.

Clean rooms and very near to most places. It is very near to the Mahamagam tank. The rooms have been recently upgraded so it looks very clean. They have room service coffee and available at very early time too. Will definitely stay there again.