I visited Dalhousie in the month of April, which is considered as off season, so most of the hotels were available. However before starting, I had done some research on hotels in Dalhousie and found Hotel Shangri La quite interesting.
The hotel is 5 minute walk from the Mall road and the reception of the hotel is about 12 feet below the road level. This feature of having the reception below the road level is very common in Dalhousie. Upon reaching the hotel, I was given a choice of selecting the room (Another benefit of off season visit). Walking across the hotel, I had a feeling that one side of the hotel was actually a mountain, which was the reason of the hotel reception being 12 feet below the road level. I decided to take up a room with a valley view. But to be honest, I could see at least 3 mountain ranges from the balcony. The hotel staff had made available some chairs and table in the balcony adjacent to my room. I used them to have tea in morning and evening, amidst the sunrise and sunset. The hotel balcony provided one of the best view of the sun coming out of the snow capped mountains.
The room linen was unclean, probably due to off season, but was replaced immediately on request. Also unlike other places, the hotel bathroom had geyser, which meant you could actually have hot water whenever needed. The rooms were well carpeted and spacious. Other than the bed, the furniture was sparse. Each room had a color TV with cable connection. The hotel staff was courteous and very helpful.
The food was OK. I tried the breakfast and was not very tasty but at the same time was not too bad either.
The room tariffs were moderate, and as I had bargained for off season discount and got about 50% off, , the room tariff became very good.
A word of caution though. No services are available between 11 PM and 7 AM so if you need help during this period, remember that you have very less chance of getting it.