First off the Trident is no longer part of the Hilton chain, this lovely little friendship came to an end on 1st April (ironically April Fool’s Day) 2008. So the Trident is just the Trident….
Ok, pushing technicalities to one side and onto my usual rambling stupidity! The first time I went stayed at the Trident was June 2003…. And I was not best pleased. I mean, up until then my loving company used to book me ’nice’ places like the Sheraton, the Taj and Le Royal Meridien… so fer cryin’ out loud why this place!!! But… I swallowed my pride stopped throwing tantrums in the office back in the UK and accepted that this was the ’new home from home.’ First off, and this is the big downside of the hotel, is the location… ok, the hotel boasts 6000 acres or so of lush tropical gardens (I exaggerate here!) but in all reality it’s the location that is the main issue! It’s plonked smack bang opposite Anna Madras airport take-off runway, on the busy GST road between two petrol stations. Sounds idyllic doesn’t it? That first time was most disappointing for me… I glumly travelled from the Airport up that busy road to some transient hotel miles from the centre of town (the other issue!). I was, however, pleasantly surprised that they hadn’t sent an auto-rickshaw to pick me up (I was half expecting it!). On that first trip I quickly realised that the hotel facilities were competing with a maximum security prison… a gymnasium that was dusty, rusty and shut by 7pm (the time I usually got back from work), complimentary breakfast was exactly that, you were paying the hotel a compliment by eating there, the ambiance was cold, lonely, depressing…. (HELP!) and the Arcot Bar was like the Last Chance Saloon on the gates of lonely hearts’ hell! I’ll explain… yours truly likes hustle, bustle, a bit of noise and friendliness… this bar was empty apart from the damned souls of lost business persons and an unsmiling bartender. So every night was spent thumbing down taxi’s and rickshaws to get me into the centre of Chennai (but Chennai being Chennai meant that most places were empty during the week in 2003). Apart from the suspiciously milky coloured swimming pool there was one saving grace at the Hilton Trident… the rooms! The rooms were really nice, pale beech tiled floors with Persian rugs, comfy beds, nice big TV, great bathrooms and comfy furniture AND thankfully well sound proofed (not only to muffle the screams of my poor victims but also helped with the proximity of Anna Madras’s take-off runway).
So… imagine my excitement, eagerness, joy etc when I was told to return to Chennai earlier this year (2008). I was ecstatic. My colleagues couldn’t hold me down to administer the valium! But off I went… The flights went well from Melbourne to Singapore to Chennai, Indian Customs and Excise remembered their love for me and got me through the airport in less than 20 minutes and I was outside looking for my pick-up in no time… 10:30pm…. check the watch! It’s Chennai! The Arcot bar will be closed by 11:00pm You know what? They’d forgotten me! Me of all people! The Patron Saint of Chennai was forgotten! I had to grab somebody else’s’ Hotel driver, kidnap them and get them to take me to the Trident Hilton. And that is where all the things that could go wrong stopped! I had nothing more to complain about… sad? Just a little bit!
But the Hotel was changed….. Staff that smiled and cared (brings a tear to my eye just to think about them..), they were attentive, they were polite, they soon learnt not to call me ’sir’ (I hate that formality with a passion), the bar staff were fun guys… the bar was busier (more people), the restaurant was refurbished, the breakfast was the best I’d had in many-a hotel, the swimming pool was clear and the gym was being refurbished too and had moved a to a temporary position in a ground floor room (poor souls that had to sleep either side of that because it now closed at 10:00pm). Not only that but the guys actually touched my cold heart and remembered my birthday!!! I had a cake sent to my room for my 36th on Saturday 1st March 2008 (I got another cake at Le Royal Meridien too, that night). That actually meant a lot because I was away from home and family but these guys really showed they cared (either about me or my future patronage).
The other thing was Jaspreet Singh, the Trident’s Sales Director got friendly with me and we talked about the future of the Trident, his dreams and aspirations for the place, he has some big plans for the future and was actively engaging customers for their thoughts. Good guy! As I was on the Executive floor I had access to the Executive lounge each day and enjoyed the finger food their and free drinks during happy hour ;), again a happy surprise was the Indian wine it’s much better than 5 years ago and Surya Wine (I’m sure was named after my nickname) was great stuff, especially the white. We also had a cocktail evening which was a nice surprise and I was actually called in my room to remind me. It was a great chance to meet other guests and get to know people…. So I’m severely disappointed! The Trident in 2008 has denied me my God given right to complain because they were so good.
…..but then there’s that location thing, it’s still so close to the airport and so far away from town and I admit it, by 8pm my party animal instincts got me thumbing down rickshaws and out discovering new places in Chennai (more in reviews I have yet to write). But Maneet, on reception, assured me that by the time I return to the Trident later this year they will have moved the whole hotel (every last brick) into town to keep me happy!!