As I wrote, Hotel Modern Lodge does not have television sets. Like the rooms at Ashok Guest House, the rooms at Hotel Modern Lodge do not have much. My room had two beds and a nightstand, just as at AGH. The beds had two, thin mattresses. The top ones were relatively new, but the bottom ones were old, dirty and ratty-looking. However, the room also had built-in shelves, with a mirror, which was an improvement.
Unlike AGH, though, there was no attached bathroom! The bathrooms were elsewhere, and I believe that there are three on each storey of the hotel. I was on the ground floor, where the door to one was disintegrating. There was a larger and nicer bathroom hidden away in the corner. However, the floor was somewhat heavily sloped so that when the floor was wet, it was very slippery. The other bathroom seemed to be very small, so I never looked into that one. All of the toilets, though, have Indian-style toilets. This is not only unsettling but also very unsettling for a hotel that caters to foreign tourists.
The room did have a switch for the light and for the fan but, as one reviewer wrote, there was no electrical outlet. This means that you have to be and stay in the lobby to charge mobiles, tablets, laptops, etc.
As another reviewer wrote, there was a dead cockroach in the room. On Sunday morning, I saw half-a-dozen or so dead or dying cockroaches on the lobby floor. Perhaps the employees had sprayed or placed poison the previous evening
Actually, I do not begrudge Indian hotels for having cockroaches (other than those named A.P. Singh) because they are endemic to all tropical places. I remember visiting the beautiful state of Hawaii and having a few large, flying cockroaches surrounding me. In Kolkata, I was eating some take-out chow mein when a similar cockroach landed in the box. However, if it has mice, rats and creatures that resembled moles--as Hotel Garib Nawaz has--then that would be horrible and disgusting. Fortunately, I saw none of them at Hotel Modern Lodge--although there were a couple of lizards, which Caroline hates.
The room appeared to be recently painted. However, it was painted in the way the rooms at the Fairlawn Hotel were painted; they were simply painted over. In other words, there seemed to be as much paint as there was wood to the doors. Moreover, the door to the side window seemed to be painted shut (or perhaps it was nailed shut. The doors to the front "windows" (which were actually screens) did appear to be new, however. This, though, was perhaps the only nice thing in the room. Moreover, the room seemed to be painted lackadaisically. There were numerous drips of red paint on the white paint. Painters in India do not seem to know about masking tape or other preventative measures in avoiding drip marks.
The rooms, however, had no locks! You were supposed to buy your own lock and keys. I suppose that this is good for your own security (as the employees can not enter your room while you are gone), but this ought to result in the lowering of room rates. There were also no wastebaskets in the rooms, although there were ashtrays on the tables in the lobby.
Another Google+ reviewer praised the receptionist, Raju. My wife and I have experienced nothing but trouble from him, however. My wife really wanted to stay there, and she frequently asked Raju to arrange a room for her, but he always said that the managers hated Indians and would never allow her. The day before I was to check in, we went to make final arrangements and saw the manager. He was very gracious and said that Caroline was more tan welcome as long as I stayed there as well. He never indicated any problems in this arrangement. We both concluded that Raju was a lying and conniving individual.
The next day, I checked in (on my own) and saw a different manager. He was somewhat rude and brusque.
In checking in, photocopies of my passport were needed. In my review of the Hyderabad hotel, Hotel Meridian Comfort Inn, I suggested that you have photocopies of your passport when checking in. In hindsight, though, this may not be needed as almost all hotels return the passport to you. It seems that it was only HMCI that was lackadaisical in returning the passport. At Hotel Modern Lodge, Raju wanted me to pay for the photocopies! I have never heard of nor encountered that before; I said that I had already paid for the room, which was sufficient, and refused to pay for the photocopies as well.
It seems that the employees are undesirable from top to bottom.
I will say, however, that they were quite kind to the cats on the premises, unlike the rumours that I have heard about the nearby Hotel Maria. I just wish that the employees of HML looked after their human guests just as nicely.
Finally, another reviewer wrote that HML was "good value for money at Rs 150 per month". If it was INR150 per month then it certainly would be a good value. However, I think that he meant that it is a good value at INR150 per day. That statement may or may not be correct. However, the room rate is now INR200 per day, so it is certainly not a good value now.
My suggestion would be any other very cheap hotel or, if you can afford it, one of the newer and more luxurious hotels coming up or--my favourite--the Fairlawn Hotel.
Unlike AGH, though, there was no attached bathroom! The bathrooms were elsewhere, and I believe that there are three on each storey of the hotel. I was on the ground floor, where the door to one was disintegrating. There was a larger and nicer bathroom hidden away in the corner. However, the floor was somewhat heavily sloped so that when the floor was wet, it was very slippery. The other bathroom seemed to be very small, so I never looked into that one. All of the toilets, though, have Indian-style toilets. This is not only unsettling but also very unsettling for a hotel that caters to foreign tourists.
The room did have a switch for the light and for the fan but, as one reviewer wrote, there was no electrical outlet. This means that you have to be and stay in the lobby to charge mobiles, tablets, laptops, etc.
As another reviewer wrote, there was a dead cockroach in the room. On Sunday morning, I saw half-a-dozen or so dead or dying cockroaches on the lobby floor. Perhaps the employees had sprayed or placed poison the previous evening
Actually, I do not begrudge Indian hotels for having cockroaches (other than those named A.P. Singh) because they are endemic to all tropical places. I remember visiting the beautiful state of Hawaii and having a few large, flying cockroaches surrounding me. In Kolkata, I was eating some take-out chow mein when a similar cockroach landed in the box. However, if it has mice, rats and creatures that resembled moles--as Hotel Garib Nawaz has--then that would be horrible and disgusting. Fortunately, I saw none of them at Hotel Modern Lodge--although there were a couple of lizards, which Caroline hates.
The room appeared to be recently painted. However, it was painted in the way the rooms at the Fairlawn Hotel were painted; they were simply painted over. In other words, there seemed to be as much paint as there was wood to the doors. Moreover, the door to the side window seemed to be painted shut (or perhaps it was nailed shut. The doors to the front "windows" (which were actually screens) did appear to be new, however. This, though, was perhaps the only nice thing in the room. Moreover, the room seemed to be painted lackadaisically. There were numerous drips of red paint on the white paint. Painters in India do not seem to know about masking tape or other preventative measures in avoiding drip marks.
The rooms, however, had no locks! You were supposed to buy your own lock and keys. I suppose that this is good for your own security (as the employees can not enter your room while you are gone), but this ought to result in the lowering of room rates. There were also no wastebaskets in the rooms, although there were ashtrays on the tables in the lobby.
Another Google+ reviewer praised the receptionist, Raju. My wife and I have experienced nothing but trouble from him, however. My wife really wanted to stay there, and she frequently asked Raju to arrange a room for her, but he always said that the managers hated Indians and would never allow her. The day before I was to check in, we went to make final arrangements and saw the manager. He was very gracious and said that Caroline was more tan welcome as long as I stayed there as well. He never indicated any problems in this arrangement. We both concluded that Raju was a lying and conniving individual.
The next day, I checked in (on my own) and saw a different manager. He was somewhat rude and brusque.
In checking in, photocopies of my passport were needed. In my review of the Hyderabad hotel, Hotel Meridian Comfort Inn, I suggested that you have photocopies of your passport when checking in. In hindsight, though, this may not be needed as almost all hotels return the passport to you. It seems that it was only HMCI that was lackadaisical in returning the passport. At Hotel Modern Lodge, Raju wanted me to pay for the photocopies! I have never heard of nor encountered that before; I said that I had already paid for the room, which was sufficient, and refused to pay for the photocopies as well.
It seems that the employees are undesirable from top to bottom.
I will say, however, that they were quite kind to the cats on the premises, unlike the rumours that I have heard about the nearby Hotel Maria. I just wish that the employees of HML looked after their human guests just as nicely.
Finally, another reviewer wrote that HML was "good value for money at Rs 150 per month". If it was INR150 per month then it certainly would be a good value. However, I think that he meant that it is a good value at INR150 per day. That statement may or may not be correct. However, the room rate is now INR200 per day, so it is certainly not a good value now.
My suggestion would be any other very cheap hotel or, if you can afford it, one of the newer and more luxurious hotels coming up or--my favourite--the Fairlawn Hotel.