ITC Mughal – Agra, India (Marriott Luxury Collection): Bottom Line Review

Agra is on pretty much every India traveler’s itinerary due to it being the location of the most famous mausoleum in the world: the Taj Mahal. My wife and I stopped through as part of three-week trip through India in Spring of 2024. ITC is an Indian luxury hotel group that has 100+ properties and a franchise agreement to operate most of them as part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection. I’d never had any experience with the brand before, so we decided to make the ITC Mughal our base while exploring Agra and the surrounding area.

ITC Mughal Agra Bottom Line Review

The ITC Mughal provides quite a night time entrance through a long, marble outdoor corridor, framed with fountains and leading up to a a faux gold-plated door. The property lives up to that entrance: it’s huge, with massive grounds that include numerous gardens and fountains, soccer and tennis courts and an observation tower with a view of the Taj Mahal. Like its red-brick exterior, it can feel a little dated and sterile at times, but it’s a comfortable, well-operated facility that serves as a great base for exploring the Agra area. Oh, and there’s monkeys everywhere. Thumbs Up

• Price: We paid ~19,000 Marriott Bonvoy points/night. Cash prices were ~$225/night during our stay. Seasonal pricing varies, but I didn’t see any dates that were over 22-23K.
• Value: When we were there the value was very good at over 1.1 cents per point (we value the average redemption of Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each).
• Location: The hotel is a little over 1 mile from the Taj, which you can actually see from the hotel via an on-property viewpoint tower. It’s located right on Fatehabad Road, one of the main thoroughfares through the Agra. Because of that, as well as its proximity to the Taj and the tourist area of Taj Ganj, there’s plenty of places to eat and shop within nearby walking distance or a short tuk-tuk.
• Room: We booked a standard king room and were proactively upgraded to a ~750sq ft Royal Mughal Suite. The decor was indeed regal, if a bit dated, and there was plenty of room to relax. The furnishings and bed were extremely comfortable and, perhaps most importantly, it was refreshingly cool during several 105+ degree Agra days.
• Parking: Complimentary on-site valet parking.
• Resort/Destination Fee: None.
• Internet: Very good throughout the property.
• Service: Excellent, if a bit over the top in that typically Indian way of always having extra people standing at hand, ready to help. Our upgrade was proactive, we received plenty of help with maximizing our trip and everyone we came across was unfailingly friendly. The restaurant staff for breakfast were the only ones that seemed a bit frazzled at times.
• Turndown service: Nightly, with treats and bottled-water refills.
• Dining:

  • Peshawri: High-end Indian restaurant open daily for dinner from 7:00pm – 11:30pm and for brunch on Sundays from 12:30pm – 2:30pm.

  • Taj Bano: Cavernous buffet restaurant located below the first floor and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is where the elite breakfast is served. Open daily for breakfast from 6:30am – 10:30am, for lunch from 12:30pm – 2:30pm and dinner from 7:00pm – 10:30pm.

  • Mughal Pavilion: All-day multi-cuisine restaurant. Open daily from 6:30am -11:30pm.
  • MAIKHANA: Stylish lounge bar located just past the lobby. Serves cocktails and meals. Open daily from 11:30am -11:30pm.

• Spa: There is an on-site spa that is available for appointments from 8am-10pm and which offers the usual array of treatments.
• Fitness Room: There’s a sizeable fitness area next to the spa with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooks ponds and gardens (and some monkey families that seem to find the exercising humans inside a little curious). It’s got enough cardio and weight equipment to do a gym-like workout as well as a sauna and steam rooms.
• Marriott Titanium Benefits: 
  • Room Upgrade: We booked a standard room and were proactively upgraded to a  roomy Royal Mughal Suite.
  • Free Breakfast: There is a good breakfast buffet served daily at Taj Bano Restaurant. It included Indian, Western and Asian dishes, with plenty of made-to-order options and an on-site chaiwala that could make your tea as spicy or sweet as you wanted.
  • Club Lounge: The club lounge was under construction while were there, so the hotel was using a lounge/event space next to Taj Bano instead. It was a little kitschy, with Indian pop songs played over bad speakers and lots of mirrors which made the space feel more like karaoke lounge. But there was also a complimentary full bar and a selection of 3-5 ok-ish hot appetizers that rotated daily.
  • Late Checkout: We were automatically given a 4pm checkout.
  • Welcome Amenity: A plate of Indian sweets.
• Would I stay again?  Sure. It’s a massive property that can feel a bit sterile, but it’s well maintained and located, with a ton of of facilities and recreation options. As an award stay, it’s a great place for the price.

Pros

• Park-like grounds with lots of places for outdoor recreation.
• Feels like a calmer oasis from the throng of Agra
• Service is warm and attentive
• Usually a good points value
• Excellent elite recognition
• On-site monkeys will be charming for some, irritating for others

Cons

• A bit dated and sterile in places
• On-site monkeys will be charming for some, irritating for others
• Pools and restaurants can get packed during busy times

Image Gallery

ITC Mughal Royal Mughal Suite

ITC Mughal Restaurants

Taj Bano (elite breakfast)

Maikhana Bar

Club Lounge

ITC Mughal Grounds

Monkeys

View from Observation Tower

ITC Mughal Pool Areas

ITC Mughal Fitness Area

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