Roopkala Delux Hotel

Paharganj is a crazy place, as anyone who has been to Delhi knows. We are right on Arakashan Road. If you walk out the door, you are hit with all the smells and sounds of the city immediately. Our hotel, Roopkala Delux, is one of many on this street, but we’ve been here long enough to know the rhythm of the place. It’s an old building, so the pipes sometimes make noise and the stairs are a bit narrow for big bags. We spend a lot of our day just managing the arrivals and departures of guests. Since we’re so close to the station, people are always coming in at odd hours, like three in the morning or right at dawn. We don’t have a fancy lobby with marble everywhere. It’s just a desk and some chairs where you can wait for your room. The rooms are basic. We provide clean sheets and make sure the fans are working properly. In the summers, the heat in Paharganj is something else, so we stay busy checking the coolers and water. It’s a lot of work to keep an old place running in such a crowded area. We don't really have a big staff, just a few guys who help with the luggage and the cleaning chores. It’s a very hands-on kind of life here on Arakashan Road and it never stops.