HOTELS OF INDIA

Amanresorts Amanbagh, Alwar
Best Desert Retreat

This ultra-deluxe resort sits on the former site of the Maharajah of Alwar's hunting lodge and personal pleasure garden. Amanbagh means "peaceful garden" and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more tranquil spot than this soft-sandstone hotel surrounded by graceful palms, fragrant eucalyptus and frangipani trees and manicured jade green lawns.. The elegant "haveli-style" rooms are among the largest in the country.

Amanresorts owns and manages 24 small luxury resorts worldwide. Each Aman resort is singularly unique but all offer an experience for guests that is intimate and discreet, while providing the highest level of service. Certain elements characterise all Aman resorts – a beautiful natural location, outstanding facilities, exceptional service and a small number of rooms to ensure exclusivity and privacy. The décor of each Aman resort makes use of locally sourced materials, reflecting elements of the natural surroundings and the traditions of local cultures.

MORE ABOUT AMANRESORTS AMANBAGH

Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur
Best Place To Feel Like Royalty

Everything about this breathtaking property, from the arrival by boat on Lake Pichola and the views of the City Palace, will make you feel as regal as the peacock that wander the property. Many rooms boast private, walled courtyards with silken parasols and inlaid furniture, as well as private butler service. Upgrade to a suite with its own tented dining facility and infinity pool, or better yet, to the 2,650-square- foot Kohinoor Suite with its courtyard fountains, fireplaces and sauna in the master bedroom. Sorry, no throne.

Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra
Best Views Of The Taj Mahal

Views of the domed marble mausoleum are clear from practically every window of this property (including some bathrooms!). This hotel features Moghul architecture, terraced gardens and several reflection pools. The 103 rooms are decked out in rich purples, oranges and yellows.. Their marble bathrooms are stately with their imposing soaking tubs.

The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, operates 28 hotels and three cruisers in five countries under the luxury ‘Oberoi’ and five-star ‘Trident’ brands. The Group is also engaged in flight catering, airport restaurants, travel and tour services, car rentals, project management and corporate air charters.
Oberoi Hotels & Resorts are synonymous the world over with providing the right blend of service, luxury and quiet efficiency. Internationally recognised for all-round excellence and unparalleled levels of service, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts have received innumerable awards and accolades.

A distinctive feature of The Group’s hotels is their highly motivated and well trained staff that provides the kind of attentive, personalised and warm service that is rare today. The Group’s new luxury hotels have established a reputation for redefining the paradigm of luxury and excellence in service amongst leisure hotels around the world.

Trident hotels are five-star hotels that have established a reputation for excellence and are acknowledged for offering quality and value. These hotels combine state of the art facilities with dependable service in a caring environment, making them the ideal choice for business and leisure travellers. Presently there are nine Trident hotels in India located in Mumbai at Bandra Kurla and Nariman Point, Gurgaon (Delhi National Capital Region), Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Cochin, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur. The Oberoi Group also operates a Trident hotel in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

MORE ABOUT OBEROI

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai


Best Dining

Since it opened in 1903, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai has created its own unique history. From Maharajas and Princes to various Kings, Presidents, CEOs and entertainers, the Taj has played the perfect host, supportive of their every need.

Built in 1903, the hotel is an architectural marvel and brings together Moorish, Oriental and Florentine styles. Offering panoramic views of the Arabian Sea and the Gateway of India, the hotel is a gracious landmark of the city of Mumbai, showcasing contemporary Indian influences along with beautiful vaulted alabaster ceilings, onyx columns, graceful archways, hand-woven silk carpets, crystal chandeliers, a magnificent art collection, an eclectic collection of furniture, and a dramatic cantilever stairway.

Over the past century, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai has amassed a diverse collection of paintings and works of art and is a veritable showcase of artifacts and art of the era. From Belgian chandeliers to Goan Christian artifacts, the hotel incorporates a myriad of artistic styles and tastes.

Hotel History

The Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay was born out of Jamsetji N. Tata’s dream. Mr. Tata believed that Bombay (now Mumbai), the commercial capital of India, required a grand hotel, one that would enhance its reputation amongst the great cities of the world. Jamsetji N. Tata was the visionary founder of India’s premier business house – the Tata Group.

A New Addition

The 1970s saw the addition of the Tower block, which nearly doubled the Hotel’s room inventory and added to public areas and F&B outlets. With its arched balconies topped by a jagged diadem, the new wing stands in harmonious contrast to the Heritage building. The Tower wing was conceived by Melton Bekker, a renowned American architect.

The interiors of the Tower wing were conceived by Dale Keller, a Hong Kong based Swiss designer who ensured that an ‘Indian-ness’ manifested itself in the new building too with detailing like a relief panel in Udaipur style, Tanjore pillars in the Indian restaurant and the like.

In the late 1990s, the Tower wing received a makeover. Various areas were taken up for refurbishment. Rooms on the four top floors were modernized with cleaner lines, ergonomic furniture and modern communication facilities.

MORE ABOUT TAJ MAHAL PALACES & TOWER

The Four Seasons, Mumbai


Watermark

The first Four Seasons hotel opened on the first day of spring in 1961 on an unlikely downtown site in Toronto, Canada. It had taken over five years for Issy Sharp, still in his 20s, to convince backers of his vision. Yet, from the start, the 125-room motor hotel showed the hallmark of Four Seasons – a more personal style of service. “We opened our first hotel with a simple principle: treating every customer as a special guest.” Issy Sharp was both the developer and the builder of the hotel, with his original partners, Murray Koffler, Max Sharp, Eddie Creed and Fred Eisen.

Driving conditions in India can be a little daunting. At the Four Seasons, the newest entrant to the country's luxury-hotel market, a fleet of 20 BMW Series 7s is available for guests--not that they'll need to go far: The glass tower hotel (whose 202 rooms look straight at the Arabian sea) is conveniently located in Worli, the city's financial center, obviously targeted to the increasing number of business travelers flocking to Mumbai.

MORE ABOUT THE FOUR SEASONS

The Imperial, New Delhi
Best Common Spaces

Built in 1936, the landmark Imperial Hotel, with its parade of palm trees, glossy Italian marble floors, teak furnishings and high ceilings, will make you feel like you should have arrived on elephant, sword on hip. But don't worry; the spacious rooms--the Deco suites are particularly stunning--have all the modern conveniences. Ask the resident curator to guide you through the hotel's hanging collection of British art.

The Imperial is an ode to India’s independence from the British Raj and was built as a jewel in the crown of the outgoing rulers. The Imperial boasts a rich historical past with an awe-inspiring heritage and a truly international appeal.

The Imperial was built and run by S.B.S. Ranjit Singh, son of R.B.S. Narain Singh who was honoured by the British Government for his commendable work on 1911’s Coronation Durbar where New Delhi was declared the new Capital of India.

It was Lady Willingdon who gave the name ‘The Imperial’ to the Hotel and conferred the lion insignia upon the Hotel.

MOTE ABOUT THE IMPERIAL

The Leela Palace Kempinski, Bangalore
Best Business Hotel

Founded in 1957 by Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair, the Rs.450 crore Leela Group is engaged in the business of ready-made garments and luxury hotels and resorts.

Behind every institution lies the vision of an individual. In Capt. Nair’s case, this vision has flowered, given his unshakeable belief in India’s ability to compete with the best in the world as an equal. This belief, forged to a large extent during Capt. Nair’s early years as a freedom fighter in India’s fight for Independence, finds expression in each of the group’s endeavors.

It was in 1957 when Capt. Nair, after completing his stint in the army, set up a small industrial unit in suburban Mumbai. Inspired by the handloom weaving industry in Cannanore, Kerala, this was the Leela Scottish Lace Ltd., India’s first and only lace manufacturing plant.

With a commitment to excellence and innovation, Leela Lace Ltd. grew from a small beginning to become the first company to introduce the “Bleeding Madras” fabric and other handlooms such as Cheese Cloth and gauze fabric to the fasion capitals of the west, specifically the USA. Their runaway success was reflected in the magic words “Guaranteed to bleed”, which became the key to the popularity of India’s textile export.

In the early 70’s, the company launched its ready-made garments unit and is today, India’s premier export house. Since the 80’s, the client list of Leela Lace reads like the veritable who’s who of the American fashion industry : The Gap, Liz Claiborne, Polo Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, JC Penney, Macy’s, Van Heusen, Walmart…..

Mr. Dinesh Nair, the present Managing Director of Leela Lace Ltd., took over from his father Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair, in the early 80’s. After consolidating the the company’s position, he shifted his focus to the American woven sportswear market with a continuous emphasis on fast turnaround and big volumes. Rapid growth has been the result, and has made Leela Lace the largest garment exporter from India to the USA.

Today Leela Lace has 20 factories with state of the art equipment – 10 in Bangalore, 5 in Chennai and 5 in Mumbai, with an annual turnover of US$ 75 million. It is Leela Lace Ltd., the parent company, which is the promoter of Hotel Leelaventure Ltd.

MORE ABOUT THE LEELA PALACES KEMPINSKI

Devi Garh, Delwara Near Udaipur
Sexiest Design


Situated at the foot of the Devi Garh fort is the Delware village, which belonged to the kingdom of mewar unit 1947, as part of the feudal estate of the house of Delwara. The history of this region, known for its rich culture, chivalry, and martial valour, is also privy to a tradition of constructive and educational work.

As early as the 1920s, visionary leaders such as Dr. Mohan Singh Mehta addressed the problems of poverty and the need to create democratic values in society. One such organization born through the efforts of peaceful revolutionaries as Dr. Mehta is 'Seva Mandir' ,based in Udaipur. Today, Seva Mandir is working in around 600 village, situated in the vicinity of Devi Garh. Its work is focused on improving the education, livelihoods, health and status of women in deprived communities. It is also engaged in enabling people to cooperate with each other to solve the problems that affect them.

Delwara symbolizes the problems of modern day unplanned settlements. Pressures of a growing population and the lack of basic amenities are leading to a rapid deterioration in the living standards of the inhabitants. Infrastructure, such as regular water supply, adequate sanitation, and waste disposal systems are non existent-as are the means to proper health, livelihood, and education.

In 2004, Seva Mandir and the National Foundation for India (NFI), a Delhi-based philanthropic organization, came together to help improve the living conditions of Dewara's residents. In fact, Seva Mandir's association with village goes back many years-in 1988, It started a women's patchwork programme known as 'Sadhna' which aims to provide an alternative source of income to women. Thus, handicraft, which includes exquisite applique and embroidery work, was introduced to the women of Delwara.

MORE ABOUT DEVI GARH