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Woodville Palace, Shimla
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A rich architectural legacy is India’s greatest tourism asset and the many heritage hotels across the country are destinations in themselves. From a 14th century fort in Rajasthan to manor house near the Himalayas to a plantation villa in Kerala – these properties are as varied as the men who have had the vision and passion to convert each into hospitality ventures. At a time when international brands are introducing flagship luxury brands in the country, these centuries old properties continue to redefine the concept of luxury for the new age traveller.
“There is absolutely no doubt that old is gold and keeps getting dearer! India’s heritage hotels are unique, and they don’t have all too be extravagant and expressive,” says Aman Nath, co-founder and co-chairman, Neemrana Hotels. He points out that the Neemrana experience is very rooted and real, “We have no pretensions to being what we are not, we call them Neemrana ‘non- hotel’ Hotels, as none of the buildings you wake up in with us were built to be hotels. We have remodeled them to this purpose, keeping all the oddities and idiosyncrasies which make each heritage property unique.” The group properties include grander palaces like Morvi in Gujarat, Baradari in Patiala and the garden palaces of Tijara and The Pataudi Palace. Common hospitality practices like room service or television in individual rooms are usually avoided except in city hotels where business travellers come. Similarly, stereotypical receptions of guests (with tilak and a garland) are shunned. The 12-tiered Neemrana Fort-Palace in Alwar is built over six acres. Guests can discover the environs on foot or by camel cart, riding to the nearby villages. Neemrana’s hill-fort and 18th century step-well both lie at 500 metres. They can trek up or walk the sand dunes to descend nine storeys below the ground. This famine-relief project was once used as a caravanserai by tired travellers. “Such authenticity and involvement of local heritage and warmth of hospitality is missing in newly created star rated hotels which offer different advantages. Heritage hotels will always be more charismatic against them,” asserts Aman Nath.
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Joerg Drechsel
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Heritage hotels is part of the responsible tourism movement, which is based on sustainability, ecology and social responsibility. As the joint secretary of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association, Joerg Drechsel, creative director, Malabar Escapes is actively involved in the heritage hotels movement. He believes that sustainability comes naturally with heritage hotels as an existing building is given a new lease of life. Further, social responsibility means training and employing local people, which most of the heritage hoteliers do. “Ecology is difficult at times in an old building but with some sensible compromises you can achieve a lot. Malabar House has been the first hotel in India to be certified by Green Globe in 2003,” states Drechsel, adding that, while the overheads of running a heritage property are higher than running a hotel, which has been build for the purpose, however, what a heritage hotel offers its guest is a unique experience, a value that should compensate for the cost.
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Sunil Sikka
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A frontrunner in India’s heritage hotel business is WelcomHeritage with 40 hotels across 37 locations in 13 states. Based on the history, size and age of the building these hotels have been categorised into three sub –brands namely, Legends Hotels, Heritage Hotels and Nature Resorts. “Our hotels reflect an elegance of style and artistry which takes our guest for a visit to the bygone era of the Indian history. Most often our heritage hotels are sited conveniently in stunningly scenic locations which make it a unique experience to remember. Hence, these are class apart from the modern hotels,” states Sunil Sikka, head – marketing and business development, WelcomHeritage.
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| Kunal Singh Chawra |
HRH Group offers regal experiences in island-palaces, museums, galleries, car collections and luxury heritage hotels across Rajasthan. While Shiv Niwas Palace and FatehPrakash Palace in Udaipur and Gajner Palace, Gajner are classified Grand Heritage Palaces, the group also offers its guests Royal Retreats – properties that provide the heritage experience at lower rates. e.g Shikarbadi Hotel and Garden Hotel in Udaipur, The Aodhi in Kumbhalgarh, Gorbandh Palace in Jaisalmer and others. “Tourists these days, be they foreign or domestic, want to experience something special, to witness local distinctiveness, and connect with a historical past that standardised five-star hotels cannot offer. All hotels and resorts under the HRH Group have this. These were all at some point palaces and private residences of a royal family. No established luxury brand can ever create this from a new build, where every wall, every door, every stone has a story. Heritage hotels allow guests a chance to relive history and understand our evolution, be it cultural, socio-economic or political,” mentions Kunal Singh Chawra, general manager – sales, HRH Group of Hotels.
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| Deepa Misra Harris |
The Taj Group has four Grand Palaces under its luxury brand, namely Taj Lake Palace – Udaipur, Rambagh Palace – Jaipur, Taj Falaknuma Palace – Hyderabad and Umaid Bhavan Palace, Jodhpur. “These heritage properties provide world class facilities, a sense of the rich history of India and a true taste of culture. Luxury when it comes to heritage hotels is in the painstaking details which completely reconstruct the experience,” states Deepa Misra Harris, senior VP-Sales and Marketing, Taj Group of Hotels.
Unique experiences
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| Francis Wacziarg |
The range of heritage hotels in India is uniquely diversified. The properties offer experiences that reflect the distinctive cultural milieu of the region. It is the quintessential experiences that each heritage property offers that is the greatest draw for the guest. “The joy of old walls, of history’s story told from so close – compensate for some of the inconveniences of multi levels, stairways, distances,” states Francis Wacziarg, co-founder and co- chairman, Neemrana Hotels. He points out that Neemrana tries, with whatever minimal intervention possible, to make the 14th,15th,16th – or later centuries inhabitable. Older buildings were lived-in more spaciously, but with much lesser amenities.
WelcomHeritage focuses on the concept of ensuring a great holiday for its guests. According to Sikka guest will find an atmospheric, boutique experience, far removed from standardised resemblances – accommodation that combines a slice of heritage with modern amenities, an amalgamation of the local flavour in cuisine, the craft and the cultural vignettes. With hotels that range from a lodge in a wildlife forest reserve to a palace or haveli – each property has a secret to share, a story to tell.
Malabar Escapes offers a circuit of travel experiences that allow travellers to discover the variety of Kerala with the least possible road travel. “In fact most of our guests stay in more than one of our properties. We are therefore always looking at new experience to add to the portfolio. We believe that the essence lies in the multi-layer of experiences that we offer to our guests. Culture, heritage, design, people, culinary, spa, yoga,” states Drechsel. The target clientele is both domestic and international traveller – mostly from Europe with growing market from USA, Australia, Africa and Asia. Malabar Escapes is popular with FIT as well as small selected groups for culinary, yoga or cultural travel. There has been a growing request for family travel experiences as well.
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Umed Bhawan Palace, Kota
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Fateh Bagh Palace, Ranakpur
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One of the unique services of The Taj Grand Palaces is the ‘Historical Walk’. Harris explains that these have been designed to recreate palace life as it had been in the yesteryears and to give a sneak peak into the bygone eras of princes and Maharajas; the walk leads guests through the whims of princes, the romance of princesses and the impeccable pride and craft of royal artisans. “Palace butlers keep listeners enthralled with insights into the history of the palace and anecdotes of yesteryear’s maharajas,” she adds. The ‘Champagne Palace Walk’ at The Taj Falaknuma Palace starts at the hour of sunset but ends in an altogether different time in history. “The palace historian recounts astonishing legends and myths about a dynasty mired in romance and mystery, set in the fitting milieu of palaces, wealth and women,” reveals Harris. At Taj Lake Palace – Udaipur, the highlights include cultural show at Jhankar courtyard and the divine culinary offerings ‘Shahi Dastarkhan’ with Sufi instrumental music, traditional dance performances and extravagant fireworks in the background.
HRH Group believes in continuing with the traditions of the royal past yet making them contemporary and relevant for a global audience. An example of this can be seen in the transformation of Fateh Prakash Palace into the Fateh Prakash Palace Convention Centre in 2011. “During this transformation, we were very conscious of seamlessly blending the old with the new – whether it was the soft furnishings or the modern conference facilities, it had to retain the character of the past, while offering world-class amenities that conference delegates are comfortable with,” states Chawra.
Redefining luxury
Luxury, in its true sense, connotes different things to different people, but for every new age traveller a heritage property relives the grandoise of the past combined with modern essence of refined luxury. It is this charisma of the ambience, the local connectedness, the distinctive sensibilities that makes each heritage property iconic in its experiences. “The Grand Palaces of The Taj Group of hotels have welcomed dignitaries, iconic celebrities and illustrious guests from all over the world. In these extraordinary palaces, Taj has reinvented bespoke hospitality and redefined the luxury travel experience,” states Harris, pointing out that these palaces are now considered the most coveted and glamorous addresses for celebrity events and weddings.
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Aman Nath
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Heritage hotels offer the perfect blend of the old and the new, the past and the present, the ancient and the modern. Luxury at these hotels comes from the fusion of traditional and contemporary. “At HRH properties you will find maintained gardens, beautiful Indian architecture, and marbled swimming pools, along with full spa services. Huge air-conditioned suites are embellished with rich designs, stylish carpets and hand-painted wall elements. Allowing guests the luxury of living like royals is key to combining this experience with all the modern facilities that travellers today expect,” says Chawra. Interestingly, the Neemrana ‘non-hotel’ Hotel brand of hospitality hinges on providing real experiences. “With 700 million poor in India, luxury does not need to go on evolving and outdoing itself to more socially obnoxious standards. A discreet style is understood by the discerning – and that is what we try for. Not opulence, glitter, bling and crystal,” states Aman Nath. The company has worked concertedly towards creating another niche whereby the experiencing of history and its architectural treasures has now become a part of the Indian tourism repertoire. “Others ‘not of the manor born’ can join the process. That too from ruins – turning India’s waste into its assets. It is for this ‘experiential authenticity’ that the Neemrana ‘non-hotel’ Hotels have now come to be known,” adds Wacziarg.
Sikka acknowledges that heritage hotels provide experiences which are exclusive while being affordable thus provide extra value to its guests. “Needless to say, we try to focus on local cuisines of each area, apart from that each hotel room is well equipped with modern amenities including bathrooms and air conditioning,” he adds. The staff members are also continuously trained so as to enhance the service level and hence effective service is delivered to the guest. The effort is to make the stay a memorable experience for guests.
Marketing with a difference
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Neemrana Fort Palace, Rajasthan
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Marketing a heritage property is not the same as any other hotel, but many steps beyond. It is important for the target audience to feel a strong sense of curiosity and connection with the property. “At one level, marketing strategies are fairly generic, but the key to promoting and marketing heritage hotels is to highlight the ‘sense of belonging’ that we can offer to a traveller. When we are marketing HRH palace-hotels for conferences or regal weddings, we are marketing this equation of ‘connecting’ with our heritage. The experience that they will take away will remain in them for longer. We want our heritage to become a part of your life; as a guest when you walk into our properties,” asserts Chawra.
The marketing strategy of Welcomheritage is to focus on ‘unique experience’ holiday packages with attractive inclusions and highlights of the destination. The travellers are aware that that while planning their vacation they are upgrading their travel for a richer experience in a cultural and heritage environment. “Each WelcomHeritage Hotel has the blueprint of a great holiday all laid out for the travellers,” states Sikka.
Word-of-mouth publicity has worked well for the 29 properties of Neemrana. The internet and social media platform have also been leveraged well to create a forum for existing and potential guests. With benchmarks for heritage hotels constantly changing and being raised higher, the contribution of heritage tourism is expected to increase in the not so distant future. It is also important for the government to understand the huge assets these properties have come to represent. Besides tourism, the greatest contribution of the heritage hoteliers is their focused efforts of having salvaged from virtual ruins a segment of India’s architectural legacy and restoring these to former glory.
