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Splurge on India's ultra luxury hotels
Just when you thought there were no new places to spend $700 a night
 | Situated on the banks of Lake Pichola, the 87 rooms of the Oberoi Udaivilas boast private walled courtyards, silken parasols, marble baths, inlaid furniture and Rajput decorations. The hotel overlooks the historic City Palace, and the spa building has lake views and a range of Ayurvedic treatments like a Shirodhara, or "third eye," massage. |
Courtesy of Oberoi Hotels |
India has morphed from a cheap travel destination into a chief player in the global luxury hotel market.
India has always been known for its rich history, majestic palaces and thousands of temples. In the last decade, the country has also established itself as an economic powerhouse and as the hotbed of outsourcing. Today, the world's second most-populous nation is becoming famous for another reason altogether: its luxury hotels.
"It wasn't until five or six years ago that India started offering really upscale hotels," says Pallavi Shah, owner of Our Personal Guest, a New York City luxury travel consultancy that has been planning trips to the country since 1989. "Many of the supposedly five-star hotels were in converted palaces that were aesthetically beautiful, but they just didn't meet international standards of luxury."
Except for a few classics such as the Taj Mahal Hotel & Towers in Mumbai and the Imperial in New Delhi, Shah says that 10 years ago, travelers staying in the best hotels India had could likely expect unpolished service, minimal amenities, such as coarse towels in the bathrooms, and a slightly musty smell.
The landscape changed when the Oberoi Group, an Indian hotel company, opened Rajvilas in Jaipur. Set among 32 acres of gardens and reflecting pools, the property's 54 rooms are set around courtyards and have four-poster beds and sunken white Italian marble bathtubs looking into their own walled ornamental gardens. The hotel also has a spa with an extensive menu of holistic and Western treatments and refined, doting service to match its lavish surroundings.
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Today, the rate for a basic room at these properties is nearly $700 a night.
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Courtesy of Oberoi Hotels Views of the Taj Mahal are clear from every window of the Oberoi Amarvilas that features Moghul architecture, terraced gardens, pavilions, fountains and several reflection pools. The 103 rooms are decorated in rich colors like deep purples, oranges and yellows, and have oversize marble baths with soaking tubs. The 57 premier rooms also have terraces. The service is so attentive here that you'll be distraught to leave. |
The newest entrant to the luxury-hotel market in India is the Four Seasons in Mumbai, which is set to open later this year. It's located in Worli, the city's financial center, and is targeted to the increasing number of business travelers frequenting the city. It occupies a 33-story glass tower and has 202 rooms which overlook the Arabian Sea and have high-speed Internet.
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While the country still has its share of dirt-cheap accommodations that it was once famous for and that run as little as $5 a night, rates for these hotels start at $400 a night and run into the thousands of dollars.
But their lavish amenities and plush settings can easily justify the splurge.
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