Shiv Niwas Palace

 

Shiv Niwas Palace is a former residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, Rajasthan, located on the banks of Lake Pichola. Located to the south side of and part of the City Palace complex, work on this building was begun by Maharana Sajjan Shambhu Singh (1874 to 1884) and finished by his successor Maharana Fateh Singh at the beginning of the 20th century as a royal guesthouse.
During its time as a guesthouse it hosted a number of royal gatherings and VIP visits from all over the world, including George V of the United Kingdom, in 1905 and Edward the Prince of Wales.
By the time that Bhagwat Singh succeeded to the throne of Mewar in 1955 it was becoming increasing difficult for the royal family to afford the cost of maintaining the large numbers of royal residences that they owned, and in particular the city palace. Following his success in converting the Lake Palace into an income generating hotel he decided to also convert the Shiv Niwas and the smaller Fateh Prakash Palace into luxury heritage hotels. After a 4 year long period of conversion the Shiv Niwas opened as a hotel in 1982.
The 3 levels of the palace are arranged in a semicircular arc around an internal courtyard in the middle of which is a marble pool. Balconies and rooftop terraces opening off different rooms enjoy views to the south of the gardens laid below the dam wall of Lake Pichola; while to the west the island resorts of Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace. The building is of ancient Rajput architectural styles. The interior features ivory and mother-of-pearl inlay work, glass mosaics and frescoes, many of them produced by Khaja Ustadh and Kundan Lal, who the Maharana had sent to England; to learn the art of glass-mosaic design and to study fresco painting.
Since its conversion into a hotel it has played host to among others Queen Elizabeth II, the King of Nepal, the Shah of Iran, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
The hotel is run by the HRH Group of Hotels, itself owned by the current Maharana.
The palace was featured in the James Bond movie Octopussy.
When first built the palace only had 9 suites, all on the ground floor. During its conversion into a hotel 8 apartments were added in a new second storey so that the hotel now contains a total of 31 guest rooms consisting of:

• 14 deluxe rooms.
• 8 terrace suites.
• 3 royal suites.
• 2 imperial suites.

rajasthan hotels

Chokhi Dhani

Chokhi Dhani Village, situated in the outskirts of Jaipur, is a representation of the culture, traditions and lifestyle of village life in Rajasthan. Chokhi Dhani village consists of a five-star ethnic village theme resort with 100 (cottages, royal cottages and haveli suites) and it has multicuisine restaurants, banquet halls, spa, barbeque and sheesha (Hukkah)lounge and many more themes.
Still the most popular of th all themes is the village fair which encapsulates the actual feeling of the rural life and cultural richness of rajasthan, a state known for its cultural and historical richness.
Developed in 1989 for the first time, it is now spread over 22 acres (89,000 m²) of land and has evolved as one of the most popular tourist attraction in Jaipur.


Location -
12 Miles, Tonk Road, Via Vatika, Jaipur - 303 905, INDIA

Lake Palace

Lake Palace (formerly known as Jag Niwas) is a luxury hotel, of 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls, located on a natural foundation of 4 acres (16,000 m²) rock on the Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India. The hotel operates a boat which transports guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City Palace. It has been voted as the most romantic hotel in India.

History

It was built in 1743- 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace and was initially called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder. The Maharana, ruler of Jaipur from 1628 to 1654, was very friendly with Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and encouraged his craftsmen to copy some of the glories of his incomparable buildings at Agra. The palace was constructed facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to the Sun god at the crack of dawn. The successive rulers used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens

Relation of the palace to the city of Udaipur Panorama from Jag Mandir Island

The upper room of the palace is a perfect circle and is about 21 feet (6.4 m) in diameter. Its floor is inlaid with black and white marbles, the walls are ornamented with niches and decorated with arabesques of different coloured stones in the same style as the Taj at Agra, though the patterns are Hindu and dome is exquisitely beautiful in form. A room built of 12 enormous slabs of marble, Shah Jahan’s throne sculptured from a single block of serpentine and the little mosque dedicated to Kapuria Baba, a Muhammedan Saint, are other objects of interest on the island.
During the famous Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 several European families fled from Nimach and used the island as an asylum, offered to them by Maharana Swaroop Singh. In order to protect his guests the Rana destroyed all the town’s boats so that the rebels could not reach the island^].

Rambagh Palace

The Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan is the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur and now a luxury Taj Palace Hotel, located 5 miles (8.0 km) outside of the walls of the city of Jaipur on Bhawani Singh Road. Preferred by celebrities and sport stars across the globe, Rambagh Palace, is widely considered to be one of the best hotels around the world

History

The first building on the site was a garden house built in 1835 for the wet nurse of prince Ram Singh II. In 1887, during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh, it was converted into a modest royal hunting lodge, as the house was located in the midst of a thick forest at that time. In the early 20th century, it was expanded into a palace to the designs of Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. Maharajah Sawai Man Singh II made Rambagh his principal residence and added a number of royal suites in 1931. After India became independent and the princely states united, the Palace became the Government House. By the 1950s, the royal family felt that the upkeep of the palace and its 47 acres (190,000 m²) of gardens was becoming very costly. They, therefore, decided in 1957to convert it into a luxury hotel.

Awards and recognition

• Sep 2009 it was rated as the best hotel in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine

Falaknuma Palace

Falaknuma Palace is one of the finest palaces in Hyderabad, India belonging to the Paigahs but later owned by the Nizams. It is located on a 32 acre, 19400 square meters area. It is located in Falaknuma, 5 km. from Charminar was built by Nawab Vikar-ul-Umra, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad ( He was also Uncle and Brother in law of H.H. The Nizam VI,Nawab Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Bahadur). Falak-numa literally means "Like the Sky" or "Mirror of the Sky" in Urdu.

The Palace

One of the highlight's of the palace is the state reception room, whose ceiling is decorated with frescoes and gilded relief's. The ballroom contains a two-ton manually operated organ said to be the only one of its kind in the world.
The palace has as many as 220 lavishly decorated rooms and 22 spacious halls. It has some of the finest treasures collections of the Nizam. Falaknuma houses a large collection of rare treasures including paintings, statues, furniture, manuscripts and books.
The Jade collection of the Palace is considered to be unique in the world.
The famed dining hall of the palace could seat 100 guests on its dining table. The furniture was very aesthetic. The chairs were made of carved rosewood with green leather upholstery. The tableware was made of gold and crystal to which fluted music was added.
The palace has a library with a walnut carved roof, a replica of the one at Windsor Castle. The library had one of the finest collections of the Quran in India.
The ground floor of the palace housed the living quarters. A marbled staircase leads to the upper floor. It has carved balustrades, which supports marble figurines with candelabra at intervals.
On the walls of the landing are excellent oil paintings of (1) H.H The Nizam VI, Nawab Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan Bahadur (2) H.E The Shams ul Umra II, Amir e Kabir I, Amir e Paigah II, Prime Minister of Hyderabad(Grand Father of Sir Vicar ul Umra)(3) Nawab Shams ul Umra IV, Amir e Kabir III, Amir e Paigah,Nawab Rahiduddin Khan Bahadur (Father of Sir Vicar ul Umra)(4) H.E Nawab Mohammed Fazaluddin Khan,Iqbal ud Dowla, Sir Vicar ul Umra Bahadur (Vikar Ul Oomra,"VO"), Amir e Paigah(1881- 1902) Prime Minister of Hyderanad (1893-1901) (5) Nawab Sultan ul Mulk Bahadur, Amir e Paigah 1902-1949(Eldest son of Sir Vicar ul Umra Bahadur)(6) H.E Nawab Sir Salar Jung I Prime minister of Hyderabad 1853-1883 (7) Maharaja Narain Pershad Narainder Bahadur Raja e Rajayan, Peshkar and photographs of notable personages forming a very interesting historical picture gallery which adds greatly to the imposing effect of the staircase.
The Falaknuma palace has other unique things to its credit. It includes the largest collection of Venetian chandeliers. It is said that it took six months to clean a 138-arm Osler chandelier and the palace has 40 such chandeliers adorning the halls.
The telephone and electrical system was introduced in 1883 by Osler and the palace has one of the largest electrical switchboards in India.
Since the palace was the private property of the Nizam family until recently, visitors weren't allowed. Occasionally, however, the venue is opened for public

Devigarh

Devi Garh Palace
Location	Delwara, Udaipur, Rajasthan
Opening date	2000
Owner	Lekha Poddar, Anupam Poddar
Website	http://www.deviresorts.com/

Devi Garh Palace is a heritage hotel and resort, built in the 18th century Devi Garh palace in the village of Delwara, nestled in the Aravalli hills, 28 km northeast of Udaipur, Rajasthan and forms one of the three main passes into the valley of Udaipur
Today, it is one of India's leading luxury hotels , and Frommer's Review, while calling it "the best hotel on the subcontinent", stated that "Devi Garh is more than beautiful, it is inspiring." . In 2008, it was featured in Lifestyle Channel Discovery Travel and Living series, 'Dream Hotels' spread over five continents, other two Indian hotels that made it to the list of 55, were Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, and Rambagh Palace, Jaipur

Chapslee Estate

Chapslee Estate is a small locality adjacent to the Lakkar Bazaar in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The estate houses the erstwhile Secretary's Lodge which is now a heritage hotel run by the Maharaja of Kapurthala

History

Chapslee is one of the oldest estates to have been built in Shimla in between 1828 and 1835. It was built by Dr. Blake, a surgeon in the service of the British East India Company.
Lord Auckland, Governor General of the East India Company Territories, was a resident of the adjoining Auckland House. Finding the accommodation insufficient, he took this property first on rent and later purchased it in 1836, to house his private & Military Secretaries, ‘Aides De Camps’ (ADC’s) and named it ‘Secretary’s Lodge’

First Anglo-Afghan War

In June 1838, a tripartite treaty between the Government of India, Ranjit Singh and Shah Shuja was signed for the latter's restoration. Following this, Lord Auckland issued the Simla Manifesto announcing the intention of the Government of India to restore Shah Shuja to the throne of Afghanistan.
The ‘Simlah Manifesto’, declaring the first war with Afghanistan, was issued from ‘Secretary’s Lodge’ on 1 October, 1838. Lord Ellenborough, who succeeded Lord Auckland as Governor General acknowledged the failure of Lord Auckland’s policy in Afghanistan. On 1 October 1842, the same day four years after the issue of the Simla Manifesto, the Government proclaimed its altered intentions.
Lord Hardinge, who succeeded Lord Ellenborough as Governor General, continued to use Secretary’s Lodge as the Government Secretariat. General Peter Innes of the Bengal Army purchased Secretary’s Lodge in 1848 and changed its name to Chapslee. General Innes sold the house in 1870 and, thereafter, it changed hands every few years and served as the residence of famous persons, including Sir Courtenay Ilbert, General Pemberton, General Sir C. E. Nairne, Surgeon-General Bradshaw, Surgeon-General Cleghorn and so on.
Sir Arthur Milford Ker, manager of the Alliance Bank, eventually purchased it in 1896, and improved its looks to the way it stands today. He not only retained the original structure but enlarged it significantly.
Raja Charanjit Singh of Kapurthala purchased the estate after the demise of Sir Arthur Ker. He converted it to his summer residence and refurnished the interiors. Raja Charanjit Singh died in 1970.
Kanwar Ratanjit Singh, the grandson of the Late Raja Charanjit Singh of Kapurthala, is the present owner. He started a School known as ‘Chapslee School’ on the premises in 1973 and converted the estate to a hotel in 1976. Chapslee was one of the first ‘heritage hotels’ in India.
Parts of the estate were sold to different people in the 1970s post the land ceiling act imposed by the Government of India.
In keeping with the rule of restricted roads in Shimla, only vehicles with special permit are allowed to ply through the estate road.
The estate is en route to Longwood, a residential locality of Shimla

The Cecil

The Cecil is a historic luxury hotel located in the hill station Shimla, India. It was established in 1884 by the British. The address is at Chaura Maidan. It was purchased by one of its employees, Mohan Singh Oberoi, who later founded the Oberoi Hotels group, which presently owns and operates by the property

History

The Cecil had quite modest beginnings in 1883 as a one storied house, the Tendril Cottage with its famed inhabitant- Rudyard Kipling. It is claimed that Rudyard Kipling frequented the house where he wrote his novels, including “Plain tales from the Hills”, inspired by Shimla.
Mohan Singh Oberoi arrived in Shimla in 1922, when after numerous owners the Cecil was bring run by John Faletti. Thus began an enduring legacy. Mohan Singh Oberoi quickly rose up the ranks and formed a strong relationship with the new manager Mr. Ernest Clarke.
Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi acquired the Cecil as a part of the acquisition of the Associated Hotels of India in 1944. Soon, The Cecil became the address that every one wanted to be seen at. The famous Balls and Floor shows and Lola, the dancer added to the charm of the hotel.
The hotel was closed in 1984 for extensive renovation and refurbishment and was reopened in 1997, restored to a style befitting its past glory, worthy of the Oberoi’s present

Bungalow on the Beach

Bungalow on the Beach, Neemrana Hotels, in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu

The Bungalow on the Beach is a 18th century Danish colonial house which has belonged to Governor of Danish India, who was styled Opperhoved, and after their exit in 1845, to the British administrator of the colony. Built in 18th century, opposite the Fort Dansborg, by the Danish East India Company in what was once a pepper trading post of Tranquebar, now known as Tharangambadi, in Tamil Nadu, India. Tranquebar is a Danish term and came from the native Tamil word Tarangambadi, meaning 'place of the singing waves'.
also runs two more heritage hotel in the town , Gate House and Nayak House

 

History

Fort Dansborg at Tranquebar, built by Danish Admiral Ove Gedde, in 1620.

Founded in 1616, following a privilege of Danish King Christian IV, the Danish East India Company, set up its base in Tranquebar, in the fort Dansborg, which was the seat of its Governor of Danish India, styled Opperhoved. Here Ove Gjedde, a Danish admiral arrived in 1620. He was given territory by the Nayak ruler of Tanjore. The Dannish, then settled there so as to export pepper to Denmark. They remained there until 1845, when after suffering heavy losses, the colony of Tranquebar was sold to British Raj, thereafter the house became the residence of the British administrator of the colony.In 2000, the Bungalow was bought by heritage hotel company, Neemrana Hotels, which after a two years of extensive restoration, the hotel opened on Christmas Eve in 2004, though the next day, Indian Ocean tsunami seriously damage it, and another three months of restoration was required thereafter

Bolgatty Palace

The Bolgatty Palace today, is a heritage hotel managed by the KTDC

Built by the Dutch in India, Bolgatty Palace is located on the island popularly known as Bolgatty Island in Kochi, Kerala. One of the oldest existing Dutch palaces outside Holland, this quaint mansion, built in 1744, by Dutch traders, was later extended and gardens were landscaped around it. The building was then the Governor's palace for the Dutch and later in 1909 was leased to the British. It served as the home of the British Governors, being the seat of the British Resident of Cochin during the British regime. In 1947, when India obtained independence, the palace became the property of the state and was later converted into a heritage hotel resort. Bolgatty Palace now has a swimming pool, 9-hole golf course, ayurvedic centre and daily Kathakali performances and is a holiday destination for Indian and overseas tourists. There is in a temple dedicated to Shiva that is the first of its kind in Kerala

                                   

Arki Fort

Arki fort is located at Arki, India town in Himachal Pradesh .
The Arki Fort was built between 1695 - 1700 by Rana Prithvi Singh, a descendent of Sabha Chand. The Fort was captured by the Gurkhas in 1806. Rana Jagat Singh, the ruler of Baghal had to take refuge in Nalagarh. During this period from 1806 - 1815, the Gurkha General Amar Singh Thapa used Arki as his stronghold to make further advances into Himachal Pradesh as far as Kangra. Arki was the capital of the princely hill state of Baghal, which was founded by Rana Ajai Dev, a Panwar Rajput. The state was founded around 1643 and Arki was declared as its capital by Rana Sabha Chand in 1650

Ginger Hotels

Ginger is Indian hotel chain established by Roots Corporation Limited, and part of the Tata Group, a new brand under a category called "Smart Basics Hotels". The first hotel was opened in Whitefield, Bangalore in June, 2004. Roots Corporation Limited is a fully owned subsidiary of The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). IHCL, part of the Tata Group is India’s largest hotel chain with more than 70 properties in India and abroad and over 100 years' presence in India’s hospitality sector.
The guiding principle behind Ginger’s concept is the focus on key facilities that meet the key needs of the traveler

Ginger Hotels Locations

Ginger currently has hotels in Agartala, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Delhi(Yatri niwas), New Delhi Vivek Vihar, Durg, Goa, Guwahati, Haridwar, Indore, Jamshedpur, Ludhiana, Manesar, Mangalore, Mysore, Nashik, Pantnagar, Pune Pimpri & Wakad, Pondicherry, Surat, Trivandrum, Vadodara,
Upcoming locations: Amritsar, Bangalore (Koramangala), Faridabad, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Navi Mumbai (Airoli), Noida, Greater Noida, Tirupur

The Residency Group of Hotels

The Residency Group of Hotels is a hotel chain in southern India. The groups parent company is the Chennai-based Appaswamy Real Estates, which was founded in 1960 by S.Appaswamy. The group currently operates six hotels in five locations with a total of 520 rooms. The Residency Group of Hotels currently comprises six properties in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengalure, Puducherry and Karur. The hotels are strategically priced and cater to the needs of the business traveler. Each hotel is centrally located. The distinguishing factor of the chain is its food and beverage operations, and its restaurants are popular in the respective cities.
“The Residency Towers is a 4 star luxury hotel in Chennai. “The Residency Chennai, is a business hotel. “The Residency Coimbatore. “The Richmond Bengalure, is a boutique hotel. “The Residency Karur. “The Richmond Puducherry, is a boutique hotel located in the French town close to the Ashram and beach

chola hotel chennai

The Grand Chola in Chennai is the first seven star hotel in India. This superior luxury hotel is still under construction and is expected to be open by 2011.
ITC Grand Chola is a 600-deluxe-room Seven Star hotel that would offer 100 service high end apartments, 958,000-square-foot (89,000 m²) of built area, 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m²) of retail space and 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) of conference and exhibition facilities at Mount Road in Chennai. The proposed hotel will come up over a million square foot area in an eight-acre plot.
The proposed project, that would reflect the State's ethos through the use of temples and gopurams in the design of the hotel, is expected to open its doors to visitors in the fourth quarter of 2011. The hotel has been designed by the Singapore based SRSS architects.
Apart from rooms, the complex would also have a private multiplex capable of seating up to 100 guests and could be used as a venue for special viewing of films, documentaries or holding lectures. Similarly, in an effort to ensure that the service apartments cater to the needs of a larger cross section of local and international travellers, it would offer one, two and three bedroom set.
Commercial facilities include restaurants, a health spa, banquet space, an exhibition space and underground parking for 1,000-cars
The development of the hotel is being planned in such a manner that it could eventually become a one-stop shop for a variety of travellers including the large number of global companies that have already invested or were planning to invest in the State, industry analysts believe.
Although the hotel is not talking about its the pricing strategy as yet, officials say that the property would be priced in a manner that provides best value for money for all the services that are to be provided under one roof.

leela palace & resorts mumbai

Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts is an Indian luxury hotel chain based in Mumbai, currently with six deluxe hotels, located in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kovalam, Udaipur, Goa and Gurgaon. Owned by the Leela Group founded in 1957, named Leela, after the wife of its founder, C. P. Krishnan Nair, the Leela Hotels have marketing alliances with Germany based Kempinski Hotels; US-based Preferred Hotel Group and are members of Global Hotel Alliance based in Geneva, Switzerland

oberoi trident

The Oberoi and Trident are two brands of five star hotels operated and sometimes owned by the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts located in several cities in India and across the world. When located together in a single complex, they are collectively called Oberoi Trident.
The Oberoi Trident at Mumbai is located at Nariman Point and are separately known as The Oberoi Mumbai and Trident, Nariman Point. They are both owned and managed by the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts. The two hotels are separate buildings, but are connected by a passage.
The hotels were initially known as Oberoi Towers/Oberoi Sheraton. The hotel was named as the Hilton Towers during the marketing alliance between Hilton Hotels Corporation and the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts which lasted from 2004 until April 2008. In April 2008, the hotel was again renamed to Trident Towers

taj hotel resorts

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is a worldwide chain of hotels and resorts. The Indian Hotels Company Limited and its subsidiaries are collectively known as Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. A part of the Tata Group, one of India's largest business conglomerates, Taj Hotels Resort and Palaces own and operate 76 hotels, 7 palaces, 6 private islands and 12 resorts and spas, spanning 52 destinations in 12 countries across 5 continents and employ over 13000 people . Besides India, Taj Hotels Resort and Palaces are located in the United States of America, England, Africa, the Middle East, Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Australia
Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata, founder of the Tata Group, opened the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, the first Taj property, on December 16, 1903. He was inspired to open the grand luxury hotel after an incident involving racial discrimination at the Watson's Hotel in Mumbai, where he was refused entry as the hotel did not permit Indians. Hotels which accepted only European guests were common across British India. Jamsetji Tata traveled to London, Paris, Berlin and Düsseldorf to get the best materials and pieces of art, furniture and interior artifacts for his hotel. Due to its prime location, traditional architecture and massive size, this hotel soon gained the status of the most iconic hotel in India