Hotels - Rooms with a view
Drawing on a fine historical legacy and a wealth of traditions, homegrown brands are shaking up the luxury market.
OBEROI GROUP
From the truly unique to the irresistibly covetable, luxury is increasingly being defined as the celebration of the beautiful and timeless rather than mere indulgence lacquered with extravagance. Legendary hotelier P.R.S. Oberoi seems to concur: "We want to be the best and not the biggest." This may well sum up the grand total of the achievements of Oberoi Hotels and Resorts. Expansion, in exotic locales, seems to be the great leap forward for this brand, with three new hotels slated to open in the next six months.
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The Oberoi Sukhvilas Resort and Spa, an exquisite luxury spa resort in Chandigarh, is surrounded by over 8,000 acres of the Siswan forest at the foothills of the outer Himalayas. Harmonising the best of traditional elements of Indian architecture, aesthetically landscaped gardens and water features, the resort enjoys easy accessibility via Chandigarh, yet is hidden from view as it's in the middle of the forest.
The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah, Ajman, UAE, is a luxury eco-destination set on white sand beaches, azure lagoons and lush mangroves stretching languorously inside 247 acres of protected forest. On offer are a championship golf course, kayaking, dune driving, sky diving and exclusive retail experiences.
Oberoi Marrakech is the final instalment in the luxury trilogy that defines the brand's plans. This luxury spa resort is located just 20 minutes south of the city centre and nestled within 25 acres of fragrant citrus orchards and ancient olive groves. Ancient Morocco at its luxurious best, the resort offers magnificent views of the snow-capped Atlas mountains.
Unmatched views aside, exclusivity is the leitmotif of the luxury portfolio from the Oberoi Group. Founded in 1934, the group operates 30 hotels, two Nile Cruisers and a motor vessel in the backwaters of Kerala. The hotel chain operates in six countries under the luxury Oberoi and five-star Trident brand; it is also into flight catering, airport restaurants, travel services, project management and corporate air-charters. But it is the Oberoi Hotels and Resorts that is the emblem of subtle service and surreal luxury. The Trident brand offers five-star hotels that combine the best of quality and value for the business traveller. There are 10 Trident hotels in India, in Mumbai at Bandra Kurla and Nariman Point, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur. Price Rs 75,000 plus taxes for Royal Forest Tent with private pool at Oberoi Sukhvilas
ITC GROUP
Celebrity endorsements make for bragging rights, in some cases more vociferously than even awards. So you can't slight those who can fondly recall former US president Bill Clinton's raging adulation for the iconic Bukhara restaurant at ITC Maurya, Delhi, but forgot that it made it to the world's 50 best restaurants list five years in a row from 2002 to 2007.
Now, for the first time in 41 years, brand ITC Hotels is looking to set foot overseas, with ITC One Colombo 1 estimated to open to guests in 2019. The business hotel, overlooking the beach, will offer 300 gracefully crafted guestrooms and suites, state-of-the-art conference facilities and a fine selection of cuisines. The brand's philosophy is to build 'hotels that define the destination'. Nakul Anand, executive director, ITC Limited, says: "ITC has created world-class brands for the consumer. Its hotels continue to differentiate on their inherent Indian-ness." Slated for 2017 launches are ITC Royal Bengal in Kolkata, ITC Kohinoor in Hyderabad, and ITC Narmada in Ahmedabad.
The ITC Grand Bharat, Gurgaon, is the most recent offering and has something for every guest, be it spa, golf or culinary lessons.Price Rs 50,000 plus taxes for Deluxe Suite with semi-private pool at ITC Grand Bharat, Gurgaon
TAJ GROUP
At the Taj Group, the buzzword now is Tajness, a carefully crafted strategy to engage guests through the sensory experiences of touch, taste, smell and sound.
The idea came to Rakesh Sarna, CEO of Taj Hotels and Resorts, when he asked his staff: "If you were to close your eyes and enter a Taj hotel, how would you know it was the Taj?" The plan will be rolled out across more than 100 Taj hotels by the end of 2017.
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The brand is attempting to make itself more accessible through a mobile app and virtual check-ins and check-outs. This year, the Meghauli Serai in Chitwan National Park, the Gateway Resort Corbett, the Gateway Resort Pushkar Bypass and the Taj Bangalore were launched. Price Rs 9,500 plus taxes for Deluxe Room at Taj Bangalore