India - Rajasthan Heritage hotels a big draw with foreign tourists

Sunny Sebastian
JAIPUR: Thanks to some thoughtful initiatives by former princely families in Rajasthan almost two decades ago, the palaces, forts, castles and havelis once on the verge of collapse and disintegration are pulsating with life now in the form of heritage hotels. In fact, the heritage hotels have become almost a movement in the country’s tourism sector and their tribe is flourishing.
“We started with 12 members in 1990. Now we are 150 with membership as far and wide as in Kerala and Himachal Pradesh. And there is always a queue for entry into the fold as we don’t take in anyone so easily,” says former Jodhpur ruler Gaj Singh, one of the pioneers of the heritage hotel concept.
“We had taken up with the Centre for a separate categorisation of these properties. Any attempt at standardisation of heritage properties would have amounted to their undoing,” he says. Enough choice
The heritage concept, tried out first with the palaces and havelis of Rajasthan, has picked up so well that now there are categories within categories and there is enough choice to pick up from. Now there are categories such as “Basic Heritage,” “Heritage Classic” and “Heritage Grand!”
The minimum requirement for entry into the group is a property of vintage going back to 1935 or more and a minimum of ten rooms along with basic amenities.
Rajasthan leads the heritage caravan with 90 hotels, which include the celebrated Lalgarh Palace in Bikaner, Rajmahal Palace in Jaipur — a favourite of the late movie mughal Raj Kapoor — Samode Palace near Jaipur, Neemrana Fort Palace, Sariska Palace, Ajit Bhawan in Jodhpur, and Connaught House in Mount Abu. The well-known heritage hotels outside Rajasthan include Usha Kiran Palace, Gwalior; Hari Niwas Palace, Jammu Tawi; The Judge’s Court, Kangra; and the Palace, Wankaner.
Just how is it going now after 17 long years of coming into existence?
“The going is good. The heritage hotels have done well. They are a big draw with foreign tourists though domestic tourists also patronise them,” says Gaj Singh, now the president of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA).
“We had a lot of problems initially. It is easier to get loans for construction of a new hotel than to renovate an old palace or haveli for converting it into a heritage hotel,” Mr. Gaj Singh reveals.
“Heritage properties deserve a preferential treatment as most of them are located in rural areas. They promote rural employment, village crafts, traditional music and art, besides tremendously improving the basic tourism infrastructure in deep interiors,” Mr. Gaj Singh adds.
“Today you can travel anywhere in Rajasthan and find decent accommodation even in the interiors,” points out Randhir Vikram Singh, another pioneer of the movement and joint secretary of IHHA. Potential
“There is potential for further growth and new rooms can be added provided finances are forthcoming along with some tax concessions. We have our own peculiar problems when it comes to taxation and bar licences,” he observes.
One of the demands made at the just-concluded annual general body meeting of the IHHA here was for a uniform taxation policy for heritage properties all over the country.