Historic Hotels, Iconic Tales

Some hotels are more than places to spend the night. They hold a city’s memories, bear witness to its changing fortunes and offer a glimpse of the people and events that shaped it. Their histories live on in old photographs, well-worn staircases, ornate ballrooms and vintage tables that have hosted guests from another time.

From the storied elegance of Taj Mahal, New Delhi to the colonial-era grandeur of The Imperial in Delhi and the literary legacy of The Lalit Great Eastern in Kolkata, these hotels have witnessed India change through the decades. They have welcomed royalty, statesmen, writers and travellers from across the world, weathered political and social shifts, and found new meaning with each passing decade.

What makes them compelling today is not simply their age or architecture, but their ability to remain part of the present. Each of them has a character curated by its past, its city and the generations of people who have passed through its doors.

In this section, we visit various iconic hotels in India where a stay offers more than a change of scene. It brings you closer to the stories that make a place what it is.