SURYAGARH

Each boutique hotel is built around a theme. The popular themes include historical palaces and large havelis (or bungalows) with a rich heritage quotient. Then, there are hotels designed around wildlife, wellness, coffee plantations and coastal life. The design can be traditional or contemporary, but all of them put emphasis on personalisation, showcasing local culture, extravagant amenities such as personal butler service, swish accommodation and high staff per guest ratio.

“Travellers are seeking authentic, memorable moments. Independent luxury boutique hotels deliver authenticity that allows travellers to live like the locals,” says Arpit Pant, Regional Director ( South Asia & Middle East), Preferred Hotels and Resorts ( PH&R), which provides marketing, sales and loyalty support to boutique hotels across the globe.

Take Suryagarh, a fort-palace hotel in Jaisalmer and a member of PH&R, which has curated activities TARIFFS: Suryagarh suites cost `77,000 per night; Thar Haveli is priced at `1,00,000 per night UNIQUENESS: While other boutique hotels are centered around activities, Suryagarh is a mix of both -- a venue for a do-nothing, go-nowhere holiday as well as for adventure sports. It’s a gateway to the Thar desert that offers five facilities – Akhara (fitness centre), Neel (swimming pool), Taash (card and billiards room), Rait (spa) and Relaxation (yoga). Adventures include mountain biking, camel safari, silk route exploration, desert national park and chudail trail – a midnight drive to secret spots in the area where they say the spirits roam.