INTRINSICALLY INDIAN

WITH DEVI RATN, DESIGNERS GROUP RETAINS THE INHERENT APPEAL OF A HERITAGE TAJ PROPERTY, WHILST CLEVERLY LENDING IT A CONTEMPORARY CHIC – ALBEIT LOCAL – DESIGN LANGUAGE

- MITALEE KURDEKAR

Devi Ratn, Jaipur – IHCL SeleQtions, is quite the desert marvel. Set against the striking backdrop of the Aravalli Range, this heritage, boutique hotel embodies the glory and glamour of its home city. Spread across an expansive area of 20 acres, this development has all the makings of a quintessential Taj property. Preserving this quality from the original structure, it has recently been skillfully renovated by Designers Group to reflect a contemporary aesthetic, in turn ensuring that its design is in keeping with the times, yet pays subtle homage to its historic past.

It all began when Taj Hotels was to launch a new boutique brand – IHCL SeleQtions. Although the architecture of Devi Ratn’s existing structure was quite remarkable, the interior did not conform to the envelope, and Designers Group was brought in and assigned with the task of its renovation. Given the sheer reputation of Devi Ratn as an individual brand, Taj Hotels was not in favour of diluting the brand during this exercise. As a result, the original architecture became the guiding concept for the comprehensive makeover scheme. With a brief set of guidelines from the client, the design team got to work, aligning their plan with the ‘Ratn’ theme, while also choosing to reflect the venerable Taj as a brand, thus keeping both entities alive through the design.