J​​​​​aipur Hospitality's New Finesse

For decades, royal abodes have been Jaipur’s most esteemed getaways. Now, stylish havelis, impeccable boltholes and standout restaurants dot the landscape.

- Jasreen Mayal Khanna

With every subsequent edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the Pink City seems to have widened its girth to accommodate a litany of new age restaurants, lush boutique hotels and slick bars. According to statistics, Rajasthan sees almost 14 lakh foreign tourist arrivals annually, many who wander through the Pink City to partake in its heritage and cultural richness. Now, Jaipur and its locals are going all hog to adapt to the ever-curious millennial traveller.

Flashback

But it has not always been like this. “Back in the 70s and 80s, it was very difficult to procure even basic goods,” recounts Ransher Singh, the owner of Khas Bagh, a new farm style retreat tucked in the Aravali Hills, located at a stone’s throw from Amer Fort. “Tour operators used to carry items such as soda from metro cities for travellers.” Back then, Jaipur had a handful of restaurants, and many, such as tourist favourite LMB, served traditional Indian cuisine. A few iconic hotels like the Taj Rambagh Palace offered fine dining, while the rest were modest family-run establishments. “I remember during my courtship, my now wife and I didn’t have many places to hang out in,” says Abhimanyu Alsisar, owner and founder of the 17th century Alsisar Haveli.

One glance through vintage hotel brochures reveals that even through the 90s, establishments boasted just basic amenities such as hot water and air conditioning. Back then, customers looked at hotels as places to retire for the night, and to eat a satisfying breakfast the next morning, which would fuel them through an entire day of sightseeing and shopping.

A Renaissance