Svatm: Tamil Hospitality On A Time-Machine

Svatma is a new boutique property in Tanjore that takes Tamil hospitality on a time-machine to show you a thing or two about the past. 

Imagine this: you are at a hotel that not only defies the modern concepts of hospitality, but goes back in time to bring you a long-forgetten way of life. Svatma— the luxury Tanjore hotel and resort in Tamil Nadu—aims to be a residence-style guesthouse rather than just another cookie clutter hotel. In doing so, it attracts the most discerning travellers for its serene ambiance and personalised service.

This 38-room boutique property is set on a beautifully landscaped garden and surrounded by ancient neem and naga lingam trees. Inside, the living spaces are peppered with artefacts and echo with the chants of the vedas. The comfort you enjoy makes you think you’re in an old Tamilian friend’s house. Madan, the property manager, explains how this comes about, “There are no room numbers in the Heritage wing because we want to re-create the hospitality of a gracious Tamil home of yore.’’

Tucked into a quiet street in the heart of the town, Svatma is the brainchild of couple Krithika and Sumanth Subrahmaniam, who, inspired by Tanjore’s ancient grace, lovingly designed the property to give erstwhile ‘Thanjavur’, the melting pot of art, culture, dance, and music, and the old classical capital of Tamil Nadu, a fitting tribute. The property itself is over a hundred years old, and known to have been home to a local administrator and later a wealthy Brahmin family, before becoming decrepit and later being restored by the Subrahmaniams.

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