The Neemrana Hotels is an Indian organisation, noted for restoring ruins and turning them into heritage hotels.
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]
History
The story of Neemrana begins in 1977 when, while writing a book, Aman Nath and Francis Wacziarg first saw its 15th century ruins lit up by the setting sun. They were researching for a book on the frescoes: The Painted Walls of Shekhavati. The Neemrana fort on the Aravalli range in Rajasthan seemed captivating.
Aman Nath followed up with the Raja and bought the ruin with two Indian friends in 1986. They bought the fort for Rs 700,000 in 1986 and restored it, opening as a hotel in 1991 with 12 rooms. After restoration, the fort, which was built in 1464 under Chauhan Rulers and had been a ruin for 40 years, open to guests. The hotel has been used as the venue for the International Festival of Indian Literature in 2002, for Mastermind India, conference, events and for dozens of dazzling weddings. But when the two original partners wanted to leave after 6 years and the hotel was running to much applause, Francis Wacziarg stepped in.
Later, the Neemrana Hotels company was established in 1991 by Aman Nath and Francis Wacziarg. Aman Nath was a post-graduate in medieval Indian history from Delhi University, and Francis Wacziarg a former French diplomat who began in Bombay.
Restoration process
The modifications made to the ruins to retain a consistent design include basic amenities like plumbing and air-conditioning hidden from view, and designing 19th-century rooms in the colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
style[ They call their hotels "non-hotels", to emphasise this design.][ The buildings are restored in phases, with revenue from guests of restored parts being used to restore the rest.][ Along with their practice of using local artisans and materials, this keeps costs low, and their hotels ]break even
Break-even (or break even), often abbreviated as B/E in finance, (sometimes called point of equilibrium) is the point of balance making neither a profit nor a loss. Any number below the break-even point constitutes a loss while any number above it ...
in two to three years rather than the industry average of seven to eight.[
]
Nearby
State Bank of India
State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian multinational public sector bank and financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. SBI is the 49th largest bank in the world by total assets and ranked 221st in the ''Fortune ...
, Punjab National Bank
Punjab National Bank (abbreviated as PNB) is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Delhi. The bank was founded in May 1894 and is the second largest government-owned bank in India, both in terms of its business volumes and its network ...
.
Heritage properties
15th century Neemrana
Neemrana is an ancient historical town in Alwar district of Rajasthan, India, from Alwar city, from New Delhi and from Jaipur on the Delhi-Jaipur highway in Neemrana tehsil. It is between Behror and Shahajahanpur. Neemrana is an industria ...
fort was the first property acquired by Neemrana Hotels in 1991 which they gradually restored. Subsequent to their success in restoration of heritage property, the Punjab government transferred the Baradari Palace Baradari may refer to:
* Baradari (building), a historic 12-door building structure
* Baradari (brotherhood), a Persian word for brotherhood
* Baradari, Pakistan Baradari is a local area of Pakistan's biggest city i.e. Karachi
Karachi (; ur ...
in Patiala
Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubarak ...
to them as a public-private partnership, and the Rajasthan government leased them the Tijari Fort. Similarly, the Pataudi Palace
The Pataudi Palace, also called Ibrahim Kothi, is a palace of the former ruling family Pataudi family in Pataudi town of Gurgaon district (now Gurugram district) in Haryana state of India. Passed from the last ruling nawab, Iftikhar Ali Khan, ...
(of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi
Nawab Mohammad Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (also known as Mansur Ali Khan, or M. A. K. Pataudi; 5 January 1941 – 22 September 2011; nicknamed Tiger Pataudi) was an Indian cricketer and a former captain of the Indian cricket team.
Pataudi was a ...
and Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is a retired Indian actress, primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, Tagore is the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and the Fi ...
) was leased to them, and Thakur Mangal Singh leased them the 14th-century Hill Fort Kesroli in Alwar.[ The Tijari fort at Alwar is not a ruin but a building that had been left unfinished in 1845 because of war; the Neemrana Hotels has undertaken completion. Most of their projects have been initiated by the owners of the buildings approaching them, and they have over 2 potential projects on hand.][
In 2011, Neemrana Hotels had 25 properties in 17 locations and crossed in revenue.
]
Examples
Bungalow on the Beach, Neemrana Hotels, in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu.jpg, Bungalow on the Beach
The Bungalow on the Beach is a 17th-century Danish colonial house which has belonged to the Governor of Danish India, who was styled Opperhoved, and after their exit in 1845, to the British administrator of the colony. Built in the 18th century ...
, Neemrana Hotels, in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
.
Piramal Haveli.jpg, Piramal Haveli, Bagar, Rajasthan.
RajindraKothi.jpg, Rajindra Kothi (Baradari Palace), Patiala
Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubarak ...
, became Punjab's first heritage hotel in 2009.
Ruins and forts restored by them and turned into hotels include:
* 14th century, Hill Fort Kesroli (Alwar
Alwar (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, ™lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. ...
, Rajasthan)
* 15th century, Neemrana
Neemrana is an ancient historical town in Alwar district of Rajasthan, India, from Alwar city, from New Delhi and from Jaipur on the Delhi-Jaipur highway in Neemrana tehsil. It is between Behror and Shahajahanpur. Neemrana is an industria ...
Fort-Palace (Delhi-Jaipur highway, Shekhawati
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. The region was ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs.
Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Jhunjhunu district, Jhunjhunu,
part ...
, Rajasthan)
* 17th century, The Tower House (Cochin
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
, Kerala)
* 17th century, The Bungalow on the Beach
The Bungalow on the Beach is a 17th-century Danish colonial house which has belonged to the Governor of Danish India, who was styled Opperhoved, and after their exit in 1845, to the British administrator of the colony. Built in the 18th century ...
(Tharangambadi
Tharangambadi (), formerly Tranquebar ( da, Trankebar, ), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast. It lies north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the Kave ...
, Tamil Nadu)
* 17th century, Tijara Fort-Palace (Alwar
Alwar (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, ™lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. ...
, Rajasthan)
* 18th century, Kuchesar Fort
Kuchesar Fort, (alternatively known as Rao Raj Vilas Kuchesar Fort) is located at Kuchesar, in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India, approximately 84.3 kilometers (52.4 miles) east of Delhi.
The fort served as the erstwhile seat of the Jat Kingdom ...
(Kuchesar, Uttar Pradesh)
* 19th century, The Wallwood Garden (Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a population ...
, Tamil Nadu)
* 19th century, The Baradari Palace Baradari may refer to:
* Baradari (building), a historic 12-door building structure
* Baradari (brotherhood), a Persian word for brotherhood
* Baradari, Pakistan Baradari is a local area of Pakistan's biggest city i.e. Karachi
Karachi (; ur ...
(Patiala
Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubarak ...
, Punjab),
* 19th century, The Ramgarh Bungalows (Ramgarh
Ramgarh may refer to:
Bangladesh
* Ramgarh Upazila, a sub-district of Khagrachari District
India
* Ramgarh, Bihar, a village near Munger, Bihar
* Ramgarh, Kaimur, a town in Kaimur district, Bihar
* Ramgarh, Uttarakhand, a hill station in Nainital ...
Kumaon Kumaon or Kumaun may refer to:
* Kumaon division, a region in Uttarakhand, India
* Kumaon Kingdom, a former country in Uttarakhand, India
* Kumaon, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran
* , a ship of the Royal Indian Navy during WWII
See also
...
Hills, Uttarakhand),
* 20th century, Piramal Haveli, ( Bagar, Shekhavati, Rajasthan)
* 21st century, The Glasshouse on the Ganges (Rishikesh
Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in Dehradun district of the Indian state Uttarakhand. It is situated on the right bank of the Ganges River and is a pilgrimage town for Hindus, with ancient sages and saints meditati ...
, Uttarakhand, belonging to the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal
Tehri Garhwal is a district in the hill state of Uttarakhand, India. Its administrative headquarters is at New Tehri. The district has a population of 618, 931 (2011 census), a 2.35% increase over the previous decade. It is the 7th ranked dist ...
)
Additional business streams
The company also manufactures jam
Jam is a type of fruit preserve.
Jam or Jammed may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* A firearm malfunction
* Block signals
** Radio jamming
** Radar jamming and deception
** Mobile phone jammer
** Echolocation jamming
Arts and entertai ...
from the fruit orchards in Ramgarh
Ramgarh may refer to:
Bangladesh
* Ramgarh Upazila, a sub-district of Khagrachari District
India
* Ramgarh, Bihar, a village near Munger, Bihar
* Ramgarh, Kaimur, a town in Kaimur district, Bihar
* Ramgarh, Uttarakhand, a hill station in Nainital ...
, and tea from the plantations in Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a population ...
and Coffee from Coorg
Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State.
It occupies ...
. It also runs a "Neemrana Music Foundation".[ The clientele, which initially consisted mostly of foreign tourists, is now (as of 2010) 70% Indian.][
]
Books
Books published as part of the project(?) include:
* ''The Painted Frescoes of Shekhavati''[
* ''Jaipur: the Last Destination''
* ''Arts and Crafts of Rajasthan''
]
References
{{Reflist, refs=
[Malini Suryanarayan, {{usurpe]
"An interview with Mr. Aman Nath, architect, interior designer and art restorer"
}, ''The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'', Wednesday, 20 December 2000
[Arundhati Basu]
Article
in The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
, Saturday , 13 September 2008
[Malini Goyal , Forbes India]
Hotel kings bring back the fine life to palaces
IBN Live
Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...
, 24 August 2009
[Chitra Subramanyam]
Holding fort
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
, 27 November 2008
[Pramila N. Phatarphekar]
Accidental Hoteliers
''Open Magazine'', 24 April 2010
External links
Official site
Talk by Aman Nath
at TEDx
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
Neemranas Baradari Palace Profile
Hotels established in 1991
Companies based in New Delhi
Heritage hotels in India
Hotel chains in India
1991 establishments in Delhi
Neemrana