Palatial details and indigenous architecture capture the essence of the newly built Leela on the shores of Lake Pichola in New Delhi, India. The extravagant entrance, leads to reception rooms with soaring cathedral ceilings, silver settees, splendidly open courtyards, and a wall of water imbuing the immediate sense of peace and serenity, exactly what a price tag of such magnitude should offer. And that’s just the entrance.
Traditional colonial furnishings, exotic passementerie, gleaming Murano chandeliers, Turkish hand-woven carpets, a $5 million collection of traditional and contemporary Indian art, lush landscape with reflecting pools evocative of Mughal style and worthy of the Taj Mahal, all exudes the grandeur of India’s most expensive hotel.
Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, and Stewart, the architectural firm credited for Dubai’s famed Burj Place, garnered inspiration from British architect Edwin Lutyens, whose neo-classical bungalows can be found throughout the city. The hotel was born of a creative amalgamation of Lutyens designs and India’s elaborate palaces.
A mark of excellence is evident in each of the eleven stories and 260 well-appointed rooms which the hotel offers dressed in warm woods and rich fabrics. The ultimate Maharaja Suite boasts 4,425 square feet, six rooms, including a den, dining area, private gym and spa room, and comes equipped with the use of a Rolls-Royce Phantom and 24-hour butler service.
The rooftop, home to a heated infinity pool and stunning vistas of the property’s tropical gardens and the New Delhi radiant skyline, is the crowing jewel on this royal property. The ESPA spa specializes in Ayurvedic treatments in a bi-level space with seven treatment rooms and one private suite. Leela Palace’s five restaurants will include such namesakes as New York’s Le Cirque, Asia’s first branch, alongside the artful Japanese cuisine of Megu both due to open soon.
Incredibly the prestigious hotel garnered a Gold LEED certification, finding a way to blend decadence with an eco-friendly bent, utilizing recycled rainwater with an in-house water treatment plant which certifies the hotel recycles 100 percent of its used water.
In honor of it launch, Leela Palace is offering guests an exclusive rate at $325 per night from now until September 30 for a package which includes two nights or more in a Grand Deluxe Room, round-trip airport transfers in a hotel limousine, daily buffet breakfast, and personalized butler service.
