Hotels & Accommodations

11 beautiful new hotels in India to book right now

Published

3 days ago

July 24, 2025

This haveli was built shortly after Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II set up the city of Jaipur. Padmaa scores for its location in the beating heart of the city, its greatest hits all within walking distance: the City Palace and Hawa Mahal are about 15 minutes, the cloth merchants of Johari Bazaar are about the same, and Samrat’s legendary samosas in Bapu Bazaar are even closer. For most of its 290 years, the haveli served as a family home for seven generations of the Shah family. The space for the restaurant and bar is a lapidary, from where the family ran its gemstone business. And the al fresco dining area on the upper level was a chandni where the cousins spent many a moonlit night. The creative force behind the haveli’s transformation into a boutique hotel is Shashwat Shah, one of the partners at Umrao Jewels. The haveli itself is named after his grandmother, and a nod to her can be seen by the foyer where his brother Shaleen has mounted an assemblage of objects from her daily use. There are 15 wallpapered and delicately upholstered suites that span two floors of the property. Padmaa, Jaipur serves vegetarian meals only, with concessions for eggs. Dishes like parathas, Indori poha, bajre ki raab, and others are served at breakfast while mealtime menus lean towards comfort fare. Rajasthani meals get a special spot on the menu and deservedly so with dishes like gatte ki sabzi,, served with hot rotis and ghee. Though the property is best experienced in winter months, the neighbourhood is particularly exciting around Diwali and Sankranti in November and January, respectively, when the skies are full of lanterns and kites, best enjoyed from the terrace. Doubles from Rs15,000. – Salil Deshpande

Sariska Lodge

Spread over 15 acres, Sariska Lodge has been built in the local stone-and-wood architectural style. The Tehla gate of Sariska Tiger Reserve is less than 150 metres from the lodge. There are ten suites, including four Mountain Suites with sweeping Aravalli views, four Pool Suites with terrazzo bathtubs and two plunge pools between them, and two Fort Suites with private rooftops and views of the 18th-century Tehla Fort. The overarching aesthetic is minimalist with neutral colours, dark wood furnishing, and leather accents. Most of the furniture is made onsite using repurposed wood, and the wildlife motif blinds are hand woven locally using indigenous black cotton. Meals are served across the property and beyond, whether it’s the dining room where your pizza arrives freshly baked from the outdoor wood-fired oven or cocktails by the fireplace or a romantic dinner at an ancient chhatri a short drive away. Huge fresh salads, pizzas, pasta, and Indian fare are a stand-out as are desserts such as seviyan kheer, chocolate brownies, and an exquisite crème caramel. Sonam Zangpo from Bhutan presides over a wellness centre that offers a range of therapies combining Ayurvedic treatments with Tibetan healing. The wellness centre also offers guided yoga and meditation on the open rooftop or a sunrise session at Tehla Fort. Doubles from Rs15,500.— Prachi Joshi

Fairmont Udaipur

The new Fairmont Udaipur Palace is a sprawling Rajput-style structure built into the Aravallis, envisioned as the setting for celebrations. Fairmont Udaipur Palace incorporates Indo-Islamic architectural flourishes into a contemporary design. The property utilises the natural undulations of the land to create multiple levels of residences, gardens, and recreation spaces, all of which are connected by the central lobby on the 7th level. With 327 rooms, 142,743sq ft of event space, an in-house team dedicated to weddings and an array of F&B options to pick from, this is a hotel that is no doubt designed keeping big fat wedding extravaganzas in mind. Rooms and suites range across categories from signature twins and kings with balconies, cabanas and plunge pools to suites with living/dining spaces as well as outdoor terraces and pools. Touches of Udaipur’s heritage like gilded mirrors and intricately carved Rajasthani woodwork, as well as the natural surroundings find their way into artworks placed across the hotel, commissioned from local artists. The property is designed with waterbodies as its centrepiece, including two common pools, a decorative stepwell, suites with plunge pools, a lotus pond and a plethora of marble fountains and water features. The facade itself is reminiscent of the City Palace, with its vast corridors, jharokhas, domes, marble inlay, thikri work and hand-painted walls. There are plenty of dining options from Sitara, a sun-drenched atrium bar by day and a moodily lit salon by night, Mehfil, the hotel’s entertainment and F&B hub with an open-to-the-sky courtyard, Bahaar, the all-day multicuisine diner. Two stunning Marwari horses are available on the property to enjoy a morning ride on the hotel grounds. Rounding up the offerings is a multi-pronged wellness programme at the two-level Fairmont Spa & Salon with Indian, Asian and western therapies, plus activities for the whole family at their onsite mini golf course, pickleball and paddleball courts, and dedicated kids’ zone. For activities outside, the hotel can organise tours that suit your interests, from food walks to Pichwai art trails, shopping in antique stores, as well as excursions to the famous Nathdwara Temple. Doubles from Rs25,000. – Diya Kohli

Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur

Jaideep Oberoi

A quick 25-minute drive from the airport brings you to Jaipur’s newest hotel, Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur, the grandest tenant on an otherwise largely barren strip of highway on the outskirts of Jaipur. Rajputana history served as the mood board while building the hotel. Be it in the materials—yellowstone from Jaisalmer, marble from Banswara and Makrana, and locally sourced wood. Or the artworks that include portraits of Rajput warriors and royalty. Spread over 5.5 acres, Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur’s money shot—its main façade, complete with jharokas, jaali work, and detailed carvings—found inspiration in Jaipur’s Amber Fort, and has even been painted in the same colours as the historical site’s walls during golden hour. The property is home to 150 rooms and suites, spread across five categories, with most overlooking the inner courtyard or Jai Bagh. The rooms start at 335sq ft, with the two-bedroom Presidential Suite a generous 1,860sq ft. The sumptuous, modern rooms feature ample hat tips to its location—zardozi on the pillows, thikri work on the headboards, wooden jharokas by the window nooks, and Mughal miniature art on the walls. Amrit Mahal is the hotel’s all-day dining venue which opens out to the poolside, and Bawdi Bagh, with a menu spanning a continental buffet and Indian classics. Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur delivers on the decadent thalis, and executive chef Sunil Jajoria’s inventiveness shines through in the tasting menus like the Rajasthani tapas chef’s table. Perfected over 20 trials, this menu looks at his own family recipes to how the maharajas entertained. You start off with hummus that tastes like Bikaneri bhujia, moving on to ker sangri kebabs, and Shekhawati maas tacos. You can pair this menu with the ‘Echoes of Distillation’ spirit tasting of heritage liquor from the royal family of Mahansar. The spa experience is an important pillar of any Anantara property and the 2,600sq ft space on the same floor as the pool and gym, has five treatment rooms and a salon, with a dedicated Thai massage room. Even though the hotel is about an hour from the city centre, the team organises visits to Amber Fort, an early morning trip to the flower market, and come winter, guided farming experiences as well. There’s also a private visit to Hathi Gaon, which is a community of rescue elephants residing in their natural habitat. Doubles from Rs15,000. – Praachi Raniwala