By Neha Kirpal
Neemrana’s Deo Bagh in Gwalior is a unique heritage hotel housing two 17th-18th century Maratha temples, two splendid cenotaphs and one pavilion with 36 arched gateways. The only garden hotel in the city, it has 15 rooms spread across five wings, facing a Nau Bagh, a garden chequered into nine parts.
Sonavi Kaicker, the CEO Neemrana Hotels, tells us more among other things about the hotel’s history as well as its arrangements for weddings and offsites.
Tell us more about some of the unique experiences Deo Bagh offers its guests.
While most heritage hotels in India are born with the beauty and treasures of history, some of the best hotels in India have the luxury of housing architectural treasures within the property. Deo Bagh is one such example. Its lawns are a haven of calm from the daily hustle and bustle of the Indian street.
This hotel is ideal for a staycation as there are plenty of open spaces that guests can enjoy. The Chhatis-dari has views of the Gwalior Fort, and the hotel team goes the extra mile to set up private dinners for guests looking to commemorate milestone birthdays. Further, there is a beautiful garden with swings for children as well as a dedicated room for guests travelling with pets.
Tell us briefly about the history of your heritage hotel.
In the late 1500 AD, important Mughals camped in this “Char Bagh” with a stunning chhattis-dari (36-pillared pavilion) at its heart. This shielded the women in its underground chamber during the summer as it had a moat of water on all its four sides. Later, as the conquering Maratha army marched towards Delhi, the Jadhavs took possession of this natural water catchment area. Sardar Deorao Bhausaheb Jadhav and his son Sardar Krishnarao Deorao Jadhav used this ‘bagh’ as a summer house with the ladies’ section in Deo Bagh and the mens’ section in Jai Vihar, the family’s current home.
The garden complex houses the most exquisite family temples, a ‘hathikhana’ for elephants, stables and cenotaphs. Important Gwalior state meetings, especially against the British—when the valiant Rani of Jhansi fought from the fort rampart close by—were held here during that time.
Tell us about the hotel’s arrangements for weddings.
Many a lingering courtship has hurried its decision to tie the knot at a Neemrana non-hotel hotel, as the historical Deo Bagh in Gwalior is ideal for intimate weddings. In this amalgam of palace, temple and gardens, the cosmos will naturally connive to bless you. The private setting of this spacious royal home makes a magical setting for a royal wedding. The property conveniently sleeps 33, which can be stretched to 40 for the festivities. Events like mehendi, haldi, cocktail and sangeet can easily be held at different parts of the property. Drummers, dancers and classical music performances can entertain guests as they enjoy delectable Indian and Continental delicacies laid out in the garden.
How is Deo Bagh an ideal offsite location?
Anyone seeking an offsite conference venue at a unique historical hotel in Gwalior will be delighted with Deo Bagh’s spacious gardens. Surrounded by history and nature, Deo Bagh’s calming environs will certainly help companies turn their time into profit. Moreover, with the city’s proximity and easy accessibility to Delhi and Agra, this distinctive hotel can hold innovative, closed-door heritage or open-air garden conferences throughout the year. Cultural programmes are routinely organized on the premises, and there are ample historical sightseeing options around.
How did the pandemic affect the brand?
The Neemrana Hotels are a true embodiment of the Vocal for Local philosophy. It has also been very family-oriented for decades. During two lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, we retained and supported our entire team across all the hotels without any external help. Neemrana’s Deo Bagh was impacted during the months of mid March-June 2020 and mid-April to June 2021. However, there was a steady rise in occupancy thereafter.
Neemrana is committed to preserving India’s heritage structures and generating local employment while always keeping the company’s inventiveness and ability to change and adapt to the tourism realities. With our roots in Indian heritage hospitality, it is not just our responsibility but our duty to consistently motivate and empower each and every member within our organisation and in the larger tourism field.
What Covid safety protocols and parameters are you following to ensure the safety of your guests?
Since 2020, the team has been working on providing seamless service with the highest level of safety for our discerning guests. The hotels have adapted to the new normal, which includes contactless digital check-in experience, thermal scanning, social distancing at all public areas, in-room dining on request and the use of PPE equipment.
Although we have always followed strict hygiene protocols, there has been a greater emphasis on the sanitisation of highly-touched surfaces using Johnson Diversey chemicals and products. Service standards have been tweaked to cover the disinfection of the entire hotel at frequent intervals. We have also introduced new practices around food handling, and individual hand sanitisers have been specially manufactured and packaged for Neemrana guests at all our hotels.
Our focus is on regularly training team members to reinforce protocols of the Ministry of Tourism that were implemented since June 2020. Majority of the team has been vaccinated with the first dose and is in the process of getting their second dose. We have also purchased hospital-grade oxygen concentrators for our hotels that are located in remote destinations.
