NEW DELHI—India’s old palaces, crumbling forts and historical havelis are getting a fresh lease on life under the umbrella of owner-operator Neemrana Hotels Private Limited. Founders Aman Nath and the late Francis Wacziarg’s unbridled enthusiasm for old buildings and restoration has seen the collection grow from just one fort palace to a chain of 30 properties.
“Somewhere in the beginning someone had asked me, ‘How many buildings do you hope to restore and run?’ And I had said 50 (properties) without a blink. We had got to 30 when Francis Wacziarg left us. (Wacziarg passed away on 19 February 2014), so we are beyond the halfway mark and shall certainly get there one day,” said Nath, who serves as the group’s co-chairman.
“The whole of India lies in ruins, so we can be as hopeful as we want to be,” he said.
Neemrana sprouted from that same optimism in the late 1970s, when Nath and Wacziarg were writing a book together about the country’s historic havelis, or mansions.
“We saw a whole era of great buildings of the 19th century crumbling without any care for their preservation and restoration,” Nath said.
The pair particularly was struck by a forgotten edifice in the Village Neemrana, which they felt called to transform into the upscale Neemrana Fort-Palace.
Other projects followed, proving India’s vast network of heritage properties were viable business opportunities once converted into stylish, livable hotels.
“As entrepreneurs who pioneered a new madness, one did not necessarily read into the future so much as concentrate on the present. We knew we were on the right wicket, doing the right thing, long overdue in India. If anyone can turn waste into assets in a poor country, what better magic or mantra did one need? If our work gave example and courage, it was a part of what we hoped would be a movement,” Nath said.
Nath and Wacziarg have since given a contemporary spin to buildings with roots stretching as far back as the 14th century. Each project also has brought to life the ancient crafts and techniques required for the restoration. The resulting hotel has ensured a viable tourist environment and work opportunity for villagers in several far-flung areas throughout India.
The non hotel
Though Neemrana’s founders have achieved operational success by using time-tested management best practices, they’re unique selling point is decidedly anti-establishment.
“We branded our hotels ‘non hotels’ when no one in the whole world has done that before,” Nath said. “We did small properties when the (major hotel and consultant groups) said that less than 50 rooms don't make commercial sense. Money is never a substitute for perseverance. Why trust reports by consultants who have no initiative to do anything on their own? You don't need anyone super-qualified to tell you that guests don't like being churned in and out of big hotels which become factories,” Nath said.
Neemrana focuses instead on quality guest experiences, leveraging the centuries of Indian heritage housed within each “non hotel.”
“Competition keeps people on their toes, but no foreign chain can deal with our heritage better than us. They can only make it a more cosmetic experience, while guests seek authenticity,” the co-chairman said.
Neemrana owns or has partial ownership in some of its properties, while others are leased out to them.
The group’s next authentic experience—and second-largest hotel—will open soon in Tijara, 100 kilometers south of New Delhi. Nath declined to disclose expansion plans beyond that.
Nothing has changed after the loss of Wacziarg, he said.
“Why should that be? We built a momentum together and have many people to carry it forward. Even I must go someday, but old stones will only get older and golder.”