The Imperial, New Delhi

The Imperial is the first among the legendary "Four Maidens of the East" built in 1933. The Imperial was the only luxury hotel provided by Sir Edwin Lutyen in his grand design for New Delhi. The architecture of the hotel is a mixture of Victorian and old Colonial style. As you enter the hotel, several king palms lined in the porch will greet you. The lobby with a circular plan is finished with gold leaf work. The hotel, divided into four wings, has beautiful rooms and suites, restaurants and permanent art galleries. The hotel is set in the middle of 8 acres of perfectly manicured gardens.

Hotel Specifications

Accommodation

The Imperial has a variety in its guestrooms. You can select from 263 well-appointed rooms including singles, doubles and suites. The Special Imperial and Heritage Rooms have high ceiling and the interiors are a happy reminder of the colonial era. These rooms are located in the outer wing overlooking the gardens. You can select the rooms with marble or parquet flooring with artistic borders and exquisite Persian hand-knotted carpets. The room has unique antique furniture and paintings from the art collection of the hotel. Lutyen's Suite is dedicated to Sir Edwin Lutyens. The suite is furnished with some of the original furniture designed by Lutyens. His famous design of 'The Universe', adorns the flooring of the living room. The suite has original artifacts and antiques including a 200-year-old bronze Chinese horse and an old chandelier by Osler. The Four Poster bed, wing chair with a cigar table and late 18th century AD Indo-Portuguese chaise lounge helps provide a royal touch to the room. The bathroom has luxurious Italian marble-fitted washrooms with glass shower closets and walk-in dressing rooms. The Royal Imperial Suite is the second name of luxury. The Living Room have antique furniture like the Lutyens Drop Leaf side table, Lutyens Spiral Back desk chair with a solid teak writing desk, once used by Sir Walter Lutyens to write Hukumnamas or orders. The original work of Prince Soltikosf adorns the walls, while the floor embellished with an antique early 18th century Persian carpet. The early 17th century candle-posts sit on the side tables. The bedroom is furnished with a four-poster king-size bed with a canopy of finest cotton fabric. The bed- sides are furnished with an 18th century Indo-Portuguese bureau and cabinet. All the rooms have Dual Data Ports for Internet and Facsimile Connectivity, Uninterrupted power supply plug points, very low sound levels and filtered fresh air.

Dining and conference facilities:

The Imperial has wide range of specialty restaurants to select from. The Spice Route offers the authentic Southeast Asian cuisine. The restaurant is adorned with the works of the painters from Guruvayur, craftsmen from Borbodur and the wats of Kurugehep, now known as Bangkok. The Daniel's Tavern - The Renaissance of Taste is known for its Colonial Indian and Continental cuisine. The restaurant is decorated with the works of Thomas and William Danielle. They were the Uncle-Nephew duo that painted the sceneries from India while traveling in India between 1786-1793. there is a live band and a Bar also in the restaurant. Reverie at the Garden Party is the coffee house. This is the place where Pandit Nehru loved to meet his friends. You can have light snacks, coffee or tea over here. The Garden Party is a verandah for quick meals and mouth-watering snacks 24 hours of the day. The Patiala Peg is the bar of the hotel. It celebrates the victory of the team of Maharaja of Patiala over the viceroy's team in the game of tent pegging in the early 1900's. the bar is stocked with vintage wines and liquors.

The Royal Ballroom is the place where the distinguished guests entertained themselves when Lord Willington inaugurated the hotel in 1933. The vast ballroom today also acts as a venue for the conferences and parties sitting capacity up to 500 guests in the auditorium style. There are two mid-sized conference rooms, which can accommodate up to 80 people. There are three exclusive meeting rooms for smaller gatherings, which can individually accommodate up to 18 quests.