Business
Soul Of Hospitality
How restaurants reinvent without losing their soul
To run a concept-driven restaurant in India is to dance on quicksand. One season, diners want deconstructed golgappas delivered by a molecular gastronomist; the next, they crave their mother's undiscovered dal in earthen kulhars, served by a grandmother from Bastar. The great Indian restaurant brands, those rare names that outlast an Instagram trend, have mastered the pivot without ever seeming to pivot. Grace under pressure, served medium-rare.
2 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
TEA-LADEN HILLS AND LURE OF THE WILD
Jorhat, with its sprawling tea estates, gibbon-inhabited rainforests, and colonial-era allure, has quietly become India’s most searched-for destination.
3 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
The. promise of Tier 2
Tier 2 India is no longer the quiet, cautious frontier it once was.
3 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
ALLIANCES REDEFINE GLOBAL HOSPITALITY PLAYBOOKS
Strategic hotel alliances now shape loyalty, sustainability, and visibility in the world of global luxury travel and hospitality.
7 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
CHAIRS WITH A PAST LIFE
Design legends, scene-stealing chairs, and a few Indian originals that prove good furniture travels well.
4 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
A MANOR BY THE SEA
Manor at St. Regis Goa Resort is a ‘hotel within a hotel’, a self-sufficient luxury enclave within the property’s tropical grounds, featuring understated villas, a restaurant, and white glove-style butler service.
6 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
SKYWARD BOUND
With passenger numbers soaring and infrastructure expanding at a matching pace, India's civil aviation sector is set for strong growth in the coming years-provided a few key challenges are addressed.
2 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
The enduring table
Across India's dining scene, chef and restaurant founders are quietly redefining what longevity means.
5 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
INDIA, MON AMOUR
Relais & Châteaux, which presents an unparalleled showcase of emotions, beauty and passion, eyes expansion in the “land of heritage and heart”.
4 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
ALL NIGHT TIPPLES
Where can you find drinks after hours? These hotels are answering the call.
4 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
BHAJAN CLUBBING IS REWRITING THE NIGHTLIFE SCRIPT
A reflective dive into a growing cultural phenomenon that is reshaping nightlife.
4 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
HOMEWARD BOUND
London-based Chef Rohit Ghai, celebrated for leading multiple restaurants to Michelin acclaim, introduces Zarqash—his signature progressive Indian restaurant—at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore. This marks his highly anticipated debut in India.
4 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
GENERAL WILLIE WALSH DIRECTOR, IATA
\"When we talk about India, taxation is always on the agenda. What's needed is clarity on how rules apply. Often, new interpretations of existing rules lead to claims for unpaid taxes and years of litigation.\"
2 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
TOKYO'S SPIRIT FINDS A HOME IN DELHI
Great ambience, innovative cocktails, and premium food-Oju, cofounded by filmmaker, chat show host, and fashionista Karan Johar-raises the bar for Japanese cuisine in India.
4 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
A NEW JEWEL IN THE DECCAN
Few cities embody the meeting of worlds quite like Hyderabad, where Islamic domes rise beside glass towers, and centuries-old traditions mingle with the rhythms of modern life. In Banjara Hills, the city's most refined enclave, this dialogue continues in stone and silk at The Leela Hyderabad.
7 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
A FESTIVAL WHERE IDEAS TAKE FLIGHT
Celebrating its 10th edition, the Serendipity Arts Festival has transformed Goa into a global stage for art, culture, and ideas.
7 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
WERE YOU AWARE?
Some of the world's most compelling hotel openings this year unfolded beyond India.
1 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
BALANCE BECOMES THE NEW LUXURY
In 2026, hospitality, travel, dining, and spirits rediscover their soul, embracing connection, meaning, and balance over excess.
10+ min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
FROM NEW DELHI TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Rasika, Washington D.C's pioneering Indian restaurant, turns 20. Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj and Chef Vikram Sunderam reflect on the menus and mindset that took Indian cuisine to powerful tables.
3 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
THE MANY INCREDIBLE INDIAS
Dr Shashi Tharoor, parliamentarian, author, intellectual, and former United Nations Diplomat, reflects on tourism as a “mirror of a nation’s soul,” outlining the three foundational pillars—Image, Infrastructure, and Immigration—that will shape India’s journey toward Viksit Bharat 2047.
3 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
HABEEB MOHAMMED Chief Concierge, ITC Grand Chola
Driven by empathy and agility, Habeeb Mohammed turns setbacks into guest-delight moments, proving that true hospitality lies in thoughtful gestures, heartfelt connections and presence under pressure.
1 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
India's new restaurant playbook
Inside the minds of the country's most influential restaurateurs
2 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
FREEZE. BREATHE. RENEW.
At Fairmont Mumbai, longevity is elevated through innovative therapies that rejuvenate you, using techniques that freeze, pressurise, oxygenate, and illuminate for a renewed sense of wellbeing.
4 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
The art of scaling restaurants
Scaling a brand is as much an art as it is a science. Behind every successful expansion lies a delicate balance of quality, culture, and people, where a single misstep can ripple far beyond the kitchen.
4 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
BEING VOCAL FOR LOCAL
The Expression Faucet blends modern design with everyday performance.
1 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
THE ART OF BELONGING EVERYWHERE
Priyanka Chopra Jonas leads a life perpetually in motion, jetting between Los Angeles and Mumbai, London and Lisbon, Miami and the Bahamas. She travels as she did in childhood: lightly, curiously, and deliberately. Her small brass mandir finds a place in her carry-on, nestled beside a script and a spare pair of heels.
4 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
JOURNEYS WITHOUT ITINERARIES
In author and Jnanpith Award Winner Amitav Ghosh's world, travel is never an act of leisure but a condition of history.
5 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
The RESTAURANT MAVERICKS Who Refused To SERVE BORING
In a dining landscape where trends shift faster than the seasons and new restaurants appear on every street, what does it take to build a restaurant—or an empire—that truly endures? SOH explores the vision and grit of India's leading restaurateurs, who remain relevant, scalable, and deeply personal in a crowded market.
2 min |
Issue 16 - November/December 2025
Soul Of Hospitality
A LOTUS FOR THE LONG HAUL
At Navi Mumbai International Airport, Zaha Hadid Architects translate India's national flower into form, light and movement-crafting an edifice that reflects the country's growing confidence on the world stage.
4 min |
Issue 17 - January 2026
Soul Of Hospitality
NEW LOOK, SAME PREMIUM-NESS
The Leela Palace's dining icons— The Qube and Le Cirque—return with a modern edge.
4 min |