ARAVALLI'S NEW REGAL ADDRESS

For AURIKA, Udaipur, the brand new upscale resort by Lemon Tree Hotels, Bobby Mukherji and Associates dig deep into the city’s architectural and artisanal heritage to create an elegant palatial getaway for modern-day travellers

- Deepali Nandwani

AURIKA, Udaipur is sited at the heart of the City of Lakes, atop its own hill in the majestic Aravalli range. It stretches out across five acres of an undulating hilltop. The entrance to the hotel is through the bastion gate, aptly called Antara (‘to pause’), which encourages guests to stop and breathe in the fresh Aravalli air.

The group’s first upscale resort property, a long-held dream of Patu Keswani, Chairman and Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd., is marked by grand courtyards, terraced gardens and, in keeping with the destination — fabled for the regal lifestyle of its erstwhile royal families and stunning palaces and forts — gilded interiors. The marriage of heritage, nostalgia and contemporary elegance results in a perfect getaway for modern-day travellers.

Architecture and design atelier Bobby Mukherji & Associates (BM&A) was mandated by Lemon Tree Hotels for the entire design job, including the interiors, landscaping and lighting design. “We inherited a half-built project. Our design brief, which came from Ritu Ranjan, Chief Design Officer, Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd. was to recreate the ambience of a fortress or a palace for present-day clientele.” The idea, then, was to design a modern version of a Rajasthani palace, sans the excessive ornate quality and flamboyance that one associate with ancient palaces and forts in the state.